If you’ve been to the comments section of basically any Creation vs. Evolution content on social media, you have probably seen countless people discuss this idea of theistic evolution as a great “compromise” between those who believe in evolution and those who believe in God. This conversation grew rapidly with the release of William Lane Craig’s book “In Quest of the Historical Adam” which tried to merge God and evolution, and created quite the discussion in Creationist and Evolutionist circles alike. But what is theistic evolution? Is it truly a compromise?

These questions are some of the reasons I have devoted so much time in the past few months researching so many foundational aspects of this theory that are needed to understand what exactly it means to believe in theistic evolution. We just scratch the surface of some of this research in this week’s Creation Today show, “Theistic Evolution on Trial”.

One of the most important things you can do in conversations like these is to define your terms. Great confusion happens in debates when two people are using the same word, but are defining it differently. A prime example of this confusion comes with the word “evolution” itself! The scientific idea of descent with modification from pre-existing species is one that is completely compatible with a Creator who designed adaptation. But this definition doesn’t encompass the whole idea of evolution, so further clarification is needed. 

I could go down a rabbit hole talking about the problems with defining evolution, but, ultimately, this whole topic is not a salvation issue. Now I know you might be thinking, “Eric, why are we even having this conversation in the first place then?” Trust me, I get this question all the time. The thing is, theistic evolution isn’t a salvation issue, but it’s a foundation that makes salvation necessary that makes it an issue.

The idea of theistic evolution is one that promotes a god who created a world that, for billions of years, was full of death and suffering until he finally got to what he really wanted in mankind. But this isn’t the God we see in the Bible. This is an attack on the very character of God. God molded creation; He didn’t mutate it. He created the world good – very good in fact. Theistic evolution says that God is okay with sin and suffering, and that is why accepting it as true is so dangerous. It is a manipulative lie from the Father of Lies himself.

If you want to learn more about why Biblical Creation is so important, schedule some time into your week to check out this show and our free study series LOST at CreationToday.org/Theistic-Evolution