Re: Methodological naturalism

Moorad Alexanian (alexanian@UNCWIL.EDU)
Mon, 30 Mar 1998 13:35:09 -0500 (EST)

At 11:38 AM 3/30/98 -0600, Paul A. Nelson wrote:
>Allan Harvey asked:
>
>>Paul Nelson, are you willing to make such a statement? Does the
>>theory of evolution, if true, negate Christianity, or not? It seems
>>like such a simple question to be dodged so many times.
>
>In November last year, I lectured at Whitworth College in Spokane.
>During my visit, Steve Meyer showed me a paper written by a former
>student of his, now studying at Fuller Seminary under the tutelage
>of Nancey Murphy.
>
>The subject of the paper was how Christians need to reconcile the
>doctrine of original sin with neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory.
>The author argued that neo-Darwinism is true, and that whatever is
>true cannot contradict the Bible. Therefore the doctrine of original
>sin, he said, needs a thorough-going revision.
>
>Which this young man then provided. In their natural state, he wrote,
>humans are good and capable of perfection, because a holy God would
>not have employed an evolutionary process which was intrinsically evil.
>Only by not living up to our full evolutionary potential do we "commit
>sin," and indeed this is what it means to "fall short of the glory of God."
>
>How does that strike you, Allan? Does the theory of evolution, if true,
>negate Christianity, or not?
>
>Paul Nelson

Dear Paul,

I have always said that the real difficulty with Christians adopting a
neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory as an explanation of origins is the
contradiction with original sin. The nonsense that comes from such an
attempt to reconcile the irreconcilable is what that young man came up with.

Take care,

Moorad