The Discovery Institute 鈥� the Seattle-based headquarters of the intelligent design movement 鈥� has just launched a new website, , which asks, can one be a Christian and accept evolution? The answer, as far as the Discovery Institute is concerned, is a resounding: No.
The new website appears to be a response to the recent launch of the , the brainchild of geneticist Francis Collins, former head of the Human Genome Project and Obama appointee-to-be for head of the National Institutes of Health. Along with 鈥渁 team of scientists who believe in God鈥� and some cash from the , Collins, an evangelical Christian who is also a staunch proponent of evolution, is on a crusade to convince believers that faith and science need not be at odds. He is promoting 鈥渢heistic evolution鈥� 鈥� the belief that God (the prayer-listening, proactive, personal God of Christianity) chose to create life by way of evolution.
It sounds like a nice idea, but to my mind any time you try to reconcile science and religion by rejecting Stephen Jay Gould鈥檚 notion of 鈥�non-overlapping magisteria鈥� and instead try shoehorning them into a single worldview, something suffers. My concern is that science will take the hit 鈥� and Collins鈥檚 speculative arguments about divine intervention via quantum uncertainty seem dangerously poised for the punch. The Discovery Institute鈥檚 concern, on the other hand, is that Christianity will take the hit. 鈥淔or Christians,鈥� they write on their website, 鈥渕ainstream theistic evolution raises challenges to traditional doctrines about God鈥檚 providence, the Fall and the detectability of God鈥檚 design in nature.鈥� For them, reconciling evolution and religious faith is simply a hopeless endeavour.
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I think it鈥檚 interesting that the Discovery Institute 鈥� which has long argued that intelligent design qualifies as science 鈥� seems to have given up the game and acknowledged that their concerns are religious after all. It鈥檚 equally interesting that the catalyst doesn鈥檛 seem to be someone like pushing atheism, but Francis Collins pushing Christianity. Perhaps the Discovery folks realise that Dawkins鈥檚 followers are never going to be swayed by intelligent design; Collins, however, might very well cut into their target audience of scientifically-curious evangelicals.
The Discovery Institute has now made it crystal clear that they have no interest in reconciling science and religion 鈥� instead, they want their brand of religion to replace science. Which makes it all the more concerning when their new website includes resources and curricula for high-school biology classes, and promotes the pseudoscientific documentary film 鈥�Expelled鈥� as part of their campaign to introduce non-scientific alternatives to evolution under the banner of 鈥�academic freedom鈥�.
Watching the intellectual feud between the Discovery Institute and BioLogos is a bit like watching a race in which both competitors are running full speed in the opposite direction of the finish line. It鈥檚 a notable contest, but I don鈥檛 see how either is going to come out the winner.
