ABSTRACT
The mere existence of sciences characterised by methodological naturalism – or the mere fact that there are such sciences that come to conclusions incompatible with Christian belief – need not be taken by Christians to constitute a strike against Christian belief; sciences characterised by methodological naturalism don’t automatically, or as such, constitute defeaters for Christian belief. In response to the claim that there is conflict between theism and evolutionary theory, and between theism and natural science concerning divine action in the world, Plantinga claims that, in fact, there is merely apparent conflict. While theism is inconsistent with the claim that natural selection is ‘unguided’ the claim that natural selection is ‘unguided’ is no part of evolutionary theory, but rather ‘a metaphysical or theological addition’. Plantinga insists that naturalists have not shown that evolution is unguided, and this rules out rebutting defeaters to ‘Paley’s design beliefs’ and Plantinga insists that, at best, current evolutionary science provides ‘a partial undercutting defeater for those beliefs’.
