Download the powerpoint

Science and Faith
It’s life, Jim
David Wallace
The heavens
declare the
glory of God
Psalm 19
Science and faith: mini series
• In the beginning
– Genesis 1 and the age of the universe
• It’s life Jim
– Evolution
• Would you Adam and Eve it?
– Genesis 2-3
– Intelligent Design
Aims
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read the Bible properly
Think about God and science together
Enjoy studying science
Spot the bias
Avoid the creationist caricature
Worship God: inspired by science
Evolution in a nutshell
• Genes vary
– Occasionally help reproduction
or survival
• Natural selection
– More of the beneficial genes in
the population
• Change happens gradually
– Eventually new species
• That’s how all the different
living things came about
– Small changes over a long time
– Common descent – tree of life
Richard Dawkins clip
Insights into evolution
Initial Christian reaction to Darwin
Evolution: hijacked by ideologies
Why some people don’t like evolution
The evidence for evolution
How can faith and science be compatible
regarding evolution?
• Chance is a fine thing
• Intelligent design
•
•
•
•
•
Initial Christian reaction to Darwin
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Soapy” Sam Wilberforce: churchman
Charles Kingsley: writer, history professor, socialist
Aubrey Moore: botanist, cleric
Henry Drummond: evangelist with Moody & Sankey
Asa Grey: evangelical; prof of natural history
James McCosh: Calvinist university president
George Wright: theologian, glacial geologist
Alex Winchell: Methodist, geologist, paleontologist
Benjamin Warfield: Fundamentalist
Evolution: Hijacked by ideologies
•
Herbert Spencer
–
•
Tory capitalism
–
•
Natural selection through violent competitive struggle
Eugenics
–
•
White man’s rule is survival of the fittest
WW1
–
•
Class struggle is survival of the fittest
Colonialism
–
•
Survival of the economically fittest
Socialism (Marx and Engels)
–
•
Progress = “survival of the fittest” in every aspect of life
Sterilisation of defectives in USA
Nazi Germany
–
Eliminate genetic diseases
Evolution: hijacked by more ideologies?
• Atheism
– evolution removes any basis for meaning and purpose in
life
• Faith in the Creator
– evolution is a wonder of creation, inspiring worship
Why some people don’t like
evolution
• What about the story of Adam and Eve?
• Evolution would have taken too long!
Evolution of Homer
Why some people don’t like evolution
• What about the story of Adam and Eve?
• Evolution would have taken too long!
• Nothing buttery – it’s immoral!
Nothing buttery
(reductionism)
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Nothing but” an evolved ape
Behaving like animals is OK
Ruthless competition is simply “survival of the fittest”
Not guilty: his genes made him do it
Animals have as many rights as humans
Love, creativity and consciousness are just biochemistry
Why some people don’t like evolution
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What about the story of Adam and Eve?
Evolution would have taken too long!
Nothing buttery – it’s immoral!
Association with all sorts of evil
Too much death
Random chance and God’s plan
Christians on the defensive
–
–
–
–
Loss of believers
A need to hold on tightly
A sense of boldness in believing bigger things
A need to belong
Evidence for evolution
• Fossils
• Genetics
• Evolution in progress
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
• Everyone accepts evolution at some level
•Atheistic Evolution
•Agnostic Evolution
•Deistic Evolution
A spectrum of interpretations
Evolutionary Creationism
aka Theistic Evolution
•All planned from the start
•Intervention for initial spark of life
•With literal Adam and Eve
Creation was a series of
events over 6 days.
Evidence of process we
might find is in fact
remnants of the flood.
Old Earth Creationism
•Progressive creationism
•Day Age creationism
•Gap creationism
Young Earth Creationism
Increasingly literal interpretation of Bible
More “special creation” interventions by God
Geocentrism
Flat earth
•Atheistic Evolution
•Agnostic Evolution
•Deistic Evolution
A spectrum of interpretations
Evolutionary Creationism
aka Theistic Evolution
•All planned from the start
•Intervention for initial spark of life
•With literal Adam and Eve
God intervened at
critical moments to
bring about “leaps in
complexity”. Common
design not common
ancestors
Old Earth Creationism
•Progressive creationism
•Day Age creationism
•Gap creationism
Young Earth Creationism
Increasingly literal interpretation of Bible
More “special creation” interventions by God
Geocentrism
Flat earth
•Atheistic Evolution
•Agnostic Evolution
•Deistic Evolution
A spectrum of interpretations
Evolutionary Creationism
aka Theistic Evolution
•All planned from the start
•Intervention for initial spark of life
•With literal Adam and Eve
The emergence of
life and evolution
was God’s idea,
design and plan from
the beginning
Old Earth Creationism
•Progressive creationism
•Day Age creationism
•Gap creationism
Young Earth Creationism
Increasingly literal interpretation of Bible
More “special creation” interventions by God
Geocentrism
Flat earth
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
• Everyone accepts evolution at some level
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
• Everyone accepts evolution at some level
• Clever mechanisms, clever designer
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
• Everyone accepts evolution at some level
• Clever mechanisms, clever designer
• It is all created and sustained by God
It is all created and sustained by God
In these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe. The
Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all
things by his powerful word.
Hebrews 1:2-3
It is all created and sustained by God
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the
first-born of all creation; for in him all things
were created ... all things were created
through him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15-17
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
•
•
•
•
Everyone accepts evolution at some level
Clever mechanisms, clever designer
It is all created and sustained by God
Chance is a fine thing
Chance is a fine thing
• Random
≠ Unplanned
Chance is a fine thing
• Random
≠ Unplanned
Chance is a fine thing
≠ Unplanned
Random ≠ Purposeless
• Random
•
How can faith and evolution be compatible?
•
•
•
•
Everyone accepts evolution at some level
Clever mechanisms, clever designer
It is all created and sustained by God
Chance is a fine thing
Principles for looking at science and faith
• It is all created and sustained by God
• We know it by faith (not science)
• It is good to understand the universe through
science
• It is amazing what God has made
• God is not disproved by science
• The wonders uncovered by science inform our
worship