Culture Wars :: Evolution

On 7 July 2005, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria wrote an op-ed piece in The New York Times arguing that evolution may be inconsistent with Catholic faith. (See "Finding Design in Nature.")

Alarmed, some Catholic American scientists have asked the Vatican to clarify. According to The New York Times, "The scientists asked the pope to reaffirm earlier statements on the subject by Pope John Paul II and others 'that scientific rationality and the church's commitment to divine purpose and meaning in the universe were not incompatible'" (13 July 2005).

Less alarmed, publications such as The National Catholic Reporter have argued for calm, pointing out that "the compatibility of evolution with Catholic faith" has a long and tested history. As Slate magazine points out, no one wants a repeat "of that Galileo mess" ("What Catholics Think of Evolution").

Some analysts have suggested that Schönborn wrote his op-ed piece at the urging of the Discovery Institute in Seattle, a leading intelligent design think tank. If so, then the Cardinal seems to have decided to step into one of America's current cultural war issues: creationism and/or "intelligent design" vs. evolution.

What does the Presbyterian Church USA have to say about evolution?

In 1969, the General Assembly (then of the PCUS) approved a statement which concludes "Neither Scripture, our Confession of Faith, nor our Catechisms, teach the Creation of man by the direct and immediate acts of God so as to exclude the possibility of evolution as a scientific theory." At the same time, the church "re-affirm[ed] our belief in the uniqueness of man as a creature whom God has made in His own image."

In other words, the scientific theory of evolution is not incompatible with the Bible: "Nowhere is the process by which God made, created or formed man set out in scientific terms. A description of this process in its physical aspects is a matter of natural science. The Bible is not a book of science."

The 214th General Assembly (2002) went a step further, reaffirming the compatability of good theology and good science. Within the resolution that GA passed were these points:

1. Reaffirms that God is Creator, in accordance with the witness of Scripture and The Reformed Confessions.
2. Reaffirms that there is no contradiction between an evolutionary theory of human origins and the doctrine of God as Creator.
3. Encourages State Boards of Education across the nation to establish standards for science education in Public Schools based on the most reliable content of scientific knowledge as determined by the scientific community. . . .

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For more resources on the dialogue between science and faith within the Presbyterian tradition, see

• the links on the PC(USA)'s Theology & Worship webpage and
• the web site of the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology, and the Christian Faith.