Where do we go once leaving Paul’s Adam? (BioLogos)

April 6th, 2010 | 3 Comments

I have really enjoyed Pete Enns‘s contribution to BioLogos of late. His latest frames the Adam/Eve question in an interesting and honest way. Here’s an excerpt related to my last post:

What if we affirm that Paul’s view of human origins does not settle the matter for us today? Of course, this leaves us with a pressing question: how do we think about Adam today?

This is where the conversation begins for those wishing to maintain a biblical faith in a modern world. And whatever way forward is chosen, we must be clear on one thing: we have all left “Paul’s Adam.” We are all “creating Adam,” as it were, in an effort to reconcile Scripture and the modern understanding of human origins.
….
[O]nce you move to [the above affirmation], you have left Paul’s Adam and are now working with an Adam that is partially and even largely shaped by your own understanding and worldview. You are in an entirely different discussion.

It sounds bleak, but I have hope that efforts like the BioLogos Foundation, if they continue on their current trajectory, will begin to push through.

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April 6th, 2010

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  • Arcamaede

    It's only bleak if you desire to hold onto the idea that there was once a golden age. It in no way removes the idea of creating a golden age. We both (I hope at least) affirm that the Bible speaks of the idea of making things better. Each wave of human attempts to make that better fix things and expose other things that need fixing. We also see in the Bible the message that we need something bigger than us to fix it.

    Why stop on that mission?

  • http://thecreationofanevolutionist.blogspot.com/ Mike Beidler

    Well said, Arcemaede!

    I truly believe that the closer we get to God, the better humanity will become. This occurs because the Spirit urges us to rise above our mere fleshly instincts and reach toward the divine ideal. The bigger question is this: By what manner does the Spirit inspire? Is it only through Christianity? Or does God still speak (albeit in a muffled voice) through other religions?

  • http://thecreationofanevolutionist.blogspot.com/ Mike Beidler

    Well said, Arcemaede!

    I truly believe that the closer we get to God, the better humanity will become. This occurs because the Spirit urges us to rise above our mere fleshly instincts and reach toward the divine ideal. The bigger question is this: By what manner does the Spirit inspire? Is it only through Christianity? Or does God still speak (albeit in a muffled voice) through other religions?