Document Type

Article

Abstract

Evolution wasn’t something we talked about very much in my home or church when I was growing up.

Yet somehow, I came to believe that evolution wasn’t compatible with Christian faith. At the time that seemed okay, because I had heard that the evidence for evolution wasn’t very strong anyway.

That all began to change when I started studying biology in college. In different classes, I encountered some of the compelling evidence for evolution and common descent.

Vestigial structures were one of the topics that came up often in biology textbooks about these topics.

Today, biologists point to vestigial structures as evidence for evolution, while some young-earth creationists dispute that interpretation—or even argue that these structures support their own view. So what are vestigial structures, and what do they have to do with evolution?

Publication Date

7-14-2026

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