The Prism and the Rainbow: A Christian Explains Why Evolution Is Not a Threat

Glossary

151 agnostic, agnosticism. The philosophical point of view that certain statements or claims (usually those that deal with mystical, metaphysical, theological, or religious issues) are not knowable or are impossible to prove or disprove. artificial selection. Human-influenced selection by breeding for selected desired traits or combinations of traits. atheism, atheist. The rejection of theism (belief in God or gods); either a positive affirmation of the nonexistence of a deity or, more simply, the rejection of theism. creationist, creationism. The belief that life, Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity; often this is assumed to have occurred in the relatively recent past (see Young-earth creationism). Sometimes used to refer more specifically to the religiously motivated rejection of evolutionary biology. creation science. The attempt by creationists to establish a scientific basis for belief in the Genesis account of creationism and/or attempt to disprove accepted scientific theories on the age of the earth, cosmology, and biological evolution. Darwinism. An unclearly defined term usually used in a pejorative sense for concepts related to evolution by natural selection (as proposed by Darwin). For the most part, scientists do not use the term, as it conveys no information (similar to referring to someone who studies gravity as a Newtonist, for example). (See note 6 in chapter 10.) deist, deism. The belief that God (or gods) created the known universe but no longer interacts with its operation. To a deist, Glossary 152 glossary the existence and nature of God are derived solely from reason; supernatural events (miracles, prophesies, divine revelation) are typically rejected. evangelical. From the Greek eu (true, or good) and angel (messenger), and originally referring to “good news,” an evangelist or evangelical was someone spreading the Christian faith, either by word or by example. Current usage varies; often it is meant to imply more conservative, revivalist, or fundamentalist leanings. (See note 4 in chapter 5.) evolution, evolutionist. The process of biological change over time (descent with modification), encompassing small-scale evolution (changes in gene frequency in a population from one generation to the next) and large-scale evolution (the descent of different species from a common ancestor over many generations); also used to refer to the science of studying evolution. “Evolutionist” is sometimes used to refer to someone who understands, studies, or advocates for the teaching of evolution. evolutionary theory. The overarching body of explanatory and causative theory that includes the facts, theories, and hypotheses about evolutionary biology. fact. A verifiable observation or piece of information; an object or event that is demonstrably real. Also used commonly to mean “something for which we have so much evidence that it is no longer questioned.” Flat-Earth creationism. Form of creationism espousing belief in a flat Earth and basing that belief on certain passages in the Bible; a movement now assumed to be largely extinct in the United States. fundamentalist. Often used pejoratively to imply someone lacking in serious theological education or with a narrow or inflexible viewpoint. In Christianity it usually refers to persons with a conservative theological position and to a movement that arose 153 Glossary mostly in the United States and Great Britain at the start of the twentieth century, where in response to the encroachment on religion by “modernism,” fundamentalists adopted and affirmed a set of basic (fundamental) beliefs. hypothesis. In science, a hypothesis is a testable suggested explanation, based on previous observations, for a phenomenon or observable event. inerrant, inerrancy. Without error. As concerns biblical interpretation, the position that the Bible is totally without error and free from all contradictions, including the historical and scientific parts. This is distinct from biblical infallibility (sometimes called limited inerrancy), which generally holds the Bible to be inerrant on issues of faith and practice but not on issues of history and science. intelligent design (ID). The assertion that some features of the universe and of living systems are too complex to have arisen by the laws of nature and are therefore the result of planning by an intelligent agency (referred to as the designer); largely an outgrowth of “creation science” (which still exists) but with modifications. irreducible complexity. An argument put forth by some advocates of intelligent design that some biological systems are too complex to have arisen (evolved) over time via the modification of simpler or less-complete predecessors. law. In science, a statement that describes a particular behavior or set of behaviors in...