Evolution

In 1859, Charles Darwin. Theories of evolution had been suggested before Darwin's The Origin of Species set the stage for a radically new way of thinking about the way in which life began on earth and how it can change from one form into another.

It is easy to see why Darwin's theory aroused immediate controversy, since it does not mention the creating and sustaining hand of God. In time, Darwin even regretted that his theory had caused his devoutly Christian mother so much anguish.

Darwin predicted that, over the years, many so-called "missing links" would be found to substantiate his theory. He also confessed that one of the most difficult things to explain by natural selection is the existence of the eye. How could a sightless organism suddenly develop the urge to see, to say nothing of ending up with the amazing and intricate mechanism of sight?

No significant progress has been made since Darwin's time in discovering the fossils of any missing links. This has led some evolutionists to modify Darwin's theory and even to replace large parts of it with radically new ideas. One of these is the Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium of Harvard University's Dr. Stephen Gould. In essence, Gould says that the reason for the missing links is that evolution often proceeded in sudden jumps rather than in a gradual procession. Other scientists have attacked Gould's theory as evasive and have proposed new theories of their own.

Over the years, a battle has also raged over the nature and geographical location of the first human-like creatures, or "hominids." For a time, fossils from East Africa were winning the fight, largely because of the efforts of the Leakey family. Then arguments were made for fossil fragments in China and elsewhere. Another theory has it that humans descended from an entirely different branch of the evolutionary tree than did the apes. Whether a specific fossil fragment is that of an ape or a human is also frequently disputed.

How much simpler and more reasonable it is to believe that life, in all its complexity and variety, was created by the almighty God when He spoke the words, "Let there be ... ", as we are told in Genesis 1.

It is difficult to overestimate the impact that the theory of evolution has had over the last century and a half. Although Darwin's original theory has been modified many times and radically different theories have been proposed, the idea that nature is all there is (naturalism) has grown to be a dominant force in modern life. It is, in fact, very difficult for a person to advance professionally in most colleges or universities today, or to publish articles in professional journals, if he or she does not espouse naturalism.

The pervasive effect of this thinking can readily be seen in today's public schools, where the theory of evolution plays a prominent role in the science curriculum and the consideration of creation by a divine being is prohibited by law. Many of today's court decisions are, in fact, guided by the idea that human beings are no more than random collections of atoms without the "divine rights" that motivated America's founding fathers.

This is not to say that all evolutionists are atheists. But the percentage of '"theistic evolutionists" is quite small, and the predominant view in science today is that everything can be explained without invoking so-called "intelligent design" of any kind.

What modern evolutionists do not like to mention is that Darwin even predicted that the most advanced humans (Europeans in his thinking) will eventually annihilate all other people on earth as well as the intelligent apes.

"The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shewn by man's attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than can womanwhether requiring deep thought, reason, or imagination, or merely the use of the senses and hands We may also infer that if men are capable of a decided pre-eminence over women in many subjects, the average mental power in man must be above that of woman."1

Biological evolution is, however, not the only kind on the market. Long before the first cell emerged from the primordial soup, or so the story goes, there had to be some other form of matter already in existence. The theory that is currently in vogue to explain this situation is called The Big Bang. In this scenario, an unimaginably small particle of matter exploded some 20 billion years ago and expanded into what we see today as a cosmos of countless galaxies stretching billions and billions of miles into space.

To the embarrassment of most evolutionists, however, the Big Bang theory requires an origin in time, as well as somebody to create the original particle and set off the explosion. This gets uncomfortably close to saying that "in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

To get around this seeming impasse, a new theory has it that matter came into existence through a "quantum fluctuation in a vacuum." When the objection was raised that this is the same thing as saying that something came out of nothing, the reply was that even though it is very unusual, it had to happen only once! Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether the proponent of such a theory is really serious or is just having fun trying to fool people. At any rate, a person who takes the vacuum-fluctuation idea seriously is certainly a good candidate for buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Also to the discomfiture of Big Bang proponents, it was recently announced that some stars are seemingly older than the universe! As of now this untenable contradiction has not been resolved. Some astronomers have suggested that the Big Bang theory should be replaced by the idea that the universe is eternal. If God can be eternal, then why not the universe?

Because they are born with sinful natures, human beings do not want to have anything to do with God. The Bible says that "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Romans 8:7). So it is not surprising that many scientists want to keep God out of their theories because they are afraid that, if He exists, they will have to be accountable to Him for their thinking and their actions. In this respect, of course, scientists are no different from the rest of unconverted mankind.

