To reconcile faith and science, is it enough to say God could have used evolution? Many Christians are attracted to this idea, and it is now treated as the quasi-official Catholic position. But can this view, known as theistic evolution, really harmonize Scripture, theology, and modern science? Or is there a better approach?
On a new episode of ID the Future, I begin a two-part conversation with Father Michael Chaberek and Steve Greene, authors of a new book called Creation or Evolution? A Catholic Dilemma.
In Part 1 of their conversation, Fr. Michal explains why there’s a dilemma in Catholic circles in the first place and how it developed over the last hundred years. Greene clarifies the terms relevant to the topic, including what is meant by evolution and theistic evolution. Greene also introduces progressive creation, a position he and Fr. Michael argue in their book provides the strongest foundation for a working faith-science synthesis.
The Biggest Misconception
The two men close the first half of the conversation by sharing what they see as the biggest misconception Catholics have about the Church’s teaching on evolution. Greene compares the confusion many Catholics have to the telephone game, where one person heard it from another who heard it from another who heard it from another, and so on. “So by the time most Catholics hear about evolution and its relationship to the Catholic Church, the version they get is, well, Pope Pius XII said that the church supports and accepts evolution back in 1950 and God can create any way He wants. So he just used evolution and the church is totally fine with it…I think that is largely the going narrative. It’s wildly off.”
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Download the podcast, listen to it, or watch it here. Look out for Part 2 in a separate episode!
Fr. Chaberek is a Dominican friar of the Polish Province, with a doctorate in systematic theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. He directs the Steno Institute for Faith and Science. He has published three books in English and many articles on the faith-science dialogue. He seeks to renew the Catholic theology of creation through a new intelligent-design and progressive-creation paradigm.
Steve Greene is Director of Holy Family Institute of Catholic Faith and Life and host of the Reasonably Rational YouTube podcast. He has taught philosophy, theology, and ethics for a variety of institutions, and presents regularly on issues of faith, science, and culture.
Dig Deeper
- Order a copy of Creation or Evolution: A Catholic Dilemma for yourself or a questioning friend.
- Dig deeper into the issues raised in Creation or Evolution through a ten-part video interview series from Steve Greene featuring Fr. Michael Chaberek. Here’s a link to Part 1.