Did God use evolution to create life? On this ID The Future, we’re sharing the second half of a recent conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. Casey is critiquing theistic evolution, the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. In today's episode, he continues by next addressing the inadequacy of natural selection and random mutation to generate biological complexity. Luskin also points out that even non-ID scientists have expressed skepticism about the explanatory power of neo-Darwinism. All this makes it very hard to justify the position of theistic evolutionists, who claim God uses evolution to create life. In reality, the more we learn about the complexity and design of life, the less adequate neo-Darwinism is as an explanation. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Some people attempt to reconcile belief in God with the standard evolutionary account of life's origins by combining the two. Theistic evolution is the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. But does this view stand up to scrutiny? Today, Dr. Casey Luskin critiques this perspective in the first half of a conversation that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast.
The conversation kicks off with some clarity over terms, including what is meant by “evolution.” The theistic evolution perspective, also sometimes called evolutionary creation, accepts the standard scientific evolutionary account—the same view held by atheists—and simply adds the theological claim, "but this is how God did it". Critically, these proponents reject the idea that design can be empirically or scientifically detected in nature. As Luskin highlights, the central scientific problem with theistic evolution is that it inherits all the numerous scientific problems associated with the standard evolutionary account. This first half of the conversation rounds out with examples of those problems, specifically from the issue of the origin of life. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
IDTF 2016 John West Stockholm Syndrome Reading - Evangelizing For Darwin Post Graphic
Why do so many evangelical Christians reinvent their theology to make it consistent with undirected Darwinism? On this ID The Future, Dr. John West reads an excerpt from his new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Why Christian Leaders Are Failing And What We Can Do About It. As Exhibit A of an influential evangelical Christian that has been captivated by scientific materialism, West unpacks the work and troubled legacy of Dr. Francis Collins. During his tenure as director of the National Institutes of Health, Collins has led a years-long crusade to de-legitimize fellow Christian scientists, scholars, and laypeople who are supportive of intelligent design or skeptical of Darwinian evolution. This effort to reduce the range of voices allowed to pursue truth in science has confused many people and retarded scientific progress at precisely the time America should be taking the lead in scientific research and discovery. Listen to this compelling excerpt and then read the book! Read More ›
When Christians in science embrace scientific materialism over historical biblical teaching, they mislead their fellow believers and hinder scientific progress. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a two-part conversation about this problem with Dr. John West, author of the new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Why Christian Leaders Are Failing and What We Can Do About It. In Part 2, Dr. West describes three biblical beliefs that have been corroded by theistic evolution. He discusses the flawed theology and troubled legacy of Dr. Francis Collins. He also stresses the importance of disagreement and open debate in science. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
What if American culture isn’t collapsing because of crusading secularists? What if it’s failing because leading Christians identify more with secular elites than with their fellow believers? Those are the provocative questions posed by Dr. John West's new book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, which exposes how influential Christian leaders are siding with their anti-Christian cultural captors on everything from biblical authority and science to sex, race, and religious liberty. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. West unpacking examples of how Stockholm Syndrome Christianity is harming the scientific enterprise and what can be done to repair the damage. In Part 1, West explains how Francis Collins, one of the most celebrated evangelical Christian scientists in America, has fallen prey to Stockholm Syndrome Christianity. Read More ›
On this episode of ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer concludes his conversation with Praxis Circle’s Doug Monroe. In this last section of a multi-part interview, Dr. Meyer explains why theistic evolution – the belief that God used the evolutionary process to create – is an incoherent position to take on the origin and development of life. There’s no need, Meyer says, to attempt to reconcile theistic belief with a dying theory. Meyer also discusses the topic of miracles. He thinks David Hume’s argument against miracles is weak and goes on to explain how miracles demonstrate the independent action of a conscious agent and why they don’t violate the laws of physics. It’s an intriguing conclusion to a wide-ranging conversation. Read More ›
IDTF 1985 Father Hilbert Catholic Case for ID Post Graphic
For too long now, Catholic scholars and many of the faithful have felt compelled to align themselves with a Darwinian account of life's origins. But as modern evolutionary theory faces a rising wave of disconfirming evidence, the evidence for both intelligent design and a first human couple, Adam and Eve, is stronger than ever. So it's a good time for Catholics to reevaluate their relationship with Darwin. On this ID The Future, physicist Dr. Brian Miller welcomes Father Martin Hilbert to the podcast to discuss his new book A Catholic Case for Intelligent Design. Read More ›
On this ID The Future, philosopher Stephen Dilley speaks with scientist and attorney Casey Luskin about theologian Dr. Rope Kojonen's recent proposal on the compatibility of evolution and intelligent design. In previous episodes of this series, Dr. Luskin interviewed colleagues Brian Miller, Emily Reeves, and Stephen Dilley about their contributions to a recent paper critiquing Kojonen's model. Now, Luskin concludes the series with some additional insights of his own. This is the final episode in a series. For more, visit idthefuture.com. Read More ›
Can intelligent design and evolution work together? It's an intriguing idea that is welcomed by some, but does the scientific evidence support it? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin speaks with Dr. Emily Reeves to discuss her contribution to a recent paper critiquing theologian Dr. Rope Kojonen's proposal that mainstream evolutionary biology and intelligent design have worked in harmony to produce the diversity of life we see on earth. This is part of a series of interviews on this topic. Dig deeper with more resources and episodes at idthefuture.com. Read More ›
Proteomics and Protein Folding Prediction Through Computational Means - Conceptual Illustration
Was the universe designed to evolve through natural processes? In a recent book, theologian Dr. Rope Kojonen has argued that evolutionary mechanisms work in harmony with intelligent design to produce the diversity of life we see on earth. But can these fundamentally different processes really work together? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin speaks with physicist Dr. Brian Miller to explore why Kojonen's theory fails on scientific grounds. This interview is part of a series responding to Kojonen's proposal. Catch other episodes in the series at idthefuture.com or through your favorite podcasting app. Read More ›
