This is the last installment of this series. There are many more theories out there, and perhaps I will write about them at a later date. The goal of this series has not been so much to advocate for one view or another, but to explain them so we all have a better grasp of them. The post is below.
The Theistic Evolution theory of creation is very controversial in Christian circles. Many have false ideas about it simply from reading the title. The world “evolution” is viewed as something that is anti-God, and trying to say that God does not matter. Some will look at Theistic Evolution in terms of Deism. Deism holds that God created the everything, and then left things on their own[1].
There is a lot of confusion as to what it is, and as result this interpretation of the Genesis account requires some explanation. The universe had a definite beginning, and there has been definite development in the earth and its species. Throughout this development, God has intervened several times in the process so things develop as he intends[2]. This theory as also goes by the name of Evolutionary creation. In describing this interpretation Dr. Dennis Lamoureux writes, “Evolutionary creation asserts that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the universe and life, including humans, through an ordained, sustained, and intelligent design-reflecting evolutionary process[3].”
With this explanation in mind we see that, in this interpretation, the earth did not come about as an accident. Things were sustained, nurtured, and helped along by the creator. Theistic evolutionists are willing to point out that interpreting the creation accounts in the right genre is vital. Many of the other views presented have stated that the Genesis creation accounts were literal, historical, twenty-four hour days. Evolutionary creation does not see history happening in Genesis until Chapter 12[4].
Like other theories presented, theistic evolution seeks to harmonize scripture and science. According to Dr. Lamoureux, God gave us His two books of scripture and science[5]. In this view, Genesis 1:6-8 and 1:14-17 are very important. In these passages the word firmament is used several times, and is used stated as something solid that is being made flat. This is something that stays intact and is even mentioned in Psalm 19. Above all, the creation account was written in terms that they understood at the time. Our world has greatly progressed, and we now have further details about genetics and the fossil record.
Opponents if theistic evolution focus on the creation of man to dispute it. One common objection is that God breathed life into man in Genesis 2:7[6]. Evolutionary creationists will counter and say that this is when God put the soul into man. Thus, making the soul the breath of life. Some would say that theistic evolution is at odds with scripture, and should not be held to by any Christian. Many have said that the view destroys the inerrancy of scripture, and makes man out to no not be the pinnacle of God’s creation. Either way the view does lay out some interesting points, and it is wise for one to have a grasp of it.
[1] Joseph Pohle and Arthur Preuss, God: The Author of Nature and the Supernatural (St. Louis, MO: B. Herder, 1916), 93.
[2] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God the Father, God the Son (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1996), 136.
[3] Denis O. Lamoureux, Four Views on the Historical Adam, ed. Matthew Barnett and Ardel B. Caneday (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 43.
[4] Ibid, 44.
[5] Ibid, 45.
[6] Clarence H. Benson, The One True God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 49.
William Hemsworth-The Bible Catholic 
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