"Christian" Theistic Evolution and the Pace of Time

One of the paradigmatic problems understanding the origin and development of the universe from the standpoint of "Christian" theistic evolution concerns the pace of time.

If evolution, deemed slow by theistic evolutionists today, is responsible for the origin of all the species including man, then our expectation of the pace of time is "very slow."  The origin of all the species, including man, took a few billions of years to be accomplished, according to current standards, beginning with the big bang.  It really wasn't a "creation" in the theological sense at all.

It is plausible, then, that the progress of history, under the evolutionary regime, would likewise be slow.  Perhaps it could take 10,000 years (or 10,000,000 years?) for Christ to return.

Furthermore, if the first "creation" (which isn't actually a "creation") took so long, why shouldn't the so-called "recreation" of the new heavens and the new earth also be an evolutionary process that takes just as long? If the first so-called "creation" was actually a natural process operating under the providence of God, why shouldn't the second be the same?  Why should the so-called recreation take place for us believers "in the blink of an eye," when the first creation took billions of years?

Conclusion

The whole purpose of theistic evolution is to reconcile Christianity to organic evolution, as naturalistically understand today, because of the supposed scientific proof of the hypothesis of evolution.  But, this is done by doing away with "creation."  Instead of "creation," there is only the hidden hand of "divine providence" acting to control the pace and direction of organic evolution through the workings of natural law, in directions which result in the origin of our species, and in the direction of the so-called "creation" of man.  But, it just isn't creation any more.  And, if there is no creation, then why should there be any  instantaneous recreation either?

Why is it any easier to believe in the transformation of the cosmos when Christ returns than it is to believe in the actual creation of the cosmos by Christ at the beginning?  Why is the process of creation, which stands outside the bounds of science, judged by "science"?  True science, which exists, cannot judge the bounds and limits of real creation.  That's the whole point of the concept and the doctrine of creation!

A real creation is an article of the Christian faith, not the result of scientific inquiry.

 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.  (Heb 11:1-3)

Polytheism -- Again?

Though the pagans of historic antiquity knew of the great God who made all things (Acts 17), they were much more at home putting him out of their minds, and worshiping the small gods instead.  

In fact, I suspect that the idea that one god was big enough to govern all nations must have seemed unreasonable.  The inhabited world is too big for one god.  One has much more reliable contact with the divine if one worships gods which are closely associated with one's homeland or perhaps the neighbors.

But, now that the non-divine ones can travel around the world in hours or a couple of days in subsonic jet planes, this has changed.  Perhaps one god can govern the whole world.  But, can one god govern the cosmos which has supposedly been expanding for billions of years?  Did the Fall of Adam affect the most distant galaxy?  Instantly?  Is your god big enough for that?  The preponderance of "naturalism" in the "advanced" world's thought today simply says "No!" to that.  The universe is too big for the Fall of Adam and all the other things said in Genesis to be paradigmatic for the whole thing.

See!  The change is just a matter of scale.  God has always been too small to suit the reason of man.

This is why Christians should not argue from within the confines of the present, modern, naturalistic world-view, when they argue that creationism and Genesis must be true.  God is too big for that.  It really is true that the cosmos was made supernaturally in all its vast capacities and extent, and was all made by an infinitely more vast God who exists outside all created things.

Let us be Christian theists!  Let us believe the Word of God, that the cosmos was created from nothing by the Word of God, and let us know and believe that all attempts to bring Christianity into correspondence with naturalism in any form -- be it evolution or otherwise -- are simply futile.

Righteousness vs. Wrath

In Romans chapter 1, why doesn't Paul write that the righteousness of God is revealed from Heaven in his wrath which he is planning to inflict on the godless (vs 18)? Instead, in the previous verse Paul writes that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel (vs 17).  In fact, the righteousness which is spoken of there is the righteousness that is given to sinners for their salvation.

So in one verse, God is righteous to give righteousness to the undeserving and sinners, and in the next verse God is righteous to reveal his wrath against the godless who do not receive his righteousness.

But, just speaking from these two verses, the most exalted revelation of God's righteousness is in the righteousness by which he makes sinners righteous.