can A baptist Believe In Theistic Evolution?

[matt wade]

A theistic evolutionist does not deny that God created the world and all that is in it. He does not deny Genesis anymore than the many, many fundamentalists that embraced the gap theory for many years.

The gap theory is wrong as well. You are correct that those that believe the gap theory deny the Genesis account. Those that believe in evolution deny the Genesis account as well. Thanks for making that point!

There are other things in the world to be accounted for, which are not even mentioned in the Bible. For example, the existence and habitation of North America, which is clearly not in scripture.

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Theistic evolution has never deracted from my fundamental belief in the veracity of scripture as the very word of God. Just as many stories in scripture are somewhat incomplete, including the genealogies, so are some aspects of existence.

The Genesis account clearly tells us how God created everything. You continue to attempt to add your own into the mix and deny what is clearly written.

 

[matt wade]

Yes or No: Is a horse a donkey?
Yes or No: Is a horse a mule?
Yes or No: Can a horse produce something not its own kind?
Yes or No: Can the mule produced reproduce after its own kind?

You still fail. Go back and re-read the thread.

 

[Winman]

There are other things in the world to be accounted for, which are not even mentioned in the Bible. For example, the existence and habitation of North America, which is clearly not in scripture.

Actually, many believe this is explained in scripture. In Gen 10:25 it says the earth was divided. This agrees with science that there was once only one continent (Pangaea) that divided into smaller continents and are now drifting apart (continental drift).

Gen 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

If Gen 10:25 is describing the breakup up the original one continent, this easily explains how men were found living in the Americas and elsewhere.

 

[quantumfaith]

I am of the Intelligent Design/Theistic Evolution flavor. I accept the criticisms and disagreements with that stance by many of my fellow believers. I only ask that no one question the sincerity of my (or anyone's else) faith in Christ and or the God of the Bible. I have not commented much due to it being a hot button issue for many and we all know we have plenty of heat from the C vs. A discussions. I do appreciate and respect each person's conviction and passion as to the "how" of creation. We ALL understand the "WHO" of creation and if nothing else agree on that point.

Mercy, peace and Love in abundance.

 

[matt wade]

We ALL understand the "WHO" of creation and if nothing else agree on that point.

If you can't believe that God created things as is stated in the Genesis account, then you don't have the correct "WHO". The "WHO" of the Genesis account was able to do things that your "WHO" can't. Your "WHO" is incapable of creating everything in a literal 6 days. You created this "WHO" that is not God Almighty.

 

[Gabriel Elijah]

I am of the Intelligent Design/Theistic Evolution flavor. I accept the criticisms and disagreements with that stance by many of my fellow believers. I only ask that no one question the sincerity of my (or anyone's else) faith in Christ and or the God of the Bible. I have not commented much due to it being a hot button issue for many and we all know we have plenty of heat from the C vs. A discussions. I do appreciate and respect each person's conviction and passion as to the "how" of creation. We ALL understand the "WHO" of creation and if nothing else agree on that point.

Mercy, peace and Love in abundance.

Quantum—although I personally disagree with your conclusion—I have no doubt that you are saved-- & respect your personal convictions---Im just glad on an issue as minute as this we can agree 2 disagree---- & see each other 1 day in heaven!

 

[Baptist4life]

If you can't believe that God created things as is stated in the Genesis account, then you don't have the correct "WHO". The "WHO" of the Genesis account was able to do things that your "WHO" can't. Your "WHO" is incapable of creating everything in a literal 6 days. You created this "WHO" that is not God Almighty.

:applause::applause::applause::applause: Amen! I think this whole "Theistic evolution" bunk was invented so un-believing non-Christians would find the Creation story more "believable" Sorry, "doubting world", and apparently some "doubting" Christians, MY God can do it it all in just six literal days just like Scripture says He did.

 

[Crabtownboy]

:applause::applause::applause::applause: Amen! I think this whole "Theistic evolution" bunk was invented so un-believing non-Christians would find the Creation story more "believable" Sorry, "doubting world", and apparently some "doubting" Christians, MY God can do it it all in just six literal days just like Scripture says He did.

