Creation and Evolution: A Case in Christian Anthropology
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Date
2005
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
This essay is an attempt to understand the scientific evidence that organic
evolution is a fact as pointed out by Pope John Paul II in his recent statement in (1996).1
It is an opportunity for me to see how religious thought about creation and evolution is
presently conceived; given the past traditional understanding that species were created
and fixed once and for all in God's creative activity, which presupposed that evolution
could not take place. In the past organic evolution had made very little impression upon
many areas of human knowledge, and more so in theology. But presently there is
attention of many theologians from different religious faiths that has increased
considerably on the question of the origins of the universe and its dynamism to the future.
The fact of organic evolution is apparently becoming clearer with the evidence varying
from one discipline of knowledge to the other. The organic evolution embraces a
principle of novelty at work, which integrates its past into the present, and is directed to
the future. Following this awareness, then, there is a profound link and unity between
creation as a reality and evolution as a reality, that both are open to the future dimensions
of beings. And this is the link and unity I focus on in this essay.
In chapter one therefore, I start by defining the essential terms 'Creation' and
'Creationism' that will carry us throughout in this work, as we look how creation is
envisioned from the Christian theological context. In doing this, I focus first of all on the
Old Testament, to see what the biblical narratives on creation say, particularly (Gen 1-2). Then, what follows is the way creation was perceived in the Old Testament Prophetic and Wisdom literature. I conclude this chapter by looking at the Christian understanding of
creation particularly in the New Testament, which has handed over a strong biblical
traditional inheritance to the present Christian theological vision of creation. My aim in
this chapter is not to criticise or interpret anything, but to see how this notion of creation
emerged in the general Christian context.
In chapter two, my attention goes on the scientific understanding about creation. I
start by defining the essential scientific terms of 'Evolutionism' and 'Scientific
Creationism'. I then look at the notion of microevolution and macroevolution in which
scientific evolutionists argue that evolution takes place or occurs along these lines of
change. From that we see how evolution that is quite evidenced in these dimensions of
microevolution and macroevolution is becoming part and parcel in the
religious/theological circles and faiths. My focus here is on how believers and those who
happen to be both believers and scientists, approach this idea of creation as God's
exclusive activity. Because, presently, creation is quite inseparable with the way God's
creative activity is perceived as continuous in evolution. And this brings us to the way the
integrity of God's creation ought to be, as human beings understand it presently, both
from religious and scientific points of view.
In the last chapter, I look at how human beings, presently, understand themselves
as the summit of God's creation, which is basically from the Christian perspective. This
leads us to the contrasting message that is powerfully coming from ecological theology
with the argument against human dominance and control in the entire creation of God as
experienced in the modern world. That is, the issue of `Anthropic Principle' that finds its
support more clearly in the first account of creation narrative (Gen 1:28-30). This entire theological perception is summed up by the general theological outlook of how we can
perceive God from both religious/theological and scientific points of view without
unnecessary antagonistic relations. Because, our God as a God of mutual relations in the
Trinity is our very God in an evolving universe. Finally, I give a short summary and some
concluding remarks. This is followed by a bibliographical reference indicating my
sources of research on this essay.
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Keywords
Creation., Evolution., Christian Anthropology.