a time to tear down | A Time to Build Up » hermeneutics

My Response to Al Mohler and the Age of the Earth

Pete Enns — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:51:54 +0000

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has argued recently in a public lecture that it is theologically necessary to say that the earth only appears to be old rather than actually being old. Otherwise, a literal interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis is in jeopardy.

He mentioned in his presentation the BioLogos Foundation as a being on the wrong side of this culture war, a since we are not biblical literalists and we feel science affects how we read the biblical account of creation. Along the way, Mohler made numerous statments about Darwin, science, and biblical interpretation that are simply wrong, ungenerous, and potentially misleading to his listeners, so we thought we would respond.

My response follows that of Darrel Falk’s and Karl Giberson’s (here and here). A transcript of Mohler’s presentation can be found here and the video here.

Does God Talk to Us Through Fiction?

Pete Enns — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:30:27 +0000

I had an article posted today in the Huffington Post in their Religion and Science section. I make the point that conservative Christians and New Atheists share fundamentalist assumptions about the Bible that block their participation in the science/faith discussion.

I will now sit back and wait for book and movie deals to come pouring in. Please don’t call me as I need to leave the phone lines open.

Gary Anderson on Augustine and the Fall

Pete Enns — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:56:51 +0000

Gary Anderson (if I have to explain you wouldn’t understand) has shared some thoughts on Augustine and Scripture at BioLogos. Specifically, Anderson’s post concerns Adam and how Augustine understood him with respect to Eve’s culpability in the fall. This post does not directly affect the kinds of scientific matters that normally occupy BioLogos, but there is value of this post for other reasons. Anderson is reminding us that interpreting the notion of the “fall” in the Garden episode has numerous dimensions of complexity and ambiguity, and that brilliant and capable minds have been trying to get their arms around it since before the Christian era.

Paul’s Adam (Part 4)

Pete Enns — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:33:59 +0000

Here is my final post at BioLogos on issues surrounding Paul’s understanding of Adam. You might also want to look at today’s video by world-renown theologian Alister McGrath and his understanding of Adam and Eve as “stereotypical figures.” All of this follows upon Bruce Waltke’s video posted last week, challenging Evangelicals to come to terms with evolution.

Pauls’ Adam (Part 3)

Pete Enns — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:45:14 +0000

Here is my third post on BioLogos concerning Paul’s use of the Adam story. It is a continuation of a list of issues I began last week. These are matters that invariably arise when trying to understand this important but involved issue. The list will conclude next week.

Paul’s Adam (part 2)

Pete Enns — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:31:21 +0000

I am still at it over on BioLogos. This week I am beginning to list some of the issues that invariably arise when we try to understand how Paul was using Adam. The purpose of these posts is to lay issues out on the table for further reflection.

Paul’s Adam (part 1)

Pete Enns — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:38:15 +0000

My next post at BioLogos is about Paul’s Adam. The issue of the historical Adam is a very difficult one for many Christians. Scientific and archaeological evidence make a strictly literal/historical reading of the Adam story impossible. Many Christians realize this and so give considerable thought to what the significance of the Adam story is in the Old Testament.

At some point, however, Paul’s understanding of Adam comes front and center. Paul certainly seems to assume, as anyone living at that time did, that Adam was the very first human ever created a few thousand years earlier. For some, this settles the question of the historical Adam: “what Paul believes about human origins, I am bound to believe as well.”

This first post outlines the nature of the problem and the second part (next week) will focus more specifically on Paul. There I will outline several factors to be kept in mind when looking at what Paul said about Adam and why he said it.

There is no simple solution to this, but it is a topic worthy of considerable hermeneutical and theological attention.

Adam is Israel

Pete Enns — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:54:19 +0000

Here is my latest BioLogos post. This one is on how Adam is not the first human but “proto-Israel.” The point here follows on my previous posts on the cosmic battle motif in Exodus.

Exodus, Mt. Sinai and Creation

Pete Enns — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:26:41 +0000

Here is my next BioLogos post on Exodus and the Cosmic battle. I will have one more in the series next week, at which time I hope to start negotiating the film rights. This post is about how the tabernacle and the law are creation events. It will change your life….or at least hold your interest for a few minutes.

Exodus and the Cosmic Battle (Again)

Pete Enns — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:41:50 +0000

Here is my latest BioLogos post. I look at the plagues as the reintroduction of chaos and how several themes come together at the Red Sea incident.