Is God Lord Business?

Recently a person asked me to consider this:

If you were an engineer, and the goal was to make a fighter jet, would it be easier to A) turn a pre-existing car into a fighter jet or B) just build a fighter jet from scratch?

Most engineers would go with B.

Real world example: Saab, often known for making cars, also made the Saab 37 Viggen jet fighter. They did not build that aircraft by starting with a car and adding and removing pieces to make it a jet. Much easier to just make a jet from scratch.

In other words, if you were God, would it be easier to reuse the blueprints or redesign everything from scratch when creating something?

This is a common philosophical/theological argument against God using evolution to create. Taking this claim at face value, it seems to make sense. If God is an all powerful engineer, why would he use evolution - a process that seems random (actually it’s not) and takes incredibly long to unfold? It seems inefficient, wasteful, and counterproductive.

However, this argument is not merely based on evidence. It’s more a question about how God would do things. The way that makes sense to our human minds.

Because of how this question is always framed, many Christians dismiss evolution just because it doesn’t seem like how an omnipotent God would do. But this does not do the evidence justice, because we do not accept evolution based on our preferences, but because of the evidence. Dismissing an idea with mounting evidence just because you do not think God would act a certain way can be seen as bias.

I think the person who asked the question above was thinking about the similarities we observed in the biological systems, such as body plans and DNA, and concluding that God was reusing the design and blueprints for different organisms.

But if you understand biology and evolution, the evidence actually strongly supports a tinkering process - turning a pre-existing car into a fighter jet. There are many Christians who accept biological evolution because it is the inference to the best explanation based on the evidence, not our preferences. I plan to get to the Common Design versus common descent question in upcoming posts.

But I think something is always missing in this kind of discussion. One question that never gets touched on is who God is as a Creator.

Is God just an engineer in the creation process? Think about it.

I think viewing God as an engineer gives us a small and incomplete view of Him. If creation is all about the end product, why not just snap His fingers and make it happen already? Why take billions of years just for the stars and galaxies to form? If we squeeze the whole creation process, 13.8 billion years, into a 24-hour clock, humans would not appear until the last two seconds. Compared with the size of the universe, we are as small as a speck of dust. Why create such a vast universe when we don’t even get to see most of it?

Engineering is all about efficiency, finding the most efficient way to accomplish the task with the least amount of cost. If creation is only about us and efficiency, that seems like a wasteful and unnecessary way to do it. Therefore, an Almighty Engineer would not use evolution and take this long to create. This is exactly how some Christians reject deep time and biological evolution. Because it doesn’t seem like what God would do.

But who are we to tell God how to create?

Think about this. Some of the riches men and women are the slowest and least efficient people. Why? Because they have all the resources and time. They are never in a hurry or in need. Now how about a God who is outside of time?

The creation account in Genesis 1 is a highly structured, stylized, and layered poetic narrative. It’s not God executing an engineering plan. Viewing it that way imposes our 21st-century modern scientific mindset on an ancient text written for an ancient audience.

God also didn’t have to create anything. He was self-sufficient and did not need anything from us. God created us out of His abundance and as an expression of love. God wanted a relationship with mankind.

I think we need to stop viewing God as just an engineer. If you have any artist friends, you know how offensive it can be to dismiss their creativity.

Viewing God as an engineer reminds me of the character President Business from The LEGO Movie.

President Business is the guy who wants to control everything: no crossing between worlds, no creative building, and everybody has to follow the instructions. He sends out his micromanagers to keep everyone in place by using the Kragel.

The Master Builders are the rebels that fight against President Business. They are the creative ones. They follow no blueprints, no guidelines, just improvision and imagination. They can create almost anything from what is around, like this sick mobile below.

In the creation process, God is not just an Engineer, strictly following the blueprints and executing the plan. He is also an Artist, delighting in the creative process and having fun like Finn - the little boy in the movie. Finn is a Master Builder. Creation is not only an engineering project, but also a work of art.

The Master Builders work just like evolution. They take whatever is around and transform them. It’s creative and unpredictable at times, but nonetheless beautiful.

Now, is biological evolution a sloppy way to create? If you see God as merely an engineer, sure. But I reckon not. Just look around you. Life is so complex, diverse, and beautiful. It shows that God is not only an engineer, but an skillful artist. And biological evolution is how God chooses to create, even until today.

Going back to the original question:

If you were an engineer, would you A) turn a pre-existing car into a fighter jet or B) make it from scratch?

Lord Business would choose option B.

A Master Builder would choose option A.

Hi! I am Chi-Jing Leow, a Christian biologist. I am also a follower of Jesus, and I care deeply about exploring the topics at the intersection of science and faith.

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