Sad that the Bill Nye / Ken Ham debate is being billed as “The Bible vs. Science,” or Atheism vs. Christianity.

This debate is about neither.

Not all evolutionists are atheists. Not all Christians are young-earth creationists. In fact, there are many devout Christians that are respected scientists and proponents of evolutionary theory and other theories of human origins. For example, Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome project, and Richard Carlson, a respected physicist, published author, and dear friend who attends a church I pastor.

The debate is between two approaches to science. Nye, who takes science seriously, and Ham, who teaches that one cannot take the Bible seriously in its entirety unless one interprets it according to a strict-literal 6-day creation act and a young earth (less than 6,000 years old). Of course, Intelligent Design, Theistic Evolution, or other positions held by devout Christians are a threat to Ham’s grossly misinformed approach to the intent, inspiration, and interpretation of the Creation Narratives Of Genesis.

In addition, the water is muddied by a failure to separate the scientific theory of evolution, which does not demand atheism, from the philosophical approach of naturalism, which does reject God or any other supernatural reality.

So, please see this debate for what it isn’t.