1 Theistic Evolution

2 What is Theistic Evolution? Middle of the road approach §Belief in both evolution and God - usually in that order §[They] consider evolution to be a fact, but they believe that it has been divinely directed instead of coming about through natural processes. (Bolton Davidheiser, Evolution and the Christian Faith, 1969)

3 The Catholic Acceptance In the October 1996 statement to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope John Paul II threw the authority of the Roman Catholic Church behind the theory of evolution, saying that... fresh knowledge leads to recognition of the theory of evolution as more than just a hypothesis. (See the Catholic Information Network at

4 Growing Acceptance The major churches, however, gradually abandoned their initial condemnations, and their view of evolutionist biological theories is accommodating. (A Dictionary of Philosophy, concerning Darwinism)

5 Growing Acceptance If we look carefully at the issues about which we are talking, however, we can find that evolution and the Bible show amazing agreement on almost all issues and that one is not mutually exclusive of the other. (John N Clayton, lecturer, The Source 1976)

6 Various Theories Progressive creationism, scientific creationism, threshold evolution, etc §God created the building blocks - spontaneous generation took over from there §God created matter and life - but allowed evolution to operate through natural laws §At some point, God endowed a man-like beast with a soul, and made the first human

7 Fundamentalist Intolerance Evolution is based on the assumption that one must explain all things naturally. It is inconsistent to bring in God at the very beginning of the process, or anywhere along the line. The miraculous destroys scientific explanations. (James D Bales, Theistic Evolution and Genesis, 1974)

8 Problems with Theistic Evolution Theistic evolution requires that the process of creation (evolution) is still occurring §Contradicts what the Bible says: that God finished His creation at the end of day six §If evolution are indeed part of the laws of nature, it must still be happening. It is unreasonable to think that evolution would go thus far and no further. (Bolton Davidheiser, 1969) Transhumanism

9 Problems with Theistic Evolution When a theologian accepts evolution as the process used by the Creator, he must be willing to go all the way with it. Not only is it an orderly process, it is a continuing one. Nothing was finished on the seventh day; the process of creation is still going on. (Dr Kirtley F Mather, Harvard University, 1960)

10 Problems with Theistic Evolution Inconsistent with the nature of God §Inconsistent with the omnipotence of God - no necessity for eons of time to effect His creation §Inconsistent with the omniscience of God - evolution postulates that there were many trials and errors and dead-ends in the evolutionary path - God does not work by trial and error §Inconsistent with the eternal purpose of God - creation of man in His image

11 Problems with Theistic Evolution Cannot explain Man as the image of God §Man reduced to a Naked Ape, merely a higher animal and not the image of God §Man was created directly from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) - not from lower animal life-form that look like humans §Evolution cannot explain presence of a soul in man - if the theistic evolutionist is willing to concede the soul came from God, then why not the body too as Genesis tells us?

12 Problems with Theistic Evolution Cannot reconcile with Eve §Evolutionists believes the sexes evolved from asexual ancestors §But Genesis excludes any possibility of natural evolution l Eve was created from a rib taken out of Adams side (Genesis 2:21-23) l Affirmed by Christ (Matthew 19:4) l Totally incompatible with evolution and cannot be reconciled

13 Problems with Theistic Evolution Cannot explain the Fall of Man §Evolution dictates that man is ascending - evolutionary processes continue to improve man generation after generation §Contradicts Gods word which tells us man is degenerating - because sin and death entered the world after his Fall

14 Problems with Theistic Evolution Contradicts what Christ said §Christ affirmed man was made at the beginning (Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6). He was at the beginning and all things were made through Him (John 1:1-3). §The theory that God created the world by means of organic evolution rejects the Bible account of creation in Genesis, and rejects Christ who endorsed these writings, and in so doing makes Christ an ignoramus and the Christian religion a false religion. (Gus Nichols, The Bible versus Liberalism, 1972)

15 Problems with Theistic Evolution Irreconcilable?

16 Problems with Theistic Evolution

17 Problems with Theistic Evolution

18 Theistic Evolution ?

19 Intolerance The American Scientific Affiliation, comprising of scientists who believe in theistic evolution, learnt in 1987 how intolerant their evolutionist peers were, when they tried to issue a call for more open-mindedness, in view of the numerous unanswered questions on origin

20 Rejected by hardened naturalists The official scientific organisations are at war with creationism and their policy is to demand unconditional surrender. Mixing religion with science is obnoxious to Darwinists. (Philip E Johnson, 1991)

21 Science vs God Whenever science and the Bible are in conflict, it is always the Bible that, in one manner or another, must give way. We are not told that science should correct its answers in the light of Scripture. Always it is the other way around. (Edward J Young, Studies in Genesis 1, 1964)