14 Evolutionary “Dead Ends” Humanity Must Avoid?

Well, these “dead ends” are defined as “evolutionary traps” humanity can get stuck in that initially began with innovation but can, if we don’t escape them, lead to the end of the Anthropocene (the supposed current geological age) as we know it. Some of these “dead ends” include:

• Chemical pollution
• Misaligned AI
• Climate change
• Simplified agriculture (relying too much on a handful of crops)
• Pandemics

Now, how should Christians understand this? I thought the first paragraph of the article was telling regarding the difference worldview makes:

The evolution of humankind has been an extraordinary success story. But the Anthropocene . . . is showing more and more cracks. Multiple global crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, food insecurity, financial crises, and conflicts have started to occur simultaneously in something which scientists refer to as a polycrisis.

We were uniquely created by God in his image and therefore with the innate capacity to create, innovate, build, and shape our environment.

Is the “evolution of humankind” an “extraordinary success story”? Let’s apply the biblical worldview. First of all, humanity didn’t evolve. We were uniquely created by God in his image and therefore with the innate capacity to create, innovate, build, and shape our environment. Indeed, from the very beginning, we were commanded to have dominion over creation and to tend and keep the garden. We were designed, not to just leave creation to itself but to take dominion for God’s glory and our good. So the “extraordinary success” of humans doing what God has commanded and equipped us to do is not a surprise.

But the author goes on to say that “the Anthropocene . . . is showing more and more cracks” as our world experiences one “polycrisis” after another. Now those “cracks” aren’t caused by a failure of supposed human evolution or, as the author put it, us getting “too smart for [our] own future good.” Those “cracks” are evidence of a groaning creation impacted by our sin!

You see, God’s original creation was “very good”—no “cracks” anywhere! But humanity rebelled against God and brought death and suffering into creation. Now Romans 8:22 says all of creation is groaning from sin. Every crisis or polycrisis is a reminder that we’re in a fallen world.

Now, does this mean that humanity is not at all responsible for any crisis we might face? No, not at all. We’re ultimately responsible because of original sin, and sometimes, we’re secondarily responsible because of sin in how we exercise dominion. Greed, foolishness, covetousness, trampling on the poor, and so much more takes place as sinful men and women exercise ungodly dominion. That’s why we need to practice dominion with our Bibles open and our hearts attuned to the Holy Spirit, seeking godly counsel. We should want what is best—not just for creation but ultimately for mankind because we’re the only creatures made in God’s image. So we care for everything God made, making it our goal to honor the Creator in everything we do.

Is humanity doomed to an “evolutionary dead end”? Not at all.

Is humanity doomed to an “evolutionary dead end”? Not at all. While we can certainly make decisions that negatively (or positively) impact mankind, our future has already been decided by God, and humanity won’t end until Jesus returns for the final judgment. And when Jesus returns, he will create a new heavens and a new earth with no more death, suffering, or pain—in other words, no more “cracks”! Instead, we’ll live in a world restored to Eden’s “very good.”

By the way, from an evolutionary secular worldview, there have been supposed great extinctions in the past as part of the evolutionary process. So maybe all the problems these evolutionists list are just evolutionary pressures, and they shouldn’t be stopped in any way as maybe that’s needed for the next step of evolution. Maybe elimination of humans is the next step in evolution, so why stop it? Besides, if humans cease to exist when they die, why even care at all what happens to humans? But then again, who said secularists want to be (and they can’t be anyway) consistent!

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Roger Patterson, Jessica DeFord, and Bryan Osborne. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on our Answers in Genesis YouTube channel and posted to Answers TV. We also covered the following topics:

• “Oldest” bird footprint fossils discovered in Australia.
• Good news! Finnish court rules in favor of religious freedom.
• Will AI change fertility treatments?
• And more!

Be sure to join us each Monday at 2 p.m. (ET) on YouTube or later that day on Answers TV for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.