Bethany Hutson: Theology Discussion Questions

1.Can someone be a sincere Christian and believe in evolution?

There are so many theories out there about creation vs. evolution. Evolution is a process of change. In some sense, we as humans have changed overtime to adapt to new surroundings. From my viewpoint, I strongly believe that creation was God-breathed. We will never be able to fully wrap our minds around the process and vastness of God’s method of creation until we see Him face to face. However, regarding creation vs. evolution, I believe that to be a sincere creation you have to fully believe in creation and place your faith and trust in God. God created each living creature according to its kind (Genesis 1:21, 24-25). In my opinion it seems that accepting evolution would requiring faith in a human theory rather than faith in God’s inspired word. God’s word reveals that he is the One who made all things out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). Creation is one of the foundational beliefs in our faith and it reveals the Gospel and the path of redemption.

2.Select question #4-8 from page 231 and write a response.
8. Is it possible to understand God’s glory without understanding his love?

I believe that to first understand God’s glory you have to understanding his love because “God is Love” (1 John 4:7-21). In regards to creation, Bird states, “Creation is the theater of God’s glory and the medium that expresses his infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. God is moved to create for no other reason than his glory and his goodness, that is, his love.” God reveals himself through the Holy Spirit and this brings us understanding of God to the hearts and minds of believers. Understanding God’s deep love for us will humble us and help us get a glimpse of His glory revealed. To really know God, you have to have a appreciation and understanding of His love. Once God reveals Himself to us through is love and work on the cross, then His glory is shown because of what He did for us. Understanding God’s love in light of the redemptive purpose of the Gospel will illuminate God’s glory.

Why do evolution and creation have to be separate? Why doesn't it seem as if Scripture is able to overlap with science? Is it impossible for man to understand how the universe came into being?

I think all creation can be God-breathed AND can be adapting to our ever-changing environment. The earth is a totally different place than it was thousands of years ago. The creatures that God created then were meant to survive in that era, but would never survive in today's environment, due to different strains of viruses, bacteria, air pollution, etc.

I don't think humankind will ever develop technology to understand all of the intricate details of the universe, but I do believe we know a lot more now than we did a thousands of years ago when Genesis was written. Moses was influenced by God when writing Genesis, but in the end, Genesis was written by man, not by God. Moses knew nothing of DNA analysis or genetic mutation. But we do know about these things today. The fact is that the DNA of organisms is always changing due to genetic mutation; some of these mutations have stayed in our DNA and stuck around generation after generation. Humans have written hypotheses (Darwinism and the theory of evolution) to attempt to explain this fact. Whether or not these hypotheses are correct, who's to know? Maybe we will have the technology to prove them right or wrong in the near future. But I don't believe these theories contradict the Scripture. It shouldn't be God vs. science but instead God and science.

I agree with Amanda in the sense that science should line up with God. God created the world, and He created science. He wants us to pursue Him through His creation, and science is one of the avenues for such a task. I do, however, think that science can try to explain too much without having enough facts, especially in the use of extrapolation of data. In any field other than science, extrapolation is forbidden, but it is glorified in science.

Also, science says that humans come from apes. In this case, I think Bethany is spot on with "according to its kind." I think it is a far cry to suggest that God's creation of man is of the same "kind" as apes, when we are the image of God and they are not. Similarly, we would have to reconcile humans coming from apes with the Scripture that says that God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils. I'll end with a question: If evolution is possible with enough time, then will we evolve if Jesus doesn't come back within millennia?