Question:

What is the OPC opinion of "Intelligent Design"? Is there a publication or other work that covers the current status and information concerning "Intelligent Design"?

Answer:

Part I

The OPC believes in creation as described in Genesis 1 and 2. God also comments often on creation in the rest of the Bible:

Exodus 20:8-11. "... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth ... and rested the seventh day..."

Hebrews 11:3. "... by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

Psalm 33:6-9. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."

Isaiah 48:13. "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together."

Matthew 19:4-6. "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (See also Mark 10:6-9.)

2 Peter 3:4-6. "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"

Psalm 148:1-7. "Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also established them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:"

Jeremiah 10:10-13. "But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures."

Isaiah 45:18. "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else."

Acts 15:18. "Known to God from eternity are all his works."

Part II

This doctrine of creation leads to several subsidiary truths:

The material creation (general revelation) exhibits and reveals even to fallen man, at the least, our Creator God's sovereignty, power, wisdom, as well as abundant intelligent design. Yet the unregenerate man has no fruitful use of this "general revelation" because his ethical antithesis to the Creator drives him to outwardly deny knowledge of creation in the material world.

Part III

Not all writings that pass for "intelligent design" argumentation today are satisfactorily giving the God of the Scriptures the glory for his intelligent designs, nor respecting his authority and man's fallen estate.

When intelligent design arguments try to start with neutrality toward supernatural creation by the Triune God and allow atheist assumptions to stand unchallenged, then "intelligent design arguments" are not satisfactory.

When materialist evolutionary arguments are simply countered as unable to account for the information systems in the genetic code that we currently see, Intelligent Design arguments are useful. When materialist evolutionary arguments for the rise of complex systems of sight, or of hearing are set forth, Intelligent Design arguments are useful to show the inadequacy of the materialist philosophy and methodology in science to explain the common systems we all can observe in animate forms of life around us.

Typically Neo-Darwinians are dogmatizing that at the beginning there was an inanimate world. They then start presenting hylozoism, the simple was first and gave rise to the complex, and spontaneous generation of life in an inanimate world. [Hylozoism is the ancient Greek philosophical doctrine that life is a property or derivative of matter, or that life and matter are inseparable.] Christians do best when opposing atheistic evolution by comparing system with system. Here good Intelligent Design arguments are only one of several very effective weapons in the Creationist's arsenal.

If we grant that the Apostle Paul used an intelligent design argument in Romans 1:18-21, then he said the ungodly and the unrighteous are without excuse for their unbelief in knowing and glorifying God as the Creator and intelligent designer of all things visible. He also said (verse 18) he must preach the Gospel of Christ for it reveals the power of God, the righteousness of God and the wrath of God against those who suppress, hold under, the truth in unrighteousness by denying, among other things, God's fiat creation and observable intelligent design everywhere.

The battle must not be limited to the physical sciences; Christians must display the unacceptable philosophy, ethics, law, etc. that accompany the neo-Darwinist's corrupt arguments from the physical sciences of biology, genetics and geology.

Conclusion

The OPC holds the Bible is plain on creation and that that creation has marvelous intelligent design because God, who is gloriously wise and a planner and designer, also ordains the secondary means to the ultimate goals he has decreed.

Intelligent design arguments are inadequate in scope without the triune God's creation, without the revealed knowledge of the fall of mankind, and without Christ upholding God's law on the cross and meriting the deliverance of those to be saved from the wrath of God to come.

If you want to discuss specific Intelligent Design arguments, please write again. May the Lord bless your studies that you may be found well-pleasing in Christ who is Creator, Provider, Judge and Savior.