King's Business - 1966-05

Science and the Bible by Bolton Davidbeiser Chairman, Science Division Biola College

W h e n C h r is t ia n s write or speak about scientific matters, it is natural and desirable that they quote men of science. However, when dealing with controversial matters, it may be better to exercise more caution than frequently is done. For example, a statement by Professor Edwin Grant Conklin appeared some time ago as part of a filler in The Reader’s Digest, and since that time it has been rather widely quoted in anti-evolutionary circles. Professor Conklin said, “ The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged d i c t i o na r y resulting from an explosion in a print shop.” Contrary to what this may seem to imply, Professor Conklin was a thorough-going evolutionist all his life. To quote him and point out that even an evolutionist can say this may have some value, but to quote him with the implication that he had anti-evolutionary views is quite misleading. It was Professor Conklin who first taught evolution in the class­ room at Ohio Wesleyan University when he came there in 1891. The school had previously resisted this teaching during the 32 years since the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species. Professor Conk­ lin also wrote a book called Man, Real and Ideal, in which he made such statements as: “ The human species, like all other species, has come into being by natural evolution and not by supernatural creation. In both [evolutionary development and embryonic development] body, mind, and morals have been developed by natural processes.” Himself with­ out hope, he concluded, “ Saints, prophets, philosophers, and poets have found a way o f escape from the reality of death through faith in the immortality of the soul. In this faith Saint Paul said, ‘0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory ?’ . . . this is a glorious faith, a conquering hope, which I would gladly share, but I am not aware of any sound scientific evi­ dence in favor of this belief.” A few years ago a Christian col­ lege published an article to counter­ act charges that evolution was being taught in its classrooms. The fol­ lowing quotation was given from the writing of Professor Paul Amos Moody: “The more I study science the more I am impressed with the

thought that this world and uni­ verse has a definite design—and a design suggests a designer.” Con­ sidering the purpose of the article, this is a blunder, for although this may sound anti-evolutionary, Pro­ fessor Moody is a thorough-going evolutionist. Furthermore, this quo­ tation is taken directly from his textbook of evolution! Professor Moody says that every­ where there is evidence of design, but he concludes that evolution is a part of that design. He affirms that there is evidence of design in the laws of chance, and therefore that very unlikely events which pro­ duced evolutionary advanc es oc­ curred and were according to design. He says that the change which the theory of evolution has brought to our thinking about man is that man is no longer to be regarded as a “ fallen angel” but as a “ risen ani­ mal.” He says some people are dis­ tressed with this because they take comfort in the thought that man was once perfect and that his principal task is to regain that perfect state. But he merely exposes his ignorance in regard to these things, for ac­ cording to the Bible men never were either angels or animals, and mankind will be in a state very far from perfect when the Lord returns to reign in righteousness. In the very last sentence of the Origin of Species Charles Darwin wrote o f the Creator, though it is plain in context that he was really writing about evolution. This state­ ment was not included in the first edition of his book, and George Gay­ lord Simpson (the outstanding pa­ leontologist who may properly be called “Mr. Evolution” ) says that Darwin inserted this statement in subsequent editions of his book as one of the many gradual concessions to his critics. Actually, this sort of thing is not really a concession at all; it is merely a way of making it a little more difficult for the crit­ ics to do their job. As the situation with regard to evolution and Christian faith be­ comes more and more confused, un­ intentionally on the part of some and apparently intentionally on the part of others, it is necessary for each reader to be more discerning, and not to allow himself to be mis­ led by platitudes quoted from au­ thors whose words really mean something else.

T O P R OV ID E F O R R E T I R E M E N T - A N D T H E M I S S I O N F I E L D

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