During the last two years groups of scientists, theologians and church administrators in different parts of the world have been discussing the interrelationship between faith and science. Elder Jan Paulsen, President of the General Conference, took the initiative to call for such meetings. The first one was international and was held in the United States in 2002. During 2003 and the first half of 2004 different divisions have had or will have similar meetings in their territories. The formal discussions will come to an end in 2004, when the second international conference on the subject will take place in America.

Questions have been raised concerning the purpose and usefulness of such study, accompanied at times by fear that church leaders may be planning to change the church’s doctrine of creation. However, there is no attempt on the part of church leaders to modify or change our fundamental belief on creation. This was clearly stated by Elder Jan Paulsen before the discussions were initiated. Recently, during the Autumn Council of 2003, he once more reaffirmed this fact. Then why the need to discuss the interrelationship between faith and science? The truth is that such discussion cannot be avoided.

First, evolution and the Adventist doctrine of creation represent two antagonistic and fundamentally diverse world views. It is an interesting phenomenon of history that both the rise of the Adventist movement and the formulation of the theory of evolution happened during the 1800s. It became only a matter of time for the two to confront each other, compelling Adventist theologians and scientists to take definite positions on the question of origins.

The root of evolutionary thinking predates by more than 2000 years the formulation of the theory of evolution. As proposed by Charles Darwin, his theory was based on the conviction that humans were the product of a process which began with the spontaneous formation of single living cells and primitive organisms which through struggle, adaptation, and survival of the fittest developed into higher beings and reached their present peak in humanity. In contrast, the Adventist doctrine is grounded in Scripture and describes humans as coming from the hands of God in a creative act of love. The two cannot both be right. This issue comes as part of the cosmic conflict and the church should be informed about the outcomes and problems.

Second, it is important for the church to be aware of the fact that neither we nor evolutionists have all the answers in the debate. Since there are areas of uncertainty in the interpretation of the scientific data, it is necessary for us to be well-informed concerning the challenges we confront as a result of our commitment to the biblical doctrine of creation. The conferences on faith and science provide a proper environment for us to explore and discuss these questions while at the same time holding to our faith commitment. We cannot pretend that there are no problems and conflicts between the biblical teaching of origins and modern scientific theories.

Third, we need to explore the interaction between faith and science because the debate already is taking place within some sectors of the church itself. During approximately the last thirty years a small number of Adventists in academic circles has been raising questions concerning the credibility of our position on creation based on the scientific evidence gathered by evolutionists. They believe that in order for the church to remain relevant in the modern scientific world, it is necessary to introduce changes in some of our doctrinal positions or to at least allow for some diversity of views. Their concerns need to be heard and evaluated, although their number is, in the context of the world church, extremely small. The vast majority of Adventist theologians and scientists around the world are usually well-informed about the issues and uncertainties, but have chosen to hold on to the biblical doctrine of creation.

Those interested in change have little to offer to the church in place of the biblical doctrine of creation. Some of them argue that since Adventists believe that there is no contradiction between true science and faith, it may be necessary to bridge the apparent gap by giving priority to science over Scripture. Others, have concluded that the biblical text in Genesis 1-2 contains an ancient cosmogony that has been outdated by modern scientific discoveries, making it irrelevant for us in the 21st century. Hence the two main options offered to the church by these scholars and theologians are theistic evolution or agnosticism in regard to origins.

The small number of Adventists willing to argue for theistic evolution in place of the biblical doctrine of creation try to find a place for divine providence within the natural evolutionary process. But defining God’s specific role in the evolution of humans remains an extremely difficult task for them.

Those who argue for an agnosticism in regard to origins suggest that the biblical evidence concerning the origin of humans is not intellectually and scientifically credible. Therefore, they will say, the Bible does not have the final answer. In other words, the Bible does not address the question of the origin of humans on this planet. They also feel uncomfortable with the main alternative, the theory of evolution, because of the damage it does to the biblical understanding of God and to the significance of the doctrine of atonement through Christ. On the topic of origins they simply find refuge in agnosticism, that is to say, they claim ignorance concerning the origin of the human race on this planet. They simply say, we do not know how we got here.

Once we set aside the biblical teaching on creation we are on our own, drifting in a great ocean of conflicting ideas and human speculations. The Adventist church is firmly grounded on the Word of God and without apology embraces its doctrine of creation in six literal days. We are not afraid to examine scientific evidence, neither do we fear to recognize that some of that evidence may appear to deny what the Bible says. But we are always willing to follow Scripture wherever it takes us.