:

V
c talk casually about thc Copcrnican Rcvolu
tion, which was basically a massivc and arrcst
ing rcadjustmcnt ol undcrstanding about thc
naturc ol thc univcrsc. Somcwhcrc in uropc Copcrnicus
proposcd a major ncw undcrstanding which rcarrangcd thc
position ol known cclcstial objccts, as though rcarranging
thc lurniturc in onc corncr ol a vast room such that wc who
wcrc in that corncr could scc thc largcr room.
A sccond Copcrnican Rcvolution, il you will, took placc
whcn Hubblc cmploycd thc latcst tclcscopc to cxplodc
thc sizc ol that alrcady largcr Copcrnican room by
proposing that all thosc littlc lights out thcrc in thc sky
wcrc actually cnormous univcrscs ol thcir own.
Morc rcccntly, still morc Copcrnican Rcvolutions havc
continucd to takc placc as our cosmologists puzzlc thcir
way morc dccply almost daily into incrcascd complcxitics
and unlathomcd mystcrics ol an cvcrlargcr phcnomcnon.
Vc arc lcss likcly to spcak ol thc Kcplcrian Rcvolu
tion, which, in dcvcloping thc mathematical dcscription
ol planctary motion, was basically an astounding lcap
lorward in awarcncss ol thc ordcrlincss ol naturc. No
onc had cvcr capturcd naturcs laws in mathcmatical
cquations. Soon altcr, thc rcvolutionary thinking cm
bodicd in thc Ncwtonian brcakthrough addcd dctails
to Kcplcrs alrcady ordcrly naturc.
Standing upon Ncwtons additional insights godly mcn
such as Faraday dramatically lurthcrcd our awarcncss
not only ol thc vcry cxistcncc ol laws ol naturc but
ol thc astonishing ways in which a knowlcdgc ol thosc
laws could bc harncsscd lor human usc. Hc was in onc
scnsc not only a scicntist but an cnginccr, not only
pcnctrating somc ol thc mystcrious phcnomcna wc
call magnctism and clcctricity but coming up with
among many othcr thingsthc clcctric motor and its
rcvcrsc, thc clcctric gcncrator.
n thc hccls ol thcsc cxcitcmcnts and rcarrangcmcnts
ol our thinking about naturc a doorway thcn opcncd
into a ncw dimcnsion ol complcxity, a tiny world total
ly invisiblc to thc nakcd cyc. !n many rcspccts all ol thc
carlicr brcakthroughs ol additional human apprchcn
sion ol naturc havc bccn almost totally cclipscd by thc
historically rcccnt lurthcr awarcncss ol thc sccmingly
uncnding complcxitics at thc small cnd ol thc scalc.
Tis ncw dimcnsion ol rcality includcs not only thc
impondcrablcs ol thc molccular and yct incrt rcalitics,
but thc innitcly morc complcx phcnomcnon ol lilc
itscll, NA, viruscs, bactcria, cclls, and parasitcs.
Tis ncw dimcnsion ol rcality has bccn cvcry bit as
Copcrnican in its dcmands lor intcllcctual rcarrangcmcnt.
Tc somcwhat simplistic arwinian schcmc ol cvcr morc
complcx lorms ol lilc has bccn lorccd to givc way to thc
awarcncss that ncithcr largcncss nor latcncss in history
ncccssarily coordinatc with complcxity. Tc houscy has
cycs that arc incrcdibly morc claboratc than humans.
Ccrtain vcry small lorms ol lilc navigatc by usc ol cclcstial
data. thcr tiny insccts havc a scnsc ol smcll that al
lows thcm to dctcct oating molcculcs a milc away. vcn
honcy bccs havc navigation systcms that havc long bccn
puzzling. Human scnsory apparatus is clumsy by compari
son to such cxamplcs. Yct humans do things that cvcn thc
most advanccd primatcs could not possibly do. Manag
ing thc words on this pagc, lct alonc thc thinking bchind
thcsc words or cvcn thc computcrgcncratcd lorms on my
scrccn, is totally bcyond any othcr lorm ol lilc.
Amidst all this rcccnt cxplosion ol both complcxity
and attcndant conlusion, wc arc in somc ways much
Teologizing Prehistory:
Implications for Mission
Ralph D. Winter
Transcript ol a lccturc dclivcrcd at thc US Ccntcr lor Vorld Mission, Pasadcna, CA, on July 31, 2001. Uscd with pcrmission.
