Christian evolutionists claim that the Bible isn’t a science textbook. Indeed! However, what they really mean is that the Bible doesn’t teach authoritatively about the physical/historical world, just the spiritual, and the fact that the Bible contains physical errors shouldn’t affect its spiritual truths.
For a number of reasons, this position isn’t reasonable. After we discover that someone has spoken falsely, we will justifiably be suspicious of their other claims. Using this reasoning in reverse, NT scholar F.F.BRUCE concludes, regarding the Gospel of Luke:
“A man whose accuracy can be demonstrated in matters where we are able to test it is likely to be accurate even where means of testing aren’t available. Accuracy is a habit of mind…Luke’s record entitles him to be regarded as a writer of habitual accuracy.”
This is also how juries assess the reliability of a witness – by their demonstrable truth-telling track record. If a witness has a poor record regarding statements of truth, it’s wise to be skeptical about their other claims.
Christian evolutionists are pushing a “Christianity” that will not be able to stand the test of time or truth. If we can’t trust what the Bible teaches about the physical/historical, what reason do we have to trust it regarding spiritual matters?
Certainly, this kind of formulation will not impress thoughtful unbelievers. I, for one, had been unwilling to consider the veracity of the Bible. As long as I was convinced that Darwin was right, I concluded that Genesis was wrong. Nor will the Christian find this physical/historical-spiritual distinction believable for long. The spiritual message of the Cross cannot stand without the historical event of the Cross. Theologically, the spiritual can no sooner be separated from the physical than the head from the body. To try to do so kills both!
We usually discard a theory, when we find that it contains errors, and we loose respect for its promoters – even more so if the promoters knew this beforehand.
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