By Jack Wilkie

Far too many Christians try to “ride the fence” in today’s world. They get caught between clear biblical teaching and what culture pressures them to believe and so they attempt to strike some sort of compromise. The same happened often in the Bible, and one such example came on the day of Elijah’s challenge against the prophets of Baal. In 1 Kings 18:21, as the people gathered near to see who would prevail between God and Baal, Elijah challenged each of them: “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

It’s time for true Christians to challenge those who are riding on the fence and ask them, how long will you hesitate between two opinions?

“Yeah, I’m a Christian, but I also believe in science so I don’t deny evolution.” The commonly proposed idea that a person can’t hold to the Genesis account of creation and still believe in science has led many Christians to utter that statement. But should they? Do we have to ride the fence between believing in the Bible and holding on to Darwinian macroevolution? Absolutely not.

Get off the fence because the evidence is on God’s side.

The message always seems to be something along the lines of “We have to get on the side that scientists are telling us to get on or the world will think we’re not cool.” Well, guess what: the Bible has never been socially acceptable. Jesus told us to expect that (John 15:18-25). But it’s intellectually dishonest for people to continue to propagate the “Bible vs. science” narrative. Science doesn’t have biases and therefore it doesn’t take sides. But scientists do, and that’s what is often forgotten. Creationists and evolutionists are provided the exact same evidence by science. They only differ in their interpretations, and people are going to see what they want to see. But the evidence remains neutral and there’s plenty of reason to believe that it sides with the Biblical account. One example would be polystrate fossils, fossils that pass through multiple layers of sediment, completely destroying the evolutionary timeframe established by their belief in the geologic column. Another would be how evolution necessitates creatures literally living without working lungs or a working heart as they wait for those organs to transition from one type to the next (see #4 here). Or consider the utter lack of evidence of creatures in between stages of evolution in the fossil record. The list could go on, but the point remains that true science casts serious doubt on evolution.

Besides, why should we be worried about the opinions of those who don’t have any explanation where the universe came from? Why should we be worried about the opinions of those who refuse to budge on the date of dinosaur extinction when evidence continues to mount that they were alive much more recently than previously thought? Why should we be worried about the opinions of those whose explanation for everything is that “nothing” exploded and created an impossibly intricate universe? These people can’t even figure out how long humans have existed. I really don’t care if people who cling to such laughably stupid claims think I’m unintelligent for disagreeing with them.

Get off the fence because the Bible doesn’t offer both options.

If you deny the creation story and Adam as the first man, you’re making some bold claims. You’re saying that Jesus and the Bible’s inspired writers were all mistaken when they referenced Adam and the creation story. If you believe in Jesus as God incarnate and that the Scriptures were inspired by God, and at the same time that creation was a myth, you’re claiming that God Himself was unaware that Genesis 1-3 was just a myth. Additionally, you’re saying that Adam and Eve did not introduce sin and death to the world, and that death was a natural occurrence long before mankind ever existed. That means that God, not man, would be responsible for death and suffering, which completely destroys the Gospel. Do you see now why these compromises hurt our foundation of faith and damage the church’s influence? One side of the fence or the other has to be chosen.

I’m not saying that a Christian can’t go to heaven if they believe in evolution, but those who would trade the account given by Genesis and held by Jesus to line up with the ever-changing standard the world tells us we have to believe are walking a dangerous path. We can’t let those who deny God’s very existence interpret the Bible for us, particularly when the evidence isn’t even on their side. The church is not helped by those who compromise the Bible.

Don’t believe the idea that the Bible and science are incompatible. “Getting off the fence” on theistic evolution doesn’t mean choosing between the Bible and science, it means choosing between the Bible’s scientific evidence and evolution’s embarrassing lack of scientific evidence. Do the research with an open heart and open mind and you’ll find that the inspired Genesis account is reflected and confirmed by science in countless ways, with more evidence emerging all the time. Don’t be caught sitting on the fence between God and evolution. It’s already collapsing under you.