Without creation, the fundamentalist logic of the new testament does at least creak loudly, if not collapse. Neo-orthodoxy, as a more fundamentalist-like reaction to rationalistic liberal christianity, has taken to evolution completely; in fact, the Bible seems only to be understandable if the creation story is taken as a high-information parable and evolution is accepted as the source of biological forms.

The departure from complete literalism also excuses us from puzzlement about our loyalty links to genocide (typified by the slaughter of the Canaanites to the last child), slavery, the divine right of kings, the subservience and silencing of women, the perversion of gay sexuality into crippled marriage or dysphoric celibacy, and a few other matters that are conveniently overlooked these days but were strong for a long time, like the pre-ordained servitude of the sons of Ham.

There is a very much intact theology of sin and suffering connected to acceptance of evolution, democracy, egalitarianism and human rights. But that would be a long essay, and there are many bits and pieces of it in my previous posts, so I am sure the matter will come up again.