Creationism, evolution, and the bottom line...?

So why is it impossible for some people in the church to accept the concept of evolution? The most discussions I've had came down to people offended by the observation that man has a lot in common with apes (which is true), thus are potentially descended from them. How did such an idea turn into a mive argument between religions and everyone else? Evolution does not necessarily mean to absence of creation, yet it is taken on the whole as a gross blasphemy. Actual question: Can Christians ever accept the validity of studying change and adaptation as origins?