: Tnvoiocizixc Pvvnis:ovv: !:viic~:ioxs vov Missiox
closcr to an ovcrall undcrstanding ol things. !ndccd !
do not bclicvc it is too carly to launch thcorics about
thc dcvclopmcnt ol lilc lorms which arc undcrgirdcd
with thcology, il you undcrstand thcology to mcan
thinking that makcs room lor an awarcncss ol intcn
tion and intclligcncc bchind natural rcalitics.
nc ol thc most lully cxplorcd rcalitics in thc past 50
ycars has bccn what is commonly rclcrrcd to as thc Rc
cord ol thc Rocks. Hcrc wc scc lilc lorms in a somcwhat
rcgular progrcssion ol sizc. Yct thc sizc ol dinosaurs docs
not corrclatc with intclligcncc, and ncithcr docs small
ncss coordinatc with simplicity. Ncvcrthclcss thc carlicst
cvidcnccs ol lilc arc in lact both smallcr and simplcr than
latcr lorms. For this apparcnt progrcssion arwin has his
thcory, around which much ol thc sccular world has ral
licd. Christians do not havc a similarly concrctc conscnsus
about how it all happcncd. Somc continuc to insist that
it all happcncd in an instant. ! do not qucstion that it is
a pcrlcctly rcasonablc idcathat God could havc crc
atcd our planct in an instant rcplctc with rock laycrs that
would givc thc imprcssion ol gradual lormation ovcr
immcnsc lcngths ol timc. Tat God could havc donc this,
howcvcr, is not thc samc as bclicving that this is thc way
God did it. thcr vangclicals back away cntircly lrom
conjccturing any dctails at all about how it happcncd,
thcy simply insist that God, not arwin, did it.
At lcast wc can rccognizc that among vangclicals
grcat stridcs havc bccn sccn latcly along thc lincs ol
thc cvidcncc ol intclligcnt dcsign in naturc. Yct, ncithcr
Michacl 8chc nor Philip Johnson wcrc ablc to answcr
thc qucstion poscd by a Canadian philosophcr in a
T\ dcbatc, ocs your God makc parasitcs: Tat is,
cvidcnccs lor cvil dcsign arc not hcard among Chris
tians as yct, dcspitc thc vcry cvidcnt violcnccdrcnchcd
naturc that is pcrlcctly visiblc to a small child.
Lct us ask, lor thc sakc ol discussion, what might
it mcan thcologically il thc socallcd Rccord ol thc
Rocks wcrc takcn at lacc valuc, and thc lourtccn cur
rcnt dicrcnt mcthods ol cstimating agc wcrc rcgardcd
as truc.
For onc thing, thc now cnormous mass ol inlormation
that has bccn gathcrcd docs at lcast indicatc that lorms
ol lilc that arc dcstructivc to othcr lorms ol lilc ap
pcarcd latc in thc rccord. And, whcn that kind ol cvil
appcarcd, it appcarcd pcrvasivcly. At cvcry lcvcl ol lilc,
lrom small lorms to largc, prcdatory lorms suddcnly
appcarcd. Currcnt thinking puts this curious cvcnt, an
aspcct ol which is oltcn rclcrrcd to as thc Cambrian
xplosion, at about 550 million ycars ago. From that
point until this momcnt, thcrc has bccn such constant
and pcrvasivc violcncc in naturc that it is common to
assumc that this is thc way it was intcndcd to bc, that
this is simply thc way it is, not going into any dctail
as to thc whcn or thc why ol how it happcncd.
Yct, all ol this crics out lor an cxplanation. Pcrhaps
multiplc trial cxplanations arc possiblc. nc that
comcs to my mind takcs scriously thc idca that thcrc is
a suprcmc, pcrsonal intclligcncc (whom wc havc callcd
God), and that this pcrson has crcatcd bcings oltcn
callcd hcavcnly mcsscngcrs (angcls), but actually much
morc than mcsscngcrsworkcrs, il you will. !t is pos
siblc to think ol such hcavcnly assistants as intclligcnt,
ablc to lcarn and to plcasc God, but apparcntly also bc
ing givcn truc lrcc will that has allowcd a considcrablc
numbcr ol thcm to bc in rcvolt whilc at thc samc timc
not bcing conlrontcd with old agc.
