Monday, June 06, 2005
Most Theologians, Religious Scholars See No Conflict wtih Evolution
Julie Berry, writing in the Framingham, Mass. MetroWest Daily, has produced an important, wide-ranging article, "God, science, and intelligent design" on the battle between ID and evolution that's sure to shake the debate up. Red State Rabble will be breaking up the posts on Berry's article into several bite-size chunks to make it easier to digest.
Noting that "the majority of contemporary scholars, from evangelical theologians and Old Testament scholars, do not see their understanding of scripture and orthodox doctrine to be in conflict with evolutionary theory," Berry writes that many church members may nevertheless assume their church's doctrine opposes evolution when, in fact, it simply is not the case.
Berry provides examples of this disconnect from Evangelical Christian Keith Miller, a paleontologist and research assistant professor in the geology department at Kansas State University, Gary Belovsky, a biology professor at the University of Notre Dame, and a practicing Catholic, and David McClellan, a biology professor at Brigham Young University and a practicing Mormon.
Although the Mormon Church officially adopted a policy of no position on evolution in 1925, McClellan tells Berry that, "I still get a few people telling me it's 'Evil-Lution.'"
Noting that "the majority of contemporary scholars, from evangelical theologians and Old Testament scholars, do not see their understanding of scripture and orthodox doctrine to be in conflict with evolutionary theory," Berry writes that many church members may nevertheless assume their church's doctrine opposes evolution when, in fact, it simply is not the case.
Berry provides examples of this disconnect from Evangelical Christian Keith Miller, a paleontologist and research assistant professor in the geology department at Kansas State University, Gary Belovsky, a biology professor at the University of Notre Dame, and a practicing Catholic, and David McClellan, a biology professor at Brigham Young University and a practicing Mormon.
Although the Mormon Church officially adopted a policy of no position on evolution in 1925, McClellan tells Berry that, "I still get a few people telling me it's 'Evil-Lution.'"
