CreationTier 2UnsureStarted by Kelee Ward - July 11, 2025 - 11 comments
Thoughts on this belief?
Discussing:
“God used evolutionary processes as His method of creation.”
Thread starter's perspective:
I’m interested in hearing both side of this belief. Help me come to a better understanding.
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ET
303
To be super concise (mostly just to test out the discussion module : ) I'll summarize with:
Most people mean "evolution" to describe a process whereby new genetic information and capability is introduced. Really, a form of creation, without using that term.
Although science has documented a great diversity in life and continues to discover new ways in which life has and is adapting to our changing planet, it has only observed the honing, refining, segregation, specificization, or loss of genetic information over time vs the opposite.
While this may give the appearance of "evolution" if extrapolated infinitely backwards in time, the Darwinian hypothesis of a gradual increase of genetic capability and diversity at the hands of a long series of chance happenings, is at odds with God's deliberate creative process described in the Bible.
While we can not know for certain every exact detail of what happened during the creation process, there is nothing in a Young Earth Creationist view (i.e. an on the face reading of Genesis) which contradicts anything that has been directly observed or documented through the scientific process.
Not as concise as I was planning!
MW
1.4k
For those interested (kinda related) here is a video by Gavin Ortland on the early church's view on Genesis 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxI_s0zx3FQ&t=3202s
GB
1.4k
Even though I am unsure about the stance on this (because I don't believe there is a single dogmatic position) I still lean towards theistic evolution. God used evolutionary processes as His method of creation. Faith and science are not in opposition. God, as the intelligent and purposeful creator, established the laws of nature that would lead to the development of all life. This view sees evolution as a tool in God's hands, not a random, undirected process.
Early Church Fathers like St. Gregory of Nyssa, interpret the Genesis account as a symbolic or allegorical text. They believe the "days" of creation are not literal 24-hour periods, but rather represent stages in God's creative work. This view allows for a harmony between the biblical account and scientific findings, without being explicitly theistic evolution.
JP
683
God is the ultimate Creator, and while the Bible emphasizes that He created all things, it does not detail exactly how He brought about the diversity of life. Passages like Genesis 1:24-25, which says, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds,” show that God created life with variety, which can include gradual changes within kinds. Psalm 104:24 highlights His wisdom: “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures,” suggesting a system capable of sustaining and diversifying life. Job 12:10 reminds us that “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind,” showing God’s sustaining power is active in all living things. From this perspective, microevolution can be seen as one of the methods God uses to maintain and diversify His creation, demonstrating His ongoing providence without contradicting Scripture.
MR
977
God uses means to perform almost every action. Faith is a gift from God, but it's not like God beams knowledge of Christ into our heads without any physical cause, He sends a preacher. Similarly, the evidence appears to suggest that God did not beam reality into existence (though I am more sympathetic to the classical, Augustinian understanding of this than the fundamentalist one) but rather used physical means to bring about creation.
AD
685
I would describe my position as neutral, though I lean more toward the view that God did not necessarily create humanity through evolutionary means. That said, I do not believe that evolution and Christianity are fundamentally incompatible. In fact, I think it’s a mistake to pit the two against each other as if they were addressing the same questions or operating within the same framework. To me, comparing science and Scripture is often like comparing apples to oranges—both are valuable, but they serve very different purposes. The Bible gives us theological truths about God, purpose, and human identity, while science seeks to understand how the physical world functions and has developed.
I believe that science is, at its best, the study of God's creation—uncovering the mechanisms and patterns He put in place. Whether we’re looking at physics, biology, or astronomy, we’re observing the handiwork of a Creator who set both natural laws and cosmic history into motion.
As for evolution, I fully believe that God could have used an evolutionary process to create humanity if that was His will. He is sovereign and capable of working through both natural and supernatural means. However, if evolution was the process God used, I find it difficult to imagine it occurring without His guidance. The complexity, order, and improbability of human life arising through unguided, random processes suggest to me that a divine hand would still have been essential.
More broadly, even apart from the specifics of evolution, I find the idea of a created universe far more compelling than one arising from pure chance. Whether God created humanity directly, through evolution, or by means unknown to us, I am convinced that His involvement was—and is—central.
ED
660
I do agree with this statement. I have always believed that science and Biblical creation work together.
First, let's establish that science is the study of the Earth, nature, and the universe.
Second, Christians believe that God is the creator of the Earth, universe, and everything within it
Therefore, if science is the study of the Earth/Nature/the universe, then science is the study of God's creation. So if we find truths through science, then it is a truth about God's creation.
The Bible says that God created the universe, the Earth and everything within it. Science says that the universe was created from a Big Bang. These two things can be compatible because the Bible does not say that God DIDN'T create the world using a big bang. It just says he created it. The big bang could have been the "method" of creation. God's tool.
On the same note, when God created humans, plants and animals, evolution could still take place over time. Evolution is a law of nature. The nature that God created. I am not advocating for the full theory that humans evolved from an ape. But I am saying that maybe the first humans were a little different than modern humans. Maybe the first plants and animals were different than what we see in the modern day, and evolution has shaped our world according to God's will over time.
There is lots of room for debate in this, but I do still stand that evolution and creation can work together on the basis that science is the study of God's creation
