The title is deliberately provocative, but it also represents the content of this article. I do not believe that theistic evolution itself is part of Christianity. It is a syncretistic attempt to force fit two religions onto one another and is thus doomed to fail and be utterly inconsistent with itself. This fact likely explains why so many theistic evolutionists eventually become atheists. It is simply becoming completely logically consistent with their already held beliefs.
I want to emphasize, up front, that I do not view all theistic evolutionists as non-Christians. Please read that sentence again before you slander me and claim something I do not believe is my position. There is a difference between those who believe in theistic evolution and the belief itself. For example, in our ongoing series by Jeremy Sanders shredding the pagan practices of many of the formerly fringe, now mainstream Charismatic groups, it is possible a few people following those practices are saved. However, generally, since they are not bearing fruits meet for repentance, the answer would be, most are not. The same logic applies here in separating the theistic evolutionists from their belief system. I would argue the theistic evolutionists who converted to the position from atheism are much more likely to be saved than the those that have slowly been sliding from a Biblically faithful young earth position.
Theistic evolution as a position is syncretistic. What that means is it is attempting to combine two positions that normally would not be held together, the first being Christianity, the second being evolution. Obviously, we know Christianity is a religion, but what about evolution? Is it a religion? I did an article on this topic a number of years ago, which you can read if you like. However, the short answer is yes, and the evolutionists know it.
Consider this quote from Dr. Michael Ruse, no slouch in the evolutionary community: “Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr (should be Dr., as the reference is to Dr. Duane Gish) Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.” That quote, from an article Ruse wrote in The National Post in 2000, aptly sums up evolutions religious nature.
If evolution and Christianity are separate religions, which according to Ruse they are, then any attempt to combine them is syncretistic by definition and no longer Christian. While theistic evolutionists would likely dispute this claim (and indeed would have to if they want to continue to claim Christianity), consider that evolution provides a purpose (albeit a poor one), and morality (albeit a wicked one). Evolutionary morality is survival of the fittest. Eugenics ties directly back to Darwin’s ideas through his cousin Francis Galton. Galton and Darwin were closely acquainted and Galton greatly respected and revered Darwin. Evolutionary purpose is to pass on your genes. If you do that through rape, manipulation, or whatever, you are justified because the animals do it that way too and you are a highly evolved animal.
How does that compare to the Christian thoughts on morality and purpose? In a Christian view, morality is the keeping of God’s moral law. In other words, God sets the rules, not man. Boiled down to a very short phrase, the moral law is to love the Lord with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself. Purpose comes from the calling God puts on your life. You are to serve Him in whatever position you find yourself, and seek Him with your whole heart.
The two could not be more different. Further, the theology of evolution is a long chain of random accidents resulted in man, no God or designer required. The theology of Christianity is that God made man in His own image. The two theologies of man are fundamentally incompatible. To jam the two together requires one to go. And that is essentially what happens.
To make evolution fit with Christianity, all manner of doctrines have to go. The blood atonement? Don’t need that. Inerrancy and Inspiration? Ah jettison those too. The fall? Nah don’t need to worry about that. Christ as the last Adam? Nope. But lets totally bring in the evolutionary ideas on culture, like abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism. Those will fit in real well with Christianity. As philosopher, and zealous atheist Daniel Dennett said, Darwinism is like a “universal acid” that “eats through just about every traditional concept, and leaves in its wake a revolutionized world-view, with most of the old landmarks still recognizable, but transformed in fundamental ways.” When applied to Christianity, Darwinism does exactly that.
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In His Image 
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