Review of: Brink G., van den. «I proizvela zemlya…» Khristianskaya vera i evolyutsiya. [«And the Earth Produced...» Christian Faith and Evolution] / trans. from the Netherlands and English. Moscow: Biblical and Theological Institute of St. Apostle Andrew,

Abstract

The relationship between Christian faith and evolutionary theory is one of the most acute and debatable issues, causing many disputes among both churchgoers and professional theologians. Today there is a widespread belief among Christians that a strictly literal understanding of the texts of Holy Scripture must be adhered to, rejecting modern evolutionary biology as imbued with the ideology of naturalism and atheism, and developing our own Christian science of creation, built on correct biblical (in the Protestant environment) or sacred-theological (in the Orthodox environment) principles. On the other hand, the incompatibility of religious faith and evolutionary biology is emphasized by such representatives of the "new atheism" as R. Dawkins, D. Dennett and others. The difficulty of reconciling Christian doctrine and modern evolutionary biology has been clearly demonstrated in many contemporary public discussions, in particular in the popular television program "I Do Not Believe" (TV channel "Spas").