Salvation or Evolution?

The Famous "Jesus" Bumper Sticker

While driving back from church with a friend this Sunday, he pointed out the evolutionist's Jesus fish bumper sticker (pictured above) to me. When I asked him what it meant, he explained to me that it was a symbol used to show the absurdity of the Christian belief in creationism, which teaches that God created all things in nature, including humans. He then told me that evolutionists picked this specific fish symbol because it represents Jesus in Christianity and then added the legs to show that, in fact, fish evolved by growing legs and eventually becoming human beings. 

When I heard this explanation, I honestly felt like laughing. I was surprised at how far someone would go to ridicule another person's beliefs, especially in such a disrespectful way. I also felt like this simple act was meant to invite other people into the assumption that creationism, and eventually Christianity, is less credible than the theory of evolution, and eventually talk them out of engaging the Christian faith. In my opinion, this image calls into question the credibility of Jesus Christ, Who is the founder of the Christian faith. Many Christians use the image of the fish (without legs) on their bumper stickers to represent their faith in Jesus, His ministry and His miracle-working power. To them, Christ is the Savior of all mankind and the hope of spending an eternity at peace with God, our Creator. According to the Bible, Jesus, Who is God, came to the earth in the form of a human baby, lived a normal human life, was called into ministry at the age of 30, performed many miracles, was crucified, died, and rose from the dead, ascending to Heaven with the promise of returning soon. However, this bumper sticker image represents the belief in evolution, which argues that all the living creatures seen today evolved, over a number of years, from a single celled amoeba. The theory of evolution denies the existence of God and His involvement in the creation story. I think that people who ridicule the Christian belief, whether or not they agree with the theory of evolution, are mainly misinformed or misguided. I believe that they would have a different response to the Person of Jesus Christ and the Bible if they understood His nature, intentions and actions. Knowing about someone and truly knowing them as a person are two different things. You can have knowledge about someone that is false, and form a negative or attitude towards them. However, when you truly know someone, why they do what they do and why they are the way they are, then you are more likely to respect them more and listen to what they have to say.

In order to build a bride with culture, I would engage my friends (probably on social media) about what they think the image represents, and how they react to it. Since I can be confident that they know my character and can respect me as a person, I would state my belief in Christianity, and likely give my testimony, which I believe provides excellent proof for the existence of God and His involvement in the lives of humans. Rather than argue the differences between evolution and Christianity, I would clearly state that I strongly believe in what the Bible says about Jesus Christ, and that His teachings have proven to be true in my life. My intention would be to peacefully and respectfully increase people's awareness of the Christian beliefs, particularly Who Jesus is and why He came into the world. My hope is that, knowing me personally, my friends would gain more respect for the Christian faith and its Author and Finisher, Jesus Christ. From that point, they can start seeking to truly know Him for themselves, as He reveals Himself in Scripture, rather than simply knowing about Him from the mouths of people who have not grown to know Him and His character.