Exploring the Lost World of Genesis One (2)

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For a start, see my recent review and part one of this series. Over the next two posts, I want to look at some of the strengths and weaknesses of his argument. I would strongly recommend this book to the reader who wants to start an exploration of a literal in context approach.

As I stated before, I would like to recommend this book to the reader, both scientific and theological. While I shared with you my view of the weaknesses of John H. Walton’s thesis, I would like to take this time to share with you my view of the strengths, and there are many, but I only want to talk about three of them.

While he has certain strong points in his argument, I want to examine the strengths of an argument such as his. Briefly, however, let me state that his idea of functionalization over materialization is a compelling argument, and his greatest strength. Basing it on the Hebrew word for create, the author is able to expand the idea of ontological existence to cover Genesis 1 in a manner which creates a deeper theological context. He allows in his argument the development purposes and functions for each aspect of creation. We can then examine the purpose of the light created in the darkness, or the sea creatures, or even the cosmic seas.

Too often, people examine the bible as a plain sense reading (always the starting point) and forget that God spoke to the author, and it was the author’s limitations as a human which caused the words. (Note, the author is inspired, and the Spirit worked through the author, but we must admit that the ineffable beauty of God’s ways are not the ways of humanity.) I think of Isaiah 7.14, or the whole host of Psalms, only understood prophetically through Christ. As David wrote Psalm 118, did he see Christ on the Cross? Doubtful, as he was experiencing the pains of separation from God then. Yet, God spoke through the feebleness of human communication to address the salvation offered through the Son.

We daily examine parables to drain from the words of the Lord deep meaning, more so than a simply story about a rebellious child and a caring father could employ. In a simple reading of the Prodigal’s Son, when we read that the father ran, we would see an anxious father running to his son, but by delving into the context of the story, the context of the speaker and the audience, we find the great humiliation which the Father had to suffer (running in public was a cultural taboo for men over 30 as they had to show their calf to do so) in order to restore the son to the family.

The same can be said of Hebrew poetry and the prophetic participles found in the Jewish bible. How arrogant are we when we assume that we can read these words so casually, applying our thoughts and our culture to the words of God? Cannot the same be said of Genesis 1? The author’s premise that Genesis 1 is about function, purpose and a deeper theology that we have seen normally expressed by some extreme literalist is a great strength which allows for those who desire to delve deeper into the theological meaning of that text.

I once heard a preacher take Genesis 1 and preach about holiness rather than Creation – something that fits into this argument.

Science and Religion are generally at odds, but the author, with his argument, allows a keener separation to occur, where science doesn’t have to undermine religious principles. We have civilizations 10,000 years old, which no record could be redacted to show otherwise. I simply cannot believe in evolution, based on the mathematics alone, but we do know that the earth is old, and that the universe is older, much older. Yet, by keeping Genesis 1 as a wholly religious document, we do not have to worry about the latest trend in scientific discovery.

Too often, people like to confuse the Scriptures as science, instead of the beauty of God’s communication with humanity. Walton attempts to resurrect the notion that the Scriptures are a purely theological enterprise, meant to draw humanity to God, to be our guild in a life lived to God.

Living and working in Appalachia, I have had the chance to explore the coal mines, some what. In doing so, I have come across fossils in the slate which runs along the coal seam. There is such a thing as kettle bottoms. They are petrified tries generally standing upright so that the miner stands beneath the root system. They find these things surrounded by all levels of cover (mountain). Further, they also find mud seams – parts of the mountain which is still muddy rock. Remember, the Appalachian Mountains are supposedly the oldest mountain chain in the world – and you have evidences of a breadth of time.

Walton has built his premise around a ‘literal in context’ method which preserves the essential literalism of the text, but seeks the context in which the text was first written. For the author, the purpose of the text is a vital element in finding the context. The strength here is that he allows the text – such as the literal 24 day – to speak plainly.  He deals handily with both the young earth creationists and the old earth creationists by doing so. He shows what he believes is the fallibility of the both arguments (along with the Framework theory) by attempting to remain literal.

