CREATION,FALL,SALVATION
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Presentation Transcript
CREATION,FALL,SALVATION • THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE HAS AN OVER-ARCHING AND UNDERGIRDING STORY LINE • THE FIRST AND THIRD ACTS OF THE DRAMA FOCUS ON GOD’S ACTION OF CREATING AND REDEEMING • THE SECOND ACT FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN ACTION OF WILLFUL SINNING
CREATION AND THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN CULTURE • THE IDEA OF CREATION INCLUDES THE CONCEPT THAT GOD IS DISTINGUISHABLE FROM WHAT GOD MAKES, IN OTHER WORDS, THE CREATION, INCLUDING HUMAN CREATURES ARE NOT A PART OF GOD, THOUGH THEY MAY BE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE IN SOME WAY
THE CREATOR GOD • ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL TENANTS OF MONOTHEISM IS THIS NOTION THAT THERE IS ONE GOD WHO IS THE ORIGINATOR OF THE ENTIRE MATERIAL UNIVERSE • HUMAN BEINGS AND HUMAN CULTURE MAY REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE, BUT THEY ARE NOT DIVINE
THE IMPLICATIONS OF CREATION THEOLOGY • SINCE CREATION IS NOT PART OF GOD, GOD IS NOT DEFILED BY THE EXAMINATION OF NATURE OR HUMANKIND • INDEED, ONE FOUNDATION OF MODERN SCIENCE IS ACTUALLY THIS CREATOR/CREATION DISTINCTION, WHICH ASSUMES THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY CALLED THE UNIVERSE WHICH IS NOT GOD AND CAN BE EXAMINED
PSALM 8 AND CREATION THEOLOGY • THE PSALMIST SAYS THAT CREATION IS THE WORK OF GOD’S FINGERS OR HANDS, LIKE A POTTER MOLDING CLAY • THE CONCEPT HERE IS OF AN ENORMOUS DEITY WHO DWARFS THE ALSO ENORMOUS CREATION • IT IS BOTH THE MAGNITUDE OF GOD AND THE MAGNIFICENCE OF CREATION THAT PROMPTS THE RESPONSE OF AWE AND WONDER
THE SIZE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF HUMANKIND • WHILE THE PSALMIST EMPHASIZES THE MINUTENESS OF HUMANS HE DOES NOT SUGGEST THE REMEDY FOR SUCH A RECOGNITION IS HUMAN STRIVING • RATHER HE STRESSES WHAT GOD HAS MADE US, BUT A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS OR GOD
HUMAN DIGNITY GROUNDED IN GOD’S IMAGE AND GIFTS • KNOWING THAT HUMANS ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE COMES NOT FROM EXAMINING CREATION, BUT FROM KNOWING GOD’S WORD • THIS BEING THE CASE, THE PSALMIST IS NOT SUGGESTING THAT AN ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD COMES FROM EXPLORING CREATION
THE BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE • THE PSALMIST OPERATES WITH A BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE • BELIEVING IN GOD’S WORD, LEADS TO SEEING GOD’S WORLD, INCLUDING HUMANS, FROM THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE • ANSELM’S DICTUM—FIDES QUAERENS INTELLECTUM, NOT VICE VERSA
CROWNED WITH GLORY, HONOR, AND DOMINION • BEING IN GOD’S IMAGE IN PART MEANS WE BECOME MINI-CREATORS AND RULERS OF THE REALM • IT ALSO ENTAILS THAT WE HAVE A CAPACITY FOR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT OTHER BEINGS APPARENTLY DO NOT (ANGELS EXCEPTED)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS THEOLOGY’S OFFSPRING • JASTROW STORY • SCIENCE WITHOUT RELIGION CAN LEAD TO HOLOCAUST OR TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ETHICAL GUIDELINES • RELIGION WITHOUT SCIENCE LEADS TO FIDEISM WITHOUT A CREATION THEOLOGY
SCIENCE AND THE FAITH PRINCIPLE • SCIENCE OPERATES WITH CERTAIN FAITH ASSUMPTIONS • FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY • IT CAN BE KNOWN, AT LEAST IN PART • IT INVOLVES ORDER, DESIGN, PATTERNS
HUMAN FALLENNESS AND KNOWLEDGE • WHAT IS NOT ALWAYS FACTORED INTO THE EQUATION WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWING IS THE CONDITION AND POSITION OF THE KNOWER • FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A FALLEN MIND WHICH NEEDS TO BE RENEWED • AS ROM. 1.18-32 MAKES CLEAR FALLEN HUMANS KNOW GOD SOMEWHAT, BUT REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD
THE NOETIC EFFECTS OF SIN • FALLENNESS, AS GEN. 3 MAKES CLEAR, AFFECTS THE WHOLE PERSON. THE PRIMAL SIN IS NOT THE DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE BUT THE DESIRE FOR ALL SORTS OF EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING THE EXPERIENCE OF EVIL • THE PRIMAL EFFECT OF THE FALL IS SELF-CENTEREDNESS, OR NARCISSISM, I.E. IT PRIMARILY AFFECTS HOW WE VIEW OUR SELVES, ALIENATED FROM GOD
THE EFFECTS OF SIN—PART II • FALLENNESS AFFECTS THE MIND, HEART, WILL EMOTIONS, AND THE BODY, IN SHORT THE WHOLE PERSON • ITS EFFECTS ARE EXTENSIVE WITHOUT BEING INTENSIVE (I.E. HUMANS ARE NOT UNREDEEMABLE NOR HAS GOD’S IMAGE BEEN ERASED IN THE FALL) • NOT SURPRISINGLY, IT AFFECTS HUMAN CULTURE AS WELL AS HUMAN NATURE, WHICH PROPAGATES NARCISSISM
RECOGNITION AND WARINESS • WHEN THE CHRISTIAN RECOGNIZES HUMAN FALLENNESS, THIS MEANS SHE CAN NOT TAKE CULTURE OR CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS NORMAL AT FACE VALUE • CULTURAL VALUES, INCLUDING THE VALUES OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY MUST BE EXAMINED AND CRITIQUED FROM A CHRISTIAN POINT OF VIEW
BEYOND RECOGNITION TO RESTORATION • IN A CULTURE LOADED WITH SELF-HELP PROGRAMS IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO RECOGNIZE THAT REDEMPTION IS NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE • NOR IS REDEMPTION MERELY A MATTER OF RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN FALLENNESS
THE CHRISTLIKE MINDSET • PHIL. 2.5-11 AS PARADIGM • RECOGNIZING ONE’S CONDITION AND POSITION • DELIBERATELY STEPPING DOWN, TAKING ON THE FORM OF A SERVANT • TRUE HUMILITY, AND LEAVING THE RESULTS IN GOD’S HANDS
LIVING SACRIFICES, TRUE WORSHIP • ROM. 12 PROVIDES A MODEL OF THE CHRISTIAN ETHICAL APPROACH TO LIFE • WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP, TRUE SERVICE • THE NEED FOR ONGOING RENEWAL OF SELF, INCLUDING ONE’S MIND • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN’ STRUGGLE AND THE STRUGGLE OF AN UNREDEEMED PERSON (GAL. 5 VS. ROM 7).