Editor's note: This story was originally published Feb. 13, 2009.

Jim Keener is a Darwin agnostic.

The major elements of Darwinism are spot-on accurate, with evidence of evolution all around, says Keener, who teaches mathematics at the University of Utah but has studied biology extensively. Yet he is not convinced that random mutation on the genome is responsible for "all the variation and improvements in the staggering complexity we see."

Keener is not looking to prove that God exists, he says, but would like more scientists to challenge what he sees as Darwinian dogma.

To that end, Keener was one of 700 scientists nationally (three in Utah) who signed the following statement being circulated by Discovery Institute in Seattle: "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."

Though he describes himself as a religious conservative and is a member of Salt Lake City's First Presbyterian Church, Keener hates being controversial. He is neither a fundamentalist nor an anti-evolution activist.

"I don't read the Genesis story as literal science," he says. "I believe there's truth being communicated but it's not scientific truth. It's about human nature, human relationships with God and human relationships to creation. It is telling us how to relate to our environment."

Keener feels that those who question the all-encompassing nature of Darwin's conclusion have been branded unfairly as fools.

"It is very challenging to have a discussion of this nature with people in the scientific community. When you have been attacked, you cannot admit to your own uncertainties. This is true in all faith positions and every endeavor," he says. "I don't want to get in arguments with my [scientific] colleagues. I just want people to think about Darwinism and ask questions."