The theory of evolution claims that the breathtaking and fine-tuning and complexity that we observe in the cell atoms in nature and universe are from coincidences.
This is kind of absurd and almost ridiculous if you really think about it, and somewhat unscientific and irrational.
But still the scientific world seems to be deceived by it.
How can scientists who have faith in God collaborate to overturn the fallacy of these claims?
Well, you put it in terms of evolutionary theory, which is the dominant view about human origins and organic life in the universe.
That view is prominent largely in part because of an assumption that is made about the nature of the universe.
It's the assumption of scientific naturalism.
The scientific naturalist believes that all that exists, all that is real, is the natural world.
They are anti-supernatural.
There is no God.
And today, it's mostly physicalist.
So the only thing that exists, anything that's real, is physical stuff, matter and energy.
And that's it.
That's all there is.
Now, if that's your view of the world, you don't have much to go on.
Evolution is about the only option you have to make sense of human existence.
And even then, it's really grasping at straws because there are so many things about human nature and human experience that cannot be explained in terms of natural evolution by itself.
You need something external, something transcendent, I think, to be able to explain human nature, human moral action, human freedom, human aspirations.
We have souls.
You have to deny this if you're a scientific naturalist.
And yet, you're denying something that seems so utterly undeniable from the inside because we know ourselves to be more than just physical, material things.
Now, having said that, I will say that there are supernaturalists who deny scientific naturalism, who also believe that there's some scope for evolutionary theory in the account.
But, in general, they deny that you've got species evolving from other species.
So, what you get is evolution within species.
And this is to the credit of the creator who can then account for the special creation of individual species, including Homo sapiens, of course.
So, the biggest problem, the most fundamental problem, driving this agenda, this anti-God agenda, I think, is the scientific naturalism.
And the evolution rides on the coattails of scientific naturalism because it's Alvin Plantinga, as a Christian philosopher, who said,
evolution is the only game in town if you're going to deny the existence of a creator.
Yes.
Very well said.
Very interesting thoughts.
I want to, once again, thank you very much for your thoughts and discussions that we've had here.
We hope to continue our collaboration and discussions in the future with yourself.
We'd like to invite you to come to Istanbul.
And, in closing, I'd like to just give you a moment to just kind of give your closing thoughts on our get-together here today and possibly working in the future together.
Well, you reached out to me.
I heard from you and have been very interested in learning from you about the work you're doing, the literature you've produced, and the way that you've disseminated this worldwide.
It is true that we have very common concerns about the naturalism of the day, the dominant hedonism and secularism that controls the Western world,
and some of the other more radical wings of religious belief that we've talked about today that also create strife and dissension worldwide.
And so, I think that we've made some new friends today and discovered that we are faced with a lot of the same challenges.
And if you can show me around Istanbul someday, I would love that.
That would be fantastic.
I hear so many good things about Turkey, and it's on my bucket list of places to visit sometime.
Wonderful.
Thank you for coming to Biola University.
Absolutely.
You're more than welcome.
We appreciate it.
We've had such a great time being in Southern California and visiting the campus, beautiful campus here.
And, of course, in the future, we will hope to expect you to come to Istanbul.
And I want to thank our viewers.
And, again, this is Professor Douglas Gaivet from Biola University and the professor in theology.
Thank you.