Evangelical Evolutionists Meet in New York
The most sobering moment for attendees of the Biologos "Theology of Celebration" conference in New York City, March 20–22, came when David Kinnaman of Barna Research presented findings on what U.S. Protestant pastors believe about creation. More than half profess a 6-day, 24-hour creation of life. Fewer than one in five, on the other hand, follow Biologos in affirming an evolutionary process as God's method of creation.
Knowing that they are in a minority among Protestants did not limit the gathering's enthusiasm. About 60 participants came by special invitation, with the proviso that their names would not be publicized without permission. This was intended to encourage open conversation on sensitive topics. Attending were such luminaries as N. T. Wright, Alister McGrath, John Ortberg, Tim Keller, Scot McKnight, Os Guinness, Joel Hunter, and Andy Crouch. Prominent scientists included Ian Hutchinson of MIT and Jennifer Wiseman, senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. Forty-one pastors and parachurch leaders participated.
Two previous meetings had focused primarily on scientific evidence for the evolutionary process, and on interpretations of the biblical Adam. This year's program centered on concerns for the church—especially for young people who feel torn between science and the Bible.
Few Christian colleges or seminaries teach young earth creationism (YEC), participants noted during discussion groups. But less formal, grassroots educational initiatives, often centered on homeschooling, have won over the majority of evangelicals. "We have arguments, but they have a narrative," noted Tim Keller. Both young earth creationists and atheistic evolutionists tell a story tapping into an existing cultural ...
This article is currently available to CT subscribers only.
To continue reading:
or
The Latest in Movie News, May 23, 2013
God Among the Roma
Grieving with the Good Friday God
(on articles open to the public, you must at least register for a free account).
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Newsletters
Google
Comments
Displaying 1–3 of 59 comments
See all comments
Roger McKinney
James, you don't know that "fundamentalists are rich in ascent and shallow in faith." You obviously don't know any fundamentalists. You claim that Jesus lives in your heart through his Spirit, and yet deny that the books which tell you about Jesus and his Spirit contain the truth. You're own hermeneutic principle (other cultures consider miracles nothing but myths) tell me that the resurrection is a myth, so the Gospel stories about Jesus and his Spirit are myths as well. How do you separate myth from history? Most scholars at top schools deny the truth of the Gospels and some even deny that Jesus ever existed. So how do you know that the "spirit" you follow is the Holy Spirit and not an evil spirit?
JAMES DAUER
@joseph--Great advice But your interpretation is unique and raises even more questions. For example, you have interpreted the resurre of mt 27:51 to accomodate your theory of inspiration and biblical authority. New Testament scholars i have spoken to claim its a theological statement and not a historical one. Plus, wouldn't any other NT writer or any other jewish or Roman historian think a wandering bunch of formerly living Jews is at least worth mentioning? The absence of the account suggests it's lack of historical factuality. Perhaps we disagree my friend but we do agree on the resurrection!
JOSEPH FORD
@JAMES DAUER: I, too, had questions about Matt 27:51-53, & instead of just throwing the question out without studying it, I found that it is in line with Christ's role as King, & that careful study shows that this particular event happened AFTER the Resurrection. Those that came out of the graves were OT saints, not necessarily old like Abraham, but those who died before Christ's ministry. Because Jesus "led captivity captive" (Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:8), taking those in the Paradise section of Sheol to heaven after His resurrection, & the Bible does not tell us these resurrected OT saints died again, we can logically deduce these saints were taken to heaven after "appearing to many" as well. Instead of complaining about things that may not make sense to you, it is best to actually study the verses, the linguistic context, historical context, the meaning of the original language, etc, along w/asking the Holy Spirit to provide interpretation (Ephesians 1:17; James 1:5). God bless.