A discussion about the origins of
the universe and life can be a deeply contentions conversation, even within the
Christian community. It is a discussion
that tickles deeply held beliefs and is nuanced by unshakable convictions, but
for many Christians the question remains, and for some is already answered, is
Intelligent Design compatible with Christianity?
Intelligent Design (ID) is compatible, and in
fact fits quite well with Christianity.
It provides a Christian with a scientific platform to speak
about the biological origins of life, makes no stand in any way that
contradicts the Bible or Christian metaphysics, and is perfectly compatible
with a God Who is involved in the history of the universe and life on Earth.
ID is a scientific
pursuit to find where the origins of biologic life give evidence of being
designed, as opposed to the idea that the origins of biologic life came about
by chance through natural processes.
William Dembski says it like this, “Intelligent Design merely says that
intelligent action was involved at some points with the origins of various
aspects of biological life.”
As it is true that there is no claim
that the Christian God specifically was the “designer” or that He is directly involved in
every aspect of biological processes; it does not deny that it was God. The assertion, of some Creationists, that
since Intelligent Design does not make a claim that it is God Who is the
“designer” makes, in itself, ID incompatible with Christianity
is an all or nothing argument that does not stand to reason. Although ID does not claim to
be a Christian position this, in itself, does not make it incompatible with
Christianity.
Christianity makes the claim, based on
the Bible, that God Himself is responsible for the origins of life, and that
God inserts Himself as responsible for the direction and order of the systems
that are in place and observed in nature.
Without making a claim that it was the Christian God specifically, ID is in full
agreement with this position.
ID begins its
argument from a scientific platform. It
looks through the lens of the scientific process to find where “design” is
apparent. “Creationism typically starts
with a religious text and tries to see how the findings of science can be
reconciled to it. ID starts with the empirical evidence of
nature and seeks to ascertain what inferences can be drawn from that evidence.”
Creation Science, then, begins with belief
systems that are interpreted from the Bible, and it looks to insert scientific
discovery into this belief. This
historically has created problems for many Christians who wish to enter into
the scientific conversation, as the Creation system begins with religious
belief rather than scientific study.
This, in itself, is not wrong.
The Bible is the book that Christian belief is based upon, and if it is
necessary for a Christian, based upon their conscience, to engage all aspects
of interaction through the filter of what they glean from its teaching, then so
be it. But it is not necessarily the
case.
Often times the passage in 2 Peter 1:3
is used to give the scripture a foundation for our faith in God. The passage, “His divine
power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” (ESV)
is used in such a way as if it were speaking directly of the scripture, but it
is not. Specifically, it is speaking of
the “knowledge of Him,” of which, the Bible is an authority, but the Bible
itself says that this knowledge is not gained specifically through the words on
the page. The “knowledge of Him” is
gained through His Spirit. For instance
take Ephesians 1:17, “that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of
revelation in the knowledge of him,” and, in addition, John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he
will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to
you.” (ESV) It is the Holy Spirit Who
inspired the writing of the scripture, and, according to reason, the authority
of the Holy Spirit supersedes the authority of the scripture in establishing
that knowledge within the conscience and imagination of an individual. This is not a discussion on the proper view
of the authority of scripture or that a specific doctrine of the authority of
scripture is a prerequisite to being a Christian, but the point is that the
Bible does not need to be viewed as the only avenue in which to see the
evidence and work of God in creation.
Romans 1:19 and 20
says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For
what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have
been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things
that have been made. So they are without excuse.” This passage gives Biblical president for
coming to the “knowledge of Him,” through the power of the Holy Spirit, from a
scientific perspective like ID, as this is the assertion of
Intelligent Design, from a Christian perspective, that design is evident in
nature and observable through the scientific process that ID
employs.
ID makes
no stand in any way that contradicts the Bible or Christian metaphysics. Christian metaphysics can be clearly drawn
out of 2 Corinthians 5:19b, “in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself.” God, being the “I
AM,” is as He is, God, Who through Christ engaged in a creative work of
reconciliation, and, in that creative work, returning a fallen world back to
Himself. Therefore, reconciliation
implies that creation finds ownership in God.
