A friend recently told me of a session at a Christian University group where the speaker addressed the large contingency on theistic evolution. Theistic evolution is the belief that evolution is merely the mechanism which God designed as a natural process to be used after creation.
Now creation and evolution are contrasting views, even if somebody says they believe in both a creator and the evolution mechanism, such a union is incompatible. And such a union is dangerous as it undermines the authority of Scripture, particularly that of Genesis. Ken Ham elaborates on this compromise:
I believe this is what happened: The older generations in the Church allowing the teaching of evolution and/or millions of years to be added to the Bible. They didn’t realize the true nature of what was happening. Most of these people believed the Bible to be the infallible, inerrant Word of God. They just added evolutionary teaching (e.g., millions of years of history) to this. But the next generation then grew up already disbelieving Genesis. This, I’m convinced, has led to generations in the Church being sceptical about the Bible’s teaching in many other areas. They lost a sense of absolutes.
Creation Evangelism for the New Millennium, Ken Ham, pg 83
So the danger rests in our interpretation of scripture. As R.C. Sproul affirms “the Bible becomes a chameleon changing the color of its skin against the changing background of the people doing the interpreting” (Knowing Scripture, R. C. Sproul, pg 53). Albert Mohler also decries theistic evolution: “[i]n my view, any Christian form of theistic evolution is a contradiction in terms. At the end of the day, the theological modifications required by the acceptance of evolution are vast and utterly disastrous for biblical Christianity” (http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/10/11/science-and-religion-arent-friends/). Also check out Albert Mohler's radio program.
If you still maintain that that theistic evolution is not dangerous, read this article from creation.com. We are faced with a choice. We either reinterpret scripture because of the self-proclaimed “scientific evidence” or we can remain grounded on the inerrancy of the Bible. The first is such a compromise (particularly by any Christian leader) that we should question how we could give any credence to their interpretation of scripture. Or indeed on any social issues. For example:
“When America had the foundation [of creation] (God’s Word is truth), then when someone said “abortion is wrong,” on this former foundation a person would say, “Yes, you are right. Abortion is sin.”
Because the culture has changed its foundation to “man’s opinions determine truth” (evolution), then when the same message is preached, “abortion is wrong,” the answer is more like this: “What are you talking about? I have a right to do what I want with my body. We’re just animals anyway. No one has a right to tell me what to do”.”
Creation Evangelism for the New Millennium, Ken Ham, pg 88
Unfortunately there are many Christians who do not understand this and teach a compromised message of Genesis that fits neatly within what vocal scientists declare is reality. One such website is The BioLogos Forum, founded by Francis Collins. This website seems to genuinely seek an interrelationship between science and faith. Unfortunately, in doing so, there is a compromise of biblical understanding. As stated on the About Us page:
We have found that the methods of the natural sciences provide the most reliable guide to understanding the material world, and the current evidence from science indicates that the diversity of life is best explained as a result of an evolutionary process. Thus we affirm that evolution is a means by which God providentially achieves His purposes.
Perhaps humanists have a greater grasp upon the stupidity of the statement above than those who profess to be a Christian yet continue to believe in evolution do.
“If all the animals and man had been evolved in this ascendant manner, then there had been no first parents, no Eden, and no Fall. And if there had been no fall, then the entire historical fabric of Christianity, the story of the first sin and the reason for an atonement, upon which the current teaching based Christian emotion and morality, collapsed like a house of cards.”
The outline of history — being a plain history of life and mankind, H. G. Wells, pg 616
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