From: George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Date: Sat May 17 2003 - 07:10:25 EDT
Jim Eisele wrote:
>
> Paul writes
>
> >Hi Jim,
> >
> >
> >Actually I am agreement with the historical and modern consensual
> >interpretation of the Flood. And my approach to Genesis is not so very far
> >away from Calvin's, so not so creative as it may seem. Also, as I replied
> to
> >Gordon, it is rather close to Jesus in principle.
> >
> >
> >Since the commitment to the assumption that if God speaks he must get his
> >science and history right (he cannot accommodate his revelation to "the
> >notions which then prevailed" to use one of Calvin's phrases) is the basis
> >for YECism, concordism, and even your atheism, that assumption is the root
> >problem. I see no necessary biblical or logical basis for this assumption.
> It
> >is just human reason, man telling God on an apriori basis. what he can and
> >cannot say when inspiring Scripture, and then---whether YEC, concordist, or
> >atheist---creating imaginary worlds to uphold the assumption.
> >
> >
> >I invite you and all the YECs and concordists to surrender your autonomous
> >reason to the living Word.
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> Again, I don't challenge your scholarship. I have found it
> right on target. I probably wasn't specific enough in my
> post. Part of that is that your reasoning on Genesis seems
> so odd to me that I have a difficult time stating your
> position.
>
> You want to say God provided inaccurate information to
> the Hebrews because they couldn't handle accurate information.
...........................
Jim -
If I may jump in, I believe you misunderstand Paul - or at least that your
language represents his meaning only in a very incomplete way. The point isn't simply
that God "provided inaccurate information to the Hebrews" but that God communicated to
the Hebrews within their cultural, linguistic &c context. Thus (to take Gen.1 as a
clear example) it isn't that God told the Hebrews that He created a flat earth with a
dome over it and waters above the heavens &c. Rather, in the context of the culture of
the ancient near east in which it was believed that the earth was flat with a dome
over it &c, God communicated that He is the creator of the world.
Perhaps that doesn't make it more plausible to you, but that's what it means to
say that God accomodated revelation to the culture in which it would take place.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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