Joel Houston, worship pastor at Hillsong Church in New York City and lead singer of Hillsong United, has taken to Twitter to voice his opinion on evolution, calling it “undeniable.”
Evolution is undeniable—created by God as a reflective means of displaying nature’s pattern of renewal in pursuance of God’s Word—an ode to the nature of the creative God it reflects—and only ever in part—not the SOURCE! Science and faith aren’t at odds. God created the Big-Bang. https://t.co/Q6Cfkvn9PU
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
“Evolution is undeniable,” Houston tweeted. “Created by God as a reflective means of displaying nature’s pattern of renewal in pursuance of God’s Word—an ode to the nature of the creative God it reflects—and only ever in part—not the SOURCE! Science and faith aren’t at odds. God created the Big-Bang.”
Evolution remains a bit contentious among American Christians. As recently as 2014, Houston’s fellow worship songwriter Michael Gungor found himself on liturgical blast for voicing his own beliefs in evolution.
But the times are evolving. A Gallup poll from last year found that just 38 percent of Americans believe in a strict, six-day creationism, a 35-year low. An equal number agreed with Houston’s views: that evolution is real, but it was a God-guided process. About 19 percent don’t believe God was involved in the creation of mankind at all.
UPDATE: Joel has been replying to comments on Twitter, clarifying his original tweet:
Lol ?
In context: UNARGUABLY & UNDENIABLY-UNDER & in obedience to the authority of the CREATOR’s unchangeable WORD, as the PREMISE & PROMISE, of all life. (& all our adaptive survival pursuits therein—natural, spiritual & otherwise
JUST TO BE CLEAR! Thx Jon! Love you https://t.co/FXsrm1Fcam
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
Context—things evolve, they change and adapt, I DON’T believe in evolution as a theory of SOURCE, I believe it’s merely a pattern of nature—created by God, reflecting Nature’s desire for renewal, survival, new life—from, through and ultimately to—God. ✌️
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
The entire premise of ‘So Will I’, is the redemptive, creative, authority & power of God’s Word. That at the end of the day, all our best theories, ideas, dogmas & best attempts at understanding, will ultimately surrender to the “Word at the beginning”, (to quote another song!)
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
Let me also add—God is WAY bigger than we think. We can try box Him any way we like, with science, theology, a tweet or a song—HE IS UNDIMINISHED by our limitations.
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
If God’s creative process was an easy working week, or finely crafted over six-ages of millennia, does it make Him any more or less God? Or, us any more or less created in His image?
Either way, It was an unfathomably wonderful six-day process. however you think to see it— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
As we are so naturally prone to do; we tend to ‘adapt’ the things we see and hear to ‘fit’ the ‘survival’ of our ‘preferred’ ideas…
And COMPLETELY MISS the PREMISE, the PROCESS, the PURPOSE, & the PROMISE of the BIG-STORY!!!!!
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
In other words—God’s WORD is “undeniably” DEEP-ENOUGH to transcend, refine, redefine & redeem the expanses of our shallow perspectives—BECAUSE, let’s remember what it’s all about—
THE WORD BECOMING FLESH PART! Jesus literally spent 9-odd-months growing limbs inside Mary’s belly!!— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
Worth adding, we were aware of the implications “evolving” would serve as a conflicting adjective for some—but thought it was worth it—if just a foolish desire to enlarge our thinking of a God who was-is-&-is to come, making all things new, ‘from-Him, through-Him, To-Him”—
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
The way I see it—the NATURE of a fallen-world evolves in-decay BECAUSE of our best attempts to adapt to a—‘survival of the fittest’ kind of existence—yet God, fully reveals His NATURE in-and-through JESUS, who embodied ours, and showed us a DIFFERENT way. Spirit & Flesh.
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
So, we can’t just sing the second-verse (God of Your PROMISE) in &of itself, nor understand it w/out the premise of the first-verse-first: (God of CREATION). Nor can we fully comprehend the reconciling power of the third-verse (God of SALVATION), without the tension in the middle
— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
Lastly, it’s ultimately all about our response. How we respond is almost always driven by how we see things—
one way or another; obedience or rebellion, trust or pride, hope or fear—ultimately—it’s all in response to the divine creative mystery of this work of art called love.— Joel Timothy Houston (@joelhouston) June 25, 2018
