Alicia Ostermeyer: Theology Questions

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

Do I believe someone can be a sincere Christian and believe we evolved from apes? No. It doesn’t align with the creation story. It gets really blurry when you think of God giving humans (not apes) authority over all earthly things, and the fact that humans (not apes) are image bearers of God. According to a professor at Indiana University, the theory that humans evolved from apes is a dying theory. It turns out that looking at the great amounts of spinal mutations it would take for a mammal to go from a hunched being to a standing upright being would take more time than scientists believe the world has been around. Do I believe that someone can be a sincere Christian and believe that creatures evolve over time? Absolutely! Survival of the fittest alone creates a natural evolution. According to livescience.com, in the past 200 years humans have evolved in living longer, looking fatter, hitting puberty earlier, and are overall taller.  Evolution is seen geographically, culturally, and biologically and cannot be dismissed. The Bible is truth worth protecting and believing and if we are Christians who dismiss certain parts of the Bible as truth then we have no foundation of truth to stand on.

2.What does nature tell us about God? What is the limitation of nature for the knowledge of God?

I really love that God is the Creator of all nature that I see. I feel like nature gives me a glimpse inside God’s creative mind. Just how an artist tells a story through their art, I think God is telling us a story in nature as well. Michael F. Bird beautifully says, “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.” (pg. 141-142).  I could write a book on the times I have been given a glimpse into the story being told through God’s creation; He’s so purposeful in everything He makes.

However, there are a few limitations to natural revelation. One is that no natural revelation can be understood without the belief of Christ through the gospel. Only faith in God can bring divine revelation. Another limitation of natural revelation is that what we see in nature is all on a fallen earth and interpreting it with a fallen mind. This means that in order to have a natural revelation, God himself must first speak to us. Lastly, one cannot know God through nature alone. Bird says,” God speaks through the created order (i.e., the heaven) and in the law of the Lord (i.e., Scripture)” (pg. 171). These two things works together and without scripture knowing God through nature is extremely limited.

Alicia.O. wrote:1.Can someone be a sincere Christian and believe in evolution?

Do I believe someone can be a sincere Christian and believe we evolved from apes? No. It doesn’t align with the creation story. It gets really blurry when you think of God giving humans (not apes) authority over all earthly things, and the fact that humans (not apes) are image bearers of God. According to a professor at Indiana University, the theory that humans evolved from apes is a dying theory. It turns out that looking at the great amounts of spinal mutations it would take for a mammal to go from a hunched being to a standing upright being would take more time than scientists believe the world has been around. Do I believe that someone can be a sincere Christian and believe that creatures evolve over time? Absolutely! Survival of the fittest alone creates a natural evolution. According to livescience.com, in the past 200 years humans have evolved in living longer, looking fatter, hitting puberty earlier, and are overall taller.  Evolution is seen geographically, culturally, and biologically and cannot be dismissed. The Bible is truth worth protecting and believing and if we are Christians who dismiss certain parts of the Bible as truth then we have no foundation of truth to stand on.

2.What does nature tell us about God? What is the limitation of nature for the knowledge of God?

I really love that God is the Creator of all nature that I see. I feel like nature gives me a glimpse inside God’s creative mind. Just how an artist tells a story through their art, I think God is telling us a story in nature as well. Michael F. Bird beautifully says, “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.” (pg. 141-142).  I could write a book on the times I have been given a glimpse into the story being told through God’s creation; He’s so purposeful in everything He makes.

However, there are a few limitations to natural revelation. One is that no natural revelation can be understood without the belief of Christ through the gospel. Only faith in God can bring divine revelation. Another limitation of natural revelation is that what we see in nature is all on a fallen earth and interpreting it with a fallen mind. This means that in order to have a natural revelation, God himself must first speak to us. Lastly, one cannot know God through nature alone. Bird says,” God speaks through the created order (i.e., the heaven) and in the law of the Lord (i.e., Scripture)” (pg. 171). These two things works together and without scripture knowing God through nature is extremely limited.

Question 2. I really enjoy how you answered these questions. I agree with you that nature gives us a glimpse into God’s mind. When we look at His creation we see His story of redemption revealed. His glory, goodness, and love is displayed. It is like a breath of fresh air. I also agree with you that the way we view the nature around us is often times fallen. We need to learn how to see God’s creation through scripture and His own eyes. We need to ask the creator of the universe to speak to us in a real way. We must seek Him out in not only nature, but through His written word.