What is at Stake? A Call For Gracious Discourse

Creation is a central doctrine in Christianity, connecting to several key theological issues. However, for the past several decades, most of the attention given to this doctrine has been focused on the correct reading of Genesis 1-11, specifically with respect to contested claims about the age of the earth. For evangelicals committed to inerrancy, it is important that we clarify hermeneutical boundaries and options in which this matter can be discussed. Examples and insights from earlier Christian thought can guide us here. Most importantly, as grace and truth cohere in Christ, they must be correlative in our dialogue and debate.

The Cosmic Temple Inauguration View of Genesis One

Understanding an ancient text such as Genesis 1 requires us to consider issues the way they would have. A foundational issue is how they thought about existence. Ancient peoples believed that something existed when it had a function. This is in contrast to our belief that existence is tied to material properties. This position views Genesis 1 as an account of functional origins rather than an account of material origins. We must also recognize the cosmos functions as sacred space a cosmic temple concept, which conveys the idea that God has established order in the cosmos which has become his dwelling place. The seven days concern the inauguration of the functional cosmic temple rather than the time over which the material cosmos came into existence.

Six 24-Hour Days, A Reformed View

The six 24-hour day view of the creation days of Genesis 1 (variously called the normal day view, the literal view, the calendar day view, etc.) that is, the view that we are to understand God's creation days as recorded in Genesis 1 to be calendar days of the sort we now regularly experience is the default view of Christianity, historically and confessionally. That is, the historic Christian tradition has always in the main viewed these days as calendar days, because it has viewed the Genesis account as historical. This talk will explain the history and hermeneutics of this issue from a Reformed perspective.

Reconciling the Cosmos: Orthodoxy and Beauty

Biblical orthodoxy begins in wonder. Wonder leads to a vision of cosmic beauty and beauty produces hope. Hope can bring faith and faith leads to love. Love necessitates knowledge, which means science. The reconciliation of all truths to God is the result.

Genesis 1-2: A Literal Reading

Genesis 1 should be read (along with all of Genesis 1-11) as historical narrative that is meant to be taken literally. There is no hermeneutical justification for reading it in any other fashion, since it is not a separate genre from the rest of Genesis. It is presented as straightforward narrative prose, not poetry. Those who attempt to read Genesis 1 in other than a non-literal fashion need to demonstrate that there are hermeneutical markers that warrant treating Genesis 1 (or Genesis 1-2, or Genesis 1-11) differently from the remaining chapters of Genesis. The NT references to Genesis 1-11 all take the accounts literally: they regard them as historical fact, not simply a packaging of theological truth. It is this author's contention that we need to do the same.

Genesis 1-2: One or Two Narratives?

Genesis 2 is not a second account of the creation that differs from the Genesis 1 narrative. Instead, it focuses on the Garden of Eden and does not give a contradictory account of the first description given in the preceding chapter. This explanation will account for the change in the divine name, the expressions of the shrubs of the field, and grain of the field. The chapter also includes the divine building of a woman who is a power corresponding to the man.

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