Science and Religion

Introduction Christian theologians and philosophers have discussed human nature for some two millennia. In light of the daunting smallness of human beings against the backdrop of God’s greatness and the vastness of the universe already the psalmist raised the question: “ What are human beings th...

James L. Hayward, Dinosaurs, Volcanoes, and Holy Writ: A Boy-Turned-Scientist Journeys from Fundamentalism to Faith (Eugene, OR: Resource), 236 pp., USD 26.00 In this book (hereafter The Journey), James L. Hayward, retired biology professor, presents his argument against the “fundamentalist” fait...

Matthias Dorn and Rolf Pöhler present a collection of essays dealing with today’s relevance of the belief in creation. The purpose of the book is to present the beauty of the biblical theology of creation and to unfold its intellectual and spiritual values (p. 16). The individual essays do not pr...

There has been a recent resurgence in the belief that the earth is flat. Television documentaries, internet posts, and entire websites are devoted to the idea. This article examines the purported biblical evidence brought forward to support this view. We will provide a brief history of the ide...

In his book Baptizing the Devil, Clifford Goldstein embarks on a sustained critique of contemporary culture’s fascination with science and Christianity’s capitulation to it as having the upper hand in the search for truth. In eleven engaging chapters, Goldstein’s focus is particularly on evolut...

Theistic evolution lacks a clear, concise, and definitive definition. However, two features are common to characterizations of theistic evolution: 1) an account of origins at odds with the biblical record of history and 2) death before sin. These characteristics appear irreconcilable with biblical Christianity, so how could theistic evolution become acceptable within any Christian tradition? Possible answers include: 1) abandoning the authority of Scripture and 2) defining death before sin differently than death after sin. Both accommodations are achievable through Catholic doctrines, which are examined based on official Catholic statements regarding theistic evolution and creation during the time theistic evolution became accepted as an orthodox Catholic position. These are compared with the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Statement of Fundamental Beliefs.

There are some people who are dual citizens and have passports from two different countries. Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States are among the countries that allow this. Having two passports does not mean they are traitors to one country or less loyal to the other. Similarly, so...

The biblical concepts of free salvation by grace, the end of death, and re-creation are in conflict with current naturalistic theories of origin and the Darwinian explanation of biological diversity. In the Darwinian worldview, there is no God and there is no personal salvation—only the improvement of the species through mutations and natural selection of the fittest. Suffering, struggle for survival, and death are part of the mechanisms that will bring about a better species. This is in stark opposition to the message of the Bible. The conflict between Darwinism and Scripture (and Christian faith) affects ideas related to origins or protology: the origin of the universe, earth, life, and humans. It also affects eschatology: what happens after this life? For the extreme materialistic Darwinist, there is only matter and energy. Darwin spread the idea that we are not valuable, with no hope of personal salvation, awaiting only death. Christ assured us that we are valuable, that He overcame death, and that one day He will completely remove it, giving us hope that this life is not all there is.

Charles Darwin based his evolutionary theory on two principles: strictly natural processes, and universal common ancestry. His proposal that life developed over long ages by natural processes challenged the biblical teaching of the six-day creation and seventh-day Sabbath. His insistence on universal common ancestry challenged the distinction between humans and animals. Sadly, most Christian churches have accommodated Darwin’s principles into their theology, substituting Sunday sacredness for the seventh-day Sabbath of creation week and adding the claim of a supernatural implantation of an immortal soul that distinguishes humans from animals. The result is a hybrid theory known variously as “theistic evolution” or “evolutionary creation.” The theory that God used evolution as His method of creation is unsatisfactory—theologically, scientifically, and philosophically. This presentation argues that the three angels’ messages seem designed to uphold the biblical creation account and oppose the influence of Darwin’s principles on Christian theology. This means that the biblical creation account has crucial eschatological significance.

Theistic evolution, a widespread theory held by Catholic and non-Catholic believers, seeks to explain the origin of the universe. Among Roman Catholics it became official after Pope John Paul II’s affirmation before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that there is no real conflict between Scripture (and theology) and the findings of science. Theistic evolution is a reigning paradigm among Protestant— even Evangelical—scholars, and Adventists are no longer the exception. The paper questions evolution in its theistic version by pointing out implications for Adventist eschatology, beginning with implications for key principles of eschatological interpretation and following with implications for ten key Adventist eschatological beliefs.