Friday, May 27, 2011

A Trip to the Zoo

On Wednesday I had the privilege of driving a bus-full of second graders (with teachers and chaperones) to the Minnesota Zoo.  Since I didn't have responsibility for kids I could take my time and read about some of the animals, especially on the "Tropics Trail."  While reading, I saw the word "evolve" many times.

What do you think of evolution?  I've never been convinced by those who completely reject it.  Because I don't believe the Bible is intended to tell us everything there is to know about science, I have never had any problem believing God could very well have used natural processes (such as natural selection) in order to bring the incredible species into being--every one is, I believe, a wonderful creation of God!  Evolution, if it exists, is simply the means by which the creation may have occurred over time.

Here's a summary of what seems close to my own position that I've referred people to before on Wikipedia:
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. In short, theistic evolutionists believe that there is a God, that God is the creator of the material universe and (by consequence) all life within, and that biological evolution is simply a natural process within that creation. Evolution, according to this view, is simply a tool that God employed to develop human life.

Theistic evolution is not a scientific theory, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to religious belief and interpretation. Theistic evolution supporters can be seen as one of the groups who reject the conflict thesis regarding the relationship between religion and science – that is, they hold that religious teachings about creation and scientific theories of evolution need not contradict...
What do you think?  Let's talk about this!  Do we all need to agree?  Faithful Christians have read the Bible accounts of Genesis more or less literally or poetically for centuries.  I hope we can respect one another and the scientists who continue to learn about this wonderful world God has made.

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For a 2008 post on this topic see "No Discussion?"


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