Sometimes Christians who attribute the origin of the universe, plants, and animals to a special creation by God are accused of promoting a “god of the gaps” theology. This is the practice of attributing to God’s creative power and wisdom  anything in nature that we do not understand or for which we have no scientific explanation. As if to say, “We can’t explain it, so it must be God.”

The problem is that if and when science discovers a natural explanation, God would no longer be needed! The claims of intelligent design are not the result of a lack of knowledge of nature. Instead, it is the result of knowledge gained by the scientific observation of nature itself. Therefore, it is not the result of ignorance (God of the gaps explanation) but of scientific observation and knowledge.