Tis is all you rcally nccd, thcn, to conccivc ol such
bcings as working lor God at thc NA lcvcl, many ol
thcm bcing ablc to tampcr with thc NA molcculc at
lcast as skilllully as our contcmporary scicntists, whosc
cnormous disadvantagc, lor onc thing, is thc sizc ol
human bcings in comparison to thc sizc ol thc nuclco
tidcs which makc up thc binary hclix molcculc which
is thc basic codc lor all ol lilc lorms.
Tc astonishing discovcry that a mousc, an clcphant,
and a man havc NA that is roughly 95 thc samc
givcs us insight into thc vast complcxity ol thc con
stitucnt clcmcnts ol cclls and thcir amazing contcnts,
and at thc samc timc an undcrstanding ol why it took
so long lor thcsc workcrs lor God to lcarn to do morc
than arrivc at thc ccllular lcvcl, apparcntly laboring
lour billion ycars or so bclorc anything vcry much
largcr than singlcccll lilc appcarcd possiblc. !t is likcly
a mcasurc ol our limitcd and rcccnt cducation about
tiny things that allows us to wondcr why it took so
long lor biggcr lorms ol lilc to appcar.
Vc can rcadily imaginc a scqucncc somcthing likc this:
1. Vc dont rcally know much about thc appcarancc
ol thc univcrsc itscll. To bclicvc that thc wholc
univcrsc suddcnly cxplodcd lrom a vcry tiny objcct
rcquircs morc laith by lar than any ol thc Christian
claims about thc miraclcs ol Jcsus. Vc do know that
thc phcnomcna to which wc rclcr as matcrial is
consistcnt with that lound on our planct and also
Ralph D. Winter :
outcr spacc, and that somchow thc laws ol gravi
tation, light, magnctism, ctc. arc also continuous
with what wc know ol outcr spacc. Tis knowlcdgc
lasts us long cnough to undcrstand at lcast partially
thc rcality and ordcrlincss ol thc pcriodic tablc ol
clcmcntsthc lantastic array ol largcr and largcr
atoms that undcrlic all that wc call matcrial.
2. 8ut apparcntly atoms and molcculcs ol thc kind
which composc what is tcchnically callcd thc
inorganic univcrsc arc thc basis not only ol all such
lorms ol mattcr but arc spccically thc building
blocks lrom which has bccn dcrivcd, somchow, that
othcr lar morc unimaginablc organic univcrsc.
Curiously all lilc utilizcs thc ubiquitous carbon atom.
Not all molcculcs built ol carbon arc organic, but all
organic chcmicals arc built around carbon.
3. nly lairly rcccntly in history havc human bcings
discovcrcd that all lorms ol lilc arc apparcntly built
up lrom and dcncd by an amazing codcd molcculc
callcd NA, a doublc hclix involving millions and
millions ol atoms. Notc that an additional intclligcncc
is apparcntly rcquircd lor a phcnomcnon which thus
lar sccms to bc uniquc to our planct, namcly lilc lorms.
Tc NA itscll docs not crcatc lilc unlcss it is codcd
intclligcntly. !t is likc having on our hands a computcr
languagc likc thc widcly lamiliar 8AS!C. All com
putcr programs arc built lrom what arc callcd languag
cs, but thc languagc itscll, likc thc nglish languagc,
docs not automatically crcatc litcraturc. !t is a usclul
codc to cmploy lor that purposc but a grammar book
docs not crcatc litcraturc. !ntclligcncc docs.
Tc vcry tinicst lilc lorms arc cnormously largcr
than thc undcrlying NA codc which dcncs thcir
naturc and lunction.
4. Tus, not only is thc NA molcculc itscll an incrcdibly
complcx rcality, its cndlcss potcntial lor dcning lilc is
unimaginably morc complcx, and would sccm to rc
quirc cvcn vcry intclligcnt angcls a long timc to mastcr.
5. !n lact, a major milcstonc was achicvcd whcn thc
angcls, no doubt lollowing Gods blucprints, crcatcd
thc rst ccll, cach onc containing in its nuclcus an cs
scntial codcd NA molcculc, but also an cnormous
assortmcnt ol othcr highly intcgratcd activity which,
il cnlargcd, would rcscmblc a largc city in complcxity.
