Doesn’t Evolution Explain Everything?
A thoughtful look at what evolution can explain—and what it can’t.
Many people assume that modern evolutionary theory has made God unnecessary.
The reasoning often goes something like this:
“If evolution explains how life developed,
doesn’t that mean God had nothing to do with it?”
It’s a sincere question.
And it deserves a gentle, clear, and scientifically responsible response.
Here is a simple way to think about it.
1. Evolution explains change—but not the origin of life itself
Evolution (even in its strongest form) describes how living things change over time through processes like:
natural selection
genetic variation
mutation
adaptation
But evolutionary theory begins only after life already exists.
It does not explain:
how life began in the first place
why the universe produces life-friendly chemistry
where the first genetic information came from
how consciousness emerged
why humans have moral awareness, reason, beauty, and love
Evolution is a description of development,
not a complete explanation of existence.
It’s one chapter in the story—
not the entire book.
2. Many Christians accept evolution as part of God’s creative process
A large number of Christian scientists, biologists, and theologians have no issue affirming:
God as Creator
evolution as one of the tools God uses inside creation
Examples include:
Francis Collins (Human Genome Project)
Jennifer Wiseman (NASA astrophysicist)
John Polkinghorne (physicist)
These Christians see no contradiction between evolution and belief in a purposeful Creator.
Just as God uses:
gravity to structure the universe
chemistry to sustain life
water cycles to nourish ecosystems
…He could also use evolution to shape the development of life.
Evolution and design are not mutually exclusive.
3. Evolution does not explain the fine-tuning of the universe
For evolution to even begin, the universe must already have:
stable atoms
predictable physical laws
a precise balance of forces
carbon chemistry
long-lived stars
a life-friendly planet
complex molecules
The probability of these conditions arising by chance is astonishingly small.
Evolution works within a universe fine-tuned for life.
It doesn’t explain why the universe is fine-tuned in the first place.
That question points beyond biology
to the deeper structure of reality.
4. Evolution explains biology—not meaning, morality, or the human soul
Even if evolution is the correct mechanism for biological change,
it cannot explain:
why humans seek beauty
why we long for justice
why we have moral obligations
why we write poetry
why we love sacrificially
why we feel guilt or hope
why consciousness exists at all
These are not biological accidents.
They are part of what it means to be human.
Christianity offers an explanation that evolution cannot touch:
Humans are made in the image of God.
With:
mind
creativity
moral awareness
spiritual longing
Evolution can describe the body.
It cannot explain the soul.
5. Evolution is a scientific model—not a complete worldview
Some people take evolution and stretch it into a philosophy called:
naturalism
materialism
“nothing but” thinking
This worldview says:
“If evolution explains some things,
then it explains everything.
And God must not exist.”
But that’s not science.
That’s a philosophical claim.
Science can study mechanisms.
It cannot declare that only mechanisms exist.
Evolution as biology is solid.
Evolution as a total worldview is an overreach.
6. Christianity is not threatened by scientific explanations
Christianity has always believed that:
the world is orderly
nature follows patterns
we are meant to study creation
God works through natural processes
Christians don’t say:
“Rain is a miracle”—we understand water cycles.
“Food appears magically”—we understand agriculture.
“Bodies heal by magic”—we understand medicine.
But we still believe God is behind it all.
Similarly, if evolution is true,
Christians can say:
“That’s how God created.”
A mechanism does not erase a Maker.
7. The real question is not ‘How did life change?’ but ‘Why is there life at all?’
Evolution might describe natural processes,
but it cannot explain:
why the universe exists
why science works
why the laws of physics are mathematical
why consciousness awakened
why humans search for meaning
why we experience spiritual longing
Christianity answers these questions with a coherent story:
Life is not an accident.
The universe is not an accident.
You are not an accident.
So does evolution explain everything?
No.
Evolution may explain aspects of biological development,
but it does not explain:
why the universe exists
why the universe is fine-tuned
why life began
why consciousness arose
why we have souls
why morality exists
why we long for meaning
why beauty matters
why love is real
Evolution is a valuable scientific model—
but it is not the whole story.
Christianity offers the larger framework:
A world created with purpose,
guided by wisdom,
and filled with meaning.
Science helps us understand how life works.
Christianity helps us understand why life matters.
You don’t have to choose.