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[England Rules]

Please help me understand some things. If creationism and intelligent design are beliefs held exclusively by fundamentalist Christians, I do not quite understand what the beliefs of more progressive Christians are regarding these issues. I was hoping you could clear some things up for me.

The majority of Christians seem to accept evolution, however most Christians still believe that humans were an intentional creation of God's. This leads me to believe that Christians who accept evolution still believe that God is a driving force behind this evolution, controlling the direction it takes. After all, if God was not directing evolution then how could he claim we were made in his image? And how could he claim he has a plan for us? (Unless this plan was constructed after we happened to evolve.)

This view seems analogous to intelligent design to me, however, with only the manufacturing method being different.

I also get the impression that old earth creationism, while an improvement on young earth creation, is still a more fundamentalist view. Is this true, or are all Christians either YECs or OECs? I thought it was a central idea in all Christian denominations that God created the universe and everything in it, does that not make you creationist? If not, why not?

I can basically think of 3 different ways God could have created the universe as it is today:

1. God 'magicked' everything into existence as it is today (YEC).
2. God created the fundamental forces of the universe, and then let everything stew until we are where we are now. (Deism?)
3. God planned and created everything in the universe, but brought it into existence through means that appear natural to us.

So which do you believe? If none of the above, please explain your view. If it is the third one, then please explain how this is different to intelligent design/creationism.

[jimwalton]

You keep using the word "fundamentalist." Not sure what you mean by it It could have several different meanings (or even stereotypes), especially to an atheist such as yourself.

The Bible is clear that God is the creator of everything that exists (Neh. 9.6; Ps. 96.5; John 1.3; Col. 1.16; Heb. 1.2 and dozens of others are explicit). As such, of course the universe was designed, and it does bear a number of evidences of design (parameters so precise that to consider them all a fortuitous accident is a long stretch). But the Bible does not tell us HOW God created, nor the length of time involved. For those answers, we look to science (at least the second one). For Christians who believe in most of the tenets of evolution (and I am one of them, though the "godless" part of some evolutionists is obviously untenable to me), God is thought to have tinkered through the process to bring about what we see today (the probabilities of what we see having occurred by pure chance are so astronomical as to be impossible, and certainly not rational to believe). There's nothing in the Bible or in science that would prevent this understanding.

But then how can humans be an intentional creation? Let's just assume Adam and Eve were not NECESSARILY the first hominids on the planet. Perhaps (and the text allows for this) they were the first hominids to develop to the point where they were, well, *human*, and therefore capable of a spiritual relationship with God, intellectually capable of functioning as human, and morally capable. God separated these two hominids out from the rest (Gn. 2.15: "God took them..."—took them from where?—probably out from the rest), put them in a special environment, and formed a relationship with them. He invested them with souls, gave them their roles and functions, and tried to lead them to morality and righteousness. With this action, again, God is the driving force behind this evolution.

There is a new take on Adam and Eve based on continued studies in ancient Near Eastern thought that is making headway in Christian circles. It's the theory that Genesis 1-2 are not about material origins, but about God assigning role and function to creation. It turns out that it accords well both with the text and with the cultural and religious concerns of the ancient Near East. It argues that Gn. 1-2 are not about God making things, but about giving them their purpose. (That doesn't mean God didn't make them, but only that that's not what Gn. 1-2 are about.)

Looking at Adam & Eve from that vantage point, they are the archetypes of humanity (not allegories or metaphors, mind you)—representatives of the human race, but not necessarily the first hominids. If this theory has credence, which it does, then our scientific understandings of origins and our biblical understandings of Adam and Eve are concordant, not conflicting.

> Is this true, or are all Christians either YECs or OECs?

Hm. What's another alternative: Middle Earth creationists? FRODO!! FRO-DO!!!

> I thought it was a central idea in all Christian denominations that God created the universe and everything in it, does that not make you creationist?

It is, but the Bible neither tells us HOW or HOW LONG.