6. ncc thc ccll was achicvcd, thcn building largcr
lilc out ol cclls bccamc a ncw challcngc, onc which
could and did accclcratc lar morc rapidly. Altcr lour
and a hall billion ycars, at roughly 550 million ycars
ago, in thc socallcd diacaran cra, wc scc both
radially symmctrical (likc a starsh) and bipo
lar symmctry, whcrc you havc a lront and a back.
Vhat you do not scc is any prcdatory lorms ol lilc.
Nowhcrc arc dclcnsivc mcasurcs likc shclls, spincs,
or ocnsivc dcviccs likc dcstructivc tccth. Up to this
point thc angcls wcrc laboring to crcatc ncw lorms
ol lilc. Tcy wcrc lcarning lrom thcir task and lrom
cach othcr, and in dicrcnt parts ol thc planct wcrc
producing dicrcnt rcsults.
7. 8ut thcn, a major astcroidal collision wipcd out a
grcat dcal ol thc lilc at that pointnot thc angcls,
not thcir knowlcdgc and skills but thcir handiwork.
Apparcntly, thc angcls immcdiatcly wcnt back to
work, and a lavish ncw array ol lilc lorms now ap
pcarcd in what is callcd thc Cambrian xplosion.
Somcthing totally ncw also appcarcd.
8. At prcciscly that momcnt a rcvolt must havc oc
currcd, which immcdiatcly pittcd thc loyal workcrs
against rcbcls, launching a sccsaw contcst which
would gcncratc not only ncw lorms ol lilc, but ncw
lorms ol dcstructivc lilc at cvcry lcvcl. Rcbcl work
crs who had long known how to makc NA and
protcins and so on could now both twist and distort
cxisting lorms ol lilc so as to makc thcm carnivo
rous. Tcy could also dcvisc dcstructivc rctroviruscs
that carry in a backpack, so to spcak, rcplaccmcnt
spans ol NA prcciscly dcsigncd to invadc cclls
and distort thc original NA codc in lilc lorms
largc and small. Tus, lrom thc Cambrian pcriod
until now naturc is a mad, wild, violcnt cauldron ol
killing and bcing killcd, at cvcry lcvcl.
Vas this rcvolt duc to discouragcmcnt on thc part ol
somc ol thc angcls: Vc havc no idca whatsocvcr how
and why a lcading supcrvisor and oncthird ol thc
angcls dclcctcd. !t is cnough to dcal with thc what this
timc and not puzzlc about thc why.
Tc story altcr thc Cambrian xplosion, cstimatcd at
550 million ycars ago, lollowcd both thc routinc con
tinuation ol thc school ol workcrs cvcr building largcr
and largcr lorms ol lilc ol all kinds, sca dwcllcrs, land
dwcllcrs and air bornc lorms ol lilc. Morc and morc
dclcnsc mcchanisms wcrc born. Tus, uniquc in thc
postdiacaran cra (that is, thc Cambrian and lollow
ing) has bccn thc appcarancc ol dclcnsivc shclls, spincs,
:6 Tnvoiocizixc Pvvnis:ovv: !:viic~:ioxs vov Missiox
poisons, protcctivc scalcs, and ghtback capabilitics. !t
sccms that cvcry lorm ol lilc had its particular prcda
tors. Many lorms ol lilc wcrc drivcn to cxtinction. To
day only onc tcnth ol onc pcrccnt ol thc various lorms
ol lilc sccn in thc Rccord ol thc Rocks still cxist. And,
ycs, thc loyal workcrs havc not only put togcthcr ncw
lorms ol lilc on schcdulc, but havc bccn lorccd simul
tancously to adapt thcm skilllully to dclcnd thcmsclvcs
against opposing lorms ol lilc. Tese adaptations can
most easily be understood as intelligent modications, not
just accidental or fortuitous mutations.
!n lact, il you rccct on thc 100ycar story ol thc dc
vclopmcnt ol thc automobilc in thc twcnticth ccntury,
you must takc into account thc millions ol largc and
small, but intclligcnt modications during that pcriod
pcrlormcd by thousands ol kccn dcsigncrs and cngi
nccrs, and by hundrcds ol thousands ol workcrs. Tis
amazing proccss, moving lrom thc Modcl T Ford to
thc contcmporary Lincoln Contincntal, produccd to
day in thc samc placc by thc samc company ol workcrs,
could bc dcscribcd as thc volution ol thc Amcrican
Automobilc, to cmploy that disputcd tcrm evolution in
this casc as a guided, intelligent proccss.
