The Everlasting Man takes into account something that many other works of religion don't - that man actually is an animal. Despite this fact, he can be viewed as the only animal with reason, which is what sets him apart from all other animals. Simply stated, G.K. Chesterton believed that Jesus Christ was not a Godlike figure at all - simply a distinguished animal. Though this resonated with some, like C.K. Lewis, others grew very upset with the idea.
The theory of evolution also comes up in The Everlasting Man, but not in the way you would think of a Christian book. Chesterton agrees that the human body evolved over time, and that every animal does. He does state, however, that the reason, or mental state, of human beings could not have evolved from nothingness. The reason possessed in humans is far too great to have been derived from little to no reason at all.
Chesterton backs up these beliefs by pointing out specific examples, like cave drawings. From the beginnings of human history, cave drawings can be found. Though they are very primitive and show only a basic understanding of the fundamentals of written communication, it does show that we tried to write things down. Chesterton says that, the differing factor between a monkey and a human is that humans try to draw, but monkeys do not try at all.
Chesterton contests with evolution when it comes to religious evolution. He notes that the ideas of Charles Darwin became so popular, that they bled into other areas of study. Scholars say that religion evolved from simple, communal beliefs to a monotheistic idea. However, he says that these are only theories, and are likely not true, because saying that religion would have happened naturally is discounting the practice.
