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>From Adam or apes? Intelligent design presents a new theory

Dec. 15, 2005

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A UMC.org Feature
By Amy Green*

It's possible to believe in God and evolution, said the Rev. Adam
Hamilton, pastor of the 13,000-member Church of the Resurrection in
suburban Kansas City, Kan.

He does, and his sermon describing his beliefs-part of a series last
winter on science and religion-was well-received by his United Methodist
congregation, situated in the hotbed of the intelligent design debate.
He believes God used evolution in Creation.

"I believe that evolution is a process itself that was designed by God,"
he said. "I don't personally see an affront to my faith in evolution,
provided evolution is taught as a mechanism and there is no attempt to
say evolution is a completely unguided process."

His is one of many answers to the age-old question: Where did we come
from? This question has roused curiosity and conflict for centuries and
evoked our most basic beliefs about ourselves, our universe and our
faith. Did we come from Adam or apes? Could we have come from both? Are
we merely the lucky benefactors of natural selection or created with
purpose as part of a broader plan?

Another question has been more rousing in recent months-what should we
teach children in science class? Darwin's theory of evolution is widely
accepted as scientific fact, but for many it is at odds with the
creation account in Genesis, which teaches that God created Adam not in
an ape's image but God's own. Intelligent design asserts that because
the universe is so complex, it must have been created by an unseen
force, an intelligent 'designer,' and President Bush has suggested this
notion be taught in public schools alongside evolution to balance the
debate.

Evolution and intelligent design have divided school board meetings
across the country. In Pennsylvania, eight of nine school board members
who supported requiring that a statement on intelligent design be read
in classrooms were voted out in November elections. A federal judge
there said he would rule by January on whether the statement is
constitutional. But in Kansas, the state school board adopted statewide
science standards last month, noting parts of evolution theory that have
been challenged.

The 11million-member United Methodist Church takes no position on
evolution or intelligent design but asserts in its Book of Discipline
that "science is a legitimate interpretation of God's natural world. We
affirm the validity of the claims of science in describing the natural
world, although we preclude science from making authoritative claims
about theological issues."

Critics of intelligent design say its proponents seek to sneak faith
into science class by disguising it as scientific theory.. Richard
Duhrkopf, associate professor of biology at the Southern
Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said evolution is
not at odds with Christianity.

"One can easily view the evolutionary process as a creative process,"
said Duhrkopf, a United Methodist who spoke out against intelligent
design when he felt his school might lose credibility for supporting it.
"Evolution is a mechanism. And why can't it be a mechanism that God
would use?"

However, he criticizes intelligent design proponents for using faith to
explain gaps in science.

"That doesn't have to mean that we have to say God did it in a
supernatural way," he said. "It just means we have a gap in our
knowledge."

Many of those opposed to intelligent design, like Wesley R. Elsberry of
the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, Calif., believe it
is a new label for creationism.

"This is the same old thing, taking another shot at forcing (faith) into
high school science curriculum," said Elsberry, a United Methodist.

But intelligent design is scientific theory, said Bill Harris, professor
of medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a member of
the Church of the Resurrection. He believes science students should hear
about challenges to evolution that could point to a designer, and that
they should discuss this designer with their families. He feels many are
reluctant to endorse intelligent design for political reasons, not
wanting to be labeled as fundamentalist Christians.

"This isn't a religious issue," said Harris, also a researcher of heart
disease. "It's a scientific issue that has religious and philosophical
implications. But it is fundamentally a scientific question. Is there
evidence of design in the world? I would say yes there is."

Hamilton does not believe intelligent design is an alternative to
evolution, nor does he believe Genesis' account of Creation is a literal
history. He feels it is a lesson in more profound truths.

"There is a God in the heavens; that human beings were created with a
soul," he said. "Scientific theories will come and go, but the most
important truths are the truths about ultimate reality-where we came
from and why we're here-and that's what Genesis tries to teach. And if
we read Genesis in that light, we will not find a conflict between
evolution and Methodism."

*Green is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Cindy Caldwell, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5132 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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