By Simon Brown
What is evolution?
The modern theory of evolution teaches that all living things share a common ancestor. According to this view, life began as a simple single-celled organism billions of years ago. Over immense periods of time, random genetic mutations and natural selection produced the vast diversity of life we see today, including fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, apes, and ultimately human beings.
Evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne summarizes the theory this way:
"Life on Earth evolved gradually beginning with one primitive species; it then branched out over time, throwing off many new and diverse species, and the mechanism for most evolutionary change is natural selection."
Jerry A. Coyne, Why Evolution Is True (2009).
This is the foundation of evolutionary theory.
Can this theory be questioned?
Science advances by questioning ideas and testing evidence. Throughout history, scientific theories have been revised as new discoveries have been made. Evolutionary biology is no exception. Scientists continue to debate many aspects of evolutionary history, including the origins of major body plans, the pace of evolutionary change, and the mechanisms responsible for biological complexity.
For me, one of the greatest questions remains unanswered:
How did highly organized, information-rich life originate?
My Simple Observation
I believe the answer is found, not by looking billions of years into the past, but by looking at what every human being already knows.
Every one of us knows how human life begins.
Every day, throughout the world, new life begins through the union of a father and a mother.
A single sperm fertilises a single egg.
From that moment, an entirely new human life begins.
The Miracle of Human Life
The sperm cell and egg each contain extraordinarily complex DNA.
When they unite, they form a complete genetic blueprint unlike any other human who has ever lived.
Within only a few weeks:
A beating heart develops.
The brain begins forming.
Eyes, ears, fingers and toes appear.
Millions of cells divide in perfect order.
Every organ develops according to a precise genetic program.
All of this happens in only a matter of months—not millions of years.
DNA: The Blueprint of Life
DNA contains the biological information necessary for building every cell in the human body.
It is one of the most sophisticated information-storage systems known.
The instructions contained within DNA guide the development of the entire body from a single fertilised egg.
This remarkable process raises an important question:
Where did this enormous amount of biological information originally come from?
Different worldviews answer that question differently.
Those who accept evolution generally believe that genetic information accumulated gradually through mutation and natural selection over vast periods of time.
Those who believe in creation see DNA as evidence of purposeful design by an intelligent Creator.
The Female Reproductive System
The female reproductive system is another example of extraordinary biological complexity.
It includes:
ovaries,
fallopian tubes,
uterus,
placenta,
hormones,
blood supply,
immune protection,
and countless coordinated biological processes.
Each part works together with remarkable precision to support new human life.
For me, this level of integrated complexity points to design rather than accident.
What We Can Observe
Unlike theories about the distant past, human reproduction is directly observable.
Every day we see:
sperm fertilising an egg,
DNA directing development,
babies growing in the womb,
children born in the likeness of their parents.
Human beings reproduce after their own kind.
Dogs produce dogs.
Cats produce cats.
Birds produce birds.
Human beings produce human beings.
While populations can change and adapt over time, I do not believe the observable evidence demonstrates one fundamental kind of organism transforming into an entirely different kind.
That is one of the reasons I remain unconvinced by universal common ancestry.
A Spiritual Perspective
The Bible teaches that human life is not an accident.
It declares that God is our Creator and that every person is wonderfully made.
Isaiah writes:
"Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb: 'I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by Myself.'"
Isaiah 44:24
King David similarly wrote:
"For You formed my inward parts. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
Psalm 139:13–14
To me, these passages harmonize with the astonishing complexity we observe in every human birth.
Conclusion
Every one of us began the same way.
Not as a gradually transforming organism over millions of years, but as a fertilised egg carrying an extraordinary amount of genetic information.
Whether one believes this information ultimately arose through natural evolutionary processes or through the work of a Creator is a matter of worldview and interpretation of the evidence.
My conclusion is that the complexity, organisation, and information contained within DNA—and the remarkable development of every human life from conception to birth—are more consistent with intelligent design than with unguided evolution.
For that reason, I believe the testimony of Scripture:
"I am Yahweh, who makes all things... who alone stretches out the heavens... who spreads out the earth by Myself."
Isaiah 44:24