Creationism vs Evolution

By The Very Rev. Dr. Brian Baker, Dean of the Cathedral
Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, California

Written for the Sacramento News and Review

I do not believe the world was created in six days. I do not believe that humanity began with a single pair in a garden. I believe that the two creation stories in Genesis are spiritually true. They teach us about the wonder of our creation and our place in it. I do not believe they present us with a literal description of how the world came about. Science is doing a remarkable job in answering the “how” (and even the “when”) questions.

I know there are Christians who disagree with me. Their disagreement would be completely benign if they were not trying to influence the education of our children. Biblical models of creation should not be taught in public schools. Proponents of Creationism, or its stealth cousin Intelligent Design, often argue for balance in education. They argue that other scientific views should be presented alongside the theory of evolution. While I have a hard time including Creationism in science, the argument for “balance” would be stronger if they were willing to include Hindu, Inuit or other creation stories.

The debate over evolution has distracted us from a more important issue—how to recover an awe and reverence of this breathtaking world in which we live. From Hubble images of galaxies being born to the potential of human stem cells, scientists are presenting us with a breathtaking picture of Creation. And yet we still treat the world around us as a commodity to be consumed for our convenience. We have lost our awe.

The Genesis creations stories are beautiful. In them we are told that God created humankind (not just “our” kind) in God’s image. We are told that God declared all of creation as good. We are charged with being stewards and servants of creation. These lessons, coupled with the remarkable discoveries of our scientists, can lead us into new way of caring for, and delighting in, our world.

Brian Baker
October 2006