Get Involved

Receive the Newsletter

Enjoying our resources? Receive our monthly newsletter and more from BioLogos, tailored to your interests!

Join Now

Donate to BioLogos!

BioLogos relies on grassroots donors like you to help sustain our mission. Make a donation today, or contact donorsupport@biologos.org with donation related questions.

Give Now


BioLogos Voices is a speakers bureau featuring top scholars and communicators in the BioLogos community. Book a speaker for your next event!

Learn More
See All Events


Join the online community! We welcome you to be a part of the growing group of people who are seeing science as the study of God’s creation while upholding the authority of the Bible!

Join Now
About BioLogos

About Us

Our Mission
Our History
What We Believe
Annual Reports
Endorsements


What We Do

Conferences & Events
Speakers Bureau
Language of God Podcast
Insights Video Series
INTEGRATE Curriculum
BioLogos.org Resources


Our Team

Staff
Board of Directors
Advisory Council
Francis Collins
Careers

ForumsGive
https://biologos.org/resources/evolution-and-intelligent-design-with-ard-louis
Browse Common Questions

Biblical Interpretation

How should we interpret the Genesis flood account?

How long are the days of Genesis 1?

How should we interpret the Bible?

See All
Christianity & Science

What is Evolutionary Creation?

Should Christians get vaccinated?

Should We Trust Science?

Are science and Christianity at war?

See All
Scientific Evidence

What does the fossil record show?

What is the genetic evidence for human evolution?

Does the Cambrian Explosion pose a challenge to evolution?

See All
God's Relationship to Creation

Why should Christians care for creation?

What do “fine-tuning” and the “multiverse” say about God?

What created God?

See All
Human Origins

Did death occur before the Fall?

How could humans have evolved and still be in the “Image of God”?

Were Adam and Eve historical figures?

See All
Explore Faith & Science Resources

Get Started

Use the links below to browse content carefully curated for BioLogos beginners.

Common Questions
Insights Videos
Language of God Podcast
Integrate Curriculum
Resource Centers
Impact Stories
Recommended Books


Featured People
Francis CollinsFrancis Collins
Katharine HayhoeKatharine Hayhoe
N.T. WrightN.T. Wright
Deborah HaarsmaDeborah Haarsma
Praveen SethupathyPraveen Sethupathy

Resource Centers

K-12 Educators
Pastors
Youth Ministry
Campus Ministry
Small Groups


Explore All Topics

Bible
Science
Theology & Philosophy
Church & Culture
Views on Creation


By Type

Common Questions
Articles
Series
Videos
Podcast Episodes
Audio
Books
Impact Stories

What are you looking for?

  • Forums
  • Give

 
Video

Evolution and Intelligent Design with Ard Louis

Featuring Ard Louis 
On January 16, 2010
  • Evolution
  • Evolutionary Creation
  • Gracious Dialogue
  • Intelligent Design

Oxford physicist Ard Louis explains the varying meanings of evolution—from “change over time” to a philosophical worldview—and voices his concerns with the theory of “intelligent design.”

Video Transcription

One of the questions about evolution is, “What do you mean by the word evolution?” The problem is that the word means many different things to different people.

Evolution can mean we see that over time, a long time ago objects were more simple biological things, and then over time more complicated things, like ourselves, emerged. That’s kind of natural history. With evolution as a mechanism, it says you have mutations, you have selection, and these mechanisms together generate that complexity.

Then you have evolution as a kind of a world view. From George Gaylord Simpson, “Man is a product of a process which did not have him in mind. He was not planned.” Those are theological statements that are put on top of evolution.

The problem for the average Christian is that they want to attack, and I think rightly so, evolution number three, the world view. But instead of saying that the science, the natural history, and even the mechanism of evolution doesn’t actually imply that philosophy, they try to attack all three at once.

