Evolution, Creationism and Intelligent Design
The Rev Dr David Chester is a non-stipendiary
Assistant Priest in the Parish,
as well as
being a Reader in Geography at the University of Liverpool
www.liv.ac.uk/geography/staff/chester.htm
Recently a
debate that many of us felt had run out of steam many decades - if not more than
a century - ago has been rekindled. The teaching of science in a faith school,
the Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead, has been heavily
criticised. This criticism has not only been contained in an open letter to the
Prime Minister signed amongst others by several bishops and the prominent
atheist Professor Richard Dawkins, but also in a press release issued by the Royal
Society; in effect the United Kingdom's national academy of science.
Creationism,
the literal belief in the creation stories of Genesis, became rare amongst
scientists and theologians well before 1900, with most believers affirming the
role of God as an active agent in the evolutionary process whilst at the same
time acknowledging him/her as the ultimate creative force. From the time of the
founding of the American Institute for Creation Research in 1972,
however, what is called 'scientific creationism' has spread amongst certain
conservative Christian groups, especially in the USA. Earlier this year a
three-day International Creation
Conference was held in Swanwick in Derbyshire in
which the creationist organisation, Answers in Genesis, was a prominent
participant.
Today
creationists focus their attention on claiming that evolution is merely one of
several theories by which the development of life on Earth may be explained and
that scientific data supporting evolutionary theory are open to challenge. Over
the years the veracity of dating methods used by geologists and geophysicists
have, for instance, been challenged and such fundamental physical principles as
the constancy over time of the speed of light have been questioned. In fact
from the 1990s creationist sympathisers have argued for a Theory of
Intelligent Design, on the grounds that known Darwinian mechanisms are
inadequate to explain the development of complex life forms, including human
beings.
The
Royal Society statement is highly relevant to current disputes. Whilst
welcoming debate on all scientific issues, it argues that young people are
'poorly served by deliberate attempts to withhold, distort or misrepresent
scientific knowledge.' It goes on to support what has been for most Christians
the accepted position for at least a century, namely, that believers are quite
happy to accept belief in a creator and at the same time acknowledge scientific
evidence about how the universe and life on earth developed. 'Some versions of
creationism are incompatible with the scientific evidence', so the society
rightly asserts.
One
positive outcome of the debate between Christianity and evolution that has
emerged since the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species in
1859 has been that ideas about the nature of God have developed. The notion
that God is wholly transcendent - that is standing apart form the world -
cannot be sustained in a post-Darwin world. Traditional Christian understanding
about the nature of God is in fact strongly supported by evolution. This is the
picture of a God who is immanent in the universe; fully involved with both his
creation and his creatures. In contrast the creationist's God is a distant God.
Paraphrasing one eminent commentator the creationist's God detracts attention
from the human role in care for creation and diverts Christians from the task
of responsible conservation and sustainable economic development.
For
the Christian, evolution is a continuing process by which we are involved with
God for the care of the planet and the future of humanity.
David Chester
June 2006