Darwin or Jesus? Are Darwin and Jesus as opposed to one another as many are convinced? What has Darwinian evolution contributed to society? Can naturalism free people from Jesus of Nazareth, the God of the Bible, and the church?

Darwin as a Secular Idol

Secular society idolizes Charles Darwin and endears human evolution as a fundamental teaching for all children. No longer is humanity made in the image of the biblical Creator as though God is the standard of goodness. Darwin reaches farther placing the value of humankind on a scale of development. Secularism has changed the value of human life. The purpose of humankind does not set the value of every person, and yet humanity’s ability and state of evolution does. No longer is the Creator self-evident to secularists. Charles Darwin boldly asserted the social status of people according their status in evolution for races and women.

Darwin’s Conclusions about “Negroes”

Where does Charles Darwin put women and black people in the ranks of evolution? Darwin followed the reasoning of “The Origin of Species.” Writing in his work “The Descent of Man,” Darwin noted “savages” including “negroes,” Polynesians, and Australians in his descent of man. Darwin thought,

At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes, as Professor Schaaffhausen has remarked, will no doubt be exterminated. The break will then be rendered wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as at present between the negro or Australian and the gorilla. (Charles R. Darwin, “On the Affinities and Genealogy of Man,” Vol. 1 in The Descent of Man. London: John Murray, 1874. 201)

Charles Darwin saw varying levels of evolution among the races. Darwin perceived that one race may exterminate the savage races including the “negro” and the Australian. However, in such a word, it will be “a more civilised state.” On Darwin’s levels of evolutionary development, Caucasians are the highest and the “negro” and Australian are the closest to the gorilla.

Jesus and Other Races

Darwin or Jesus? — Many have chosen Jesus. Jesus and His disciples were not men of their time like Darwin’s advocates suggest for him. The Bible is in absolute opposition to racism. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God’s people accepted believers of other ethnicities. By the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Peter proclaimed in Acts 10:28, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” Remember Jesus commanded, “While going, make disciples of all the nations [ethnei]” (Matt 28:19).

“God shows personal favoritism to no man” (Gal 2:6). Christians are to openly stand and oppose partiality and prejudice (Gal 2:11–14). Paul wrote in Colossians 3:10–11, “and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.” Race and ethnicity is not degraded by the Christian faith. The proclamation of the apostle Paul affirms,

[God] made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26–27)

By the Christian Scriptures, there is no partiality from God for race or ethnicity in God’s judgment of the deeds of mankind.

[T]ribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. (Rom 2:9–11)

Darwin’s Conclusions about Women

What does Darwin conclude about the evolution of women? Darwinian evolution places the intellect of women below men. Again from “The Descent of Man,” Charles Darwin declared,

Man is more courageous, pugnacious, and energetic than woman, and has a more inventive genius. His brain is absolutely larger, but whether relatively to the larger size of his body, in comparison with that of woman, has not, I believe been fully ascertained. (Darwin, Charles R. “Secondary Sexual Characters of Man,” Vol. 2 of The Descent of Man. London: John Murray, 1874. 316–317)

The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shewn by man attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than woman can attain—whether requiring deep thought, reason, or imagination, or merely the use of the senses and hands. If two lists were made of the most eminent men and women in poetry, painting, sculpture, music, —comprising composition and performance, history, science, and philosophy, with half-a-dozen names under each subject, the two lists would not bear comparison. (Darwin, Charles R. “Secondary Sexual Characters of Man.” Vol. 2 in The Descent of Man. London: John Murray, 1874. 327)

Was Darwin simply a man of his times as his advocates declare? Darwin’s conclusions are fitting for many who accept the assertion of human evolution from apes.

Jesus and Women

What about Jesus? Were not Jesus and His apostles men of the times as well? Jesus teaches that both man and woman were created on the same day in the image of God (Gen 1:27; 5:2; Mark 10:6). In addition to being created in the image of God, woman is made to be the glory of man (1 Cor 11:7). The ability and intellect of women is never limited in the Bible even though their roles are different from men by God’s blessing upon each sex. Complementary glories do not change the equal value of either sex.

Women are baptized into the church as much as men (Acts 8:12). Both woman and man are one and heirs of the blessings in Christ. “There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:27). Christian women prophesied teaching by revelation (1 Cor 11:5). A righteous woman like Anna was a prophetess. Mary was blessed in bearing Jesus. Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit and spoke blessings to Mary. Women traveled and supported Jesus’s ministry (Luke 8), and women were the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ (Luke 24:1-12). Women served as ministers (Rom 16:1). Dorcas led by example being full of good works and charitable deeds. Lydia owned her business. Elder women taught the younger women (Titus 2:3). Young women taught being given the gift of prophesy (Acts 21:9). Christian women are to rule the house (1 Tim 5:14). Women owned property (Prov 31). Jesus had to instruct women not to divorce their husbands (Mark 10:12). Women had rights.

