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Bulletin 160 Date : 5th Apr 2009
Did Darwin kill God?

This is the 150th anniversary of the publication of the earth-shattering book by Charles Darwin ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’, a work which suggested that all species evolve over a time through a process of ‘natural selection’ or ‘the survival of the fittest’. Therefore it should come as no surprise that there are a number of TV programmes exploring his work and its impact upon Christian faith. Darwin’s work caused enormous outrage, especially from parts of the Christian Church, because it directly contradicted the notion found in the book of Genesis which states that God created living creatures each ‘according to its own kind’ (Gen 1:24).

The recent BBC documentary, ‘Did Darwin kill God?’ by Dr. Conor Cunningham of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy at Nottingham University has made a brave attempt to put into context the debates which have raged since Darwin’s publication. Dr. Cunningham is himself a professing Christian who also believes in Darwin’s conclusions about evolution, a position which some in the Church have found impossible to hold because of their seemingly contradictory views.

How should we read Genesis?
The programme started off by asserting that traditional Christian thinking, ever since the first century, has rejected the notion that Genesis should be read literally. After all, it was not an eye-witness account and it was not written through the lens of 21st century scientific wisdom. Cunningham points to the Reformation as a time which fuelled the movement of ‘Bible-Literalism’, a view which asserts that the Bible must be read literally and every word accepted as truth, even when contradicted by science or common sense.

In 1650, Archbishop James Ussher drew the conclusion, after a painstaking study of the chronologies in the Bible, that the world was created on the evening of October 27th 4004bc, kicking into touch any notion that dinosaurs or rock formations were around thousands or even millions of years earlier. The battle lines are clear for all to see.

The notion that the Bible is made up of a tapestry of different literary styles ranging from philosophy and mythology through to poetry and parable as well as history and eye-witness accounts creates serious problems in the minds of some Christians. How do you determine what is true if the accounts are not factual records of what actually happened? And yet we know that the primary tool used by Jesus for preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven was parable (Matthew 13:34). No one asks, ‘What was the name of the Prodigal Son?’ or ‘How much money did he inherit?’ in order to understand the truth behind the story.

Did Darwin Kill God?
Cunningham rejects the notion that Darwin’s theories in any way contradict Christian Faith, providing Genesis is not read as if it were a science text book. Bear in mind that the first five books of the Bible are interwoven with different strands of writing which duplicate, and sometimes contradict one another, and originate from different sources. For instance, the first two chapters of Genesis contain two accounts of creation which are impossible to harmonise. Too literal a reading of Genesis chapter 2 can get us into all sorts of problems. Verse 7 states that man was created from the dust of the ground. If Adam was not born in a natural way we can legitimately ask if he had a navel – a ridiculous but totally logical question which does nothing to bolster our understanding of, or faith in God. Certainly Darwin did not ‘kill God’ but he certainly has shaken belief in God and peoples’ understanding of scripture.

Should we be concerned?
Some of the arguments raised in this programme and, indeed in the whole Darwinian debate are beyond my unscientific brain. But what I find healthy is that this whole subject can send us back to the Bible to rethink and, hopefully, reinforce our belief in the Word of God. Some believers have been content with the notion that ‘Jesus loves me this I know – for the Bible tells me so!’ Perhaps we need to draw upon stronger evidence in creation and in our own lives to support that notion.

Did Darwin lose his Faith?
Much has been made by opponents of Christian Faith that once Darwin had completed his work, he lost his Christian faith. Indeed those close to him state that his faith was not shaken by his research into evolution but by the loss of his daughter through illness – an issue which is high on the list of reasons for people questioning the existence of a loving God.

I guess the debate will continue long after I have evolved into a different species. But let’s remember that for Christians, our starting point in terms of faith lies in one event – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:17). When I think of the variety of metaphors and analogies which have been used to try to explain the meaning of this event, I realize how inadequate words can be when seeking to explain the acts of our mighty God. The same must be true of creation!

I wish you all a happy and inspirational Easter.
Roger G Johnson (District Evangelism Enabler)