In a debate article published on January 19, 2026, physicist and author Krister Renard argued that evolutionary theory involves creation through "unimaginable suffering" that contradicts the biblical conception of God. Writing in the Swedish Christian newspaper Dagen, Renard stated that "when I see Jesus in the gospels, I see no traces of evolution's god." He described what he called an "insoluble conflict" that Christians cannot ignore.
Renard contrasted the biblical God, who cares for the weak and vulnerable, with what he termed "evolution's god" that "crushes all broken reeds and extinguishes all fading wicks on a continuous basis." The article was presented as a response to Peter Asteberg's earlier piece suggesting Christians need not pit God's design against evolution.
when I see Jesus in the gospels, I see no traces of evolution's god.
According to Renard, evolution can be understood on three levels: basic facts about species development, mechanisms like natural selection, and a philosophical worldview claiming humans result from a purposeless process. He argued that while the first two levels constitute facts Christians should accept, the third represents atheism's creed that contradicts Christian belief.
Renard cited a 1995 Scientific American article by Richard Dawkins describing nature's suffering, which Dawkins argued "must be so." Renard countered that God clearly disagrees with Dawkins, referencing Isaiah's prophecy about God not crushing broken reeds. The physicist concluded that evolution has nothing to do with God's existence but everything to do with God's nature, questioning how a good God would choose to create through mechanisms involving such suffering.
evolution's god crushes all broken reeds and extinguishes all fading wicks on a continuous basis.
must be so.