In the Beginning

When I was a Biology major at a Christian college in the 1990s, we had some class discussions about creation and evolution. One Biology professor openly admitted that he did not believe Adam and Eve were two literal people. At the time I thought that was odd, but I realize now that belief is more common among Christians than one might think. I recently read Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (2017), which includes chapters from Ken Ham on Young Earth Creationism, Hugh Ross on Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism, Deborah Haarsma on Evolutionary Creation, and Stephen Meyer on Intelligent Design. I’ve also been listening to the Wonderology podcast from Christianity Today and J. Warner Wallace’s Cold-Case Christianity podcast.

I will say up front that my own beliefs vary depending on who I’m listening to. There are strong arguments on all sides, though some are better than others. My goal today is simply to provide some pointers and questions for others to consider based on the book and podcasts.

1) How we interpret the Creation narrative in Genesis 1-2 is not, in and of itself, a measure of Christian orthodoxy. It is an area where faithful Christians can and do disagree. As illustrated by the names above, there are Christians who believe Creation happened in 6 literal 24-hours days approximately 6000 years ago. There are other Christians who believe that the earth is billions of years old and humans evolved over time, and there are many other variations in between.

2) The Bible does not claim to make scientifically precise statements about the earth and its inhabitants. Although all Scripture is inspired by God, it was written down by men in a specific historical context, who would have been very confused to be told something like “God created gaseous bodies known as stars and then created single- and multi-celled organisms.” We should always interpret Scripture according to its primary purpose. The Westminster Catechism states, “The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.” We should also take into consideration the genre of specific passages. The psalms are clearly poetic and should be read as such. Deuteronomy is historical narrative. But theologians disagree whether Genesis 1 is purely historical or somewhat poetic.

3) As you choose your interpretation of Creation, you also end up with difficult questions which that particular interpretation cannot fully answer. If the earth was created 6000 years ago, what do you do with all the fossil evidence that appears to be much older? Would God intentionally create misleading details, or is science misinterpreting what they have found? Conversely, if humans evolved over time, or if Adam and Eve were not literal people, how does the Fall in Genesis 3 come into the story? Was the Fall the source of physical death for man and animals, or is Genesis 2:17 referring only to spiritual death?

Other questions that are hotly debated include: Does the Hebrew word translated “day” necessarily mean a 24-hour period, or might it mean “age”? Second Peter 3:8 tells us that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years,” so could that also apply to Genesis 1? Did the flood in Genesis 6 truly cover the whole globe, or just the portion that was inhabited by the biblical witnesses at that time? How can science state the half-life of certain atoms as billions of years when they can’t prove their basic assumption that conditions on earth have remained constant for that long?

Reading a book like Four Views can be helpful for a couple of reasons. It is a reminder that Christians can disagree with one another on issues like creation and evolution and yet remain brothers and sisters in Christ. (Whether they disagree graciously is a different question.) It’s also helpful to look at different positions to weigh the evidence for or against them. Unfortunately, it can also leave you feeling like you need to be an expert in biblical Hebrew, ancient cultures, biology, and physics in order to hold an informed opinion. The experts in those fields don’t even agree, so we all just do the best we can by the grace of God.

In the long run, what matters for the Christian is that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life in our universe, even if we don’t understand exactly how it came about. Those who are considering the Christian faith need not be turned away because of their scientific assumptions. If we believe Scripture, the very existence of this earth is sufficient to point people to the reality of a Creator. May we trust that He is truly in control.

“For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Imago Dei vs. AI

Recently I listened to the audiobook version of Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, by Robert J. Marks. (Thankfully, it was read by a real person, mispronunciations and all!) I don’t often encounter books that stretch my thinking and stir up the analytical part of my brain like this one did. The foundational idea is that information technologies can only do what they are programmed to do, and they cannot do anything that can’t be recorded as an algorithm. So if an idea can’t be broken down into some kind of formula or concrete process, a computer will never be able to do it. AI might be able to mimic the appearance of emotions, or to do things that the average human might not expect, but it cannot have an original thought or any emotion.

I was reminded of my childhood. I was in early elementary school when we bought our first computer— a VIC20, then later a Commodore 64. My brother and I quickly learned BASIC programming, because we wanted to play games that had to be typed in and then saved to cassette tapes. I still think of the many IF-THEN commands, especially when I’m creating new Excel formulas at work. Despite technological advances, computer logic still boils down to “If x is true, then do y, otherwise do z.”

The most alarming part of the book, and of AI in general, is that computers are being programmed by fallen and sinful human beings. Sometimes dangerous code is written by accident, through failure to consider all the possible outcomes. And sometimes it is written intentionally, by people with evil designs for the world. The results range anywhere from computer viruses that merely cripple computers or steal money, to devices intended to kill for no reason. Ethics and regulations only work for those who are willing to abide by the law.

Although the author focuses primarily on science and technology, he does bring a Christian perspective as well. The final line of the book is “Non-computable you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” In Creation, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them… The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature” (Gen. 1:27, 2:7). Whether or not we understand all the implications of those scriptural truths, the fact is that we cannot replicate humanity through mechanical inventions. Artificial intelligence will always be exactly that— artificial.

As much as I enjoy watching Commander Data on Star Trek and his desire to become human, it’s actually quite reassuring that androids with that kind of independent thought will never exist. One ST:TNG episode asked whether Data had a soul, and the investigator couldn’t even prove that humans have souls. At some point, faith must come into play, and that’s something AI will never understand.

To add further mystery, not only are humans made in the image of God, but Christians also have God dwelling in us! The best that AI can say is that it was made by a man. But we can say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). We were made by God, enlivened by God, redeemed by God, indwelt by God, and one day will enjoy eternity with God. No computer or human invention can ever compare!

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.