Reading · Of Evolving Genomes and the Everlasting Life

At the dinner table, I told my wife that my subscriber count doubled in just a couple of weeks, thanks to a viral note.

“Imagine giving a lecture in a room and halfway through, people started pouring in and the audience has now doubled. What should I say to them?” I asked my wife.

“Tell them to sit down. They should’ve come earlier!” she replied.

Okay, will do that.

In all seriousness, I sincerely thank you and I really appreciate each and every one of you for your interest in learning about:

Why biological evolution doesn’t contradict the Christian faith.

As you can imagine, I also received a lot of criticism and hate (from Christians) for saying this, and you probably have a lot of questions for me as well. If you are new here, welcome! If you’ve been here for a while, thanks for staying.

So here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions (last updated on 8/12/2026)

Who are you? Why should I trust you?
My name is Chi-Jing Leow. I am currently a Ph.D. student in biology and I hold a B.A. and M.S. in biology as well. My research focus is evolutionary genetics using fish as models. I am a published scientist. My goal is to become a professor, Lord willing.
Someone told me: “Your credentials only mean where you went to school!” True, therefore you should always fact-check me and call me out when I am wrong. But you need to have good arguments and credible sources to back up your claims. I am not a theologian by training, so I only make claims about hermeneutics or biblical interpretation from credible Bible scholars.
Are you a Christian?
Merely claiming to be a Christian doesn’t mean much these days. And you can’t say I am one just based on the beliefs I hold, because being a Christian isn’t just intellectual agreement, it’s a life lived out as a Jesus follower. But since most of you don’t know me personally, I will tell you that I grew up in a Reformed Presbyterian church, went to a well-known Christian liberal arts college, and now attend a church under the Evangelical Free Church of America. Note: my views and theological standpoints are mine, not tied to these churches or denominations. I confess the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
Why are you doing this?
One of the biggest lies that many Christians believe is that you need to choose between science and faith, especially when it comes to evolution. Not only is this driving many non-believers away from Jesus. It’s also causing many young Christians to lose their childhood faith. It’s so sad. But it doesn’t have to be like this and I am here to show why.
Do you believe the Bible is inerrant?
I get asked this question very often. It’s almost the litmus test they use to see if I am a true Christian or not, before even asking who I thought Jesus was. How strange. I don’t like this question because there are various forms and definitions of inerrancy. I believe Scripture is truthful in what it affirms (salvation through Jesus), not what it references (ancient science like flat earth or solid sky dome)1. I do believe the Bible is inspired by God and written through human authors.
How can you believe in God and evolution?
I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I accept biological evolution as the best scientific theory to explain the diversity of life. Believe vs. accept. They are not the same. Accepting evolution is like accepting atomic theory or the theory of relativity. These theories describe what happens in the natural world. Biological evolution is not a belief system, though many Christians conflate it with a godless worldview and many atheists abuse it as well. Believing in Jesus is putting your trust in Him. He is a Person, not a scientific theory.
Why shouldn’t I literally interpret Genesis?
My answer to you is first to ask: “Why should you? Is this how people in the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) culture would’ve understood the creation account? Literally?” Most people don’t know how to answer this. Some don’t even care about the authors’ intentions or the original audience’s understanding.
Because literal interpretation is the most natural reading of Genesis? Sure, it might be the easiest way for a 21st-century reader, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most faithful way to understand it.
Because literal interpretation is the most traditional and biblical view? No, that is not true. Early theologians had different views on this. You can read about it here and here. We need to know that:
The Bible is written for us, but not to us.2
John Walton argues that ancient Near Eastern readers would’ve understood the creation account primarily in terms of functional origins rather than material origins. And that the seven-day creation framework reflects a temple-building narrative that any ANE audience would’ve recognized. I recommend John Walton’s work on this (see FAQ 15).
If I can’t trust the first eleven chapters of Genesis as history, how can I trust the rest of the Bible?
This is probably one of the most harmful teachings I’ve heard and learned in the evangelical world. This idea that “everything must be literal or nothing is true” is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Now, I am not saying we should allegorize everything in Genesis 1–11, but I believe this is where we need to do more careful examination using good hermeneutics.
Whether God created everything in six literal 24-hour days is a different question from whether Adam and Eve were historical, and that is a different question again from how we should understand Noah’s flood. Lumping everything into one binary category is not a good idea.
Sure, you can accept biological evolution and still be a Christian. But that doesn’t mean evolution is real either.
You’re right that you can believe in many things that are untrue like conspiracy theories and still be a Christian. But most Christians reject evolution for theological and hermeneutical reasons. I’ve learned that no amount of physical evidence will convince a Christian that biological evolution is real if they believe it contradicts Christianity. Because to them, if evolution turned out to be real, their faith would be in trouble. So, in order to evaluate biological evolution as a scientific theory objectively, I have to first show them why it doesn’t necessarily contradict the core of Christianity, but mainly just certain interpretations of Genesis.
You’re the first Christian I know who accepts evolution, are there more like you?
Yes. We are also known as Evolutionary Creationists (EC) because we believe God created using biological evolution. I don’t like the term Theistic Evolution because historically it’s often confused with deism. Evolutionary Creationism is NOT deism. I personally prefer to identify myself as a Christian who accepts biological evolution rather than as EC or TE, because there are various positions and viewpoints within this camp as well. There are many famous theologians who believe evolution is compatible with Christianity such as C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Tim Keller, N.T. Wright, Karl Barth, J.I. Packer, John Walton, Alister McGrath. The list goes on. Now that doesn’t mean those people are right either, but at least that should give haters pause when they try to cast stones at me.
I am not a Young Earth Creationist anymore, but I still have trouble accepting evolution.
I was a YEC most of my life, and was deeply ingrained in its theology and apologetic views promoted by Answers in Genesis. So I fully understand the difficulty and sentiment. There are many Christians who are Old Earth Creationists (OECs) who accept the age of the Earth but not biological evolution. I personally think that is a much better position to hold than Young Earth Creationism. This also goes to my point about why I don’t really care whether you accept evolution or not. It’s not a salvation issue. We don’t need to have all the answers to acknowledge that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
Are you just trying to make me accept evolution?
By no means. I don’t really care what you believe about how God created.

