While blog anniversary posts - particularly for obscure blogs like ECACP - can be self-indulgent, when you reach a milestone of significance like the 500th post, a few reflective comments are not out of order. One of the main reasons I started both the website and the Facebook page was to provide a resource for those who like me have realised that the evidence for evolution is overwhelming and has not been seriously disputed in credible scientific circles for well over a century. Sadly, informed, open, rational discussion of this subject is still prohibited in many parts of our community, so there is a critical need to show the young believer that it is possible to maintain faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and accept the reality of an ancient, evolving earth. I made the journey from YEC to EC over 14 years in which I suffered two crises of faith. It it not an experience I would wish on any believer, and given the warm feedback I have received over the years, it is clear that ECACP has played a positive role in the faith journey of people.
I knew that when I started ECACP that I would be subjected to vigorous criticism from ardent anti-evolutionists in our community. Regrettably, the feedback has at times degenerated into abuse. That many other people - both evolutionary creationist, accommodationist, and fair-minded YEC - have found such inflammatory responses unhelpful gives me cautious grounds for thinking that a new generation may have the wisdom to handle this subject in a Christ-like way. What all of us - YEC, OEC, and EC - must realise is that Christ died for all of us, and our behaviour and response to each other should reflect this.
So, on for the next five hundred posts.
