Discussion Thread: Evolutionary Ethics and God
According to evolutionary ethics, our ethical beliefs have developed through
evolution to help us survive and reproduce and there is no real moral obligation
behind those beliefs, only a corporate illusion of morality.[1] However, McQuilkin
and Copan note several problems with this way of thinking. Of these, the most
compelling reason to reject evolutionary ethics asks, “Why trust our beliefs at all if
we are just the product of those material, valuelessness, mindless processes?”[2]
Our beliefs, including moral ones, may help us survive, but what is the premise to
believe that they are true?
Moreover, it is God who makes better sense of not only human dignity (value
came from value), but also human moral thinking.[3] The essence of a biblical
ethic is love which Jesus boils down into two commands, love God and love your
neighbor as yourself.[4] Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to
you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).[5] Because
man is made in the image of God, this “moral-code” (the golden rule) has been
stamped on the heart of each man and woman. As such, this rule has a special
place in moral philosophy and has been the common denominator of all religions
and schools of thought from ancient times until the present, bringing peace
throughout the world through its mechanism.[6] Paul reminds humankind to walk
by the Spirit as the antidote for gratifying the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16) which
can quickly snuff out this moral code from our lives.
McQuilkin and Copan do not necessarily overstate the case but simply point back
to God in each of their arguments. One cannot explain the full questions of life –
origin, meaning, morality and destiny without a personal, moral, First Cause, which
is God Himself. The psalmist who looks at the starry heavens above is humbled at
the greatness of God and the smallness of humanity and asks, “What is man that
You take thought of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:4).”[7]
Evolutionary ethics is not compatible with belief in God as the foundation for
ethics because one will never be able to get a coherent worldview without positing
an eternal moral personal First Cause.
If science is all that matters, should the scientist be honest in giving us his or her
findings? This is a moral question. So much research today uses only the low-
hanging fruits while disregarding evidence that does not support a particular
cause. Paul reminds us, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and
animals and creeping things” (Rom 1:22-23). Ultimately, the transformation of the
heart is not done by reasoning. It is done by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Only
the Holy Spirit can convict a person of truth and bring them to the point of
recognition that they need a Savior. The question is, “Are the reasons we are
giving for the hope within us truly the reasons that meet both the mind and the
heart, and are we doing it in the proper way, with gentleness and respect?” (1 Pet
3:15).
Word Count: 544
[1] Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking
In the Way of Wisdom. 3rd Ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 180.
[2] Ibid., 181.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Fred Smith and Will Honeycut, Presentation: “Foundations of Christian Ethics,”
Liberty University, 2011, 20120 Spring 2021 THEO e 650-D01 LUO, accessed April 4,
2021, at https://libertyuniversity.instructure.com/courses/68950/pages/watch-
foundations-of-christian-ethics?module_item_id=7734718
[5] Unless otherwise noted all biblical passages are in the English Standard Version
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008).
[6] Zahra Rakhshani, “The Golden Rule and Its Consequences: A Practical and
Effective Solution For World Peace,” Journal of History Culture and Art Research 6,
no. 1 (February 2017): 465.
[7] McQuilkin and Copan, An Introduction to Biblical, 182.
Bibliography
McQuilkin, Robertson, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking In
the Way of Wisdom. 3rd Ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014.
Rakhshani, Zahra. “The Golden Rule and Its Consequences: A Practical and
Effective Solution For World Peace.” Journal of History Culture and Art Research 6,
no. 1 (February 2017): 465–73.
