What is Theistic Evolution?

Dr. Craig describes theistic evolution and explains whether or not it is consistent with the Genesis creation account.

We welcome your comments in the Reasonable Faith forums:

[collegepennsylvania]

“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
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[stephenmerritt]

It makes perfect sense due to the fact that what has been created has never been static, which is to say it is constantly being created. The human body for example replaces billions of cells daily and replaces the entire body completely within 7-10 years, so it is fairly certain that God works through processes as a first cause.

[rubenmahrla]

Interesting point here is that although the Bible says "Let the Earth bring forth..." animals and plants, it uses a different expression during the creation of man, namely "Let us *make* man in our image" and "Jehovah God went on to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person.".
This means that even if there is some truth to the concept of theistic evolution, the first humans Adam and Eve were a complete new creation, formed to rhyme with animal anatomy but mentally and spiritually a unique, divine design incorporated into the flesh.

[Spainkiller]

I can't accept this view. This presupposes that death and suffering was always part of God's design (as you can't have evolution without million years of animals dying to turn into more complex animals) whereas I think it's pretty clear that the Bible teaches that death and suffering are the result of sin. And there was no sin on the earth before Eve (a.k.a. 'fully evolved man') partook of the fruit.

[JohnMackeyIII]

Wlc always tries to argue a weak god..

If God you claim to serve is infinite and can literally take a finite amount of His infinite energy and the divide it by the Freaking SPEED OF LIGHT SQUARED... The He can create all the creatures in their complexity in a day...

Also. For the dimwitted wlc clowns Since God can divide his energy by the speed of light squared He must be faster than the speed of light squared... Knowing God moves faster than the speed of light the concept of how quickly time passes for Him is much slower than for us....

A Day is all that is needed and it was less than a day because at the beginning and end he spoke and that time reduces the amount used to do the work...

Sooo less than 24 hours, 23 hours and 59 minutes.

[savedbymylovegodthelordjes]

praise the only true living LORD and GOD bless you all glory be to the HOLY TRINITY forever and ever amen 💖✝️✝️✝️

[mohamedaminebenlehmar]

so are you with theistic evolution or not?

[marshill]

i just want to know if Dr. Craig thinks humans descended from apes. I need to know this answer, it is important.

[gordpenner]

This is basically naturalism. It is a naturalistic world view with theological, philosophical and scriptural implications.

[DarrenGedye]

I think Theistic Evolution is particularly compatible with molinism. If God's middle knowledge means that he knows the outcomes of random events in advance (eg Proverbs 16:33) then he can choose to create the particular universe that randomly produces the result he wants, such as creatures capable of bearing the _tzelem elohim_ or _imago dei_

[JanASoto-duej]

Dr. Craig, I don't understand why do one need to give up on the idea that creation was done in 6 days?

[Rio_]

There is evolution and there is theistic evolution
There is big bang and there is theistic big bang

[SpiritLife]

That still wouldn't work because there would have been plants with no sun for whatever Millions of years evolution requires. There's no reason to think it's anything less than what it says: 6 literal 24-hr periods

[leonardu]

does anyone know what interview this was?

[rubiks]

Dr. Craig uses eisegesis when he interprets the book of nature as well as when he interprets the Book of God.

[jollyrancher]

Belief in macro-evolution implies that the Bible's account of creation in Genesis is not accurate. Genesis 3:20 states that everyone living is a descendant of Adam and Eve. Jesus referred to the Genesis account as historical fact. In Matthew 19:4, he said: "Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female?" The apostle Paul spoke of Adam as a literal man. We inherit sin from him since we are his descendants.

[alreyindustries]

What about humans? Adam and Eve? Seems pretty hard to square that one.

[jordankozuch]

Where in genesis is stated that world was made in 6 *24 hours days? How could day have 24 hours without earth and sun?

[elkhuntr]

This is not compatible with the bible at all. The entire theology of original sin and salvation are founded on Genesis and 6 day creation. Jesus himself affirmed Genesis as historical.

[marcosagv]

This view is very stranger, this I not accept, only thinking about only one word in the scripture! God is creator or not, Dr. Craig? This view I always relalized in yours explanations and always causes me thinking about and I never get on this conclusion.