Creation and Evolution... Buddies of faith and God?

Similar to last term i am answering tricky questions raised by the teens at the youth group. This week...

Creation and Evolution… How do they fit in with believing in God and what the Bible says?

First, it would make sense to read Genesis 1 and ask a few questions...

Does this chapter read like a science textbook?
Does it read like poetry?
What point do you think God is trying to make about Himself, people and the world?

Second, people who follow God, love Jesus and are committed to growing the church disagree wildly on this issue. Some think it is absolutely vital. Others think it is more of a side issue. Some think that creation must have happened the way the bible says. Others are open to this not being the situation. Whatever the case…
You are saved by how you have responded to Jesus and if you have put your trust in Him and what He has done. You are not saved by how you have responded to the question of how life began.

Personally (this is Graham speaking, my 2c, not necessarily God), I place this issue down the list of issues that we need to fuss over.

I am comfortable with evolution. It has been seen that animals evolve to fit their surroundings. Darwin saw this with the neck a tortoise and the beak of a bird. This is micro evolution (meaning small).

But, this doesn’t definitely mean that single celled organisms became multi celled-began to move-grew tails-sprouted limbs-became amphibians-became lizards-became birds-became mammals-became monkeys-became humans. This is macro evolution (meaning big). Maybe it did happen that way. Perhaps not. The evidence isn’t conclusive for me.

And I don’t think it absolutely matters.

Because I’m not convinced that the point of Genesis 1 is the METHOD God created.
I think the point we are to learn is that God DID create. That God did get involved and made humans. That humanity was set apart to be in relationship with their Maker and to exercise responsible rule over the rest of creation.

For me, this is the point.

That is how I deal with the question of creation and the “problem” of evolution.

Anyway… if you were going to try and explain evolution to a society that new nothing of cells and genetics and little of adaptations, how would you go about it?