Information about the Bible and Women

Is the Bible no better than Darwin in promoting the oppression of women? Of certainty, this is not true. The New Covenant does teach that women are to be peaceable in learning (1 Tim 2:11). Some have translated “peaceable” as “silent,” this is the same word translated for all Christians to be “peaceable” in life (1 Tim 2:2). The Spirit of Jesus Christ did speak through the apostle Paul instructing Christian women not to rule or teach over men (1 Tim 2:12).

Would that not be a rebellious disposition for women to rule over men? That may be too disappointing for the pride of some now and in the midst of societies like Corinth and Ephesus where women did rule the pagan cults. The curse of sin works upon godless women to exercise authority over men, and the result is the cruel treatment of men upon women (Gen 3:16). However, the Scriptures do not teach men or even church elders to Lord over women either (1 Pet 5:1–4). Subordination is taught for men and women in various circumstances (1 Pet 2:13–20). Submission is a part of the Christian faith for all Christians.

All Christians are to submit to one another (Eph 5:21). From Ephesians 5:21, verse 22 borrows the verb which is otherwise absent to instruct Christian women to submit to their husbands. Christian women choose to subordinate themselves to their Christian husbands of whom God commands these men to sacrificially love, cherish, and nourish their wives (Eph 5:22–33). Furthermore, Peter revealed God’s command that Christian women to subordinate to such a Christian man or to subordinate to an unbelieving husband to convert him (1 Pet 3:1–2). That may offend some women who are discouraged by the idea of submitting to the love, warmth, and care of a Christian husband or persuading an unbelieving men by their example. Never does Christian Scripture tell men to force or oppress women into subordination.

“Oh, but what about 1 Corinthians 14:34?” With Christian women being instructed to choose to subordinate to their husbands, they are also to allow their virtuous Christian men to lead. God blessed men with this birth right (1 Tim 2:13). Therefore, God commanded Christian women not to speak out in the assembly (1 Cor 14:34–37). Men are also told not to speak out of order in the assembly (1 Cor 14:26–33). All because men have this separate function by birth right suddenly some feminine inclinations are appalled by Christian virtues. All of this is as sexist as men are naturally excluded from bearing children and nursing. Some women do not honor such these natural roles. Many men do not honor their role to lead and fear doing so. Both sexes can be hesitant of their propriety. However, the Creator of men and women knows more about the nature of genders than Darwin does. In the Christian Scriptures, there is no limit on the ability of women rather women being made in the glory of men having some separate gifts and instructions from God. God did create woman the very day that God created man. God also saw that man needed help. Christians honor Christian women.

The Values and Abilities of Humanity

No matter one’s function in society, God has made all of humanity with equal value in His image. Every good thing comes from God (Jas 1:17). Maybe those, who are prejudice against the apostle Paul, could think of honestly considering his words. The Spirit of Christ guided the apostle Paul to state,

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. (Rom 12:3–6)

Each person’s abilities come from God as He blesses. Each person’s value is embedded in God and not in climbing the tree of evolution to become the alpha ape.

Darwin’s Shame and Jesus’s Glory

Darwin or Jesus? — Darwin’s morals are baseless and shameful. When someone turns to Jesus Christ, they find the purest of morals and all established upon the proven convictions of faith. Jesus taught: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and “just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt 5:44). “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:12–13). “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Darwinism Devaluing of the Virtue of Love

How can evolution define love? According to evolution, love is either a survival instinct and, or a human invention, and thereby, the behavior became a part of humanity’s nature without free will. The Bible shows love to be eternal and the greatest virtue of God, so much that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Only the Christian Scriptures contain the most precise definition of love (1 Cor 13; 1 John 2–4). A person can wrangle with the Bible all day, and yet find no greater moral system. The Christian faith is the only religion based on sacrificial love. Otherwise, Darwinists hatefully mock and add legs to the Christian symbol of the ichthus fish, which presents Jesus Christ as God, Son, and Savior.

The choice is yours. Darwin or Jesus? — Darwin’s Evolution or Jesus’s Creation (Mark 10:6)? The likeness of an ape or the likeness of God’s image? Racism or faith in Christ? Sexism or made in God’s image?