Someone recommended I listen to a podcast by the “Bible Project” on the topic of evolution, and so I did.
The hosts of the Bible Project interviewed a credentialed scientist — a scholar with a PhD — who wrote a book that reconciled (in the Author’s mind) “science” and the “Bible,” specifically the part about Adam and Eve. Essentially, he argued, there is no conflict between “science,” which he presumes is the truth, and the Bible. And he succeeded demonstrating that it is entirely plausible that all humans on earth today had two common ancestors who the Bible calls Adam and Eve.
His approach had to do with DNA and genetics. They inserted the presupposition that after Adam and Eve left the garden, they inter-bred with other already existing humans and their (Adam and Eve’s) genes are present in all of us to some extent, even if in very small quantities.
Left at that, I think the scientist/guest succeeded in demonstrating his proposition — that two people (Adam and Eve) could possibly have provided the some genetic material to all current humans.
Bravo.
However, it seems to me that this approach created more problems than it solved.
First, they presume that “science” is correct, proven, and not to be disputed by mere reference to the Bible — because we interpret it wrong.
Second, there is no discussion of how “evolution” would work. The grand scenario of Evolution posits that by mere chance or, (to a theist), an initial spark from “God.” Matter emerged out of nothing and over eons of time self assembles into elements, molecules, DNA, cells, complex life (all life is complex), intelligent life and human beings. And, that this evolutional process will continue as man “evolves” upward, more intelligent, longer living, perhaps immortal, transcending the limits of the human body — becoming god-like in our existence no doubt in a self-directed act of eternal improvements. This is the existence myth that is called “evolution,” and it has never been replicated — it is set of interlocking assumptions that cannot be proven.
Evolution presumes that life comes from non-life without a Director or Designer. Evolution presumes that entropy (the second law of thermodynamics) simply doesn’t apply to evolutionary “science.” And it presumes, on a cosmological level, that matter can travel faster than the speed of light (which of course violates science) in the time known as the “expansion” immediately after the Big Bang.
I will not address these issues. Rather, I will ask:
• If evolution is true as described by “scientists,” then why didn’t God just say so in the Bible? • If the earth began untold aeons ago, why not just say it?
• If life emerged spontaneously from inorganic matter, why didn’t Moses write that?
• If creation took more that six days, and in fact took billions of years, why doesn’t the Bible say that?
Is God so ignorant that he doesn’t know how we call got here?
If God did not uniquely create different “kinds” of animals and “kinds” of plants, which the Bible says reproduce only after the own “kind,” then why does the Bible — ostensibly inspired by the Holy Spirit of God — simply say so? The emphasis on kinds reproducing after their own kind utterly undermines the theory that we are on one continuous and inter-related “evolution” where there are no fundamental distinctions between kinds. Rather, one kind can give birth to a different kind in the theory of evolution. If this is true, then why does the Bible insist that kinds only can reproduce after it’s own kind? (Genesis 1) Did the Holy Spirit lie?
If a single cell emerged from the primordial soup (never mind how exceedingly complex a single cell is), then why not simply say so in the Holy Scriptures? Why the emphasis on a division on kinds which reproduce after their own kind? (Genesis 1)
The story was not hard for the Holy Spirit to inspire — thousands of scholars have written countless tomes, essays and books outlining the story of evolution over eons of time and how from one single cell (or strand of DNA) all the different kinds emerged. Why didn’t God think of this is the first place if this is how it really happened?
If Evolution is all true, then why, simply, would God not have inspired Moses and the other authors of the Bible to say so? Is God the Author of Lies? Is His Holy Spirit of the Author of lies and deception? Why did not the Holy Spirit just inspire Moses to write what “really” happened?
Well, now we have a real problem.
There is one unforgivable sin in the Bible — blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Jewish leadership blasphemed the Holy Spirit on two counts 1) they said Mary conceived the Son of God through immorality, when in fact it was the Holy Spirit that caused the Son of God’s conception inside a Virgin — that is precisely why Jesus Christ is call the Son of God. 2) The Jewish leadership also blasphemed the Holy Spirit by accusing Jesus Christ of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebul when Jesus Christ cast them out by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now we potentially add a third blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: the insinuation that the Scriptures are a big lie, and therefore the Holy Spirit is the author of lies. Underlying the Bible Project conversation are three possible presuppositions:
1) the Holy Scriptures are not inspired by the Holy Spirit
2) there is no Holy Spirit
3) that the Holy Spirit is the author of lies
And if any of this is the case, why in the world would they bother to to try to reconcile the Bible and Science in the first place?
Fritz Berggren, PhD
bloodandfaith.com
John 1:1-3
John 10:35
2 Timothy 3:16
Revelation 22:18-19
You must log in to post a comment.