But we are arguing about something we can’t even define. Claims of scientific foundations for the creation of life, whether by the strict application of physics and chemistry, or by the hand of God, fall apart when we realize that we can’t even specify what it is that was created.
Nonsense. You can't easily specify the difference between a dog and a wolf, but you can cite examples of each.
As we learn more about chemical evolution we come closer to understanding what conditions are necessary to produce replicators. And as we do it will become increasingly difficult to draw a line between life and mere chemistry. This does not mean we cannot understand the what is happening. It simply means that categories are constructs rather than things.