CREATION BY EVOLUTION 



ble with belief in God. One must choose, it was said, 

 between one and the other. Much modern thought no 

 longer regards this supposed alternative as logically sound. 

 Some of us find no inconsistency in believing in both. Nay, 

 more; many thinkers to-day are convinced that only in the 

 light shed by the concept of evolution does the full richness 

 of Divine Purpose, as thus manifested, appeal to some at 

 least of those in whom a spiritual attitude toward God has 

 itself been evolved. 



Consider the matter a little more closely. Herbert Spencer, 

 in 1858, contrasted "creation by evolution" with "creation 

 by manufacture"; and even then he expressed the opinion 

 that creation by manufacture is a much lower concept than 

 creation by evolution. It may be said, however, that neither 

 evolution nor manufacture express what we mean by crea- 

 tion. Creation, or as it used to be called, "special creation," 

 means, it will be said, sudden bringing into being by uncon- 

 ditional fiat. As a typical example of creative fiat take, "And 

 God said, Let there be light, and there was light." Extend 

 this: Let there be things; let there be plants and animals 

 after their kinds; let there be man. Such was an early 

 expression of creative fiat. It was poetical in the fine sense 

 that 



God on His throne is eldest of poets; 

 Unto His measures moveth the whole. 



Noteworthy is that wonderful touch of spiritual insight, fitly 

 given first place in the Hebrew Scriptures: Many instances 

 of creative fiat, but One God whose Purpose is thus 

 manifested. 



Turn now to modern thought. It is still open to us to 

 couch ultimate explanation in like terms: Let there be 

 electrons; let there be atoms; let there be molecules; let 



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