I traveled over the weekend, and last week was amazingly busy. I wasn’t reading much at all, so I hadn’t seen your blog on Darwin’s birthday. (Read it now, though.)

Ever since dealing with the whole evolution thing ten years ago, I’ve been under the impression that it’s we Christians pitting the Bible against science that’s the problem.

Answers in Genesis has an attitude of “if Genesis isn’t literal and scientifically accurate, then the Bible isn’t the Word of God, and God’s message is invalidated.”

Personally, I don’t believe God’s message has anything to do with science or evolution at all. I’m a full believer in evolution as rather obvious based on the evidence in science, but the idea that everything happens by accident still seems unbelievable to me; always has.

Yes, atheists find justification in having an explanation–believable or unbelievable–for life as we know it, but we’re not going to win them by standing on things that obviously aren’t true. We’re going to win them the way Christ said, by a demonstration of the life and power of God.

I remember a guy on an evolution debate board–an atheist–who had heard all the Christian arguments on that board, good and bad, against evolution. However, it was not to them but to me, a theistic evolutionist, that he said that the testimony of our village “shakes my atheism.”

My thinking is that just because some slaps the label Christian on their forehead doesn’t make them a follower of Christ.

Not going to change how I treat people. Won’t make me respect anyone less, just means that I will not try and have the relationship that exists between followers of Christ with them.

I completely agree with what you’ve written. I just think there are two different fruits of two different phenomena.

Our lack of love and unity keeps people from believing our message and buying into the Truth enough in order to follow the way Christ demands, not to mention we are disobeying God by doing so. But, in general, while some might turn to atheism as a response to these things, people are not turned off to a general belief that God exists, only that Christianity isn’t the way.

Not all of Darwinism, but the belief that evolution and natural selection were the methods of creation of life does actually lead to atheism, the belief that no higher power exists at all. I’m not using it as a scapegoat; actual atheists use this as a primary reason. And honestly, it is the nature of the tree that bears atheistic fruit. Again, not all of Darwinism, just the creation myth of evolution and natural selection.

We obviously disagree on this point. I think no less of you if you think I’m wrong by believing what is the testimony of many atheists I’ve read about and personally met or what I believe to be something God has revealed to me. I love your perspective on many things and count your counsel as wise and valid. I’m not seeking to split hairs, only to speak what God has shown me to be true.

But we can definitely agree that much of this is pretty academic if the testimony of the Body is insufficient to truly lead others to a true revelation of Christ.

Peace.