!n a parallcl way, loyal angcl workcrs may wcll havc bccn
busy across thc ycars dcvcloping not only ncw lorms ol
lilc but ncwly dclcnsccapablc lorms in vicw ol thc rc
lcntlcss onslaught ol lilcdcstroying varictics which havc
bccn thc labor and intclligcncc ol thc rcbcl workcrs.
Morc than oncc this grucsomc contcst got so bad that,
pcrhaps it was hclplul lor anothcr astcroid lrom outcr
spacc to collidc with thc carth and dcstroy a grcat dcal
ol both good and dcstructivc lorms ol lilc. !t is now
widcly bclicvcd that dinosaurs disappcarcd as thc rcsult
ol a vcry largc astcroid colliding with what wc know
today as thc Yucatan pcninsula in Mcxico. Notc wcll
that our contcmporary insancly incrcasing cxhaustion
ol lossil lucls is both allowcd and limitcd distinctly by
thc crcation ol lossil lucls through suddcn mass cxtinc
tion: oil rcsults lrom lossilizc animal lilc, coal rcsults
lrom lossilizcd plant lilc.
Many studics ol impact phcnomcna havc bccn donc sincc
thc Moon landing and its upsctting rcvclation about
astcroidal activity. 8y now it is prctty wcll scttlcd in sci
cntic circlcs that thc cxplosivc impact ol a largc astcroid
gcncratcs a global canopy ol dust lasting lor ycars, obscur
ing thc sun and moon, and only gradually thinning so as
to allow an awarcncss ol dark and light pcriods causcd
by arths rotation with rcspcct to thc Sun. Finally, it can
bc undcrstood that a collapsc ol thc rcmaining canopy
would allow suddcnly thc dircct rays ol Sun and Moon,
and, ol coursc, thc possibility ol a rainbow, which rcquircs
unobstructcd rays ol light to appcar. Tis is a scqucncc,
by thc way, that is ccrily rcminisccnt ol thc cvcnts carly in
thc biblical book ol Gcncsis.
At thc samc timc, lollowing a collision, thc loyal work
crs would sct about rcplacing lorms ol lilc cxtinguishcd
in a collision. !ndccd ncw and dicrcnt dcsigns would
bc possiblc. Tc suddcn ourishing ol ncw lorms ol
lilc lollowing major astcroidal collisions has always
puzzlcd arwinian thinkcrs, and clcarly lavors a
thcory ol dcsign ovcr chancc.
At somc point, thc Suprcmc 8cing may havc dccidcd
to launch a ncw and morc ccctivc countcrattack. Tis
sccms to havc occurrcd immcdiatcly lollowing a major
collision. Now wc arc approaching what could bc callcd
thc dcnic cxpcrimcnt, which in gcologic timc is vcry
rcccnt. For thc rst timc an cnormously signicantly
dicrcnt kind ol lilc was now lormcd. !n many rcspccts
similar to carlicr modcls, thc homo sapiens would bc
much morc capablc ol assisting thc loyal workcrs in thc
ncccssary dclcnsc and countcrattack against thc dcstruc
tivc lorccs. 8ut cvcn in this dcnic bcachhcad things
wcnt wrong, thc arch rival succccding in corrupting thc
divinc dcsign. Tc arch rival had lallcn long bclorc, at
thc onsct ol thc Cambrian pcriod. And during thc ncxt
hall billion ycars thc cxistcncc ol warring, antagonistic
lorms ol lilc bccomc thc norm, all ol that prcccding
dcn or thc cvcnts ol Gcncsis nc. Gcncsis 1:1 in thc
Hcbrcw implics not crcation out ol nothingthc word
bara bcing thc samc word a pottcr uscs in crcating a
potbut rathcr thc rchabilitation ol a planct cxtcnsivcly
damagcd by an astcroid (without lorm and void, dark
ncss upon thc dccp).
An astcroidal collision docs not usually kill all lorms
ol lilc. Vhcn dcn was crcatcd thcrc wcrc no doubt
many lorms ol lilc in cxistcncc outsidc ol thc gardcn,
among which thc charactcristic constant, allout war
was taking placc.
