Quest Faith & Evolution

Is “Literary Truth” Theologically OK? Ancient Hebrew Conception of the Universe

Psalm 104:3 God’s “upper chambers” Gen 1:6 “An expanse to separate water above from water below” Gen 7:11 “The floodgates of heaven were opened” Ps 104:2 “He stretches out the heavens like a tent” Rev 6:13 “Stars in the sky fell to earth like late figs from a fig tree” Matt. 24:2 “From the ends of the earth” Job 26:11 “The pillars of the heavens quake” Psalm 104:5 “He set the earth on its foundations.”

Is “Literary Truth” Theologically OK? Astronomy in the 1500s

Ps 93:1; Ps 96:10; 1 Chron 16:30 “The world is firmly established it cannot be moved.”

Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.”

Joshua 10:13 “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies… The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”

Is “Literary Truth” Theologically OK? Creation Doctrine in the 2000s

?

Gen 1:25 “God made the wild animals according to their kinds.” Gen 2:2 “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

Evolution Defined Change in genetic traits over time

Evolution Defined Change in genetic traits over time

How much time? Darwin said at least 100 million yrs

Marie Curie (early 1900s)

Lord Kelvin (1860’s)

How much time? Absolute age: Earth: ~4.6 billion years old Relative age: r

u o Y O

e g n

l

r e d

What can fossils tell us?

What can fossils tell us?

Glyptodont

Armadillo

What can fossils tell us?

What can Living Species Tell Us?

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Kiwi wings

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Vestigial eye socket

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Knuckle hair doesn’t do a whole heck of a lot

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s) Ear Wiggling Muscles

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

“Goosebumps”

Vestigial Traits (useless, good for nothin’s)

Dr. Patrick Foye , M.D., Associate Professor, and Director, Coccyx Pa

Similarity of Local Species

Structural Similarities

Structural Similarities

Developmental Similarities

Molecular Similarities

Similar Genetic Flaws

Chromosome 17

Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease

What does this mean? • • •

Is the Bible untrue? Is God still creator? Is he still in charge? Are we just chimps with less hair?

Useful references • The Language of God (F. Collins) • Excellent, recent (2006), readable book on combining faith with science

• The Galileo Connection (C. Hummel) • From a decidedly Christian perspective, addresses the “Galileo Affair” as precedent for resolving conflict between science and scripture today

• Perspectives on an Evolving Creation (K. Miller) • A bit more technical, this provides a series of essays (from both scientifc and theological perspectives) on reconciling faith and evolution

D.Evolution vs. Naturalism (Alvin Plantinga) • “Evolution and naturalism are not merely uneasy bedfellows; they are more like belligerent combatants”

E.The Dawkins Delusion (Alvin Plantinga) 1. “You might say that some of [Dawkin’s] forays into philosophy are at best sophomoric, but that would be unfair to sophomores”

• Talkorigins.org 1. One stop shop for scientific responses to common challenges to evolution

Literary Truth? I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True…His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…  (Rev. 19)

3. Molecular Homology C) Processed Pseudogenes

3. Molecular Homology B) Shared Genetic Flaws • Some detrimental traits exist in the genome

PMP22 CMT1a

&

Pressure palsy Charcot-Marie Tooth

3. Molecular Homology B) Shared Genetic Flaws • Some detrimental traits exist in the genome • We share this flaw with chimps, and bonobos, but not with gorillas and orangutans

3. Molecular Homology A) Processed Pseudogenes • Following insertion, pseudogenes resemble normal genes • Non-functional, so mutations can run wild • Because we have functional (un-mutated) gene to compare, age of pseudogene can be determined

3. Molecular Homology A) Processed Pseudogenes

Pseudogene Age (MYA) Human A

11

B

16

C

19

D

21

E

25

F

36

• • • • • •

Chimp

Gorilla

• • • • • •

• • • • •

Orangutan

• • • • •

Rhesus Capuchin Hampster

• • •

•