Here is my mission statement on the Substackerverse and beyond:
To show Christians why biological evolution doesn’t contradict the Christian faith, so that when they encounter the evidence for the age of the Earth and evolution, their faith won’t collapse. To show atheists that you can be an intellectually honest person, even a scientist, and believe in God. You don’t need to abandon your intellect to become a follower of Jesus.

I want to start a fight with you
Please take a minute to review the community policy. I am not here to argue. I have much better things to do, like my doctoral dissertation research or gardening (I have a lot of luffa plants). I am not here to win an argument. I am just here to share my thoughts, and encourage those who wrestle with similar questions. If you just want to hang around and listen, this place is for you.
Why didn’t you reply to my message or comment?
I don’t have the capacity or time to respond to all the messages and comments. I try my best. I didn’t come to Substack to gain an audience but to share my thoughts and bring awareness to this topic.
What should I expect from your newsletters?
Anything and nothing. Since I make it clear that I mainly write for myself, not to gain an audience, I write according to my timeline and wishes. Everything is free and nothing is behind a paywall, so don’t expect too much from me. That said, I still plan to send out an article once a month at least.
Where can I find more resources on this?
The good news is, I am not the first person who’s wrestled with these questions. I recommend BioLogos.org for many of these evolution and Christianity questions. They have a discussion forum, too. If you are new to the science and faith topic, here are some books I recommend:
- The Language of God by Dr. Francis Collins, a world-renowned geneticist and Christian.
- Finding Darwin’s God by Dr. Kenneth Miller, also a brilliant scientist and Christian. This is a dense read but good.
- The Lost World of Genesis One by Dr. John Walton (professor at Wheaton College). It’s an easy read to understand how the ancient Israelites would have understood the creation story. Highly recommend. There are also The Lost World of Adam and Eve and The Lost World of The Flood.
- There are many other books on the science and faith subject, if you have specific questions in mind, I might know some resources for you.
How can I support you?
Thanks for asking! The best way you can support me is the usual “Smash the like and subscribe buttons!” If you find my writing helpful, please share it with others, it does help. If you want to buy me coffee or fuel my Panda Express addiction, consider becoming a paid subscriber. But don’t worry, nothing will be behind the paywall.

The topics of science and faith are inherently complex. American journalist H. L. Mencken put it well:

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”

I am not here to give you simple and straightforward answers. I am not here to tell you what to believe either. I don’t claim to have all the answers, nobody does except God. I continue to find these questions hard and challenging, like the historical Adam and Eve, animal suffering and theodicy. I continue to wrestle with them.

I also want to break down the barriers for atheists to consider Christianity. Christianity is not and should not be anti-intellectual or anti-science. I want seekers to know that.

Whether you’re a brand-new or well-journeyed follower of Jesus, a deconstructed Christian, a curious atheist, or someone who doesn’t even remember how you got here. You are welcome.

I invite you to come wrestle with these questions with an open mind and humility.

Stay fishy.

Here are some articles I wrote that might answer your questions.

Did Animals Die Before the Fall?

Old Earth or Young Earth? What the Bible Actually Says

Is Darwinism a Religion? Thoughts from C.S. Lewis

From Young Earth Creationist to Evolutionary Biologist: My Personal Story

How I Changed My Mind on Evolution

Ken Ham Is Willing to Divide the Church over Young Earth Creationism

Plagiarized Errors: Why Genetics Rules Out Common-Designer Argument

Imago Dei: Can’t Define a Mystery?

You can find more on my home page.