Ok, here we go.
1. Jesus Christ in his human nature was a product of evolution.
1. Jesus Christ in his human nature was a product of evolution.
2. The science of carbon dating is well established. Genesis is not aiming to provide a literal historical account so the point in that story at which thorns come into being is not relevant to this issue.
3. Death, disease, struggle and starvation is a reality of creation whether or not evolution is true. So if you believe in a creator God, you have to account for those in your theology.
4. Evolution provides for species to adapt to their surroundings and become stronger. It's about how the whole creation develops rather than the fate of individual plants and animals.
5. The Bible was never intended to be a scientific account of the universe. It's a category error to make it so.
6. That's actually an interesting question. Gut reaction says something about cognitive ability and community behaviour. I think it's probably a mistake to isolate God's image in humanity too much from the rest of creation which God saw was good.
7. I think Jesus was more than capable of understanding the genre of Genesis 1. It's not literal history and I'm sure he knew that.
8. We trust God because in Jesus Christ he entered fully this creation so that all of those things can be redeemed. As before, those things are a reality of creation whether or not you believe in evolution.
9. There are lots of things that are not said or explained in scripture. That doesn't mean they're not true. Indeed, in John's gospel we're told that if everything Jesus did were written down the books would fill the whole world. And that's 'just' Jesus!
10. Impossible to say of course, but I don't think evolution begins to prevent us from believing in salvation through Jesus Christ.
Ultimately all truth is God's truth and the truth will set us free. This is why Christians have often been involved into scientific research and discovery. We are wondering at the beauty of God's creation. Evolution is simply one part of that.
