ABSTRACT
In order to make clear just what evolutionists are and are not saying that is relevant to theology, a rather lengthy exposition of evolutionary theory is necessary.5 In this exposition I will adhere to the twentieth-(and twenty-first-) century understanding of Darwinism embodied in the so-called “Neo-Darwinian Synthesis” or “synthetic theory of evolution,” both for substantive reasons (because it is extremely well supported by scientific evidence) and for rhetorical reasons (because it is considered by many to be maximally threatening to the Christian worldview). (The terms “Neo-Darwinism” and “synthetic theory of evolution” refer to the synthesis, achieved in the early twentieth century, between Darwin’s concept of evolution by natural selection and the understanding of genetics gained by Gregor Mendel and others.) I wish to show on the contrary that even this most uncompromising, hardcore version of evolution, allegedly the believer’s worst nightmare, is entirely compatible with Christian faith. And although it turns out that neither the pattern nor the process of the unfolding evolutionary panorama seems to hold out much comfort to the traditional, anthropocentric view of divine providence, nonetheless the core mechanism of the evolutionary process has profound and fruitful implications for theology, especially the theology of original sin.
