Evolution. In 1859 Charles Darwin published his famous work "On the Origin of Species", the full title being "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life". In this popular work, Darwin presented his theory of the evolutionary adaptation of species by natural selection. The basic concept is that variation exists within a species, and that those animals who have traits best suited to a particular environment are more likely to survive and pass the beneficial traits to their offspring, thereby increasing the prominence of those traits within the continuing species. Among other things, Darwin observed differences in finches across the Galapagos Islands that showed adaptation of the birds' beak form and function to different environments and food sources. Darwin believed that one species could mutate into another species, given enough time and the proper environment. He proposed that many different species today descended from a common ancestor ages ago, and that the changes occurred by natural selection, rather than the providence of God. Today, many biologists believe that life on earth originated from one common ancestor. Darwin wrote, "Therefore I should infer from analogy that probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed." The theory of evolution is the widely accepted position for scientists and educators in the modern world. But what does God say about it? As to variation within a species, or whether the form and function of a species can change over time, the Bible does not refute this area of evolutionary biology. It has been called "micro-evolution" by some. As to the claim that all life descended from one common ancestor, sometimes called "macro-evolution", the Bible clearly refutes it. Repeated all through Genesis 1 is the expression "after his kind", which means organisms reproduce and yield offspring of the same kind. "Kind" is a higher classification than "species" as modern science defines it. Certainly, micro-evolution within a "kind" is not only allowed for, but clearly shown in scripture! What do I mean by that? We know that all the human races came from just one man (Noah) and his wife. Clearly, this shows remarkable change in just a few thousand years. Yet in all the variations within human "kind", there is remarkable similarity, and no evidence of limbs or bodily functions that differ between those races. When man forces the breeding of differing families, reproduction is mostly impossible, and where possible, the hybrid offspring are sterile; e.g. the mule. Furthermore, the notion that more complex forms of life could descend naturally from less complex forms is utter nonsense, and runs contrary to the laws of nature. The word "evolution" has been hijacked by secularists. As Biblical Christians, we believe in evolution to a certain extent, but not the wild leaps drawn by secular philosophers of the day. The claims of Darwin and other secular evolutionists cannot be proven, and never will. Nor can these men explain how the "common ancestor" came to be. Was life created by some cosmic accident, such a spark of electricity in a cloud of gas? Was the earth seeded by a spore from another planet? These questions are preposterous. Ultimately, evolution as taught in public schools in the West is an effort to undermine faith in God. So far, the effort seems to be successful. As of 2018, only about 13% of high school biology teachers are sympathetic to creationism. God created life on earth, and He made or created the plants and animals after their kinds. "For thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were and they were created" (Rev. 4:11).¹