I find your contribution to this Forum most welcome, Kelly. It deals with the most important reason for Biologos’ existence: at adolescence , reconciling religious Faith and the world of Science that surrounds us . In my case, I was educated K-8 in a sheltered parochial school and began high school on a ‘science track’. I was about your son’s age when I was introduced to the ‘theory of evolution’. It excited me so, and I could hardly wait to get home and discuss it with my Mom. This was 1937 and I was 13.
Her response: Maybe YOU descended from monkeys, but I DID NOT!!
I was disappointed. Luckily, I had enough good sense, even at that young age, to realize that up to that point. (40+ yrs), she had lived a happy, purposeful life based upon ( Catholic-based) YEC principles, and thus, until I knew more about the theory of evolution, I should NOT try to ‘fix’ something that wasn’t ‘broken’.
I continued on with a lifelong career in science (I am a 70 yr. member of ACS), and since evolution made better and better sense to me as I progressed, I admittedly came close at times to casting aside my Christian Faith for atheism or at least agnosticism. Works by the Jesuit, Teilard de Chardin (and his interpreters (e.g. Ilia Delio) helped keep me on track, as did the contributors to this Forum. I am sure you will find the earlier responders to your post have some very helpful suggestions based on several points of view: e.g.
(1) @Relates; (perhaps the most ‘orthodox’)
(2) @mitchellmckain; (perhaps the most science-based)
(3) @Boscopup; (like me–the Prodigal returns)
The ‘Al Leo’ Worldview is somewhat a blend of the above, but it may be a bit too UNorthodox for your liking. I believe in a God who dearly loves what He has created but has infinite patience and, rather than give each ‘created element’ some sort of 'perfection ’ at the beginning, He gives each some sort of freedom to interact with its changing environment. Elements in the Cosmosphere interact according to physicals laws, but evolution allows elements of Life (after He began the Biosphere) to struggle somewhat to survive in a changing environment. Thus the life forms that He created on planet Earth become more complex, more capable by passing on somewhat Selfish Genes.. Not entirely Selfish, though. Some co-opertive, altruistic behavior began to take hold in the later stages (beginning with symbiosis in eukaryotes, and becoming noticeable much later in birds and mammals). So I believe that God saw the potential of one of His creatures having the potential to strive to become a True Image of Himself (or better ‘of Herself’) To do so, these creatures (Homo sapiens, it turns out) had to ‘die to their Old Selves’–their Selfish Genes–and to perfect their Love of Neighbor. To overcome the innate reluctance for humans to do so, God sent Jesus into this world, a human who was so perfect and loving that He rightly could claim Sonship with God.
Jesus calls each of us to ‘take up the Cross’ (cast aside selfishness) and follow Him to create a New Kingdom. When we cast aside this generous invitation, we sin. In other words, I believe we were not created Perfect and then Fell; rather, we were created to become Images of our Creator but declined the invitation.
Kelly, I pray that you and your son find the Truth which you seek.
Al Leo