I am curious as to how evolution came to be so offensive to Christians. I mean, sure, it is the antidote of many secularists, an alternative to believing in God, but why do we feel the need to make it an either/or thing? Why do we feel like they’ve nailed down the options when they say “either God created or it was evolution?”
In many ways, we’ve made evolution our enemy.
Instead of spending our energy on worthwhile pursuits like fighting against things like poverty, violence, or apathy, calling people into relationship with Christ, calling the American church out of her greed, etc. we’ve settled instead to rail against science’s theories.
Contrary to the popular Christian notion that doing so is actually a sort of virtue, an activity that God would applaud and thank us for, spending our time, energy, and resources on things like combatting science is a distraction from the Enemy! Think about it…Satan probably knows he isn’t going to convince you to go out and have an affair or be trapped in drugs. What’s troubling is that you think that such things are the extent of his ability. You would be wrong. Instead, he convinces us that evolution is what is wrong with the world. He convinces you that people are turning away from God (or not following him in the first place) because of this scientific theory that seems to “disprove” the Bible. He convinces you that if only we could get evolution out of our schools, and prayer/ten commandments back in, that somehow through the process of spiritual osmosis, America will somehow get better again. We will be moral again.
We have been deceived, my friends. Worst of all, our willingness to go along with the Enemies plan may have prevented us from finding God in evolution in the first place.
What if…what if God really did use evolution and that, had we not reacted so vehemently to it, we would have found profound and mesmerizing beauty in the complexity of our Creation which has always been sustained and perpetuated by God – despite the fact that things have changed so dramatically over the course of a very, very long time (or, really, a very, very short amount of time. Science isn’t done, we may find out that things happened much faster than we previously thought)? What if we’re missing out on something that God did and is doing? All because we believed a lie?
Understand that I’m not making a case for evolution, not at all.
I don’t really care about evolution one way or another. The way I see it, God created, period. Whether he chose to do that very quickly or over the course of several million or billion years is not really important, wouldn’t you agree? But I do find it problematic that in the name of God we’ve taken up a cause to convince everyone that science is wrong (at best) and a tool of the enemy, sinister in and of itself (at worst).
Really?
Jesus died on the cross so that we could insist on a 6-Day Creation? The lamb of God sweat blood in anticipation for his impending torture, all the while summoning his father to forgive his transgressors, so that we could put up a fight when someone says that the earth took a very long time to come into its current state?
We have to ask ourselves a very important question…
Given the amount of time I spend on evolution (or insert your own cause here), is it going to return the same results as if I spent the same amount of time caring for orphans and teaching them about Jesus? Is it going to make the same difference as if I spent the same amount of time, energy, and money helping to bring troubled youth into a saving relationship with Christ and teaching them what it means to be a disciple?
Here I was thinking the enemy was Satan and all that he brings with him – breaking up families, stealing the youth of child prostitutes, bringing despair to the homeless, destroying the hearts and minds of the abused, killing the orphans who have nobody to turn to, deceiving comfort-seeking Christians into naming and claiming wealth and health – turns out the real enemy is scientific theory.
For your sake, and for the sake of those who actually need you, I hope you do not succeed in disproving evolution. Many a hopeless person go without having their needs met and die (or worse) so that a few intellectuals might have their minds changed.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Apologetics, Evolution
i Think this is good. However, i do believe that while i am sharing about Christ and doing good works (for his Glory) its very important to share about how and why other religions are wrong ( or should i say false teachings0. Paul wrote several letters addressing things like false teaching and how creation tells of Gods glory. Plus i think its important to address how evolution is wrong so people can understand that God is Holy and Worthy of Praise. I do feel also that those good works are equally as important with the Message of the Gospel.
Hey “The Clay”
So, good response…lets talk about this a bit.
I’m curious, why do you feel the need to share about why other religions (or worldviews or scientific theories or whatever) are wrong? Why not just share what you are about, what God is about, and let whoever you are talking to make their own decision?
The reason I ask is because I feel like any energy spent trying to convince others that this or that religion or theory is wrong is time wasted. I wonder, were we to do what we know to do; were we to spend our time loving God and loving our neighbors – really loving them, they would know we are right without us having to say anything about other religions. I think of it like this…does Denzel Washington go around trying to convince others that his movies are better than others? No, he just makes quality movies, he does an excellent job of doing what he is supposed to do (acting) and people just know that his movies are better.
The rightness of the Gospel isn’t found in its ideas or doctrines, important as those may be, but in love.
Get what I’m saying?
The Clay – I disagree that it is important to share why other religions are wrong. This is an ineffective way of convincing people of God’s glory. As true as our beliefs may be, that is not what flounderers want to hear. People shut down to whatever you say when you start making truth claims. Finding reason to believe that other religions are ‘false teachings’ comes after one is firmly grounded in their beliefs, not before. I agree with Jesse that the more effective method of convincing somebody of God’s greatness is through personal testimony, explaining who God is to you and encouraging that the person seek God in their own way.
Similar idea in regards to evolution. Evolution makes some provocative claims that science has been able to lend credibility toward. It is not an easy theory for people to dismiss because it simply makes sense. So, coming out aggressively denouncing evolution will immediately lose your listener. A lot of belief in God must be validated on a personal level, and you must allow this to happen. The best thing that you can do is tell who God is to you and why a relationship with Him is such a great thing.
Jesse – I agree with your original argument. I wrote that Facebook note loosely around this argument.