>I was wondering if there was an interest in developing a discussion on
>these issues by the believers (TE's and creationists) on the list. While
>we are certainly not experts in theology, the effort would certainly
>prove fruitful to a broader understanding of our respective positions. I
>firmly believe that the defense of a theistic position regarding origins
>needs to include a fairly good understanding of its scriptural
>implications.
I will take you up on one issue and that is the general understanding that
Genesis 1 rules out evoulution. I believe that Genesis 1 teaches
evolution. Important verses are:
Genesis 1:11 (NIV) Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,
according to their various kinds." And it was so.
Here God did not directly create the vegetation. He commanded the LAND to
produce it. This indirect creation of vegetation is exactly what a
theistic evolutionist believes happened. The bible supports such an
interpretation.
Genesis 1:24 (NIV) And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures
according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground,
Once again, God used an indirect agency, the land, to bring forth life.
Finally and most importantly, nowhere dose the Bible say animals reproduce
after their own kind! Look at verse 24 above. Land is the subject of the
sentence, not animals. The land produces, according to their kind,
animals! Animals do not produce animals according to their kind. The
Bible is saying nothing about the stability of species or genera.
Why we have missed that distinction in the Genesis account I will never
know.
Thus I would contend that in spite of what we Christians often teach, the
Bible does not rule out evolution and may even teach it.
glenn
Foundation,Fall and Flood
http://members.gnn.com/GRMorton/dmd.htm