Crisis in church: shunned by the congregation for supporting evolution
Phil was an active method of a mainstream protestant church. Its members were a mix of skilled blue collar workers and young professionals buying their first homes. Phil was attracted to the church because it seemed open, tolerant, and accepting of new ideas. He was a mentor to young members of the church and participated in mission trips to the Appalachians and New Orleans. But all went wrong went he talked to a group of young members about Darwin and the theory of evolution. The congregation shunned him.
Question: Hello, Phil. You were very happy in your church, weren't you?
Phil: Very much so. It was an important place for me, away from my hectic life of of work and yet more work. In church, I could slow down and reflect on important questions of community and faith.
Question: What did you do om mission trips?
Phil: The main reason was to teach young privileged people that there are places in the United States where people are less fortunate, who need a step up, a helping hand. It shocked many kids to visit the Appalachians and see extreme poverty and hopelessness. It teaches white suburban kids that poverty can affect white people, too. The poorest white people in the United States live in the Appalachian mountain chain. Then we hooked up with some churches in New Orleans to help the rebuilding work after Hurricane Katrina.
Question: It was on one of those mission trips that your troubles started?
Phil: Yes, in New Orleans. After a long day's work, we were sitting around outside and a couple of the kids asked me what I thought of Darwin and the theory of evolution. They had been having a discussion, it got heated, and they wanted me to provide answers. One of the kids, a young man of 16, said Darwin's a lie, isn't it Phil? Evolution is just a big lie.
Question: That's not an unusual view in the church.
Phil: Unfortunately, it's quite a common view. Many of the people holding that view have never read Darwin, have never read about Darwin, nor heard a fair and accurate presentation of the modern theory of evolution, which takes in all the latest scientific developments, for example a knowledge of genetics which supports Darwin. The anti-evolution people say It's aganst the Bible, it must be false.
It's a dilemma for educated, thinking people in the church, especially people with a science background such as myself.
Question: What did you say to the young man?
Phil: I told him first of all he had to respect other people's opinions. I said he should listen and try to get inside what other people were saying, even if they were criticizing his own views. Then I said he needed to take seriously the work of thousands of respected scientists at universities all over the world who say that the theory of evolution is our best bet so far on the origin of species and how and why species evolve.
Question: That does not seem controversial.
Phil: In a church context, as I see now, it is very controversial. On mission trips with young people, they are exposed to poverty, they're in a close-knit group, they eat, sing, and pray together. Their nerves are raw. They're very emotional. They're really open to accepting Jesus into their lives at that point. What I did, as I have later understood, is make them keep their critical guard up so that they would not be as open to a conversion or God experience.
I had always believed that God and science can go hand in hand, that we don't check our brains at the door when we enter church. But that isn't the case for millions of Christians. For them, church is a place where you blindly follow, not think.
Question: Something extreme must have happened as a result of that conversation about Darwin?
Phil: Yes, the kid shouted at me You're saying the Bible's a lie, you're saying we can't believe in creation.
I told the kid, he could belive it as fact if he wished, or he could believe it as I do, as a beautiful text that has lasted for thousands of years, an example of how people thought back then when grappling with the meaning and origin of life, how special we were to God.
Question: Obviously that did not solve the problem for the young man.
Phil: No. He phoned his parents and told them I was preaching evolution on the mission trip. He told the mission group leader, he told the pastor of the local church we were working with. I was called into a meeting to explain myself. The kid's mother flew down to New Orleans to collect her son. A day later, I was sent home.
Question: What happened back home at church?
Phil: The pastor hauled me into his office and asked what the heck I was trying to do introducing them to Darwin on a spiritual retreat. The pastor told me I should have told the kid he was right, that Darwin can tell us nothing about the meaning of life. I told the pastor the question was not about the meaning of life but the origin of species. He told me to stop splitting hairs. He said I had wrecked the entire mission trip. All the kids talked about was how I had been sent home and how the kid's mom had flown down to pull him out of the group.
Question: Things escalated after that?
Phil: Oh yes. Members of the men's group called me Mr. Science and Charles Darwin. In a men's group meeting, I was ripped apart for my views. I tried to explain them and the chair of the men's group said sarcastically Mr. Great Scientist, we don't understand a word you're saying, and we don't want to understand a word.
I was pretty much told to stay away from the group until I had cleaned up my act.
Things continued in that vein until the pastor asked for another meeting.
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Question: What did he say?
Phil: He was polite but frustrated. He was under pressure I guess. He said I was a disruptive influence. He said that three kids had dropped out of youth acitivities in support of me. They'd told their parents, If Phil doesn't believe in the Bible, then I don't need to.
Some parents were thinking of transferring their families to other churches. Some people wanted a public statement of apology by me. Some wanted me to address the mission group kids and tell them how wrong I was. It was a huge, out-of-control mess.
Question: Forgive me, but I thought you said the church was open and accepting?
Phil: Evolution is a stumbling block for many Christians. They'll accept Einstein's theory of relativity without understanding it. That's because it's so complicated and also because it doesn't seem to say anything about God, where life comes from, and so on. They'll accept so many of the findings of modern science, but for some reason evolution is a bridge they can't and won't cross. It's a tragedy for the church. Belief in God and evolution are not mutually exclusive, even though it is also possible to be an atheist and subscribe to the theory of evolution.
Question: Don't you think that one problem is the word theory
. Many believers think of Bible as fact and theory as, well, a fabrication, a lie, a half-truth, or approximation?
Phil: That's true. For scientists, theory is a very strong word. It's probably as close as they get to fact, but theory conveys the point that knowledge is still under development, it's progressing, being added to; the theory is being refined; criticisms and setbacks are being dealt with. In science, a theory is a robust thing. I guess some believers would only accept The Fact of Evolution
.
Question: Yes, I see. So how did you cope with this backlash at church?
Phil: A fired-up group can be pretty unpleasant. I won't call it a lynch mob but it was headed that way. Former friends were no longer friends. I received hate calls and hate email. Folks turned their back on me at coffee time. People would move away from me in church. Some of the rebellious young kids would applaud me when they saw me. It was getting way out of hand. So I left.
Question: Have you found a new church?
Phil: No, not really. I've tried a few. I am taking a timeout I guess. I don't want to go through that whole witch hunt again, the feeling of being despised and not being able to defend myself against accusations. When a group of people turns nasty, you can almost feel evil at work. They will do anything to get rid of you so their own safe world is restored. It's very unpleasant.
Question: Do you have any contact with members of your old church?
Phil: No, none at all. I want it that way.
Question: Thank you, Phil. I hope you find what you are looking for.
Marcia Thompson
Readers respond
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C.J. Madison, WI Most mainstream protestant denominations are not antagonistic toward evolution. Church leadership, which is educated, is probably ahead of church members on this. Most members' exposure to the theory of evolution was at school, where it is taught badly in an atmosphere of fear. If a teacher is too-pro evolution, he or she risks the wrath of wacko creationists.
Margaret, Amarillo Science may say one thing, but my heart says another. We were created by God in his image. I don't care what the professors in Ivy League schools think about that.
Paul, Hunstville Science and religion each need to be aware of their proper place. Science explains life. Religion explains its meaning.
Jill, London This is mainly an American problem. Very few European Christians read the Bible literally, and we are still good Christians.
Herb, Winona I keep quiet about evolution in church, just as the man in the article should have done. Church isn't the place to talk about scientific theories. It's where we come together to worship the divine.
David, New Orleans I am sorry the author was exposed to religious lunatics down here and at home. There is no need to argue with people who don't read books and can't think. Just smile to yourself at their ignorance and move on.