May-June 1999
Common Ground
by Joseph Tkach
It was a heated theological debate -- over 60 years ago. The eminent British scientist John Scott Haldane was arguing that life appeared on Earth by chance, without the aid of a God.
"In a universe containing millions of planets," Haldane reasoned, "is it not inevitable that life should appear on at least one of them?"
Ronald Knox, the Roman Catholic chaplain at Oxford University, responded to Haldane's allegation: "Sir," he said, "if Scotland Yard found a body in your trunk, would you tell them: 'There are millions of trunks in the world -- surely one of them must contain a body?' I think they would still want to know who put it there!"
It was a clever comeback and raised an important question. Was the emergence of life on earth a cosmic coincidence, a chance event, an accident of biochemistry? Or did someone put it here?
The Bible says clearly that God is the author and creator of life. The theory of evolution stands in opposition, claiming that life arose spontaneously. Which is true?
Interestingly, a growing number of scientists are stepping forward to question the theory of evolution. Why? Because nearly a century and a half after Darwin, they've come to think that there are still holes in the evidence.
The point is this: If we're not an accident, that means there's a purpose and meaning behind our existence. And if that's the case, we've all got an appointment with the Creator who put us here.