That's the title of an interesting entry recently on the Christianity Today blog (click here to read it).

The long and short of it is that some progressive (that's the more congenial term for "liberal" these days) evangelical theologians are reinterpreting the Creation account in Genesis to say that Adam and Eve were fictional characters. They were symbols utilized by the biblical writer to teach us spiritual truths. That's the gist of it.

Adam and Eve did not exist because (they say) the first humans emerged (on the evolutionary scale) as a community of at least 10,000 or so individuals—not merely one man and one woman created by God. The genetic evidence (they claim) proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the human race could not possibly have begun with a single couple (Adam and Eve).

They are undeterred by the references in the NT to a singular individual named Adam who stood as the federal head of the human race (e.g., Rom. 5:14) or by the Pauline parallelism in other passages (e.g., 1 Cor. 15:22-45) clearly showing that Paul believed Adam was the first human. Paul was simply mistaken, these purveyors of theistic evolution claim.

I am not a scientist, so I'm not going to get drawn into a technical debate about the pros and cons of these genetic theories and claims. One thing I have learned over the years is that it's wise to keep silent about topics we know little or nothing about—although I readily admit that I still suffer occasional lapses in this regard. But this isn't going to be one of those times.

There are solid Christians who are also capable, credentialed scientists, so I'll let them duke it out with the opposition. They don't need my help.

Also, let's not jump all over Christianity Today. They're just reporting it. It would be a misdirection of our indignation if we killed the messenger here. It's actually good that CT reports stuff like this. Many believers have their own churches and their own circle of believing friends and acquaintances, but they know relatively little about anything beyond that immediate circle and personal experience. Even on the Internet, we tend to visit sites that are within our personal comfort zone (that is, they're compatible with our own beliefs). But we need to be aware of what's going on out there in the wider Christian world.

If you're interested in reading a defense of the traditional view, I recommend this monograph ("Adam and Eve as Historical People and Why It Matters") by Professor John Collins of Covenant Theological Seminary: (click here). Jack's perspective is particularly helpful because of his understanding of science (he received his undergrad training at MIT) and theology (he holds an M.Div. as well as a Ph.D. in Hebrew linguistics).

Keep the faith, my friend. Scientific theories and speculation change almost daily, but God's Word never changes. Remember, we're standing on the Rock:

"In God [is] my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, [And] my refuge, [is] in God" (Psalm 62:7).