e a s t e r   2 0 0 0     n o.   2 0 1   

Evolution, Creation & God's Love

It fascinates me that as the new millennium (beginning January 1, 2001) approaches, Darwinian evolutionary theory has once again become controversial, particularly among some Christians. This situation is somewhat understandable, since in some of the more popular presentations of evolution, a number of scientists assert that the theory provides an adequate explanation of the origins of life without recourse to a mythological deity.
   While I accept evolution as the best scientific explanation of not only the origins of life and the universe, but also their continual development, I do not accept such a materialistic interpretation. What interests me is what evolution means theologically. If Darwinian evolutionary theory is true, what does that tell us about God and the world we live in?
    For one thing, it shows us that creation is not a finished product, but rather that it is an ongoing process. The universe is still expanding, and we are still developing. With Teilhard de Chardin, I believe that there is a directionality to evolution, a goal it is growing towards. Evolution is not just about origins, but also about continual development and the results of that development. That is, creation has not achieved its goal, but it strives towards a future fulfillment. We get a glimpse of this in the eighth chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it in patience.
    An evolutionary view of the cosmos encourages us and enables us to locate our hope of fulfillment and redemption not separated from the rest of creation, but along with all of creation. In the evolutionary principle that all things have a common ancestry, we come to realize that we are all in this together. Certainly this is the Biblical view of redemption.
    One of the more disturbing aspects of evolution is that it unavoidably involves so much suffering. For many sensitive people, this is what proves the nonexistence of God; for if there is a God and this God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would this God create a system in which living creatures prey on other living creatures, a system in which the weak have no chance of survival? Let me offer the following as a partial--and I must stress partial--answer.
    Think of an adolescent experimenting with independence, trying to discover identity and personal goals. It is a rough transition from adolescence into adulthood, involving failed experiments as well as successful attempts at personal maturing and growth. Wise parents and teachers know that sometimes it is best not to interfere, but to let the failures happen so that one might possibly learn from such failures. This can be painful, both for the adolescents and for those responsible for their upbringing.
    I would describe the universe to be in the same situation as an adolescent. It is still developing, and part of that developing involves experimenting with growth and independence through such means as natural selection. That which doesn't work, particularly in regard to the continuing development of life, is discarded, and that which enables life to continue is saved. It is not by any stretch of the imagination a smooth operation. But we do see that creation has learned from its experiments, that is, survival is not a matter of the survival of the fittest, but of cooperation. The strong cannot survive without the weak. Nature tends towards balance and equilibrium, otherwise the food chain collapses.
    Continuing the analogy, in an evolutionary context God gives creation time and space to grow and mature, that it may be a free and independent creation, capable of choosing of its own free will to return the love offered by to it by God. Please understand that in humankind creation has achieved the consciousness and rationality that enables it to make such a decision. But consciousness and rationality are relatively recent developments in the history of creation, being mere thousands of years old compared to the several billion years of the known universe. And, as the Scriptures so graphically remind us, our consciousness tends towards rebelliousness (hence my analogy of adolescence).
   Yet it is not as if God has left us on our own, to fend for ourselves. In the incarnation of God the Son as Jesus, we see that God has always been intimately involved in creation. Jesus is just as much a product of evolution as we are. Such an assertion is unavoidable if we are to take the full humanity of Jesus seriously. It is not as if God were outside of creation, inserting himself into it, forcing his will onto the material world. No, it is more a matter of God's having the humility and compassion to share in the experience of evolution with us.
    We must remember that for Christians, the primary image of God given to us is not that of some all-powerful superbeing capable of achieving its whims, but rather it is the image of a humble and defenseless love presented to us in the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. The best expression of this is the hymn quoted by St. Paul in the second chapter of Philippians:
Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus Christ did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
    The Christian revelation is that God is self-giving love. It is not that God is loving in his actions (although God is that), but that God's very being, God's very essence, is love. If that is the case, then anything that has existed, does exist, and will exist does so because there is love. Love is creative, and desires to be loved. However much love wants to be loved, though, it does not force itself onto its beloved. It desires to be loved freely. So it provides room for the beloved to grow and to be persuaded into a loving union with it.
    The hymn quoted from Philippians shows us, I believe, not a God of power coercively forcing creation to conform to his will, but a God who tries lovingly to persuade us and encourage us to become more loving ourselves. The humble, defenseless love revealed in the suffering and death of Jesus shows us that it is only in such an offering of compassion that evil can truly be disarmed. It is in this way that God is shown to be all-loving and all-powerful.
--Br. Martin

For a fuller exposition on evolution and theology, let me encourage interested readers to read "God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution" by John F. Haught, printed by the Westview Press. M.D.

Copyright © 2000 by St. Gregory's Abbey

Back to past issues index
Back to the main site

Site design by David Burton/Orisonweb/Indianapolis Indiana