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 PrintableVersion Darwin, Creation and the FallIt’s death, Jim, but not as we know it! DARWIN, CREATION AND THE FALL This is a collection of essays written by theologians and scientists, all of whom oppose ‘creationism’ and are committed to an evolutionary view of origins. All are evangelical Christians, and in these essays they attempt to reconcile evolution with biblical revelation. R.J. Berry surveys Darwin's theory in the light of biblical teaching. He suggests that perhaps at some point in human evolution from the apes, God set us apart as homo divinus — biologically identical to homo sapiens, but spiritually distinct (p.61). He questions whether there was an historical Adam, or Fall as described in Genesis. At any rate, the ‘death’ which results from the Fall is to be regarded as spiritual separation from God, not physical death which obviously was necessary for the evolutionary process up to that point. This raises major theological questions regarding both sin and salvation. A.N.S. Lane suggests that perhaps the sentence of death was really the loss of the possibility of eternal life, so that man remained in his original mortal condition. T.A. Noble, on the other hand, sees clearly that the doctrine of salvation requires physical death as a consequence of the Fall. After all, Christ had to take mortal flesh, die physically and rise bodily for our salvation. However, Noble is conscious that this is at odds with an evolutionary account of origins and so suggests that perhaps it was just human and not animal death involved in the curse; perhaps the curse just brought human death ‘as we know it’. We are urged not to enquire too closely on this point, and that it is better to allow natural science and theological science to operate in their own separate domains without interference (p.123). Blocher insists that we must read Genesis 3 as an historical account of Adam and Eve and the entrance of sin into the world. However, he struggles to locate these individuals in the evolutionary account of the development of homo sapiens. In the next chapter of the book Richard Mortimer confesses that in light of evolutionary science he must maintain that Adam and Eve represent a population rather than a couple. There is little progress here towards harmonising scientific theory and biblical revelation. Indeed, the contributors to this small volume are at odds with one another. Evolutionary theory makes an historical reading of Genesis 3 and the entrance of physical death impossible; those who maintain the historicity of the biblical account struggle to fit their understanding with evolutionary science. It seems that ne'er the twain shall meet. Bill James, © Evangelicals Now - November 2009 |
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