Tc ncw cxpcrimcnt was thc hopc, but now homo sapi-
ens also lcll and slowcd thc rcconqucst ol a plundcrcd
planct. !nsidc dcn as wcll as outsidc, countcrlorccs to
Crcativc csign cxistcd and took thcir toll. For many
ycars, not only dcstructivc cxtcrnal lorccs against homo
sapiens cxistcd, but rampant aggrcssion ol man against
Ralph D. Winter :
man prcvailcd. Tc rcplcnishing ol thc carth was
drastically slowcd by homicidal violcncc and pcrva
sivc discasc pathogcns. Tc most ancicnt cvidcnccs ol
homo sapicns display, charactcristically, skulls crushcd
by human instrumcntality, widcsprcad cannibalism,
as wcll as corruption by discasc. nly rcccntly and
rcluctantly has this morbid cvidcncc bccn rccognizcd
widcly in scholarly circlcs.
For many ccnturics human population grcw only vcry
slightly. For cxamplc, had our modcrn dcgrcc ol con
qucst ovcr discasc and war bccn in lorcc in Abrahams
day, human population ol an cstimatcd 28 million
could havc grown to 6 billion in only 123 ycars. Such
cxplosivc growth ol population has bccn impossiblc
until rcccntly, most ol thc story bcing onc ol ncarly to
tal ignorancc ol thc naturc and mcchanisms ol discasc.
!ncidcntally, thc advcnt ol homo sapiens brought litcracy
into thc picturc, and with litcracy camc documcnts
which in turn havc givcn risc to thc study ol history
(oltcn dcncd as thc pcriod during which writing
was in cxistcncc), thus cnding thc Prchistory pcriod.
Howcvcr, it is pcrlcctly obvious that much ol thc story
ol lilc is in thc prchistory pcriod. (!l thc vcbillion
ycar history ol this planct wcrc to bc rcprcscntcd by a
vclootlong bar on a blackboard, thc history pcriod
would only bc thc last 1/100,000 ol an inch.) Tus,
by thc timc homo sapiens appcars, and writing appcars,
most ol thc story, in onc scnsc, is ovcr, or at lcast wcll
cstablishcd. Furthcrmorc it is qucstionablc whcthcr thc
ocial history pcriod can bc wcll undcrstood without
thc backdrop ol prchistory.
For onc thing, only prchistory rccords a pcriod prior to
thc cxistcncc ol warring lilc lorms. Tcrclorc, il all wc
do is to tracc history wc do not cncountcr thc suddcn
appcarancc ol violcncc, and thus wc may vcry typically
bc blind to thc cxistcncc ol rampant cvil and antagonism
on a largc scalc. Vc may lurthcr bc blind to thc cxistcncc
ol an arch rival and, worst ol all, wc may thus imputc to
thc Suprcmc 8cing blamc lor cvil and sucring, which is
cxactly what thc ld Tcstamcnt sccms to do.
Rathcr, howcvcr, than to blamc God lor thc origin ol
cvil or to blamc thc 8iblc lor portraying Him in that
light, it sccms to mc bcttcr to undcrstand thc ld
Tcstamcnt pcrspcctivc as bcing an ovcrall pcrspcc
tivc, whilc thc Ncw Tcstamcnts constant rclcrcnccs
to Satan arc simply a morc spccic pcrspcctivc. Tc
bcst cxamplc is thc dual rclcrcncc to avids numbcr
ing thc pcoplc as lound both in 2 Samucl 24:1 and 1
Chroniclcs 24:1.
Tus thc story ol prchistory continucs csscntially into
thc nal momcnts ol thc story ol lilc on carth. Tc main
ncw lactor is thc cxistcncc ol an incrcdibly morc intcl
ligcnt spccics, its lall and thc uniquc corrcctivc ol thc
Sccond Adam lurthcr prcssing thc claims ol Gods
rulc, His Kingdom right down to thc prcscnt momcnt.
For us today thc challcngc is to undcrstand thc gi
gantic conict which continucs unabatcd, but which
is rapidly bcing modicd as both discasc and war arc
rclativcly diminishcd, and as human awarcncss ol Sa
tanic opposition to and distortion ol crcation incrcascs.
