I read Klaus Westermann's "Creation" the other day. I expected it to be one of those modern approaches to creation whereby I am supposed to believe that the days are actual 24 hour days and that all of creation took place in exactly 6 days. I also expected to read that if I don't believe that, it will affect the way I view salvation.
But Westermann takes you by surprise and hardly even touches that part of the discussion. His proposition is that we need to read it as it is: a narrative of our genesis. It is very freeing to do so because is allows you to focus on the issues that really matter: relationships, community, progress and the faithfulness of God.
Anyway, I shared some of my findings with some fellow believers and casually mentioned that, when one looks at the style in writing, it could well be that Genesis 1-11 has a different author than the other chapters.
This wasn't my main point but I might as well have cursed in the church in broad daylight and all the believers present, because suddenly I found all my brothers all over me as if I uttered the most blasphemous statement of the week.
Too bad that we don't allow ourselves to look at what we think we know from a different angle. There is so much we don't know. Why not admit it and leave things be. Things we don't know, that don't really matter, that don't affect our salvation.
Anyway, it took away some of the fun I find in exploring the many possible exegetical and hermeneutical avenues.
By the way, have you ever considered the numerous question that will pop up from the first chapters of Genesis if the world indeed was created in exactly six days?
You know, I don't really care. It's not that important.
But I do bet that there's people out there that are ready to start a war over it. In a sense that's what it comes to
The path of disobedience that man choose now enables us to undo in a few seconds what God took six days (or maybe longer) to make.
Now this is something that should grab our attention and get us into gear.
But Westermann takes you by surprise and hardly even touches that part of the discussion. His proposition is that we need to read it as it is: a narrative of our genesis. It is very freeing to do so because is allows you to focus on the issues that really matter: relationships, community, progress and the faithfulness of God.
Anyway, I shared some of my findings with some fellow believers and casually mentioned that, when one looks at the style in writing, it could well be that Genesis 1-11 has a different author than the other chapters.
This wasn't my main point but I might as well have cursed in the church in broad daylight and all the believers present, because suddenly I found all my brothers all over me as if I uttered the most blasphemous statement of the week.Too bad that we don't allow ourselves to look at what we think we know from a different angle. There is so much we don't know. Why not admit it and leave things be. Things we don't know, that don't really matter, that don't affect our salvation.
Anyway, it took away some of the fun I find in exploring the many possible exegetical and hermeneutical avenues.
By the way, have you ever considered the numerous question that will pop up from the first chapters of Genesis if the world indeed was created in exactly six days?
You know, I don't really care. It's not that important.
But I do bet that there's people out there that are ready to start a war over it. In a sense that's what it comes to
The path of disobedience that man choose now enables us to undo in a few seconds what God took six days (or maybe longer) to make.
Now this is something that should grab our attention and get us into gear.
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