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

1. By the Numbers

9 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. psalm 147:4 Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. anonymous i n my introduction, I made the claim that most Christians, worldwide and in the United States, are accepting of modern science, and specifically evolutionary biology, as being fully compatible with their faith. Is this really true?And on what evidence would I base such a statement ? Nearly everyone is aware that there has always been a large number of well-known and highly respected scientists who are also committed Christians (from Galileo and Isaac Newton to Theodosius Dobzhanksy, Ronald Fisher, Francisco Ayala, Kenneth Miller, Francis Collins, Simon Conway Morris, and many others). And there have By the Numbers 1 the prism and the rainbow 10 denomination or movement accepting of evolution as being compatible with their faith position unknown or unclear Roman Catholic yes Southern Baptist Convention no United Methodist yes National Baptist Convention USA no Church of God in Christ no Evangelical Lutheran Church in America yes African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) yes* Church of Christ unclear International Circle of Faith no Anabaptists unclear Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) yes Calvary Chapel no Church of God (Cleveland) no Assemblies of God no Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod no Episcopal Church yes Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America yes United Church of Christ yes Seventh-Day Adventists no Presbyterian Church in America unclear The Vineyard unclear International Church of the Foursquare Gospel no*+ New Apostolic Church no*+ total membership (in millions) 94.05 45.85 8.5 note: Totals at bottom reflect estimated membership numbers in the United States. See appendix for details of how these estimates were derived. *Assumed position based on views of other Methodist (for AME), Baptist (for NBC USA), or Pentecostal groups (for New Apostolic, ICFG, and COGIC). + = no current estimate for membership number at this time. table 1. Position on evolution of selected Christian organizations or denominations (arranged by decreasing estimated membership in the United States). 11 By the Numbers always been many religious leaders who have fully embraced evolution as part of God’s world (Billy Graham, Pope John Paul II, John Polkinghorne , Arthur Peacocke, John Haught, to name just a few). But isn’t opposition to evolution a position held by most Christians? It turns out that it is not. In table 1, I have summarized the information (for details, see the appendix) that I could find on the major Christian denominations in the United States and their stated position on science and faith, creationism and evolution. The denominations or movements are listed in decreasing order of the estimated number of members. When looking at the table, we must keep in mind a large number of caveats and considerations. Let me list just five of these here. First, it is difficult to find accurate estimates of membership numbers for many religious groups and organizations. Some groups do not maintain membership figures, some use attendance figures, and some have no central governing body or headquarters. The various sources I used for membership estimates, mostly books and web sites (see the appendix), differ in their estimates and even in which groups are included ; a “large” group mentioned in one volume might not be included in another or might appear under a different name. Second, not all denominations are listed here or anywhere else (there are said to be more than 1,200 Christian denominations or organizations in the United States alone). Denominations have come and gone over the years, especially in the United States. Names have changed, groups have merged, and there is apparently no single source that tracks all of these changes, although several do a respectable job of maintaining lists of U.S. denominations, and I have consulted these. Third, not all groups have a statement or position on what they believe as concerns science, faith, and evolution. Some offer clear statements about their beliefs on this topic while others do not, and some offer statements that are slightly ambiguous. the prism and the rainbow 12 Fourth, many Christians in the United States attend large “megachurches ,” several of which are nondenominational (see the appendix ). This unknown but undoubtedly significant number of Christians probably is not represented in the membership counts of mainstream denominations. Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, we should never assume that all members of a given denomination...