Creation, Evolution, and the Handicapped:

Joni Eareckson Tada and Stephen Hawking are two talented individuals that attract the admiration of everyone. They have clearly overcome profound handicaps that were the result of different, yet tragic circumstances. Their philosophies of life are diametrically opposed. Joni would be considered a Bible-believing evangelical, while Stephen Hawking is a proudly committed atheist. Both Joni and Stephen have made a decision concerning the nature of truth and the ultimate reality of existence. What is it about them that gives them a sense of value and meaning in life? Why would one give praise and glory to the God of Creation and the other dismiss His existence with prejudice? The answer lies in their worldview.

Dr. Jason Lisle defines a “worldview” as, “…a network of our most basic beliefs about reality in light of which all observations are interpreted.” The handicapped individual is directly conditioned by his or her worldview. It will determine not only how he sees himself but also the world around him. Some individuals will dismiss the significance of a “worldview “and respond with the idea that they are “neutral.” There is no such thing as an impartial or neutral worldview.

The world does not change because you have a physical or mental deficiency. In many ways, you are the center of your own universe. The world and the experiences of the world surround you the same way that it does everybody else. In a random chance universe posited by evolution, there is nothing distinctive about you but your “assets” and “defects.” In a random chance universe as seen by Charles Darwin, the quality of life is defined by the function and viability of the person in question. The social Darwinist or evolutionist freely accepts concepts like eugenics, euthanasia, and abortion as pure science. These are deemed practical options for the betterment of the human community. They do not find a home in the Biblical Worldview. The importance of life in the Bible is based on the idea that man’s value comes from being created in the image of God according to Genesis 1:26-27.

Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV)

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

In a very real way, God’s creation of Adam and Eve was a portent of the body He would one day assume in the presence of Jesus Christ. God’s design of mankind is neither “random” nor “chance.” The Biblical Worldview assumes the inherent value in every human being, so much so that it allows man to choose the path of rebellion and sin as an act of free will.