Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation?: Discussing Origins With Reasons To Believe And BioLogos PDF
Preview Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation?: Discussing Origins With Reasons To Believe And BioLogos
Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe BioLogos and E d i t e d by Kenneth Keathley, OOlldd -EEaarrtthh o orr J. B. Stump, and Joe Aguirre EEvvoolluuttiioonnaarryy CCrreeaattiioonn?? InterVarsity Press P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 ivpress.com [email protected] ©2017 by Kenneth D. Keathley, BioLogos Foundation, and Reasons to Believe All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press. InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®, NIV ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Cover design: David Fassett Interior design: Jeanna Wiggins Images: Illustration representing evolution of organisms with correlation to geologic eras / De Agostini Picture Library / Bridgeman Images Bible: ©eurobanks/iStockphoto Earth: ©leonello/iStockphoto ISBN 978-0-8308-9264-8 (digital) ISBN 978-0-8308-5292-5 (print) Contents Acknowledgments | vii Introduction: How Did We Get Here? | 1 Hugh Ross, Deborah Haarsma, and Kenneth Keathley 1 Boundaries: What Views Define Your Organization? | 8 Robert Stewart, Deborah Haarsma, Hugh Ross, and Kenneth Samples 2 Biblical Interpretation: What Is the Nature of Biblical Authority? | 27 Steve Lemke, John Walton, and Kenneth Samples 3 The Original Couple: What Is the Range of Viable Positions Concerning Adam and Eve? | 49 Ted Cabal, Loren Haarsma, and Kenneth Samples 4 Death, Predation, and Suffering: Is “Natural Evil” Evil? | 68 James Dew, J. B. Stump, and Hugh Ross 5 Divine Action: How Does God Interact with the Natural World? | 85 John Laing, J. B. Stump, and Jeff Zweerink 6 The Scientific Method: Methodological Naturalism or Natural Theology? | 105 James Dew, J. B. Stump, and Jeff Zweerink 7 Biological Evolution: What Is It? Does It Explain Life’s History? | 123 Ted Cabal, Darrel Falk, and Fuz Rana 8 The Geological Evidence: What Is the Natural History of the Earth and the Origin of Life? | 142 Robert Stewart, Ralph Stearley, and Hugh Ross 9 The Fossil Evidence: Who Were the Hominids? | 159 Robert Stewart, Ralph Stearley, and Fuz Rana 10 The Biological Evidence: Does Genetics Point to Common Descent? | 178 John Laing, Darrel Falk, and Fuz Rana 11 The Anthropological Evidence: How Are Humans Unique? | 199 Steve Lemke, Jeff Schloss, and Fuz Rana Conclusion: What Is the Next Step? | 220 Kenneth Keathley, Deborah Haarsma, and Hugh Ross Bibliography | 225 Contributors | 233 The BioLogos Foundation | 237 Praise for Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? | 238 About the Editors | 241 More Titles from InterVarsity Press | 244 Academic Textbook Selector | 245 Acknowledgments This book came to fruition because of the cooperation and generous support of many people. Whether it was time, financial means, hospitality, or expertise, we could not have put this excellent resource in your hands without their help. We are particularly grateful for a grant from the John Templeton Foun- dation that funded face-to-face dialogues among BioLogos, Reasons to Be- lieve, and Southern Baptist seminary professors. The Reasons to Believe editorial team of Sandra Dimas, Amanda Warner, and Jocelyn Hsiung provided much-needed copyediting skills as they helped Joe Aguirre stay on schedule with the RTB scholar essays. We are deeply appreciative of the support of the administrators of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theo- logical Seminary, who made available the facilities of their respective campuses for our meetings; each provided lodging, conference rooms, and organizational help. Finally, a special word of thanks must also be given to Emily Harrison. Emily serves as administrative assistant for the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. She provided Ken Keathley with essential help in coordinating meetings, handling travel logistics, and later in compiling the book. She worked tirelessly to shepherd the Southern Baptist chapter writers, and then collated their respective contributions. Many, many thanks. Soli Deo Gloria. Kenneth Keathley Jim Stump Joe Aguirre Introduction How Did We Get Here? Hugh Ross, Deborah Haarsma, and Kenneth Keathley T his book is the result of an unprecedented project. What happens when you bring together three groups who disagree about key points of science and theology but share a love for Jesus? Is it possible to overcome mistrust? To present one’s own position without attacking others’? To de- velop an attitude of humble learning instead of winning a debate? In today’s hyperpolarized culture, such dialogue seems nearly impossible. Yet because of our shared love for Christ, who calls the church to unity, and our shared excitement for studying God’s creation, we were able to find the common ground needed for genuine dialogue about our differences. In this book we invite you to listen in as we talk together about what we’ve learned over the last several years of conversation. The dialogue began between leaders of Reasons to Believe (RTB) and future leaders of BioLogos in the years leading up to the founding of Bio- Logos in 2007. In 2011 a group of Southern Baptist seminary professors (representing the Southern Baptist Convention or SBC) began