There’s been talk in the media about the film on Charles Darwin—Creation—which opened in England in September, 2009 and which opens in North America in January, 2010. The film’s producers were unable at first to find a North American distributor. Only 39% of Americans, recent polls show, believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution and what distributor would want to offend so many? So say the media.

But while creationists may not accept or admire Mr. Darwin’s contributions to science (evolution is considered by the vast majority of scientists to be the backbone of modern biology), and while the science community may not be thrilled with the creationists’ rejection of the scientific worldview, there is common ground enough that we may all—creationists and Darwinians alike—rejoice in Darwin’s life and wholeheartedly welcome this movie, this deeply emotional British export, to our shores and to our theatres.

Here’s the common ground. Creationists are beginning to notice (as is the scientific community) that the actual physical creation, meaning countless living creatures, are going extinct as a result of human activity. Some creationists might put it like this: humans are rapidly destroying God’s creation.

Ironically, the understanding of how evolution works is key in protecting the creation. The engine that drives the forces of evolution is variation and the study of genetic variation among populations of creatures is a potent tool in setting conservation priorities and boundaries for marine and terrestial protected habitat.

In other words, creationists need to work with evolutionists to protect the creation. Likewise, evolutionists need to work with creationists because a relatively small number of intellectuals aren’t going to have the political might to "get the job done."

See you at the theatre in January. You’ll find me sitting in the front, center.