Beyond Evolution, Sy Garte. Tyndale | Refresh (ISBN: 9798400501364) 2025.

Summary: Rather than evolution hindering belief, observes a reluctance in biology to follow evidence warranting belief in a Creator.

Sy Garte believes it is time to move on from controversies surrounding evolution. He doesn’t reject evolutionary theory. Rather he argues that there are more foundational matters to be considered as well as new developments that suggest that biology could be on the brink of a paradigm shift. On the biology side, a commitment to reductionism has hindered thinking about purpose, agency, and decision-making even at the cellular level and a teleology behind evolutionary development. To open the door to these ideas might offer warrants for a belief in a Creator God. Likewise, on the religion side, Garte has observed the needless controversy and division among Christians fighting about evolution.

Behind Garte’s contention for a paradigm shift are several factors. One is the absence of any mathematical models for evolution, and particularly an account for the non-random nature of many mutations. A second is that highly accurate self replication of cells is antecedent to any evolution, and is highly complex, and unique in separating living from all non-living things. Even more foundational is how a living and self-replicating cell originated from non-living material (abiogenesis). We haven’t explained why there is life in a universe unfriendly to its origins.

Perhaps most interesting and still quite new to me is Garte’s discussion of agency, cognition, and teleology at the cellular level. Cells act to sustain and protect themselves. This involves at some level cognition of both internal and external environments. And the agency of living things suggests purpose or teleology: to live and to reproduce. This is true of single-celled bacteria and human beings. The main difference is complexity. Above all is the complexity of human consciousness, which Garte believes continues to defy purely materialist explanations. He also raises the question of consciousness not being selectively advantageous, so how then account for it.

However, Garte is not arguing for a “God of the gaps” theory. He is open to discoveries that address currently open questions. Rather, he argues for following the evidence and that randomness may not be the best explanation of the evidence. He believes there is too much evidence of non-random, purposeful occurrences in biology to dismiss purpose and teleology and even design. He would contend that there is a willful effort to ignore this because it provides warrants (not proof) for belief a designer.

There were several things I loved about this book. It brought me up to date on the developments in biology since my college courses a long while ago. I appreciated the call to stop the needless squabbling about evolution and Garte’s reasons for moving on. However, most striking was his vision of a new paradigm for biology, following the evidence for agency, cognition, and teleology. Setting aside the question of belief in a Creator, it raises the question of a paradigm shift in biology. This is worth conversation and investigation among all biologists, Christian or not. Finally, on every page, Garte offers material for what one friend calls “doxological fascination.” As one who believes in a Creator, Garte gave me lots of material for worship.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.