Can God Love Darwin, Too?

Newsweek has a current article titled "Can God Love Darwin, Too?" I didn't find any new insights, but I thought it did touch on several important points. Two points that I think need to be kept in mind that the article does make are: "... more and more researchers are fighting the "godless" rap, emphasizing that evolution does not preclude a deity (though neither does it require one)." and "One approach is to interpret evolution as the mechanism by which a creator creates."

One of the things we must avoid is fear. I see, hear, and read of many Christians responding to a perceived "threat" of evolution not out of love but out of fear. This was the opposite of the approach taken by many early Christian apologists (primarily of Justin Martyr) who empasized the Logos, the "word" of the Gospel of John, and the presense of God in all true wisdom. If we, as Christians, believe Jesus' words that he is "the way, and the truth, and the life" then we have nothing to fear: either evolution is not true and will be replaced by a better scientific explanation or it is true, and simply the means by which God acted in creation.

But what about the differences between evolution and the Biblical accounts of creation? I think it's important to note that the book of Genesis contains not one, but two accounts of creation in its first chapters. The order of creation varies from one story to another, but both assert the main point that humanity is the beloved pinnacle of God's good creation. I think it's important to remember that at the time these accounts were being written no one on earth would have been able to understand a modern scientific explanation. Furthermore, the truth conveyed by the Genesis accounts, that humanity is the beloved pinnacle of God's good creation, is ultimately far more important than any detailed scientific explanation.

The Newsweek article is here.