Sean wrote:

Hi Ken,

Would you or someone else have a rough idea of the percentages for Creationist Christians and those who believe in evolution? Though I am now an atheist, I went to a Christian school and I was taught evolution. Nearly everyone I knew was, to one degree or another, a Christian, however, I didn’t know of even one of them disbelieving in evolution, let alone considering it evil. The first time I ever became aware of an opposing minority, was when I found a Jehovah’s Witness flyer on the footpath. Perhaps Australia was different in this regard.

The irony is, that Creationists hardly acknowledge that evolution is accepted in Christendom, at all.

I responded:

If a ‘someone else’ might respond:

Of fundamentalist Christians who believe in a doctrine of inerrancy – high 90s%

‘Evangelicals’ (like me) who distinguish themselves from ‘Fundamentalists’ as a genre (but not from some Fundamentalist doctrines) would mostly have an open mind, or if they come down anywhere, a majority would be open to God’s using some sort of evolutionary process in creation. Most of these would agree with my thesis that the proton (in the Genesis saga) and the eschaton (apocalyse/Revelation) do not address the questions ‘When?’ and ‘How? but two others: ‘Who?’ and ‘Why?’

Mainline Christians, especially those who’ve had a formal theological education, would not be creationists at all – or only a small minority – in single figures – might. Just about all those in this latter group I’ve met became very conservative theologically after a charismatic experience! Work that out!.

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Shalom! Rowland Croucher