Evolution, Fact and Theory

I just read an article by Jonathan Dudley on Huffington Post arguing that Evangelicals are abandoning Christian tradition when rejecting the Theory of Evolution.

Dudley quotes Charles Hodge, considered the father of modern evangelical theology, as saying: "Nature is as truly a revelation of God as the Bible; and we only interpret the Word of God by the Word of God when we interpret the Bible by science."

Dudley then goes on to say that “Christians must accept sound science, not because they don't believe God created the world, but precisely because they do.”

Dudley then points out that those that reject evolution “claim their rejection of evolution is not a rejection of science” and quotes Phillip Johnson as saying that “all he's rejecting is the atheistic lens through which evolutionary scientists view the world.” According to Johnson evolution is "based not upon any incontrovertible empirical evidence, but upon a highly philosophical presupposition."

No Phil baby, evolution is based upon what is considered the best explanation of the empirical evidence that we do have. As far as I know, no empirical evidence is "incontrovertable" which is why all scientific conclusions are tentative. If you have a better explanation, feel free to present it.

Dudley proceeds to reject Johnson’s argument based upon the simple fact that creationism has failed to provide any explanation for most of the data that evolution does explain, and that allows evolution to make accurate predictions.

I’m not sure I buy Dudley’s argument myself but what I found most distressful were the comments to the article. Whenever I read comments to Internet articles I get concerned for the ability of the human race to survive in the nuclear era. I honestly don’t understand how people this ignorant manage to brush their teeth, never mind use a computer.

The center of debate revolved around the old confusion of fact versus theory.

A Fact is a simple observation. Evolution, which simply means “descent with modification,” is a simple observation and therefore it is a Fact. A Theory explains how and why Facts happen and the implications of their happening. The Theory of Evolution addresses these questions for the Fact of Evolution.

In the final analysis the only parts that get people upset are the implications of evolution.

I might also point out that we are not comparing what “God says” versus what “scientists say.” We are comparing what “scientists say” versus what “some men say God says.”

To my mind those men, who claim to speak for God, are a hell of a lot more likely to be wrong than modern science. It makes no sense for God to design a creation 6,000 years ago which looks like it’s billions of years old. It makes no sense for God to create man in his present form and then scatter thousands of fossils that provide clear evidence of the progression of man over time.

To reject evolution is essentially to call the deity a deceiver. Even I’m not willing to perform that sacrilege.