Week 6 - Youth Questions 2
WHAT WE DISCUSSED ON SUNDAY IN REDEMPTION YOUTH
Sunday we spent time answering questions submitted by our students for the second time this Fall. Like always, their questions were thoughtful and led to excellent discussion. Below is a summary of the questions we discussed.
Question 1 - “How should Christians think about evolution? Is it possible that humans originated from apes?”
To answer this question we must first compare what the Bible says about the origin of life to what the theory of evolution teaches, and then determine if there is any room for coherence between the two sides.
So, what does the Bible teach about the origin of life? Well, as we look at Genesis 1-12 we learn two important realities. First, we learn that the creation account in Genesis functions, at least in part, as a polemic against other creation accounts of the ancient near east. For example, in the Akkadian Epic of Atrahasis (which is known to be written before Genesis), we are told that humans were created by big gods because the little gods they created to work for them were unhappy. As a result, humans were made as the de facto slaves for all of the gods, to do the work the gods hated doing. Over time, however, the humans grumbled and became annoying, so the gods sent a flood to kill the annoying humans. However, some of the gods felt bad for the humans, so they secretly let one man by the name of Atrahasis, build himself a boat so he could survive the flood waters.
If we consider this familiar sounding story with Genesis 1-12, we can see that the creation account in Genesis seeks to argue against this story by teaching that there was one God who was greater than all other gods, who created humanity not out of laziness, but in his own image to be his representatives to the rest of creation. Whereas people like the Akkadians believed they were created to do the tiring work the gods hated, the Israelites believed God created them in his image to be his representatives to creation and that work only became challenging because they sinned against God.
Second, we learn that the creation account in Genesis is concerned with telling its readers who created everything and why all things were created. In Genesis, we learn from the very first verse that “God created the heavens and the earth.” And this God who by himself created all things to be good also created people—both women and men—in his image to be his representatives to the rest of creation.
Now let’s move to the theory of evolution. As a disclaimer, I am by no means a scientist, nor would I ever make any claim to be one. However, from the little I have learned, and from the aid of the students who have more recently been taught this information, we agree that the theory of evolution hypothesizes, based on scientific study, that the way plants, animals, people, the earth, and all things are today is not how they have always been. In fact, because of people like Charles Darwin, we have discovered that the living organisms that exist today, exist because they were able to evolve in such a manner as to survive conditions that other, similar organisms could not. In other words, the organisms that are alive today are living because they evolved enough for they and their offspring to stay alive, through a process known as natural selection. As a result of this, some scientists suggest, due to the similarities in DNA and body composition (among other things), that as a result of natural selection and evolution, humans at one point were like apes, but over time evolved into their present form.
In summary, we can say that the creation account in the Bible tells us why we were made, what we were made for, and who we were made by, as it argued against the other creation accounts of that time and sought to tell us about God and his creation. On the other hand, the theory of evolution and natural selection informs us how we came to be, what that process looked like, and when it might have happened. Basically, the Bible is concerned with the why, the what, and the who, whereas the theory of evolution is concerned with the how, a different what, and the when. In other words, the Bible and the theory of evolution are answering different questions because they were intended for different things.
So, given all of that, how should Christians think about evolution? The answer we came to, is that Christians can believe what the Bible teaches and most of the findings of the theory of evolution, because each is doing something different. Even though science and religion have been pitted as enemies against each other, the reality is they seek to do different things and to answer different questions, and as Christians we can trust both—so long as they stay in their lanes. At the same time, we should be cautious to believe scientific claims that are based not on evidence but on philosophy or faith. For example, claims of existence due to happenstance (like is found the “Big Bang Theory”), or claims that humans originated as a different species (like some theories of evolution that claim humans were once apes), should be questioned since they cannot be proven, and because they seek to tell a competing story than the one taught in Genesis (that God alone created everything, and that humans are created in God’s image). In other words, we should let science teach us what it is good at teaching us. At the same time we should let the Bible teach us what it is good at teaching us. And the things they are good at teaching us are the things they are intended for: science is intended to make evidence based claims and hypotheses that tell us about God’s creation, and the Bible is intended to tell us about God and his people through story.
Question 2 - “Why won’t Jesus come sooner? What is his definition of soon?”
The common response from the students was that Jesus hasn’t come back yet because he wants more people to have the opportunity to hear about him. This is a great response! In fact, 2 Peter 3:8-9, tells us, “that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Question 3 - “Do animals have souls?”
This is difficult to answer because the answer depends upon how we define “soul.” The easiest way I know to define “soul,” is to say that the soul is the animating life force within us. In this regard, animals definitely have souls, because they are animated with life. However, some think that animals do not have souls because they think the soul is that thing that differentiates humans from animals. Even trickier still is when we start to use “soul” interchangeably with spirit, breath, wind, or as the part of you that “goes to heaven when you die.” Regardless of how we think of “soul,” we have to admit there is much mystery around it.
HOW TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AT HOME
Encourage your kid(s) to keep asking great questions! An easy way to encourage them to ask questions is not to just tell them to ask them, but to engage them with one of the questions above. Take a moment to ask them any of the above questions and see if they have follow ups. Be sure not to stifle their ideas, but to ask them to explain what they mean further. Be sure to appreciate their curiosity and applaud them for it. God is not scared of our questions and we should not be either.
As a reminder, we do NOT have Redemption Youth this Sunday. Instead we will be going to Fall Fest this Friday night at Redemption. See you then!