Well my goodness...the Hebrew word that is translated in English as day is yome. Now yome can mean a 24 hour day, a literal day, and it can also mean an indeterminate period of time, a figurative day. So Christian theistic evolution folk can claim just as accurately as the literal day folk that they are not doubting Genesis, but just see it differently.

Honest folk on each side and both are Christian.

 

[Baptist4life]

".....and the evening and the morning were the first DAY............."




......seems pretty clear to me.

 

[Crabtownboy]

".....and the evening and the morning were the first DAY............."




......seems pretty clear to me.

There is no evening or morning before the sun is created.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

I do not know what the light was that is spoken of here, but it is not the sun. The sun was not created until the 4th day:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Even God says time is to be measured from the sun. So, before the sun was created there was no time in the sense we understand it.

Blessings

 

[Baptist4life]

Exodus 20:9–11

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.



I'll take God's Word for it, not try to make it "fit" into the world's theology.

 

[Alcott]

I'll take God's Word for it, not try to make it "fit" into the world's theology.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4)

Were the heavens and the earth created in "generations" or in ONE DAY?

 

[Baptist4life]

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4)

Were the heavens and the earth created in "generations" or in ONE DAY?

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them................




WHY does everyone try to make God's Creation take longer than six literal days? Don't you believe that God, who is all powerful and far beyond our capability to understand, could do it in six days? He could have spoken the entire creation into existence in a single breath!

 

[Alcott]

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4)

Generations? One day? Six days?

 

[InTheLight]

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them................




WHY does everyone try to make God's Creation take longer than six literal days? Don't you believe that God, who is all powerful and far beyond our capability to understand, could do it in six days? He could have spoken the entire creation into existence in a single breath!

Agreed, so why does the Bible say it was generations AND one day AND six days?

 

[quantumfaith]

Agreed, so why does the Bible say it was generations AND one day AND six days?

And many "who cast stones" know or understand little of science, particularly with respect to "relativity" and time passage rates. It is certainly a distinct pssibility for "six days" and 13.78 billion (our years) to be equivalent, and there have been more than a few christian physicists to demonstrate that possibility.

 

[quantumfaith]

If you can't believe that God created things as is stated in the Genesis account, then you don't have the correct "WHO". The "WHO" of the Genesis account was able to do things that your "WHO" can't. Your "WHO" is incapable of creating everything in a literal 6 days. You created this "WHO" that is not God Almighty.

Matt,

My "WHO" is entirely capable of doing "whatsoever he willeth" in anyway he willeth. I do not appreciate your attempt to imply that I worship a "different god" than do you, thereby seemingly implying my guilt of idolatry. I will assume you did not mean that, and certainly hope not.

 

[matt wade]

Matt,

My "WHO" is entirely capable of doing "whatsoever he willeth" in anyway he willeth. I do not appreciate your attempt to imply that I worship a "different god" than do you, thereby seemingly implying my guilt of idolatry. I will assume you did not mean that, and certainly hope not.

Then why do you think that your "WHO" is not capable of a literal 6 day creation? Explaining away a literal 6 day creation with gap theories or theistic evolution is simply not believing that your "WHO" is capable.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Belief that GOD created the Universe, but used evolution to shape and influence life upon the earth?

I don't see how. In order to believe in theistic evolution, you'd essentially have to tear out the first eleven chapters of the Bible, Romans 5, and other passages, which detail such things as the nature of man, the entrance of sin into creation, and God's plan of redemption.

Among the many questions theistic evolution raises is, "If sin and death entered into creation by Adam's sin (Romans 5), then what happened to all of the unevolved people who lived before Adam's fall?"

 

[jaigner]

Then why do you think that your "WHO" is not capable of a literal 6 day creation? Explaining away a literal 6 day creation with gap theories or theistic evolution is simply not believing that your "WHO" is capable.

This is a complete misrepresentation of the point. Nobody is saying God can't. Neither are they explaining away a "literal 6-day creation." The text here is very tough exegetically, oscillating between genres and voices.

Do I believe that a Baptist can believe in theistic evolution? Yes. "Should they" is a whole different question, which I'm not prepared to address.