But once a person has come to faith in Jesus Christ, the fear of God changes into love of God and eagerness to study His word and do His will. To the Christian, many of today's godless theories in science and other fields are best described by St. Paul when he says that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (I Corinthians 3:19).

This does not mean, however, that the Christian should refrain from studying scientific theories and other intellectual propositions. After all, the Bible does not say that the converse of the above passage is true and that the stupidity of this world is wisdom with God. God wants us to use the intellect He has given us to find out as much about His marvelous universe as possible. But we should do so with the understanding that all human theories are open to debate and may someday be replaced by better ones. In this respect, textbooks often err by presenting theories as irrefutable facts. The history of science shows that this is a very shaky approach, at best.

The Bible says emphatically that a rational human being should be able to detect the creating hand of God in the universe. The writer of Psalm 19:"1 says:"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." And Romans 1:20 makes it even stronger: "For the invisible things of (God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." Yes, it takes a real effort to deny intelligent design in the universe, which is what most evolutionists and textbooks do today.

In recent years, the bastion of naturalism and atheistic evolution has been effectively challenged by several courageous and highly qualified individuals. Very prominent in this movement are the books and lectures of Dr. Phillip E. Johnson, a professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley. His book, Darwin on Trial, it first appeared in 1991 and has caused considerable anguish among atheistic evolutionists ever since. Simply stated, Johnson shows that the evidence for Darwinian evolution is insufficient to stand up in a court of law. Contrary to what many scientists and textbook writers would like to think, the theory of evolution is far from being proved the way the law of gravity has been proved, for example. The second edition of Johnson's book includes some of the vitriolic and decidedly unscientific attacks on the author by otherwise level-headed scientists.

In a sequel, its titled Reason in the Balance, Johnson goes on to show that the naturalism that pervades science in today's schools can also be seen in other fields, especially modern American law. Johnson's books are highly readable and extensively annotated. They should be required reading in our schools. If your public library does not yet have copies, you should politely ask them to acquire them. Some of Johnson's lectures and debates are also available on videotape through Reasons to Believe, P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena CA 91117.

Another excellent source of material in the struggle against scientific atheism is the Institute for Creation Research, P.O. Box 2667, El Cajon CA 92021. The institute was founded by Dr. Henry Morris, who was formerly a department chairman at the Virginia Polytechnic University. Two other members of ICR are Dr. Duane Gish, a biochemist, and Dr. John Morris, Jr., a geologist. The debates of these scientists against prominent evolutionists draw huge audiences around the country. An excellent pamphlet published by ICR is entitled "Summary of Scientific Evidence for Creation."

God's Word says that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). We should support the work of Dr. Johnson and of the ICR and other champions of scientific honesty and the Gospel with our prayers. The majority may rule when it comes to politics, but the majority does not necessarily prevail in the long run when it comes to the struggle against atheism and naturalism. The Bible tells many stories where a small group or even a single individual triumphed with the help of God.

And our prayers should be followed by actions. We should speak out against the indoctrination of our children into the cult of naturalism. Recently, the Supreme Court even made it possible for Christians to witness openly in the public schools. This decision was the result of concerted efforts by members of The Lamb's Chapel, a Christian church on Long Island.

We must tell as many people as we possibly can that, instead of being the evolutionary products of blind chance, we are all the creatures of a loving God, who has destined us to be caretakers of His creation and heirs of eternal life. We thank God that we can do all this "through Christ, which strengtheneth (us)" (Philippians 4:13).

Dr. Trinklein has taught science for more than forty years, most recently at L.I. Lutheran High School and Nassau Community College. He is the co-author of widely used textbooks in physics and astronomy and his articles on scientific and religious topics have appeared in numerous journals. He and Mrs. Trinklein have five children and 12 grandchildren and live in Shoreham, New York. The Trinkleins are members of Grace Lutheran Church in Mastic Beach, New York

Send mail to webmaster@tlem.net with questions or comments about this web site. Send mail to tlem@tlem.net with question or comments about specific content on this web site. Copyright © 2001, 2002 True Light Educational Ministry Last modified: April 17, 2001

Send mail to webmaster@tlem.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Send mail to tlem@tlem.net with question or comments about specific content on this web site.
Copyright © 2001, 2002 True Light Educational Ministry
Last modified: April 17, 2001