Opponents have often criticized President George W. Bush for being too religious. He has been mocked and ridiculed tirelessly for admitting Jesus was his role model and for acknowledging that he prays for wisdom every day. While the public shame that he has had to endure because of his faith is a poignant reminder of our decaying culture, it has been refreshing to hear the Leader of the Free World talk openly about the God of Christianity (his particular theological views notwithstanding). But as the proverb attests, ‘all good things must come to an end’. This is particularly true concerning President Bush’s recent announcement with respect to creation and evolution. Said Bush on a recent Nightline interview:
"I think you can have both. I think evolution can -- you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president. But it's, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution."
President Bush’s comments are not entirely new. Many Christians have tried to break the tension between a literal interpretation of Genesis and modern science with respect to the origins of the universe. They do so by claiming Genesis is concerned about who created and why, not about how and when. I would submit to you that this is dangerous thinking that tacitly assaults the concept of being made in the image of God. Scripture teaches that man is made with self-consciousness, a capacity for knowledge, morally upright and with dominion over the creatures. All of these concepts are antithetical to the belief that man descended from primordial ooze. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that when God made, he did so and it was good – not that is would be good in billions of years after trial and error, but that it was good.
Evolution also directly attacks the idea of federal headship as it relates to original sin. Paul firmly believe in the historical figure Adam when he wrote that evil entered the world through the one man, Adam (Rom 5:12).
Christians must stop denying the tenets of the Christian faith and must quit capitulating in order to appease those who already have a bias against Christianity. The world will stop at nothing until they eradicate the Christian religion. So why should we help them along? The answer to this problem is to stick with the historic faith that was delivered once unto the saints and believe God’s revelation, no matter what the world tells us.
