In Theory:

Many people around the world observed the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth Feb. 12. Darwin has been one of the most controversial figures in science and religion for the last century and a half, with some hailing him as a genius and others criticizing his beliefs as narrow-minded or even blasphemous. What are your personal feelings about Darwin and the changes his theories brought to the world?

I think mostly about the legacy of division between Darwinists and creationists. I’ve always wondered why people put the “Darwin fish” symbols on the backs of their cars. These, of course, are usurpations of an ancient Christian symbol whose message is that Jesus Christ is God’s son, our savior. Darwin’s name is placed inside the symbol, and feet are put on the fish. Are people mocking faith in Christ? Or is it a statement of faith in what Darwin taught versus faith in what Jesus taught? The answer, I suppose, depends on the individual.

There is a great difference between “The Origin of Species” and the origin of life, between after-the-fact observation vs. “in-the-beginning” revelation. I view Darwin as an intelligent man who drew conclusions about life from what he observed and reasoned, always increasing in suspicion of what scripture records. Later in his life he ceased attending the Church of England and was a self-professed agnostic, but never an atheist.

I believe Moses received direct revelation from the God of creation. He was given the book of Genesis, which describes the origin of life, something Darwin was unable to do. From it, we learn that God created all forms of life and decreed that each would procreate after its own kind. I believe that creatures adapt to their environments in limited ways, but not to the extent that the theory of macroevolution demands.

PASTOR JON BARTA

Valley Baptist Church

There is no denying that Charles Darwin was a brilliant scientist and accomplished scholar. Certainly his works reveal a vast comprehension of nature and its effect on mankind; he gave us a unique and previously unknown understanding of our world, and for that we can all be grateful. However, like all human beings, Darwin was not perfect — and I believe that his theory of evolution is wrong.