Francis Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

“The Big Bang cries out for an explanation. It forces the conclusion that nature had a defined beginning. I cannot see

how nature could have created itself. Only a supernatural force that is outside of space and time could have done that But what

of the rest of creation? What are we to make of the long, drawn-out process by which our own planet, Earth, came into

existence, some 10 billion years after the Big Bang?”

King David (Psalm 8)“3When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that

you should care for them?”

King David (Psalm 8)“3When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that

you should care for them?”

The Challenge Facing Us Today

“If the existence of God is true (not just tradition, but actually true) and if certain

scientific conclusions about the natural world are also true (not just in fashion, but

objectively true), then they cannot contradict each other. A fully harmonious synthesis must be possible.”

Francis Collins

Which comes closest to your views?

1. Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God designed and still guides the process.

2. Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but no god had a part in this process.

3. God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.

A Spectrum of Beliefs and Views

God-led Creationism

Godless Evolution

Intelligent Design

YHW

H-led Evolution

YHW

H-led Evolution

Young Earth Creationism

god-led Evolution

Results have remained essentially unchanged since 1986

45%45%

38%38%

13%13%

Two Biggest Anti-Evolution ArgumentsEliminates the need for a supernatural designer

• How do you explain the existence of the Moral Law?

• How do you explain the universal longing for God, for something and Someone more?

Contradicts sacred texts that describe God’s role as Creator

• The Koran (15:26) also describes life developing in stages, with humans being a special act of creation.

• For many Christians and Jews, the great creation story of Genesis 1 and 2 is a solid bedrock

Genesis 1:1 – 2:7• The creation of humankind

is ‘different’ in these two accounts– Gen 1 – Plants on Day 3 (11-

12) and humans on Day 6 (27)– Gen 2 – Humans (5-7) before

plant life (8-9)

• Original authors and audience weren’t thinking ‘science’– Poetry and allegory >

Meaning– Concerned with answering

‘Who?’ and ‘Why?’ not ‘How?’ and ‘When?’

• Taking every word literally runs into other problems– Does God really forget and

need prophets to remind Him (Exod 33:13)?

– Must we really remove an eye and a hand (Matt 5:29-30)?

• Collins: “The intention of the Bible was (and is) to reveal the nature of God to humankind. Would it have served God’s purpose 3,400 years ago to lecture to His people about radioactive decay, geologic strata, and DNA?” (175)

Darwin’s Revolutionary Idea

• All living species are descended from a small set of All living species are descended from a small set of common ancestors—perhaps just one. Variation common ancestors—perhaps just one. Variation within a species occurs randomly. The survival or within a species occurs randomly. The survival or extinction of each organism depends on its ability to extinction of each organism depends on its ability to adapt to its environment (natural selection).adapt to its environment (natural selection).

• ““There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning, endless forms of gravity, from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” being evolved.” Charles Darwin, Charles Darwin, OriginOrigin (459) (459)

A Convergence of Evidence Confirms

EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION• Detectives use the convergence of several lines of evidence

to deduce who most likely committed a crime. Same method scientists use to deduce the likeliest explanation for a particular phenomenon.

• As a historical science, evolution is confirmed by the fact that so many independent lines of evidence converge to its single conclusion.– Independent sets of data from geology, paleontology, botany,

zoology, herpetology, entomology, biogeography, comparative anatomy and physiology, genetics and population genetics, etc., each point to the conclusion that life evolved.

– Creationists have yet to unravel all these lines of evidence nor have they constructed a rival theory that can explain them better than the theory of evolution.