conversa- tions with BioLogos, and by 2013 the three-way dialogue was in full swing. These groups represent a range of positions on the issues of creation and evolution. National surveys show that most Southern Baptists accept the young-earth creation view. This view is the most well-known: God created the earth and life several thousand years ago, and Genesis 1 refers to six literal twenty-four-hour days. This book will not address young-earth views in detail but will focus on two others: old-earth creation as pre- sented by RTB, and evolutionary creation as presented by BioLogos. Both 2 HugH Ross, DeboRaH HaaRsma, anD KennetH KeatHley RTB and BioLogos believe that God created the universe several billion years ago and that Genesis 1 can be interpreted in ways that are at least as faithful to the authority and message of the text while not contradicting the evidence for an old universe. The groups differ, however, in their views on biological evolution, their interpretive approach to Genesis 1, and some theological positions. This book will introduce you to the views of each group and present a robust discussion of areas where they agree and disagree. We begin with introductions to the two organizations from their respective leaders. REASONS TO BELIEVE Hugh Ross Reasons to Believe (RTB) began in 1986 when the church where Hugh Ross served as minister of evangelism commissioned him to launch a science evangelism organization. Though it started small—with a dozen volunteers, a three-hundred-name mailing list, and an inventory of Hugh’s booklets on Genesis 1—within a year RTB was able to move from an office in Hugh and Kathy Ross’s apartment to a seven-hundred-square-foot space rented from the church. Today, the paid staff at RTB numbers almost forty and the vol- unteer teams exceed one thousand people. The goal of RTB is to gather and train volunteers from all walks of life, not just the sciences, to join us in our common mission. That mission is to use the ever-expanding knowledge and understanding of the book of nature to show people not yet committed to Jesus Christ the inspiration and inerrancy of the book of Scripture. We then seek to demonstrate God’s fingerprints inscribed on nature and through those evidences persuade unbelievers to dedicate their lives to Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior. RTB sees science as the primary tool (see Ps 19; Rom 1) for persuading unbelievers that God “exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6). As an apologetics organization, RTB focuses on ventures proven most effective in reaching unchurched youth and adults for Christ. Rather than exposing flaws and contradictions in competing worldviews, RTB concen- trates on building a positive case for Christianity through a testable bib- lical creation model. In the spirit of 1 Peter 3:15-16, RTB is committed to How DiD we Get Here? 3 researching and proclaiming sound reasons for hope in Christ with gen- tleness, respect, and a clear conscience. In the spirit of 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, RTB engages Christians with differing creation theologies with the goal of pursuing reconciliation through love, truth, and peace so that non- Christians observing these dialogues may be encouraged to trust us in helping them to be reconciled to Christ. BIOLOGOS Deborah Haarsma BioLogos was founded by Francis Collins, one of the world’s leading biolo- gists and the current director of the National Institutes of Health. In 2006, after he led the Human Genome Project, he published The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. This book recounts his own devel- opment from atheism to Christian belief. He argues that science is not in conflict with biblical faith and presents an active, caring God who created the diversity of life through evolutionary processes. These views attracted widespread curiosity, both from secular scientists who had never heard a leading scientist speaking positively about Christianity and from evangelical Christians who had never heard an evangelical speaking positively about evolution. As the book rose in popularity, Collins’s inbox was inundated with questions, leading him to start the BioLogos website to address a few of the most common questions. Today, our website has over a thousand articles, videos, testimonies, and sermons discussing questions of science and Christian faith. Over a million people visit the site per year. Our online discussion boards have attracted people from across the spectrum, from young-earth creationists to mainline Christians to agnostics, atheists, and followers of other religions. BioLogos also sponsors workshops for teachers, academic conferences for scientists and theologians, and gatherings for pastors and faith leaders. Too many people have left the church or felt they couldn’t commit their lives to God because they perceived science (particularly biological evolution) to be the enemy of Christianity. Our goal is to call such people back to faith or invite them to consider the gospel for the first time, as we proclaim Christ as the Creator of all things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:16). We strive for humility and gracious dialogue with those who hold other views so that our conver- sations may be filled with the fragrance of Christ (2 Cor 2:15).
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