Hi Glenn,
Thank you for sharing your opinions on the GAE theory. You mention having read Dr Swamidass’s PSCF article a few years back. From my understanding, Dr. Swamidass’s ideas have been more fully flushed out in recent years. He has had lots of discussions with scientists and theologians since that paper published to help him think through some of the ideas and to determine where the theory might be helpful. Dr. Swamidass addresses the points that you bring up in his book. Have you had a chance to read the book? He blogs very actively on his forum, so you could discuss your challenges to his theory directly with him there:
I posted some of my opinions on the helpfulness of the GAE book in a thread that was recently closed:
And I am currently reading @Jon_Garvey’s book on the topic, The Generations of Heaven and Earth, to get a better understanding of the theological implications of the GAE theory, as well. Here’s a publisher’s summary of the main points made in Garvey’s book:
With regard to your challenge about genealogical isolation, Dr Swamidass makes these points in his book:
- While is it is likely that Tasmania has remained isolated for thousands of years, it is not scientifically possible to prove complete and total genealogical isolation. Even if Tasmania had been fully isolated for the past 6,000 years, moving the date of Adam and Eve back to 15,000 years ago would decrease the likelihood of isolation.
- The Bible does not speak with such scientific precision. Even if a small number of people had remained genealogically isolated, they would be rare, undetectable exceptions. Thus, the genealogical hypothesis would satisfy the theological claim (which is not an absolutely precise scientific claim) that all people descend from Adam, and that sin and death spread to all people through Adam (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
- Christian theology can (and would) give full human dignity and worth to people outside the Garden
Dr Swamidass spends more than half his book delving into ideas about how definitions of personhood, human, and image of God could intersect with the GAE theory. He spends a chapter explaining how the GAE theory is to be clearly distinguished from historically racist ideas of polygenesis. Swamidass’ model builds off of a 2004 Rohde, et al Nature paper. I recall that paper being big news when I was in graduate school, because it surprisingly pointed out how connected and related all races are around the world are, which helps break down racist ideas.
The News and Views on the paper is freely available:
https://www.nature.com/articles/431518a
The original nature paper is behind a paywall:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02842
Swamidass is also very clear in his model that “people outside the garden” have full dignity and human worth. On page 115, he also has a table that states that it would be possible to say that all categories of people could have the image of God, including the people outside the garden, Adam and Eve, and the decedents of Adam and Eve (textual humans). However, how they came into being differed in that they either evolved, were created de novo, or descended from Adam and Eve, respectively.
Of course views on this would depend on your definition of the image of God. It is a great mystery of what it means to be made in the image of God that has been discussed by many theologians across generations. Theistic evolutionists, evolutionary creationists, old earth creationists, and the GAE theory all have similar challenges in how to explain the concepts of the image of God as well as original sin. None of the answers are fully satisfying, but in my mind, the idea that various options are available means that there must be an answer to these questions. While these ideas are very interesting to think about, I also think that it is unlikely that any of us will find the full and complete answers until we get to heaven.
Glenn, if I remember correctly, I believe that you have put together your own theory about how to concord evolutionary theory with Biblical Christianity. Would you please point remind me how your theory works? Was there a link where you explained your ideas?
I also agree with what George said:
Dr Swamidass’ approach is not one of cowardliness. He is not meaning to be evasive, rather his goal is to open up dialogues between people of different views.