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The article’s title reveals an anti-God presupposition: that God and science must somehow be “reconciled” by Christians. Imagine the likely reaction if a similar article were titled, “Helping Evolutionists Reconcile Atheism with Science.”

Collins and other compromisers argue that God used a violent process over millions of years to create a world He described as “very good.”

As for the article itself, it starts off on a bad note. “For many young Christians, the moment they first notice discrepancies in the [b]iblical tales they’ve faithfully studied is a rite of passage,” she starts, continuing, “[I]f Adam and Eve were the first humans, and they had two sons—where did Cain's wife come from?”

Even temporarily ignoring the fact that Genesis 5:4 indicates that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters, the Bible clearly names three sons of Adam and Eve (Cain, Abel, and Seth). Of course, considering Adam lived to be 930 years old, it was no stretch for Cain to have found a wife among his sisters—and for the human race to have rapidly grown from Adam and Eve’s progeny. (See Cain’s Wife and why at that time there would be no disobedience to close relatives marrying, a law that came later.)

As for Sullivan, she continues, “The revelation that everything in the Bible may not have happened exactly as written can be startling. And when the discovery comes along with scientific evidence of evolution and the actual age of planet Earth, it can prompt a full-blown spiritual crisis.

The article profiles geneticist Francis Collins, an accomplished scientist and former head of the Human Genome Project who is also an evangelical Christian. Sadly, Collins compromises on Genesis, believing millions of years of evolution is fully compatible with Christianity. (That’s the thesis of his book The Language of God.)

Collins recently established the BioLogos Foundation, in Washington, D.C., with the goal of promoting theistic evolution and “foster[ing] dialogue between the two sides” in the debate over science and religion.

Disappointingly but unsurprisingly, Collins’s comments are far from compatible with the biblical Christianity we know. Collins attacks intelligent design as “not a scientific proposal,” but then he goes a step farther, saying intelligent design is “not good theology either.” While the formal Intelligent Design Movement (which includes many non-Christians) does not necessarily endorse biblical creation, we find it unfathomable how a Christian could reject divine creation on theological grounds. “We cannot say that Adam and Eve were formed as acts of special creation,” Collins insists.

Sadly, we find the hard-line position of such atheists as Richard Dawkins to be far more consistent than Collins’s views. Collins and other compromisers argue that God used a violent process over millions of years to create a world He described as “very good.” How, then, can death be an enemy? Furthermore, if we allow science to rewrite Genesis, why should it not also rewrite the Gospel? Do the Resurrection—and the Consummation presented in Revelation—become figurative events as well?

While we recognize that Collins is seeking to indirectly evangelize, we believe his actions have led to the exact opposite. After all, if—as Collins’s worldview suggests—the Bible is outright deceptive in Genesis 1–11, why should we trust any of it?

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