Agradesco muchisimo su atencion y tambien que dediquen tiempo para
responder las inquietudes que se nos presentan.;yo me llamo Geovana y
pertenesco a ala iglesia de cristo en Mexico y siento algunas inquietudes
con respecto a el papel de algunas iglesias especificamente en Estados
Unidos. Existen algunas iglesias de otras denominaciones que han prihibido
la ensenanza de las teorias de evolucion ya que consideran que va enc
ontra de las ensenanzas biblicas, ustedes que saben al respecto, y no se
si tambiem me podrian decir que iglesias son.;tambien el pedirles algunos
articulos acerca de la biblia y la ciencia, ya que este tema me
interesa.;quiero agradecerles de antemano su ayuda y deseo que DIOS los
bendiga siempre, durante cada dia de su vida.

I am a professor of chemistry and physics. I also teach a class on the
history and philosophy of science, so this issue is something which
definitely comes up for me. When I teach about the philosophy of science
I remind my students that scientists do not seek “the ultimate answer” to
questions such as why we exist, how we came to be and why the laws of
nature are what they are. Such questions lie outside the range of things
which can be addressed by science. All scientist can do is seek to create
models which make sense and which are in as good an agreement with the
data as possible. By this measure, the theory of evolution passes the
test as a legitimate scientific theory. The theory of evolution is more
or less consistent with evidence from genetics. There are considerably
more questions about the agreement between the current evolutionary models
and the fossil evidence. Nevertheless, evolution is the best theory we
have which can be used to explain the majority of evidence at hand. It is
also worth noting that with time, evolution is able to explain more, not
less of the evidence. For this reason, I do not hesitate at all to teach
it as one of the most important and useful theories of science.

Having said that, I also teach my students that there are some major
problems with this theory. First of all, the theory of evolution cannot
explain how life came about in the first place. I am convinced that, as
the Bible states, life was created by God. My book “Is There a God?” goes
into considerable detail on this question. I also believe that the
evidence is consistent with the creation of multiple life forms at
different times in the past. The mechanism for creation of new genetic
material is still hotly debated. Personally, I see God?s hand in this
process as well. I believe that there is overwhelming evidence for design
in the living forms on the earth. There are many sincere believers who
are against the teaching of evolution, but there is no scientific reason
to ban the teaching of this theory. I believe there is also no
theological reason to ban the teaching of evolution. Evolution is simply
a successful model which is the best we have to explain the data. It does
not rule out God. In fact, I believe the entire set of physical laws
which allow for evolution to occur are still further evidence for the
existence of God.

There are a number of articles at this web site which you can use to find
more details on this subject. I suggest you go to the articles section
and search the section on Bible and Science, Creation and The Existence of
God. Also, some time this Fall, a brand new edition of my book, Is There
a God will be published by IPIbooks (www.ipibooks.com). Watch for an
announcement at the web site. Please let me know if you have more
specific questions.

John Oakes, PhD