> I fully admit that my exposure to Hebrew literature is very limited. And you
> may be correct (probably are) about how the Hebrews thought and their view of
> reality. But I know logic. I also know that somehow God created the world
> by means of process X. Whatever process X is is what I expect God to tell me
> if He wants me to beleive His word. For Him to do otherwise raises all those
> character issues which I have not seen you attempt to tackle and show me
> where I am wrong logically.
Here's a subject which I have been mulling over for some time, and I don't
quite know what to make of it. "Character issues" are almost always
just underneath the surface whenever Christians discuss evolution and the
age of the earth, but I almost never see them carefully discussed.
"Character issues." Or put another way, "Would God REALLY do that?"
I said elsewhere that I suspect that the human author of Genesis 1 (and of
the flood narrative) believed in a "flat earth / sky sandwich" cosmology,
and that the language of the narratives (and the ordering of the days of
Genesis 1) reflects that belief. I suspect that God chose to reveal
important theological truths through the medium of Ancient Near Eastern
language and thought forms, without first correcting their mistaken
"cosmology" or historical beliefs.
Preliminary point 1: This idea does not conflict with the doctrine of
inerrency (although perhaps with a few versions of it); however, it does
force us to take extra care.
Preliminary point 2: This idea does not endanger the historicity of the
New Testament record, because there are several common-sense differences
between the NT and the early chapters of Genesis. (First- and second-hand
witnesses who recorded the events, different cultural views of "history,"
etc.)
But what about the "character issue"? Could not God have revealed his
theological truth to the ancient Hebrews in such a way that it would ALSO
stand up to modern scientific scrutiny? Could he not have insured that
ALL the events recorded in earliest scripture correspond to actual
historical events? Of course, God COULD have done so.
If God COULD have given an historically accurate (in
the modern sense of the term) account of origins,
then WOULDN'T he have done so?!
Ah, now that's an excellent question! Since I haven't read any books that
really explore this issue, I'd like to toss out a few ideas of my own, for
discussion. I apologize for the un-scholarly nature of my prose.
I can think of several possible reasons why God might have chosen to reveal
theological truth through partially mistaken historical/cosmological
ANE language --- reasons which I believe are fully consistent with God's
character as revealed in scripture.
1) For the sake of the human author and the immediate audience. God had a
message to communicate, and now was the right time to do it! For God to
stop and correct their historical/cosmological misperceptions would have
gotten in the way of what God wanted to teach! (God knows our human
limitations, and makes allowances for them.)
2) For the sake of the intervening generations. Once God's revelation was
written down, following generation could hear God's intended word in the
historical, cultural, and cosmological thought patterns with which they
were familiar, and which they _shared_ with neighboring cultures.
3) For our sakes today --- to give us comfort in knowing that God won't
wait for us to "get all our facts straight" before he reveals to us what
we need to know! If God could reveal his truth through ancient Hebrews
without first correcting all of their cultural misconceptions, then God
can also reveal things to others through us, despite all of our modern-day
misconceptions. That's exciting!
4) For our sakes today --- to teach us about the nature of God's
revelations and scripture. Perhaps God wants us to know that the
"inspiration" of scriptures does not mean "divine dictation." Perhaps God
wants us to know that scriptures are not a reference book for answering
every one of life's little questions. The apostle Paul told first-century
slaves to obey their masters. This text was used centuries later to
justify the social institution of slavery. The Church (the ENTIRE Church)
had to learn that the "inerrency" of scriptures does not mean that each
little passage can be _prima_face_ applied, out of its social context, to
all times and cultures. Perhaps, by using Ancient Near Eastern cosmology
to teach about Creation, God is once again showing us that his scriptures
are not intended to answer certain kinds of questions.
5) For our sakes today --- so that we don't put all our faith in God
purely on the basis of recorded narratives (or what others tell us about
God), but instead we ALSO look to our own experiences with God as a source
of faith in God's character. It has been asked, "If Genesis offers
untrustworthy history, how can we trust scriptures to teach us about
salvation?" The answer, clearly, is that we trust GOD. We trust his
CHARACTER. We trust that he insured scriptures to reliably teach us what
we really need to know. It has been asked, "But how can we know about
God's character if we can't trust the historical veracity of every single
Biblical story?" Well, my faith in God's character is only PARTLY based
upon what I read in the Bible. It is also based upon the existence of the
church and the experience of God, and his grace, in my life and the lives
of my friends and family. And isn't that how faith is supposed to be? If
faith in God's character is based solely upon scriptural stories, then it
only has half a foundation. Scripture-based faith must go hand in hand
with the faith which comes from present-day experience of God's grace.
The present-day experience assures us that scripture gives a true
understanding of God's character, even if (or ESPECIALLY if) God once
communicated eternal truths through Ancient Hebrew cosmological and
historical misconceptions.
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"You said you wanted excitement and adventure |
and really wild things." --Marvin the Android, | Loren Haarsma
as the stuntship was about to crash into the sun. | lhaarsma@opal.tufts.edu