Genesis: the main point

The most important contextual question you will ever ask—and it must be asked over and over of every sentence and every paragraph—is, “What’s the point?”  –GORDON FEE and DOUGLAS STUART

Conservative and liberal theologians often perplex me as they wage verbal war against each other. They seem to focus on their differences and disregard their similarities, a formula that leads to disrespect and mistrust. Granted, many points on which they disagree are irreconcilable, but thankfully this is not the whole story. In the midst of their squabbling, obscured by the noise of rhetoric and debate, are areas of common ground that need not be ignored. In fact, acknowledgement of these mutually held beliefs just might be the seed that leads to cooperation and fellowship between the left and the right.

Take, for example, the story of the creation of man and woman in Genesis, chapter two. Biblical conservatives tend to take the account literally. They believe that God fashioned Adam from mud, then anesthetized him and used one of his ribs to form Eve. Liberals, on the other hand, consider the story to be figurative, not literal. They believe the narrative is Hebrew legend, an ancient story that serves only to depict God as Creator of human life.

Whichever side of the fence you find yourself, I would ask you to stop throwing stones long enough to consider the common ground upon which we all stand. Differences exist between us, and these areas should be discussed and debated. Nevertheless, as hard as this may be for some, the concession must be made by all parties that they agree on the two main points of Genesis chapters one and two: (1) God created the universe, including humans; (2) humans created nothing. Whether this divine creative activity spanned six literal twenty-four hour days, followed by a seventh of divine rest, or took billions of years to complete is very much peripheral to the Biblical writer's main point. His central theme, stated at the start—"God created the heavens and the earth"—is a belief held by conservative and liberal theologians alike.

I'm not going to tell you where my theology falls on the conservative-liberal spectrum. That is a subject of no consequence to today's discussion. What I will do instead is offer my hand to those on both sides and ask them to sing in unison with me of God's creative power.

SELF-REFLECT

1. Which statement below best describes your position  on creation?

a.  God created the world in seven literal days.

b.  God created the world over billions of years.

2. If, in heaven, you find that the other view is true, would you still praise God as Creator?

                                                                         -If God Is "I AM", then Who Am I? (Day 7)