Maybe the biggest trouble for the fearful side of the Christian family is the topic of evolution. Those of you who have started the Awed Life curriculum have already read some material on this. Here are some thoughts that might help.
No, evolution is not covered in the Bible text. On the other hand, neither is any scientific field. Why would they be? The Bible is not offering us scientific data, but a life with God! Wouldn’t it be a bit off the subject if suddenly the Bible gave us the Table of Elements or the Laws of Thermodynamics?
The difficulty for the fear-based Christian communities might be most related to a misreading of Genesis 1 and 2. Genesis 1 is a powerful theological argument that the creation is not scattered debris of a war between gods, as was the claim in the common myth of the Middle East in which Genesis was brought forth, called the Eneuma Elish. Genesis contends that the creation is one of extravagant kindness from a single lover that we can respond to without fear that other gods will be jealous and demand similar appreciation. But, fatefully, Genesis uses the scheme of the Eneuma Elish (seven cycles of creation) to tell its story.
The passage uses seven “days.” These are clearly used to argue for an orderly and intentional process, and a complete one, using the sane number seven of the Eneuma Elish, but with a different significance, since the Hebrews used the number seven to express complete and perfect. But did the Bible’s original authors and readers intend these days to be taken as 24-hour periods? In the passage, three of the days are before the creation of the sun, so there would have been no “day” possible in any technical sense at all!
Moreover, the Bible contains other creation stories that have different orders of what gets created, and none of these other passages uses days for a structure of the creation story at all. Examples can be found in Psalm 104, or Proverbs 8:22-31 [about the place of wisdom in the creation story]. In Jewish and historical Protestant and Catholic and Christian Orthodox churches’ intellectual communities, a sizeable majority of biblical scholars do not believe that the Bible teaches anything like a 6-day creation story. Why?
Not only for the reasons listed above, but for the persuasiveness of the emphatic Biblical argument that the creation speaks of the truth and glory of God! The Bible regularly asserts that the creation speaks the truth of Godl. I just looked up ten Psalms that have the point of view that the heavens and the earth speak God’s truth. The point is also made over and over in other books of scripture. When a scientist looks closely at a cell, a supernova, or a fossil, the creation speaks God’s truth.
This is not a point without nuance, since death is everywhere in the creation; God, from Genesis to Revelation is not a fan of death, and it too is a part of the world. But understanding that the creation is wounded, and therefore doesn’t speak with all the clarity we could long for does not negate is voice. The creation sings God’s truth. So evidence for the age of the universe in the stars or of the age of the earth in geology, or of the age and development of the species in anthropology and archaeology are the stuff of faith as well as the Word and reason and church.It is a crime that many people of faith keep their kids from learning science and “dumb down” the people whose faith could provide the most healing and positive influences in the scientific community!
Do not be afraid. The creation sings. So do you. Use you mind and your heart to listen and study the world God has given us.
5 comments:
Okay, let's start with Genesis. Adam and Eve had two sons. That alone would certainly diminish the advancement of generations. Then one kills the other. Making a population of three? And one is a killer. You don't have to be Einstein to figure out something is missing in the equation. So why would evolution be such a stickler? To me, it explains things. God created people who evolved to a certain understanding to even acknowledge Him/Her. And, oh, how much more I/we have to evolve!!!! This may not be what you are trying to communicate Pastor Rod, but thank you for at least opening the door of dialogue.
Yes, that is what I mean. Evolution makes perfect sense in my faith and that of millions of other Christians. Thanks for your comment.
I've been told so many times in my life that I can't believe in evolution and be a christian at the same time, and it is so refreshing to get a different christian opinion that makes me feel like it's OK for me to believe in both. I mean, hello, the whole 7 days thing really is more figurative then literal. those stories were translated by word of mouth for centuries before it was ever written down in the bible, even most other cultures who have oral histories find that there is some variations over the years from what the orinial story was/is. Who's to say that the genesis story isn't the same way... plus, i just can't get over the fact that the creation story is a story, to get the point accross. it's not exact. So, to me evolution fits in just fine. it's usually these same people who say i can't believe in evolution and christianity that also say the big bang theory is crap...they dont' even know that a christian is who came up with the big bang theory....
A. A. should be free form Dogmatic sway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6AEkS8ggZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWlH_fNhMp0
It seems to me that if a church can convince a person that something true (like evolution or geology) is false, that it increases the control that church has over what that person believes and does.
I like what Pastor Rod said in our class: Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life" and that when we find Truth, Jesus is there.
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