The main thrust of this article is exactly where I'm at. That is, while I do not believe that evolution is responsible for the origin of man, I DO believe that Christians have put this issue too far forward and often it garners more attention than the Gospel itself, which I think is the main, if not only, issue we should truly be concerned about.

That is, if I am talking with someone who is not a believer and I spend more time talking about evolution/creation than the redemptive work of Christ, then I am doing my beliefs a disservice. A person can certainly accept evolution and Jesus as Savior at the same time. Believing that man was created through evolution is not a barrier of entry into fellowship with God through Christ, yet from the importance Christians put on it you would think that it is- and that itself becomes a barrier to faith.

I will talk with people about evolution who are curious about my beliefs, if there's a general discussion surrounding it, or to try and alleviate it as a potential hang up for faith, but it is not, and has never been, the major thrust of what I believe. Ultimately, the only question that matters (from my viewpoint) is what kind of faith someone has in Jesus. Accept or reject that, and we can have a healthy discussion about evolution someday- I definitely have my view and opinions and I think it is certainly an important topic, but not so important that I erect it as a hurdle that must be overcome in order to find faith in Christ. After all, I am only human and my understanding can certainly be flawed- many still well regarded Christian leaders found fault with Galileo because they erred in understanding the Word of God. That doesn't mean I think I'm wrong, but I'm open to the possibility, and the Gospel is of such prime importance in my belief system that I would not want to cloud it with even the potential of erecting a false stumbling block between people and faith.