What’s the problem I have with the intelligent design arguments? A lot of the arguments appear, at least to the layman, to be attacking evolution number two. They’re saying mutations and natural selections are insufficient to describe the complexity that we see around us. The problem with that is twofold. One is that it’s kind of an argument that looks a little bit like an argument for a God of the gaps. It’s something we don’t understand, so therefore God must have done it. That’s always dangerous because what if at some day and age we do understand? It will be a bad apologetic argument.

It’s also problematic, I think, because it’s not based enough on Scripture. The difficulties for Christians in interpreting the evolutionary story in Scripture have to do with natural history. It has to do with the idea that the world is old. Is the world old or is the world young? That’s where some people feel the Bible and science have some friction. I think that’s not necessary. That’s where important interpretative work has to happen. I worry that this intelligent design argument pulls us away from the Bible in a way that isn’t helpful.

I also think, and this is a little bit that Francis Collins and others have written about more eloquently than me, if you look at the genes in your own body you see remnants of that natural history. You see remnants of that common ancestry we have with the chimpanzee. Those are there. They look like they came about by some kind of stochastic process, some process they use in evolutionary mechanism.

Maybe we haven’t listed all of the evolutionary mechanisms yet? Maybe there are more beautiful ones that are coming. But the fact that this happened seems very, very strong. Therefore, the argument to say this particular object could not have possibly evolved, I don’t really see what the apologetic attraction is or what the Biblical mandate for that is. I think I would like to look back a bit more closely at what the Bible says.


Related Videos

  • Featuring Jane Goodall, 
  • Francis Collins 
  • and Jim Stump 

Video: Being Human with Jane Goodall and Francis Collins
bible and evolution books on a shelf together
Evolution & God
Deb Haarsma with Francis Collins
Featuring Deborah Haarsma 

Congratulations to Francis Collins, Templeton Prize Recipient!
NT Wright and Francis Collins play their guitars in their homes, in a split screen
  • Featuring Francis Collins 
  • and N.T. Wright 

N.T. Wright and Francis Collins sing "Genesis"
BLM Livestream Image
  • Featuring Bishop Claude Alexander, 
  • Deborah Haarsma, 
  • Lynette Strickland 
  • and Harvey Clemons Jr. 

Why Black Lives Matter for Science and Faith
God's Word. God's World. The mission of BioLogos.
See all videos 

01/06

Related Resources

If you enjoyed this resource, we recommend you check out one of the following:

All Resources
  • Picturesque Oak trees overhanging with Spanish moss
    Article
    • By Amanda L. Townley 
    • and Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Amanda L. Townley: Evolution Education and Science Literacy in the South

    Amanda L. Townley draws on her experience as a former middle school and high school teacher and work as a professor in science education to raise the next generation of educators.

  • two people having a conversation
    Blog Post
    By Kendra Terpstra 

    How Do We Practice Gracious Dialogue When Talking about COVID-19 Vaccines?

    Kendra Terpstra reflects on a recent conversation her son had with his friend, and how it reminded her of the importance of grace in our relationships with others who think differently than we do.

  • A star studded night sky framed
    Article
    By Faith Stults 

    The Webb Telescope and God’s Evolving Universe

    From ancient civilizations to modern scientists and everyone in between, we all share a desire to understand where we as humans came from and what our place is in the universe. What might the Webb Telescope reveal to us about these big questions?

  • Article
    By Elizabeth Fernandez 

    Tiktaalik: Bridging the Gap Between Water and Land

    Tiktaalik is a transition fossil that bridges the gap between water and land in our evolutionary history. Its discovery sparked both excitement and controversy.

  • Artist's picturesque depiction of Archeopteryx flying
    Blog Post
    By Ryan Bebej 

    Are Dinosaurs Extinct? Modern Birds Connect us to Our Ancient Past

    Dinosaurs are extinct, or are they? A paleontologist reflects on seeing signs of ancient prehistoric creatures while hiking.

  • Blog Post
    By Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    More than a Powerhouse: Mitochondria, DNA and Dad

    Mitochondria are so much more than powerhouses. While we inherit Mitochondrial DNA primarily from Mom, that doesn't mean Dad's contribution is any less important.

