c o n t i n u e d f r o m -
Thinking About Evolutionary Creation
http://relevancy22.blogspot.com/2012/05/biologos-thinking-aloud-together-parts.html
by Scot McKnight & Biologos
Where to go next...
R.E. Slater
May 1, 2012
Below are listed articles from Relevancy22's sidebar: "Science & Faith: Human Origins." As can be seen, there are other sidebars in the science/faith section each designed to - (i) help us ask better questions, (ii) think larger thoughts about Christianity and evolution, (iii) enable the Christian view to better sync up with 21st Century science, and lastly, iv) help us meld/integrate each position with the other. Please use them. I think the reader may find many questions answered if not in one article than in another when this is done.
Furthermore, I offer the "Proposed Theory" & "Eusociality" articles below as guides to this conversation but caution the uninitiated Christian non-evolutionist that these articles will be top-heavy with an evolutionary discussion of theology-in-process. Please note that they are written as gracious articles to help think through evolution from a Christian-Science perspective on how evolutionary creation can accord with the Genesis story of origins. And more importantly - of God's narrative to us of Himself.
However, before undertaking those reads one might first read the Nat Geo (National Geographic) articles also listed below (re: Neanderthal Man; Genome Studies) along with Dennis Venema's Biologos post and other similar articles on origin while asking how the traditional Christian understanding of Genesis relates to these academic findings from a theological perspective? When I did I found myself writing "How God Created by Evolution" and contributing to the "Eusociality" articles in the context of how it affected my traditional understanding of God, Adam and Eve, original sin, death, and Jesus as the second Adam, to the facts of evolution from a theological standpoint.
Importantly, I wanted to base these discussions of evolution from the viewpoint of an authentic-authoritative bible (sic, see the sidebar sections under Bible, and Hermeneutics, in this web blog) while avoiding any nuanced discussions about inerrancy.... That is to say, my concern lies with historical context versus an evolving sociological context that gradually removes itself from the historicity of the ancient Near Eastern texts. Asking questions like "What did the narratives first mean when they were written?" And "What have they come to mean now, rightly or wrongly, removed from those ancient cultural settings?" What will be discovered is that with the correctly applied hermeneutic the bible remains authentic and authoritative for the Christian faith, witness, worship, teaching, and ministry, without having to do any special kinds of scriptural gymnastics with the biblical texts when asking these questions. What also will be discovered is that our own theologies, pet dogmas, personal ideologies, convictions, and beliefs must first change to accomplish this understanding.... And I will warn you right now that this can be hard to do. Creating fear, threatening personal dogmas, dissettling our world-and-life view, and challenging our protective experiences. However, there's many articles on this web blog that can help the seeking postmodern Christian to usefully accomplish this task and discover that, in the process, it was well worth the time, effort, and anxiety.
So forgive my shorthand and scribbled thoughts here in this post. They were written based upon collecting the many hundreds of other previous articles I've reviewed through this past year's long-and-tedious labors in an attempt to formally update my own 20th Century modernistic faith into a 21st Century postmodernistic faith. In the process I found release from a dated evangelicalism into a more progressive form of evangelicalism that is better known as emergent Christianity. One which seems to comport well with the Christian faith I held, but which must, from time-to-time, "emerge" from its former self (or dogmatic cocoons) into a more "relevant" faith that is necessary for its progression, adaptation and survival (to put it into evolutionary terms!). We call this a process of deconstruction and reconstruction. Every believer goes through this when coming to Jesus as Lord and Savior. So each believer must continue to go through this process in all aspects of his/her life. Even academically.
Thus, when I first began this spiritual journey I thought it would only require a 500 year leap from the Renaissance Age until now when in fact it required a 2000 year leap from the New Testament era of the early Church until now. That was quite a leap and has left my head spinning. Overall, my spiritual journey began in 1999 and seems to have finally culminated this past year of 2011 making it a 12 year pilgrimage of seeking God's story and putting it aright with what I've been observing for so many past decades. It's a trek I'm glad to have made and think now that it can be useful to others coming from similar backgrounds to mine own. Hopefully this will be so.
Consequently, one of those fundamental changes will be in moving from a Young Earth creationism to an Evolutionary creationism requiring God's mediation of evolutionary process. It is not necessary to do this. But it will be one of those processes that must eventually be faced by a Christian when considering the discoveries of science and reading the Genesis Story of Creation within scientific context. During this time of investigation I always had told myself that God is big enough to create the earth and its humanity by either theory - with, or without - using the process of evolution. But the natural evidence suggests that God has chosen to create through the process of evolution (despite the Darwinian atheist/agnostic who claims that God was never - or maybe never! - (with)in this process!). It seems like heresy to speak of an evolutionary creation from the text of Genesis when literally read from the viewpoint of a subjective dogmitism. But in time this line of evolutionary reasoning will prove to be tremendously enriching to the Christian faith as I've attempted to provide through the "Science and Faith" sidebars of Relevancy22.
It uplifts the Bible back to its place of authority and authenticity when read in this fashion rather than when read by the unbelieving evolutionary public of a Bible containing storybook ideas couched in mythological imagery and limited by an ancient cosmogeny mindset that speaks more like a fairytale at best. And useless for today's more nuanced, scientifically-minded public. It is the argument here that both the Christian believer and the non-Christian believer each have mis-representational (if not fanciful) beliefs about the true Genesis story. And that organizations like Biologos are doing a greater justice in helping Christianity, and the reading public at large, the greater service in declaring both for science and the proper reading of Scripture as we have discussed here again and again and again.
Thus, I'm fine with those who wish to say "But God has created creation immediately and without process." That is a personal choice and one that must be allowed. But if we are to go by the cosmic, geologic, and biologic fossil records as true and not deceptive, then creational origins will require a "mediated process" such as we have now constructed by the evolutionary sciences of physics and astronomy, geology and environmental sciences, human anatomy and the biological-psychological-sociological human sciences. These latter speak with one voice - and that voice is saying that science is observing a mediated process of creation known as evolution. To which the Christian evolutionist will say required the ever present hand of God through a time period of birth and evolution - even until now as God's Kingdom continues to break into the kingdoms of man!
Lastly, throughout my personal journey I've sought to re-discover basic epistemic/theological truths of God (cf. sidebar: Theism), questions of life and death, and our place in the universe. Thus, I've created this blog as a way to further help other believers exploring similar biblical themes of contemporary interest. I trust it may be of help to you as a fellow explorer with me of the theological themes of the universe. My confidence comes from the power of the Holy Spirit who will lend His holy light of illumination and inspiration within our critical exploratory searches and examinations of God's Word and revelation through nature. Thank you for your consideration.
R.E. Slater
May 1, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment