Theistic Evolutionists Respond to Phillip Johnson

Theistic evolutionists are generally Christians, some scientists, who have made efforts to reconcile Christian belief with what they accept as the truth of evolutionary biology. Not surprisingly, then, some of them have been unhappy with Johnson's efforts. Criticisms boil down to five issues, remarkably similar to the objections raised by naturalists.

1. It is necessary to distinguish between the scientific theory and the excesses of Darwinist apologists. But some of the more politically incorrect Darwinists are simply taking the claims of the theory to their logical conclusions.

2. The commitment to methodological atheism (naturalism).

3. Avoid the "God of the gaps."

4. Johnson's requirement for proof is too stringent. They blame his legal background for this, insisting that biology doesn't require absolute proof, just superior theories which may themselves be perfect. But Johnson hasn't asked for absolute proof, just sufficient proof.

5. Johnson has no alternative theory to propose. Remember, the only acceptable alternative is a "scientific" (naturalistic) one.

When it comes right down to it, most theistic evolutionists have swallowed the orthodox naturalistic line. They have not examined the underlying presuppositions and drawn out the necessary conclusions.

Some find the blind watchmaker thesis attractive (for more, see the article "Creator or Blind Watchmaker" at the First Things web site). But metaphysics and science are hopelessly entangled in this idea. Johnson observes he has had difficulty getting theistic evolutionists to grapple with it, and rightly says that one cannot serve two intellectual masters. Naturalism always seems to win out whenever someone tries to hold it in tension with theism.