When people think about faith and science, one of the major topics that comes to the forefront
is the relation between creation and evolution. Is the natural world a stable pattern of plants
and animals created by God, or is it a fluid and ever-changing diversity of biological entities
subject to the whims of random natural laws? This is a huge question with many scientific,
philosophical, and theological points to unpack, and we plan to do just that in upcoming episodes.
But, as we begin this discussion, does this apparent dichotomy even make sense? Are we
really forced to choose between God and Evolution--between a stable created order
and a dynamic random development? As is so often the case,
the simple extremes are much less interesting and compelling than the complex realities.
For most of human history, people viewed nature as fairly stable,
with a certain set collection of plants and animals--that is,
certain types of familiar substances that make up the foundation of human life and activity. These
natural patterns were very regular, with apple trees making apples that produced apple trees,
chickens laying eggs that hatched chickens, and dogs having cute little puppies.
Scientists now believe that all of these living things evolved from
earlier living species. They even argue that, if we look back far enough, we could find
single-celled common ancestors for all of them. Upon learning this, we might be tempted to look
down on previous generations as simplistic or naïve in their understanding of nature. But,
that would do a disservice to how reasonable those older notions were--not just conceptually,
but observationally as well. While there is strong evidence of biological evolution,
it is still true that today we should and do expect apple trees to produce apples, chickens
to hatch chickens, and dogs to produce puppies. A great deal of the confusion surrounding
evolution and the historical development of the natural world can be traced back to how difficult
it is to comprehend vastly different timescales If the entire history of the universe from the
Big Bang to today – all 13.8 billion years – were roughly the length of a major blockbuster movie,
most of it would be a fantastic light show of stars forming and dying and forming again in
galaxies spread throughout the universe. Life would only show up as the plot twist in the
third act, and mammals would be the two-minute long post-credits scene, teasing the sequel.
As for us, all of human history would last for just a fraction of a second--or
a half-dozen frames at most. That’s not even enough time to “falsely” assure us that no
animals were harmed in the making of this feature! When we sit back and think about the history of
the cosmos on large scales of eons and eras, there is dynamism and development, new things
coming to be and old patterns going away. But, when we look at the cosmos on human
timescales of months, years, lifetimes, and generations, nature barely changes from one
point to the next, at least not in its general structure and taxonomy--much like when we look
at the individual still frames that make up those moving pictures we see on our screens.
The important point to realize is that for most of human history, we have not had the evidence
or information to seriously grapple with the idea that the natural world has undergone historical
development, since it seems so completely stable within the lens of human experience.
It is really only in the last two centuries that we have been able to make the sorts of
subtle observations necessary in physics, astronomy, geology, and biology to
take the idea that there might be historical development in nature really seriously.
But does this new view of nature – relatively stable, but ultimately subject to natural forces
and natural development over time – does this leave any room for God?
Just because we have the outlines of a compelling natural story to describe the
history of the universe does not mean that God is relegated to, at best, a passive observer
just pushing play and hoping for the best. Although the idea of a history of nature is
relatively new, the idea of a God of History is not, and we can draw some important principles
for how we understand God’s action in natural history from how we understand God’s action
in human history, in salvation history. It is possible to relate much, if not all,
of human history without direct reference to God, and the story might even hold together
fairly well if you rush through certain parts. When seen through the eyes of faith, though,
there are clear signs of God working in History, although the way he works varies.
There are clear cases of God acting outside the natural and human order of things by
miraculous and prophetic signs, many of which have been attested to in revelation and confirmed
by the Church. We just need to be careful as we weigh and consider reports of such extraordinary
events, realizing that not every startling occurrence needs a supernatural explanation.
On the other hand, we should not presume that, when we are simply looking at the seemingly
mundane flow of human affairs, God is not present and active in and through our free human choices,
working out his providential care and governance. A similar pattern emerges when we consider
the history of the natural world. There are clear cases of God acting
outside the natural order, some of which have been clearly attested to in revelation and confirmed
by the Church. These include God bringing about the beginning of the universe ex nihilo, and his
direct action in imparting the rational soul at the beginning of every human life.
That said, we must be careful when considering seemingly extraordinary events in the history
of nature, we should use our best scientific and rational tools to understand them so that we do
not rush into declaring something a supernatural occurrence. We should weigh and test our best
accounts for the surprising new patterns that have emerged in nature--the first stars, the first
complex molecules, the first life, and all the diverse forms of life that have emerged.
Even if we find the scientific account of these transitions compelling, or when we are
just examining the largely stable and scientific well understood “normal” patterns of nature--apple
trees and apples, dogs and puppies--we should not presume God is somehow absent.
Every moment in history, natural or human, however mundane or miraculous,
is a part of God’s loving providential plan for creation.
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