The Evolution of Man’s Best Friend

I enjoyed NOVA’s presentation of “Dog’s Decoded” last night. It showed an interesting sexual selection experiment where scientists selected unaggressive foxes and bred them together. After the eighth generation the foxes went from snapping at humans to acting friendly like dogs. Astoundingly, the foxes started to have lighter coats and curving tails just like dogs! There was also an interesting nature vs. nurture study where a wolf cub was raised like a dog. The study showed that you can’t nurture a tame wolf, and that dogs have been genetically created to be our companions.

With all the evidence that supports evolution I’m surprised that there are still Christians who still doubt it and cringe every time it is mentioned. Does it challenge traditional notions about the creation of life? Yes, but Genesis should have never have mistaken for God’s scientific manual for how he formed the universe step-by-step. It was poetry that captured the heart of the creator. With science we can see how He formed a universe ex nihilo that now flourishes with life. How he sparked the big band 13.7 billion years ago and set the physical constants so that stars and life could form. How He formed the earth 4.54 billion years ago when the earth and the moon split in a violent and vital collision. How he sparked the beginning of life on earth about 3,500 million years ago. Through the mechanisms of evolution God formed you and I, not to mention dogs, for His own glory. Christians, science should not be feared, it is our lens into how God runs the universe.