You wrote:
> The whole traditional teology that is teached in our seminars and
> churches is based on some basic principals. One of the most important is
> the principle of the Fall. The teology considers the existence of a
> definite point in space and time where the man, by his own will, decided
> to sin. This principle has a lot of theological consequences, as the
> Original Sin Theology, etc. This point of view is very confortable for
> the YEC's, since has nothing against their assumptions. But I, like many
> of you, do not believe in the evidences presented by the YEC's (I would
> be very thankful if anyone could give me a name of a scientist wo
> believes in the YEC's and is not a christian)*. Considering the current
> scientific evidences, I am a evolutionist. That puts me in a very
> confortable position in relation to the current science, but certainly also
> puts me in a very unconfortable position in relation to theology.
> How can I consider the notion of the Fall in the "paradigm" of
> evolutionary creationism? When, and how did the man became a real man, in
> the theological view? What feature makes him a real man?
> Please, give me your opinions.
This is a very important question. Even though a number of people have
thought and written about this question, it's difficult to find material.
The Christian books, magazines, and e-mail groups which might discuss this
question are pretty obscure. :-)
For now, I'll quickly summarize 11 ideas which I've encountered in
various books and articles. All of them are suggestions for dealing
with the biological and paleontological evidence while *maintaining* the
doctrine of Original Sin and the need for a Savior. For this post, I'll
just list the ideas and won't comment on which ones I believe probable
or improbable, acceptable or unacceptable, or the scientific and/or
theological problems faced by each idea. Maybe others in this group
will want to start that discussion.
---1) God used evolutionary creation of plants, animals, and some hominids; followed by special creation of Adam & Eve, the parents of all modern humans, in a literal Garden of Eden several tens of thousands of years ago.
2) God used evolutionary creation, including modern homo sapiens; followed by special creation of Adam & Eve, as *representatives* of all existing and future humanity, in a literal Garden of Eden.
3) God used evolutionary creation, including modern homo sapiens; followed by special *selection* of Adam & Eve, as representatives of all existing and future humanity, in a literal Garden.
4-6) The same as 1-3 above, except the Garden of Eden story is an allegorical re-telling of some other historical event. The historical details of The Fall are unknown, but it involved revelation from God, choice, and rebellion.
7) Same as #1 above, but occurring 5.5 million years ago with the Genesis flood corresponding to the filling of the Mediterranean basin; Abraham is a modern person.
8) God used evolutionary creation, including modern homo sapiens. The story of Adam, Eve and the Garden of Eden is an allegorical version of some actual historical event, in the distant past, where God revealed Himself to a group of humans (perhaps more than two), and the humans rebelled. The Fall was not inevitable, but a choice. Original sin "spread" from this group who received the first "revelation" outward to eventually include all humans.
9) Same as #8, but the story of the Fall is a telescoping of *multiple* events of revelation and rebellion in human pre-history.
10) Same as #9, but taking into account the slow development of hominid intelligence and self-awareness over time. (Analogous to the gradual development from the ordinary self-centeredness of an infant into the sinful selfishness of a toddler.)
11) Same as #10, but the eventual sinful state of humanity was inevitable, given the number of opportunities for it to happen.
That seems a fairly exhaustive list, though I've probably missed a few.
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Loren Haarsma