Applegate - How I changed my mind about evolution: evangelicals reflect on faith and science

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
ivpress.com

2016 byKathryn Applegate, James Stump and BioLogos Foundation

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Pressis the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIVCopyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover design: Cindy Kiple
Images: Imagezoo / Superstock / Glow Images

ISBN 978-0-8308-9963-0 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-5290-1 (print)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Applegate, Kathryn, 1982- editor.
Title: How I changed my mind about evolution : evangelicals reflect on faith
and science / edited by Kathryn Applegate and J. B. Stump.
Description: Downers Grove : InterVarsity Press, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016007931 (print) | LCCN 2016009334 (ebook) | ISBN
9780830852901 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780830899630 (eBook)
Subjects: LCSH: Evolution (Biology)Religious aspectsChristianity. |
Religion and science. | Evangelicalism.
Classification: LCC BL263 .H69 2016 (print) | LCC BL263 (ebook) | DDC
231.7/652dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016007931

Kathryn Applegate and J. B. (Jim) Stump

James K. A. Smith

Scot McKnight

Ken Fong

Deborah Haarsma

Tremper Longman III

Jeff Hardin

Stephen Ashley Blake

Francis S. Collins

Oliver D. Crisp

Jennifer Wiseman

John Ortberg

Dennis R. Venema

Praveen Sethupathy

Dorothy Boorse

J. B. (Jim) Stump

Daniel M. Harrell

N. T. Wright

Justin L. Barrett

Denis O. Lamoureux

Laura Truax

Rodney J. Scott

Amos Yong

Richard Dahlstrom

Kathryn Applegate

Richard J. Mouw

Deborah Haarsma

President, BioLogos

If you picked up this book, you are probably curious about how science fits with Christianity. Maybe you wonder how an evangelical Christian could possibly consider an atheistic idea like evolution. Or maybe you are skeptical that a successful scientist could accept the superstitious ideas of Christianity.

At BioLogos, we hear these questions every day. On one level, these questions are intellectualanswers can be found by digging into the scientific evidence, the theological arguments and the Bible itself. At biologos.org we provide plenty of resources to help you do just that.

But on another level, these questions are personal. They engage the heart and soul as well as the mind, going beyond ideas to impact relationships within families and communities. Answers wont be found solely in intellectual arguments, and sometimes piling on more evidence doesnt help. In this volume we invite you to explore these questions by hearing the personal stories of twenty-five people who have walked this road before.

In these pages, youll read about the real-life experiences of scientists, theologians and others as they encounter evolution and Christian faith. Their stories tell of confusion and conflict, including some sharp critiques of anti-evolutionary views from those who were casualties of such conflicts. But these pages also tell of repentance and renewal, as people discover Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and as Lord of all creation. These stories tell of hope and celebration, praising God for the wonders of his creation and learning how to be the body of Christ together despite our differences.

Jesus said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). In these stories, we see how the contributors have come to love God with their mindsincluding all the evidence of modern scienceas well as their hearts and their souls. As we seek to engage these questions together, with humility and with confidence in the Spirits leading, new ways of understanding will emerge that are faithful to Gods Word and consistent with his works as revealed in creation.

Whatever your views on evolution and Christianity, I hope these stories will help you step into the lives of others, to better understand their struggles, their motivations and their faith. By hearing each others stories, we will understand better how we can love our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus commanded. The church doesnt need to be unified in its view of creation, but it must be unified in Christ. For by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).

Acknowledgments

The concept for this book originated in 2011, when philosopher and theologian Thomas J. Oord proposed it to the leaders of BioLogos and a publisher, Mark Russell. The original plan was to collect between fifty and sixty short essays by evangelicals who accept evolution, something Tom later accomplished (entirely within his own denomination!) in his book with Sherri B. Walker, Nazarenes Exploring Evolution (SacraSage Press, 2013). Later, and in consultation with InterVarsity Press (IVP), we decided to feature half the number of essays but allow the authors more space to share their often-complex journeys toward reconciliation between the Bible and evolutionary science. We are indebted to Tom and Mark, as well as to then-president of BioLogos, Darrel R. Falk, for their early work and ongoing support of the project.

Almost all of the chapters are brand-new essays written specifically for this book. A few of them have previously appeared on the BioLogos blog. The selections by Francis Collins and N. T. Wright are used with permission from their books, and the essay by John Ortberg is adapted with permission from one of his sermons. All of the contributors have been a pleasure to work with. Reading and rereading their stories has enriched our own. We pray the courage theyve shown in sharing their stories will embolden others to do the same.