Various Christian theologians see our transformation into heavenly natures (I Cor 15) as the goal of evolution. de Chardin is perhaps the most famous, albeit rather heterodox, example, but C. S. Lewis suggests thinking of Christians as the next evolutionary step for mankind in Mere Christianity. Similar ideas have also been expressed on this list (e.g., by George Murphy). Thus, afterwards there is no longer need for evolution any more than for the sun.
That also raises another consideration. Earthly bodies (I Cor 15), the sea and earth (Rev. 21:1), the sun and moon (Rev. 21:23), and marriage (Mt. 22:30) are all things created before Adam's fall that pass away in the new creation, so evolution could easily fall under this category.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Adrian Teo <ateo@whitworth.edu>
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 09:33:02 -0700
>Hello all,
>
>Just thinking aloud here. There has been discussion on how evolution fits
>into a pre-fall world in this listserv already, but I been wondering about
>what the future of evolutionary processes and mechanisms would be in God's
>plan. Once Christ returns and the Kingdom reaches fulfillment, would living
>things continue to evolve? That would certainly require death, extinction,
>competition, random mutations, predation etc. all of which seems quite
>contrary to the depiction of the New Jerusalem. Would God no longer have use
>of these mechanisms that many in this group believe were in effect even
>prior to the fall? If so, then what was God's purpose in introducing these
>mechanisms in the first place? Or was evolution the result of the fall,
>which some others hold, and therefore would be extinguished at the
>consummation of the Kingdom?
>
>Adrian.
>
>
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