Faith Conversations
I have recently renewed my
interested in questions of origins (origins of the universe, of life, of
humanity). Some Christians believe one
can simply read Genesis 1-2 and end the conversation. It’s there in black and white, and if we
tally up the generations going back to day 1 (Genesis 1:5), we can age the
earth at about 10,000 years.
Not so fast, say those who study the
universe. Physics tells us the age of
the universe is in the billions of years and so too is the age of the
earth. Biology tells us all life has evolved
from simple life-forms to complex. There
was not, in actual history a single Adam and Eve, but what today we call
humanity evolved from ancient primates that today would not be deemed
humans. The experts on evolution declare
the science to be as solid as there is.
Adherents to this perspective can be quite dogmatic and become defensive
if questioned.
On the other hand, there are
scientists including some biologists, just as qualified as the ardent evolution
proponents, who gladly acknowledge micro-evolution (change over time within
species). However, studying evidence
they’ve gathered and looking at probability, they deny the possibility that
life could evolve from nonlife or pre-living cells, and they deny that they
differentiate species have common ancestry.
And proponents in this camp are just as dogmatic as those who herald the
truth of evolution.
Some of the evolutionists are also
committed Christ followers. Recently I
raised questions about evolution with someone I had just met. She is a Christian and our introduction to
each other was in a church context. She
became agitated and defensive at the thought that I would dare question
evolution. I wasn’t attacking her. I was not even attacking evolution though I
did assert that there are holes in the theory and that it doesn’t prove
everything its champions claim.
I tried to emphasize that not only am I not a
scientist; I was actually very bad in science classes as a student. I tried to reiterate that I was not in a
camp. I was not denying evolution, just
asking challenging questions. But two
witnesses to the conversation agreed her reaction to my inquiry was
surprisingly confrontational. In fact,
my point in the conversation was that this issue can polarize people
needlessly. Instead of hearing my point,
she made it for me by rushing to defend a stance (evolution) instead of
discussing an issue (origins) in a harmonious tone.
Ironically, she and I are brother and sister in
Christ. Several months ago, I had the
same conversation with someone who is happily open about his atheism. He’s my neighbor and friend and is a
Geneticist. He knows I think God created
everything (whether by evolution or other means). He does not get mad if I pose challenging questions.
Our conversation was amicable. Why is it I could have this talk, just a
conversation, with a nonbeliever, but when the same topic came up with a fellow
believer, there was uncomfortable tension?
Christians need to be able to show intelligence
and Christlike love in dialogues on the topics of the day. Whether we’re exchanging ideas on
homosexuality, Muslim-Christian relations, or the intersection of faith and
science, Christians have to be well-spoken on the topic and loving and inviting
in tone. How we conduct ourselves in the
public sphere goes a long way to determining the effectiveness of our witness
for Christ.
Today, I pray for the woman who became so
aggressive when I question evolution. I
pray God would bless here today and would also give her the grace to state her
passionately held views with a voice of love.
I pray that she would be able to represent Jesus at the same time that
she makes her stand for science. And I
pray that I would be ever vigilant to increase my own knowledge but more than
that increase my own faith. Finally, I
pray that you, the reader, would today engage in impassioned conversations on
subjects of great importance. In those
conversations, I pray your conversation partner would look into your eyes and
see Jesus.
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