The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-12-01
THE BIBLE AND EVOLUTION

lieve the Bible, a doctrine which
undertook TO refute in my articles d
few weeks ago. In those articles
showed consclusively, as think, that
the idea Of evoIution is not in con.
fiict with that II God as Creator, bu,
that evolution, il true, is simply Gods
method of creating. The author OF
the article above referred TO does not
attempt 20 show that this view is
incorrect. The only Biblical teach
ing which he claims TO be in conflict
with evolution is that Of the Virgin
Birth Of Jesus, altho he does say
more than once that children who
have been taught evolution in school
go home and tell their parents that
"the Bible is all bosh."
Let us look, then, at the relation
between the Virgin Birth and the
evolution idea. We are all familiar
with the fact that within the history
of the human race-and, for that mat.
ter, of all existing species of animals
and plants individual Except
ing Jesus N has been produced by descent
from ancestors closely resembling,
tho not absolutely like their offspring.
This descent with notifications" is
the undeniable method of human prop.
agation. Now the theory of organic
evolution simply teaches that this
same method, descent with modifca-
tions,' dates back to the primordial
organisms and has been the universal
method of the production of all past
and present forms of life. We have
two cases, G) human propagation by
descent, an undeniable fact; (2) uni
versal propagation of life by descent,
admittedly theory. The methods in
the two cases are precisely the same
and whatever is inconsistent with one
is Inconsistent with the other. If
the Virgin Birth of Jesus is contra.
dictory to the theory of descent with
modification as applied to the whole
organic world, past and present, then
it is contradictory to the fact of de.
scent with notifications within the
human race.
What is a miracle? Whatever else
may be said, ! think no one will deny
that it is an act of God in which He
departs from His usual method and
adopts a different method. His usu-
al method of creating man is by
descent from two human parents. In
creating Jesus by descent from one
human and ore Divine parent, He de-
parted from His usual method. Those
who believe that God never does or
never did depart from His usual
method will of course refuse to be-
lieve in miracles. Those who believe
that He can and does do so when it
better suits His purpose, accept what
they consider satisfactory evidence of
such acts. But after admitting that
the fact Of descent in human life does
not exclude or deny the miracle of
the Virgin Birth, it is utterly incon-
sistent to claim that the theory of de-
scent in all organic life does exclude
or deny it.
The theory of evolution is far more
than a mere guess. 1t has even pass
ed the stage of a working hypothesis.
No one, think, claims that it is alb
solutely proven, and it is probable,
from the nature of the case, that it
rever can be. That it is an improved
hypothesis is often stated by its OPP
ponents as tho that were evidence of
its untruth. Nothing could be more
illogical. As evidence, this fact is
Of no value whatever. The evolu-
tionary hypothesis is supported by
such an accumulation and such a
variety of evidence that, with few
II any exceptions, those who are
most familiar with this evidence
mark the phraseD no longer regard
it as a doubtful theory but as a well
established fact in Nature. So far as
/ know, there is absolutely no evil
dence to the contrary except that
which is purely negative and there
fore of no value.
The author of the article of No
vember II says, mo one can believe
the evolution guess will be proved
true and believe in the Bible at the
same time" If he means, "will be
proved" absolutely, his statement
amounts to nothing. for probably no
evolutonist expects that, as / have
said above. But if he means, proved
beyond a reasonable doubt, the author
is simply mistaken as to a matter of
fact. Many people do believe in both,
and they are generally of the more
educated and intelligent class. As
ttVa 1llrYetratinn1 I