Evolutionary biological theory makes some pretty remarkable assertions about human beings in relation to the rest of life on our planet.  Most of us are familiar with many of these, which include that all life has evolved from a common single-celled ancestor, random mutations produce beneficial results, and that humanity is nothing more than a primate with elevated reasoning functions.  As a result of this last aspect, people are valued at the same level as orangutans, whales, and naked mole rats.  Organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA – a name that sounds great…until you actually consider what they advocate!) make their arguments from this position, leading them to go so far as to assert that the University of Georgia should not have its live mascot, a white English bulldog, because the dog is being abused.  (If you’ve ever seen how that specific dog is treated, you’d probably wonder what PETA’s definition of abuse is!) 

Some have tried to meld evolutionary biological theory with Christianity, resulting in “theistic evolution.”  This position suggests that God created and utilized the processes of evolution (particularly what we might call macroevolution, where specific kinds of animal life transform over time into other kinds, such as reptiles into birds).  In order to hold to theistic evolution, one must accept the idea that the universe (and our planet) are billions of years old.  While not all theistic evolutionists discard a literal Adam and Eve as special creations, a good number do – which presents all sorts of theological problems, as you can imagine.  Theistic evolution neither makes the faith more attractive to those who argue that creation is unbelievable nor solves any of the issues that come from the belief that humans and animals are not categorically different.

What is particularly interesting about this notion that humans are nothing other than more highly evolved animals is that it is a belief inconsistent with the actions of those who hold it.  Consider for a moment our laws.  Despite what PETA has tried to do through both legislation and judicial action, animals are not considered the equivalents of humans.  While abusing an animal is a horrendous act and one not in line with our Scriptural mandate to care for creation, it is considered different from the abuse of a human being.  Why is that, if humans are nothing more than animals themselves?  Likewise, consider how we treat human test subjects in comparison with animal test subjects.  We understand that for certain products or procedures, tests on living subjects is the only way to ascertain legitimate outcomes.  So, if we want to test a new medicine, why do we do so on animals first before we introduce clinical studies on humans?  When we first began to explore space, why did we send dogs and monkeys in the first orbital vehicles rather than humans?  At every university, there is a human subjects institutional review board (HSIRB) that has the responsibility for evaluating every single proposed research instrument that includes people (like surveys, interviews, and medical trials) for any potential physical, psychological, or emotional dangers.  Why?

Scripture says, “…They became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:21b-23) and, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” (Romans 2:15).  Each person inherently knows there is something different about themselves, something that separates them from any animal.  While there may be lip service to the assertions of evolutionary theory, it is rare to find the outworking of such thought put into active practice.  This is just another “hook” on which we can hang a spiritual conversation, calling people to consider the truth about their unique place in all of creation, the sin that has separated them from their Creator, and His amazing gift of grace offered through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Just something to think about…