Perspectives on Evolution and Creation

In our last post we connected the topics of evolution and creation to our personal worldview. As Christians, the issues of evolution, creation, and personal worldview are related and intrinsically important to our faith. Whether we are evolutionists or creationists, our personal world view is interlocked with those beliefs. Our current post extends and clarifies issues from our previous post. Since posting https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2024/07/evolution-inquiry.html many thoughts came to mind relating to the topic of worldview.

Is it possible to hold two diverse worldviews at the same time? Specifically, could one person have a worldview of naturalism and a worldview of theism at the same time? We believe that such dualism is impossible. A coherent sense of truth about the realities of human life, including accurate understandings of human origins, is a truth we must embrace. People uncertain whether to believe in evolution or creation may suffer from a form of cognitive dissonance.

Christians are frequently counseled to “Get on board with science,” or to “Come to peace with science.” This counsel originates with both theistic and naturalistic evolutionists who posit that scientists have long ago settled the question whether evolutionary theory is true. People do not wish to confess a disrespect for science. Many citizens do not investigate the scientific credibility of evolutionary theory if they are convinced that bio-scientists are correct when they pronounce evolution to be true beyond any doubt. Many creationists possess doubt because some the main pillars of evolutionary theory seem to be weakening. We raise a few doubts in our remaining paragraphs.    

We distinguish between naturalistic evolutionists and theistic evolutionists. When we discuss topics such as evolution we note differences between two worldview categories: naturalistic and theistic. Naturalistic evolutionists claim God should not enter our discussion at all, because the process of evolution proceeds without any involvement from a Deity who may not even exist. In contrast, theistic evolutionists believe God endowed living entities with the potentiality to utilize constructive (beneficial) mutations to transition into new species. Through these constructive mutations and with the help of natural selection, a new species appears and increases the diversity of life on our planet.

What is natural selection? It is a natural process whereby a mutated (genetically altered) organism is better adapted to their environment and has a better chance of survival. The phrase “survival of the fittest” comes from this Darwinian concept.   

According to evolutionary theory, the original living entity possessed the potentiality to transition to a new species. The original living entity was called LUCA, the last universal common ancestor. LUCA existed several billion years ago. It possessed DNA molecules able to transfer genetic information to its descendants. LUCA was a cellular entity from which all of the millions of different species alive today on Planet Earth originated.LUCA was the evolutionary ancestor of every human being alive today, according to evolutionary scientists.

Evolutionists are unable to explain how life originated. The origin of life is a serious problem for evolutionary bio-scientists. Another acronym has been proposed in evolutionary literature: FUCA…the first universal common ancestor. FUCA is a cellular entity which must precede LUCA. RNA, ribonucleic acid, a component of FUCA, is a messenger molecule necessary for most biological functions. As we read evolutionary literature, we encounter the phrase “the RNA world.” Without FUCA and its RNA there would be no LUCA.      

According to believers in theistic evolution, the supernatural Creator observed the naturalistic process described above, but the new living entity was not created by Him. The new entity evolved from biomatter already in existence. To a naturalistic evolutionist the process of divine fiat creationdoes not exist with respect to the production of living things, including humanity. Most professional scientists do not subscribe to creation; rather, they endorse the theory of (naturalistic) evolution.

J. R. Miller is a visiting scholar and fellow at the Reasons to Believe ministry. In his 2024 volume Set Apart—How Genesis Stands Alone, Miller writes, “The Hebrew story of creation in Genesis is neither myth nor mytho-history. Genesis 1-11 is a form of theological storytelling (theo-history) that God used to reveal material origins, moral duties, and destiny of humankind.” Scripture in both the New and Old Testaments has many creation passages. The Bible frequently refers to the topic of creation. Conservative theologians describe these divinely inspired creation passages as literal truth. Liberal theologians envision many scripture passages as mythical. These theologians promote the concept that the Hebrew worldview converges with other neighboring cultures. In contrast, conservative theologians state that the Judeo-Christian creationist worldview diverges from other naturalistic worldviews.

Old and New Testament terms—bara in the Hebrew scripture and ex nihilo in the language of the New Testament are terms used to describe divine creation events. In both cases, God created entities that did not previously exist. This truth is the foundation for our creationist belief system. Evolution posits development of living entities from a succession of events involving previously existing matter. We worship the God of Creation rather than a God of theistic or naturalistic evolution.