God created it, but then creation was subject to corruption due to man’s
decision to attempt to be god in himself.
God then, through Christ, engages in returning creation to Himself. Man finds purpose in the recognition of God
as “I AM,” and as a result is compelled to worship. ID does not deny this as the
truth; it simple does not engage to this depth in the Biblical doctrine.
What ID
does is very much in support of Christian metaphysical belief, by
implication. Dembski says that, in
response to Darwinian religious belief, “By showing that design is
indispensable to the scientific understanding of the natural world, intelligent
design is reinvigorating the design argument and at the same time overturning
the widespread misconception that the only tenable form of religious belief is
one that treats purpose, intelligence, and wisdom as byproducts of
unintelligent material processes.” This presses the reality of the fact that
within creation there is observable evidence of design by intelligence beyond
blind chance through natural process alone.
Even in an apologetic
argument the first step in convincing a skeptic of the existence of God is to
establish the possibility of life being the result of a “creator,” and from
there to establish that the “creator” is in fact God. So, in this way, Intelligent Design is an
avenue to the spreading of the Gospel, especially when, in many cases, the
skeptic has no respect whatsoever for the authority of scripture. It is then rational to approach the
conversation first from the same playing field.
When Behe speaks of
“irreducible complexity” he is in full support of Christian belief. He says, “By irreducibly complex I mean a
single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that
contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts
causes the system to effectively cease functioning. An irreducibly complex
system cannot be produced directly (that is, by continuously improving the
initial function, which continues to work by the same mechanism) by slight,
successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precursor to an
irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition
nonfunctional.” This idea of observable systems, that with any single part within the
system itself being out of adjustment or somehow missing becomes inoperable,
provides powerful credence to the creative engineering of God. By showing through scientific process that
not only is it possible that “intelligence” is behind the biological systems
that are studied, but that it is probable, Christian metaphysical belief is
supported. And in the same way, the
false idea that the naturalistic perspective is the only reasonable position in
which to approach scientific understanding of life is called into
question. This only supports our cause
and it in no way stands in the way of people coming to the right understanding
of God being sovereign over His creation.
Intelligent Design is
perfectly compatible with a God who is involved in the history of the universe
and life on Earth. One of the issues
that some Creationists have with the theory is that it makes no definite claims
about God’s specific intentions, for what He designed, in the past. “However, because the intelligent design took
place in the past, ID theorists can only detect the design in
the biological realm after it has happened. They cannot know the specification, or desired
target before the design occurs. However,
Dembski does note that, "a pattern corresponding to a possibility, though
formulated after the possibility has been actualized, can constitute a
specification." In other words, by
observing things in the present, we can deduce the specified target of the
designer in the past.” As it is true that ID takes
no clear position on God’s purpose in history; it in no way takes away or
contradicts the Christian belief of what God’s purpose was in creating life and
man. This is outside of the scope and
conceivable limitations of scientific study.
For ID to make an assertion on the purpose of the “designer”
in what He “designed” the theory would have to claim that there was evidence of
an observable interaction with the “designer.”
This is not possible through the scientific process, but the point
remains that Intelligent Design makes no claims in objection to there being
purpose in the “design.” ID affirms the presence of purpose without presuming to establish what it
is empirically.
Finally, ID is compatible with Christianity and stands in support of it, although,
at times, unwittingly or unintentionally, as some ID scientists
are not professing Christians.
Rationally speaking, you do not have to be a Christian to prove its
beliefs to be true. Furthermore,
ID is pressing hard against the naturalistic worldview of
Darwinist with empirical evidence that has them scrambling to discredit it as
unscientific. This only supports the sad
reality of Romans 1:19 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness
suppress the truth.” (ESV) By proving
empirically that design and therefore purpose in what is created is not only
possible but probable, Intelligent Design is supporting the spread of the
Gospel, and the Darwinists, if they choose to ignore the evidence, are left to
“by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