  • Picturesque Oak trees overhanging with Spanish moss
    Article
    • By Amanda L. Townley 
    • and Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Amanda L. Townley: Evolution Education and Science Literacy in the South

    Amanda L. Townley draws on her experience as a former middle school and high school teacher and work as a professor in science education to raise the next generation of educators.

  • two people having a conversation
    Blog Post
    By Kendra Terpstra 

    How Do We Practice Gracious Dialogue When Talking about COVID-19 Vaccines?

    Kendra Terpstra reflects on a recent conversation her son had with his friend, and how it reminded her of the importance of grace in our relationships with others who think differently than we do.

  • A star studded night sky framed
    Article
    By Faith Stults 

    The Webb Telescope and God’s Evolving Universe

    From ancient civilizations to modern scientists and everyone in between, we all share a desire to understand where we as humans came from and what our place is in the universe. What might the Webb Telescope reveal to us about these big questions?

  • Article
    By Elizabeth Fernandez 

    Tiktaalik: Bridging the Gap Between Water and Land

    Tiktaalik is a transition fossil that bridges the gap between water and land in our evolutionary history. Its discovery sparked both excitement and controversy.

  • Artist's picturesque depiction of Archeopteryx flying
    Blog Post
    By Ryan Bebej 

    Are Dinosaurs Extinct? Modern Birds Connect us to Our Ancient Past

    Dinosaurs are extinct, or are they? A paleontologist reflects on seeing signs of ancient prehistoric creatures while hiking.

  • Blog Post
    By Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    More than a Powerhouse: Mitochondria, DNA and Dad

    Mitochondria are so much more than powerhouses. While we inherit Mitochondrial DNA primarily from Mom, that doesn't mean Dad's contribution is any less important.

  • Picturesque Oak trees overhanging with Spanish moss
    Article
    • By Amanda L. Townley 
    • and Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Amanda L. Townley: Evolution Education and Science Literacy in the South

    Amanda L. Townley draws on her experience as a former middle school and high school teacher and work as a professor in science education to raise the next generation of educators.

  • two people having a conversation
    Blog Post
    By Kendra Terpstra 

    How Do We Practice Gracious Dialogue When Talking about COVID-19 Vaccines?

    Kendra Terpstra reflects on a recent conversation her son had with his friend, and how it reminded her of the importance of grace in our relationships with others who think differently than we do.

  • A star studded night sky framed
    Article
    By Faith Stults 

    The Webb Telescope and God’s Evolving Universe

    From ancient civilizations to modern scientists and everyone in between, we all share a desire to understand where we as humans came from and what our place is in the universe. What might the Webb Telescope reveal to us about these big questions?

  • Common Questions

    Resources

    Christianity and Science
    Scientific Evidence
    Biblical Interpretation
    God’s Relationship to Creation
    Human Origins

    Getting Started
    Common Questions
    Resource Centers
    BioLogos Basics Videos
    Language of God Podcast
    Impact Stories
    Recommended Books

    By Type
    Common Questions
    Articles
    Series
    Videos
    Podcast Episodes
    Audio
    Books
    Impact Stories

    By Topic
    Bible
    Science
    Theology & Philosophy
    Church & Culture
    Views on Creation

    Resources by Audience
    Pastors
    K-12 Educators
    Small Groups
    Youth Ministry
    Campus Ministry

    Get BioLogos Resources


    About Us

    Our Mission
    Our History
    What We Believe
    Annual Reports
    Endorsements

    Get Involved

    Open Forum
    Homeschool Forum
    Attend an Event
    Donate

    What We Do

    BioLogos Conferences
    Resource Centers
    Events
    BioLogos Voices (Speaker’s Bureau)
    Language of God Podcast
    INTEGRATE Curriculum

    Social Media

    BioLogos on Instagram BioLogos on YouTube BioLogos on Twitter BioLogos on Facebook

    © BioLogos 2019  Terms of Use   Privacy   Contact Us   RSS

    It looks like your cart is empty!

    Subtotal: $0.00

    Sign up or log in to continue checkoutBrowse All Units