This blog hurts to write. It hurts because I am going to have to deal with an issue I have skirted as best I could because of the implications. That issue is evolutionary creationism. I know I’m going to make enemies for this article. But, at this point, I don’t care. And it isn’t so much the personal implications for me that hurt. It’s what evolutionary creationism has done to Christianity that hurts. I’ll cover some of those stats in this article, but for those interested in a much more in-depth coverage of this issue, I’d recommend the Ken Ham book Already Gone.
Evolutionary creation sounds something like a contradictory phrase. Afterall, creation and evolutionism are in conflict. Well, unless you’re what is termed an Old Earth Creationist. There are numerous types of Old Earth Creationists, but the ones most popular today is what is referred to as evolutionary creationism. Evolutionary creationism is spearheaded by an organization called BioLogos. They describe themselves as follows.
We at BioLogos maintain that the scientific evidence from many branches of modern science would make little sense apart from common ancestry and evolution. We also believe that the cultural and theological contexts in which Scripture was written are key for determining the best interpretation of the creation accounts.
In contrast to EC, YEC, and OEC, Intelligent Design (ID) does not explicitly align itself with Christianity. It claims that the existence of an intelligent cause of the universe and of the development of life is a testable scientific hypothesis. ID arguments often point to parts of scientific theories where there is no consensus and claim that the best solution is to appeal to the direct action of an intelligent designer. At BioLogos, we believe that our intelligent God designed the universe, but we do not see scientific or biblical reasons to give up on pursuing natural explanations for how God governs natural phenomena. We believe that scientific explanations complement a robust theological understanding of God’s role as designer, creator, and sustainer of the universe.
The key takeaways from the above statement are that BioLogos, and other evolutionary creationist organizations believe evolution is compatible with God’s Word. This is regrettably untrue, but we’ll get to that in a moment. However, BioLogos is appealing to many scientists and people who love science like I do because it permits them to remain somewhat acceptable in scientific circles (after all, a paper was just released equating YEC with conspiracy theorists….no not joking.) and still be able to maintain a personal walk with God. I do not go as far as some and say that evolutionary creationists are not Christians. More on that further down as well.
There are a lot of arguments that could be made as to why evolutionary creationists are wrong about evolution and Genesis. In fact, I’ve made many of them throughout this site, though I’ve not specifically applied them to evolutionary creationists. Just about the only difference between evolutionism and evolutionary creationism is that evolutionists ignore the Bible entirely, while evolutionary creationists just reinterpret the first eleven chapters of Genesis and any other passages related to creation they dislike. It honestly amounts to the same thing. I’ve made the argument in one of my worldview articles that Genesis is foundational to the entire rest of Scripture. By claiming Genesis is not literal, but some form of Hebrew poetry and that it is thus figurative, rather than meaning what it says, BioLogos and others like them undermine the authority of the Word of God. The Bible has a very stern warning for those who would meddle with it. “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:6 tells us, speaking in the context of God’s Word. I submit, that by adding evolution to the text of Scripture, BioLogos and others like them are doing exactly that.
How do I know evolution is not in the Bible? Could God not have used evolution? I don’t pretend to be theologian enough to answer all the parts of the second question, but I know that God did not use evolution. First of all, if you read the days of creation, you will find that each one contains the words, “evening”, “morning” and a number associated with the word day. If any one of those words is associated with the Hebrew word yom which is translated day, it always means a literal 24 hour day. Here we find all three. God must have meant what He said. God called His creation “very good.” I’m pretty sure most five-year-olds know death is not “very good”, yet the fossil record, the purported record of evolution, is a record of lots of death, disease, suffering, and carnivorism. No wonder atheists reject God when they are presented with a god that used a process of chance struggle and death.
Evolutionary creationism is not just Biblically unsound, it is dangerous to the church. In fact, evolutionary creationism is not a bridge to faith, it’s a bridge from faith to atheism. I’m going to cite a few statistics from Already Gone in this section to make this clear. Nearly 4/5 20 somethings (now late 20s-early 30s) who left the church were taught millions of years in school. 3/5 were taught the proverbial molecules to man evolution. 43 percent believe there are parts of the Bible that are false. A staggering 13 percent chose science claims the earth is old as the reason they stopped believing the Bible, while 37 percent of those who question the Bibles accuracy do so because they believe in an old earth or the creation account is untrue. Clearly, the church is bleeding young people in part at least because of their acceptance of the evolutionary account of origins. This is literally the same account that evolutionary creationists teach.
Evolutionary creationists want to take man’s ideas and add them to the Bible. This sets up an unnecessary conflict between God’s Word and man’s word. Evolutionary creationists like them want to make God’s Word subordinate to man’s fallible science. The Bible says in a discussion of the Jew’s rejecting salvation that this rejection did not make God’s offer false. “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Romans 3:4 tells us. God makes it clear. He is not a liar. He means what He says. By playing word games with the clear meaning of Scripture and accepting man’s science above God’s perfect word, evolutionary creationists are dragging young people’s hearts away from God. This truly is atheism lite.
As we go into the Back to School time frame, I encourage parents to take a good hard look at your Christian and homeschool curriculum. If you have your children in public school, I’d encourage you to get them out if you can. But if you look at your Christian or homeschool textbook and it talks about evolution in an acceptable light, I’d strongly recommend you either find a new school/curriculum or if that is not practical for the short-term, make sure you supplement the curriculum heavily with Biblical materials. Your child’s future may well depend on it. If you aren’t sure, ask us. We will happily point you towards good curricula and resources that will help equip you and your family to stand for the faith.
In His Image 
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