But Galileo!

I am working on the second installment of my series on the Bible and evolution (see the first here), but in the meantime it would be good to address one of the most frequent arguments in criticism of those who reject evolution.  The argument goes like this: But Galileo!  I say, "The Bible does not allow evolution."  Critics reply: "But Galileo!"

The point of this criticism is that since the church was wrong in opposing the heliocentric theory of the solar system espoused by Galileo, Christians must also be wrong in opposing evolution.  Galileo taught, following Johannes Kepler, that the earth revolves around the sun, whereas the medieval church insisted that the sun circles around the earth.  The basis for the church's view was Joshua 10:12-14, where by God's will "the sun stopped in the midst of heaven" to allow Israel to complete its victory over the southern Canaanites.  Papal authorities in the 17^th century branded Galileo a heretic because, they said, anyone who teaches that the earth revolves around the sun is in conflict with this teaching from Holy Scripture.