Walton’s strengths in his argument come from a desire, I believe, to remove the tension between science and religious in Genesis 1, and to provide a more secure footing in combating the increasing attempts to remove God from creation. For Walton, it is not what happened, but why, and this is perhaps the true greatest strength.

  • bobxxxx

    “I simply cannot believe in evolution, based on the mathematics alone”
     
    You don’t have to “believe” in evolution because the evidence for it is overwhelming. Read “Why Evolution is True” by Jerry Coyne.
     
    By the way, evolution is an idea for biology, not mathematics.

  • bobxxxx

    “I simply cannot believe in evolution, based on the mathematics alone”
     
    You don’t have to “believe” in evolution because the evidence for it is overwhelming. Read “Why Evolution is True” by Jerry Coyne.
     
    By the way, evolution is an idea for biology, not mathematics.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us/ Polycarp

    Bob, evolution is quite false. Based on the mathematics of mutations – good vs. bad – it would be impossible to achieve the quality of which we have now.

    Evolution has not been witnessed, nor proved.

    You don’t have to “believe” in God, because the evidence for Him is overwhelming.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us Polycarp

    Bob, evolution is quite false. Based on the mathematics of mutations – good vs. bad – it would be impossible to achieve the quality of which we have now.

    Evolution has not been witnessed, nor proved.

    You don’t have to “believe” in God, because the evidence for Him is overwhelming.

  • http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day1am2.html bobxxxx

    “Bob, evolution is quite false.”


    Don’t you think you should at least read the book I recommended before you say evolution is false? You’re not a biologist, so you should be wondering why virtually every biologist in the world loves evolution.

    The mutations accumulate if they help a species survive. Mutations disappear from a population if they cause harm. Over a long period of time new species will very gradually develop. Biologists know this is true because they can see evolutionary relationships with their own eyes when they compare DNA sequences of different species.

    Also, fossils, while not as powerful as evidence from DNA analysis, are very strong evidence for evolution. One of my favorite examples is the legs, feet, and toes found in the fossils of ancient whales. Those toes wouldn’t be there unless whales developed from land animals. This fossil evidence is backed up by DNA analysis that shows beyond any doubt the evolutionary relationship between whales and hippos, who share an ancestor.

    You could continue denying 150 years of scientific progress, or you could educate yourself with Coyne’s book. Do what you want. I’m just trying to help.

    “You don’t have to ‘believe’ in God, because the evidence for Him is overwhelming.”


    That’s fine with me. It just bugs me when people use their religious beliefs as an excuse to deny reality, and nothing can be more real than the fact that people are part of nature, and not magically created to be separate from nature.

    I appreciate that you might be concerned about the obvious religious implications evolution has, but that’s not really a good reason to refuse to educate yourself.

  • http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day1am2.html bobxxxx

    “Bob, evolution is quite false.”


    Don’t you think you should at least read the book I recommended before you say evolution is false? You’re not a biologist, so you should be wondering why virtually every biologist in the world loves evolution.

    The mutations accumulate if they help a species survive. Mutations disappear from a population if they cause harm. Over a long period of time new species will very gradually develop. Biologists know this is true because they can see evolutionary relationships with their own eyes when they compare DNA sequences of different species.

    Also, fossils, while not as powerful as evidence from DNA analysis, are very strong evidence for evolution. One of my favorite examples is the legs, feet, and toes found in the fossils of ancient whales. Those toes wouldn’t be there unless whales developed from land animals. This fossil evidence is backed up by DNA analysis that shows beyond any doubt the evolutionary relationship between whales and hippos, who share an ancestor.

    You could continue denying 150 years of scientific progress, or you could educate yourself with Coyne’s book. Do what you want. I’m just trying to help.

    “You don’t have to ‘believe’ in God, because the evidence for Him is overwhelming.”


    That’s fine with me. It just bugs me when people use their religious beliefs as an excuse to deny reality, and nothing can be more real than the fact that people are part of nature, and not magically created to be separate from nature.