Much ol thc history ol mcdicinc is thc rclativcly blind
but hclplul opposition to Satanic corruption, which
has cnormously accclcratcd in thc last lcw ycars. Mod
crn gcncsplicing illuminatcs thc way thc vcry naturc
ol othcrwisc violcnt lorms ol lilc can bc rcstorcd to
pcacclul cocxistcncc. Tat is, against thc backdrop ol
progrcssivc insight into naturc is thc rathcr suddcn
and totally uncxpcctcd appcarancc ol thc complcxity
ol thc world ol microbiology. ! havc alrcady spokcn ol
thc nccd to thcologizc this ncw and cnormous world
ol microbiology. Tc lurthcr task is to thcologizc thc
cntirc story ol prchistory.
Missiological Implications
! havc stipulatcd bclorc that thc idcas prcscntcd in this
articlc arc highly spcculativc. Howcvcr, whcn wc try to
cvangclizc thc 160,000 highly cducatcd scicntists in
Hydcrabad, !ndia, lor cxamplc, wc must havc at lcast a
thcologically sound spcculation about what they think
they know about thc main cvcnts ol carth history. !ndia
is highly industrializcd, and thc millions ol Vcstcrn
cducatcd Hindus havc somcthing likc an intcllcctual
dual pcrsonality. !l wc cant win this cuttingcdgc
sphcrc, wc laltcr dcspcratcly in our sharing ol thc
Gospcl with thc 600 million Hindus. 8ut vangclicals
also havc a tough timc dcaling with and digcsting thc
world ol scicncc.
Scicntists in Hydcrabad will likcly havc a Hindu prc
disposition to bclicvc that all cvil is ol God (ominously
similar to Augustincs ncoPlatonism bcqucathcd to
Aquinas, Calvin, and contcmporary pastors), and thus,
will havc no initial intcrcst in thc Christian undcr
standing ol Satan. Howcvcr, ! dont lccl vangclical
thcology dcncs vcry much in dctail lor Satan to bc
:8 Tnvoiocizixc Pvvnis:ovv: !:viic~:ioxs vov Missiox
doing cithcr. Tc hardcst thing lor thc thcistic position
that wc hold (in contrast to Hindu thought) is our am
biguous thcological inhcritancc in rcgard to thc origin
ol what ! would call dclormcd lilc. To rchabilitatc
Satan, so to spcak, and bcgin to put thc blamc on him
lor widcsprcad distortion ol Godcrcatcd lilc lorms, is
to mc thc most satislying (spcculativc) way to conlront
thc pcrvasivc violcncc and cvil in naturc, thc cxistcncc
ol dcadly bactcria, incrcdibly intclligcnt parasitcs, ctc. !
think this pcrspcctivc (albcit spcculation) can bc clcc
trilying to kccn intcllccts with a Hindu background,
bccausc in that background lics at lcast dormant and
unrcsolvcd thc swccping conviction that all lilc is sa
crcd, and, ol coursc, thc rcsulting paradox that so much
ol it is dcadly, violcnt and lilcdcstroying.
Furthcrmorc, our cvangclism ol Hindus is bluntcd and
wcakcncd scriously, it would sccm, by our own unrc
solvcd inhcritancc in rcgard to cvil. Vc nd it dicult,
yct logical, givcn Augustincs input, that thc pastors
ol Massachusctts gangcd up on Jonathan dwards to
condcmn him lor intcrlcring with ivinc Providcncc
whcn hc sct out to protcct his missioncld !ndians
lrom that vcry dcadly pathogcn (by now climinatcd)
smallpox. Vc cannot and do not normally in our cvan
gclism claim that God is not thc author ol smallpox,
malaria, ctc. Vc lcavc it to our hcarcrs to supposc that
our God cithcr docs not know ol thc ravagcs ol malaria,
docs not carc, or docs not havc thc ability to do any
thing to climinatc this kind ol sucring and dcath. My
spcculation is that our Gospcl would carry lar grcatcr
conviction il wc allicd our God on thc sidc ol planncd
opposition to thcsc dcadly pathogcns, rathcr than lct
ting this bc thc cxclusivc domain ol thc ncw gods, thc
scicntists. ! havc spcculatcd, as you can scc, that thcsc
dcadly pathogcns arc Satans work, spccically thc rcsult
ol his dark angcls tinkcring with NA. Vould our
usual cvangclism do wcll to contain that thought, clcarly
absolving our God lrom such blatant cvil: