Theistic Evolution: A breakthrough or just disappointing? In a world where science and religion are often portrayed as mortal enemies, many people of faith—especially those just starting their journey—feel stuck in the middle. You’re told to choose between believing in God or accepting science. But is that a fair choice? Is that even necessary?
What if, instead, we acknowledged that God’s truth and scientific discovery don’t have to contradict? What if, rather than weakening faith, science actually strengthens it?
The False Choice: Science or God?
We’ve inherited a cultural narrative that says you’re either:
- A person of faith, who believes in creation and miracles but rejects evolution and scientific reasoning.
- Or a person of science, who trusts data, fossil records, and cosmology but sees religious texts as outdated myths.
This binary is not just inaccurate—it’s damaging. It pits two ways of understanding the world against each other when they can actually work together.
Science explains the process. Faith reveals the purpose.
Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and leader of the Human Genome Project, identifies as a devout Christian and a scientist. In his book The Language of God (2006), he writes: “Science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced. God is most certainly not threatened by science. He made it all possible.”
Many believers—including theologians like John Stott, Alister McGrath, and N.T. Wright—affirm this same position: that God and science are not at odds, but instead, speak to different dimensions of the same truth.
What Is Theistic Evolution?
Theistic evolution, or evolutionary creation, is the view that God created life and the universe but chose to do so through the natural process of evolution. This means:
- Evolution is not random or godless, but purposeful and divinely guided.
- The Genesis account is real and meaningful but not necessarily literal in its chronology.
- God remains sovereign and intimately involved in His creation.
Organizations like BioLogos, founded by Francis Collins, promote this view with a deep respect for both Scripture and scientific integrity. According to BioLogos:
“God is the creator of all things, including the mechanisms of evolutionary biology. Evolution is one of the tools He used to bring about His creative purposes.”
This perspective allows believers to embrace the scientific consensus on evolution while affirming the theological truths of creation, purpose, and divine order.
The Bible: Inspired by God, Written by People
One major misunderstanding among new believers is the idea that God physically wrote the Bible. While it’s common to hear the phrase “God wrote the Bible,” this can mislead people into thinking the Scriptures dropped from heaven in complete form.
In reality:
- The Bible was written by over 40 human authors across 1,500 years.
- These authors wrote in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, with unique cultural styles and perspectives.
- It is divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning God guided the process, but humans physically penned it.
This means Genesis, like the rest of Scripture, was written in a specific cultural and literary context, not as a scientific document. Understanding this helps us interpret its meaning with depth and respect.
Scholar Peter Enns, in his book Inspiration and Incarnation (2005), argues that Scripture’s human side is not a flaw, but a feature: “The Bible, just like Jesus, is both fully divine and fully human.”
Why Not Read Genesis Literally?
Genesis 1–2 contains rich theological truths:
- God is the Creator of all things.
- Creation is intentional and good.
- Humans are made in God’s image.
These truths do not require a literal six-day creation timeline to remain true. In fact, the poetic and structured language of Genesis 1 suggests it may be a literary framework, not a journalistic record.
Scholars such as John Walton (The Lost World of Genesis One, 2009) emphasize that Genesis 1 is best understood as a functional account: not about material origins, but about God assigning roles and order within creation.
This doesn’t diminish the authority of Scripture—it deepens it. Genesis, written in the context of the ancient Near East, stands in contrast to pagan creation myths by declaring one true God who creates out of purpose, not conflict.
What About Adam and Eve?
Theistic evolution offers multiple views that preserve the essential doctrines of the fall and salvation:
- Historical figures within a population: Adam and Eve could have been historical people chosen by God from an early human population to enter into a covenant.
- Representative humanity: They could symbolize the entire human race, reflecting our shared moral failure.
Both perspectives allow for a real fall, real sin, and a real need for redemption.
N.T. Wright explains in Surprised by Scripture (2014): “The point of Genesis is not about how the material world came to be, but why the world is the way it is—and why humans need saving.”
Jesus and the God of Evolution?
Some struggle with the idea that Jesus, the compassionate Son of God, would be connected to a process involving death and natural selection.
Yet Scripture shows us:
- God often works through long, painful processes (Israel’s journey, sanctification, church history).
- Jesus entered into suffering, didn’t avoid it.
- Romans 8:22 speaks of creation “groaning” as it waits for redemption—a direct parallel to the long arc of evolutionary history.
Evolution, when seen as God’s tool, becomes a canvas for divine creativity and purpose.
But What About “Yahshua”? And Other Myths?
Some groups claim that the true name of Jesus is “Yahshua” and that using “Jesus” is pagan or incorrect.
Here’s what the evidence says:
- “Yahshua” is a modern invention, not found in any ancient Hebrew manuscripts.
- The correct Hebrew name is Yeshua, a shortened form of Yehoshua (Joshua), meaning “YHWH saves.”
- The New Testament, written in Greek, uses Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), properly rendered in English as Jesus.
There is no historical or linguistic support for the name “Yahshua.”
Michael L. Brown, a Hebrew scholar, confirms in Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (2000): “The form Yahshua is simply not correct and is not found in any known Jewish writings.”
Rejecting Bias, Embracing Wisdom
Choosing faith over facts or facts over faith is a false dilemma. God gave us:
- Minds to question.
- Eyes to observe.
- Hearts to believe.
Science should never scare us. It should lead us deeper into awe.
Dr. Alister McGrath, a former atheist turned theologian, notes in The Big Question (2015): “Science and religion are not enemies but different ways of exploring reality, each with its own strengths.”
Rejecting science in the name of faith does a disservice to both. The middle ground doesn’t weaken faith—it anchors it in truth.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Choose Sides
You don’t have to choose between Jesus and a microscope. Between Genesis and geology. Between the Bible and biology. Theistic evolution.
Faith and science are both gifts from the same source. When properly understood, they work together to reveal the fullness of God’s world and Word.
As Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”