    I appreciate that you might be concerned about the obvious religious implications evolution has, but that’s not really a good reason to refuse to educate yourself.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us/ Polycarp

    Bob, are you a Christian? A Theologian? Perhaps you should read the countless books that I could suggest to you in determining the correct narrative in Genesis 1?

    I have read plenty on the Evolution debate, and find it, as I said, unconvincing. Not all biologists believe in evolution, nor ‘virtually all biologists.’ That is a generalization which I know for a fact to be untrue. Further, numbers mean little – or would you believe the numerous scientists who said that the earth was flat? Or that the black race was inferior to the white?

    150 years of scientific progress? Really? You mean trade 4000 years or more of communication between God and humanity for 150 years of ever changing scientific evidence?

    By education, I take it you mean that I would have to agree with you? Evolution really has no religious implications – unless you remove God completely. I had a great biology teacher at the University, and no matter how atheistic he was, he always referred back the so-called God particle to explain the start of life. While this is not an direct affirmation of God, it shows that no matter what science says during this trend, Something had to start this process. You can choose to deny this, but that is no reason to refuse to educate yourself.

    Bob, the book is actually quite good. It handles only the theological aspects of Genesis 1, and calls for the cessation of the attempt by Theologians to force teleological interpretations on empirical science, as well as the reverse. I would hope that you pick up a copy to understand the desire by many to no longer refuse to accept either evolution or the fact Science is not an enemy to religion.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us Polycarp

    Bob, are you a Christian? A Theologian? Perhaps you should read the countless books that I could suggest to you in determining the correct narrative in Genesis 1?

    I have read plenty on the Evolution debate, and find it, as I said, unconvincing. Not all biologists believe in evolution, nor ‘virtually all biologists.’ That is a generalization which I know for a fact to be untrue. Further, numbers mean little – or would you believe the numerous scientists who said that the earth was flat? Or that the black race was inferior to the white?

    150 years of scientific progress? Really? You mean trade 4000 years or more of communication between God and humanity for 150 years of ever changing scientific evidence?

    By education, I take it you mean that I would have to agree with you? Evolution really has no religious implications – unless you remove God completely. I had a great biology teacher at the University, and no matter how atheistic he was, he always referred back the so-called God particle to explain the start of life. While this is not an direct affirmation of God, it shows that no matter what science says during this trend, Something had to start this process. You can choose to deny this, but that is no reason to refuse to educate yourself.

    Bob, the book is actually quite good. It handles only the theological aspects of Genesis 1, and calls for the cessation of the attempt by Theologians to force teleological interpretations on empirical science, as well as the reverse. I would hope that you pick up a copy to understand the desire by many to no longer refuse to accept either evolution or the fact Science is not an enemy to religion.

  • bobxxxx

    I became an atheist before you were born, and after I was done with 8 years of Catholic grammar school. Looking back I don’t think I ever took religious ideas very seriously.
     
    I was a bit late in understanding evolution because I never heard about it until after my education was over. Now after several years of studying it, I love it as much as the biologists love it. I think nothing could be more interesting than history of life.
     
    I was kind of hoping you would have said something about those toes found in the fossils of ancient whales. It’s so obvious what those toes were doing there. It’s so easy to explain if a person understands how evolution works, which is very slowly. It was long after the ancestors of modern whales no longer had any need for legs for walking that those legs finally completely disappeared. Even today a whale is sometimes found with remnants of these now useless limbs (even the toes sometimes) inside their bodies.
     
    And this is just one example of millions of pieces of evidence for evolution. Another one of my favorite pieces of evidence is the ERVs found in identical locations in the DNA of human apes and chimpanzee apes. Then there’s human chromosome number two, and countless other discoveries. The evidence just keeps growing and keeps getting more powerful. The evidence is called overwhelming for a good reason. No one person could ever hope to keep up with it. New discoveries always support the evolution idea, and never conflict with it, despite what some dishonest people may have told you.
     
