I think this quote from you in sy’s thread on this is a very good definition if what you mean by random:
“All that “random” means is that the mutations are not entirely predictable from the modeler’s point of view.”
When Perry used the word, he is using it how it is commonly understood by most non-scientists, I would assume. Never in my life had I had heard of your definiton before. Can you at least see why so many laypeople believe that evolution is driven by mutations that are all as equally unlikely as the other?
Your way seems to require a lot of scientific evangelization regarding what the word random ACTUALLY means. If this is what random means in your field, I think you need to proclaim it from the rooftops because there will be a lot of Christians who breathe a lot easier with that definition, especially when you explain that some mutations or evolutionary changes are are slightly more predictable than others.
Also, do you agree with Perry that most mutations are not “copying errors”? If you do, again, that’s huge, because “copying errors” is all over Adam and the Genome. Again, this would be a watershed moment for a lot of Christians, like it was for me.
By the way, I do agree with Perry. I think his argument that the genetic code IS an actual code is very strong, as does @sygarte, he’s said so on his blog (not specifically about Perry, but that the genetic code IS a code). If it IS a code, then it follows naturally that evolution can’t proceed by copying errors.
Again, I’m NOT saying God had to make the code, it still could have been generated naturally through emergence, cosmic fine-tuning, and self-organization.