The first tenet of evolution that we discussed was the Eternality of Matter.
Next, we will discuss Spontaneous Generation which states that the first life, the first cell sprung from non-life. Darwin in 1871 wrote in a letter advancing the idea of spontaneous generation. “We could conceive in some warm little pond, with all sorts of ammonia and phosphoric salts, light, heat and electricity. . . .that a protein compound was chemically formed ready to undergo still more complex changes” (Darwin, Francis. The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, New York: Harper & Row, 1983, pages 101, 102). Erwin W. Lutzer has an insightful quote.
In 1954, experiments were conducted in the United States by Stan Miller, whose synthesis in a laboratory produced sizable quantities of amino acids and other organic molecules. Later, adenine, one of the components of DNA, was synthesized from a mixture of ammonia, methane, and water. Thus, the building blocks of life were brought about through human experimentation. But even with the synthesis of amino acids in a highly controlled laboratory, scientists agree that life cannot be sustained without protein, and proteins come only from life. In other words, life would already have to have been here before it began. As evolutionist Taylor admits, ‘The fundamental objection to all these theories is that they involve raising oneself by one’s own bootstraps. You cannot make proteins without DNA, but you cannot make DNA without enzymes which are proteins. It is a chicken and egg situation.’ Creationist A. E. Wilder-Smith uses this example: If a baby suddenly appeared without a mother, it would die. Hence, even if a cell were to begin random forces, it would immediately die because there would be no cradle for it” (Lutzer, Erwin. Twleve Myths Americans Believe, Chicago: Moody Press, page 35).
In stark contrast to evolution’s naturalistic spontaneous generation, God’s Word in Gen. 2:7 declares that human life came from God as a special creation when He formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. As Ryrie notes, the creation of Eve presents a special problem for theistic evolutionists who believe Adam came from a long line of pre-Adamic creatures. God finally intervened in the evolutionary process and breathed into Adam the breath of life. But Eve is said by Scripture (Gen. 2:21) to have been created directly from Adam’s side while he slept not from a long line of ever increasing in complexity sub-human beings. Theistic evolutionists, Derek Kidner, must admit a special creation of Eve (Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC [London and Chicago: InterVarsity Press, 1967], page 28). If God specially created Eve, then why not Adam?
Other tenets of evolution are that a living cell reproduces itself with mutations which produce new species and through natural selection, or the survival of the fittest these new mutations and species survive. However, as Wayne Grudem brings out, after hundreds of years of experimental breeding of various kinds of animals there are no new species. Dogs which are selectively bred for generations are still dogs (page 280). God’s Word says God created “according to their kinds” (Genesis 1:11, 24). There can be some differentiation among the species. Even among humans there is much variety in size and appearances. “Kind” is used to describe species of animals that are different and the fixity of the species. Lev. 11:14-22 speak of the different species that God uniquely created.
“And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; every raven after his kind; and the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, and the stork, the heron after her kind, even these of them you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after this kind.” From this list we learn that God is a God of infinite variety. There is much diversification among these animals and the fixity of the species. There are several different kinds of owls listed but an owl never becomes a hawk.
Another tenet of evolution is time, that is, the necessity of millions of years for all of this to take place. From my teenager’s biology textbook this view is expressed: “Given enough time, however, even improbable events are almost bound to occur at least once— and once may have been enough for the origin of life on earth” (Arms, page 308). This tenet runs against the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics which says everything is growing older and wearing out and running down. This tenet also violates the Law of Entropy which states that nature left to itself tends toward disorganization not complexity. Wayne Grudem illustrates. Put all the parts of a new BMW in the cargo bay of a 747 and fly to 6000 feet and dump all of the parts. Will they organize themselves before they hit. No! But the evolutionist says, “We need more time”. All right, fly to 20,000 feet and dump all of the parts. Will more time solve the situation? No! Genesis 1, 2 say that God created the universe in six days.
In my last post on Science verses Christianity we will observe that evangelicals like Tim Keller, Derek Kidner, and Millard Erickson reject six twenty-four-hour day creation.