    What I’m up against when I try to explain the facts of science to evolution-deniers is a big business called “Lying for Jesus”. Know-nothing fake scientists who work for Bible Colleges, Bible organizations, and Christian creationist organizations like the Discovery Institute, are spreading lies about science every day, and there’s millions of Christians who blindly believe everything they say, while real scientists are disgusted by their dishonesty. It’s so sad. Every time a hard working scientist makes an important discovery, there’s no shortage of lazy people who never discover anything who are ready to spread lies about it.
     
    Anyway, I have to give up here. I can’t spend a lot of time on the internet because I’m working 7 nights a week. Good luck to you sir.

  • bobxxxx

    I became an atheist before you were born, and after I was done with 8 years of Catholic grammar school. Looking back I don’t think I ever took religious ideas very seriously.
     
    I was a bit late in understanding evolution because I never heard about it until after my education was over. Now after several years of studying it, I love it as much as the biologists love it. I think nothing could be more interesting than history of life.
     
    I was kind of hoping you would have said something about those toes found in the fossils of ancient whales. It’s so obvious what those toes were doing there. It’s so easy to explain if a person understands how evolution works, which is very slowly. It was long after the ancestors of modern whales no longer had any need for legs for walking that those legs finally completely disappeared. Even today a whale is sometimes found with remnants of these now useless limbs (even the toes sometimes) inside their bodies.
     
    And this is just one example of millions of pieces of evidence for evolution. Another one of my favorite pieces of evidence is the ERVs found in identical locations in the DNA of human apes and chimpanzee apes. Then there’s human chromosome number two, and countless other discoveries. The evidence just keeps growing and keeps getting more powerful. The evidence is called overwhelming for a good reason. No one person could ever hope to keep up with it. New discoveries always support the evolution idea, and never conflict with it, despite what some dishonest people may have told you.
     
    What I’m up against when I try to explain the facts of science to evolution-deniers is a big business called “Lying for Jesus”. Know-nothing fake scientists who work for Bible Colleges, Bible organizations, and Christian creationist organizations like the Discovery Institute, are spreading lies about science every day, and there’s millions of Christians who blindly believe everything they say, while real scientists are disgusted by their dishonesty. It’s so sad. Every time a hard working scientist makes an important discovery, there’s no shortage of lazy people who never discover anything who are ready to spread lies about it.
     
    Anyway, I have to give up here. I can’t spend a lot of time on the internet because I’m working 7 nights a week. Good luck to you sir.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us/ Polycarp

    Bob, I tire quickly for commentators who like to talk and then run. If you desire a decent conversation, then you would stay around – otherwise, as the case appears, you simply want to voice your thoughts without any meaningful dialogue.

    So, you become an atheist before I was born and you took 8 years of Catholic school? Not sure the connection there.

    And, so what about whales’ toes. I think again, you are missing the point. I simply don’t buy into evolution. So what? I don’t care much about cross science and religion. You seem adamant in doing so – and for what? To prove what? That you are right. Sounds like you are a fundamentalist to me.

    Again, one of the points of the book is to separate Science and Religion, to stop trying to offer biblical explanations where they do not belong. We should let the Bible speak for itself, in the matters where it is concerned, and frankly, evolution is out of the sphere of religious life. This point seems lost on you.

  • http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us Polycarp

    Bob, I tire quickly for commentators who like to talk and then run. If you desire a decent conversation, then you would stay around – otherwise, as the case appears, you simply want to voice your thoughts without any meaningful dialogue.

    So, you become an atheist before I was born and you took 8 years of Catholic school? Not sure the connection there.

    And, so what about whales’ toes. I think again, you are missing the point. I simply don’t buy into evolution. So what? I don’t care much about cross science and religion. You seem adamant in doing so – and for what? To prove what? That you are right. Sounds like you are a fundamentalist to me.

    Again, one of the points of the book is to separate Science and Religion, to stop trying to offer biblical explanations where they do not belong. We should let the Bible speak for itself, in the matters where it is concerned, and frankly, evolution is out of the sphere of religious life. This point seems lost on you.

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