For many years discerning scholars have known that there are two creation stories in Genesis and that these two stories come from different sources. This is no radical, liberal, modern idea. For almost as long as the United States has been a nation some people have noticed the Bible begins… Continue reading
In the previous sermon in this series I shared with you the answer I gave during my teaching career as to whether I believed in evolution. Those asking that question were trying to get me fired, so I was very cagey with my answer. I told them that my only… Continue reading
The Bible claims in its very first chapter that we are created in the image of God. But what does that mean? Does it mean we look like God? Does it mean we have souls? Does it mean we can love? Does it mean that we, unlike animals, can tell… Continue reading
In our first sermon on Genesis we said that the Bible is not a science book. We cannot expect the biblical writers to see creation as science understands the universe today. Ancient people basically understood the world as it appears. For example, it looks like the sun goes around the… Continue reading
These words from Genesis are very familiar to us. They have been read from outer space by astronauts as they circled the earth. Perhaps these words are too familiar. When anything is too familiar, we have a tendency to take it for granted. It ceases to amaze us. Scholars tell… Continue reading
Introduction to the “First Things”: Genesis, Ancient Near Eastern Traditions, and Historical Context The opening chapters of Genesis raise a lot of questions for many people. How do we square the earth being made in 6 days with what we now know about the age and progression of the universe?… Continue reading
Introduction to the “First Things”: Genesis and Science For centuries the opening chapters of Genesis have provided a battleground on which the church and science have viciously fought. There was a time when the church persecuted those who believed that the earth circled the sun. The church, based on teachings… Continue reading
