Apr 9

Apr 9 Let the Rocks Praise

Musings of a layperson.

Creation. Marvelous, really. It occurred, I know the author, and in small ways am allowed to participate in it. How it happened, capital “C” Creation, well. I have no idea. There are creation myths in every religion and among every tribe/tongue. The earth and celestial beings tell their story as well. Which is accurate? Which is representative? Do any of these myths/stories/evidences concur? Again, no idea have I.

A systematic theology I’ve been reading recently made the claim that without a historical Adam and Eve there is no historical Christ. It gave me pause. Serious pause.

I’m a Christian, born and raised, in church from the womb on. Memories of my dad’s seminary studies are of holding Greek and Hebrew flashcards to “assist” in his studies, debates on creation flew far above my 6 yr old comprehension. Which, not to speak for him - but to speak for him, when I questioned scientific evidences against the Biblical creation stories my dad’s answer pretty much placed focus on the Who of creation rather than the Why.

Although holding an MDiv from SWBTS, my dad obtained his undergraduate degree from Sam Houston State University; majoring in Music with a minor in Geology – according to him he graduated as a Rock Musician. His love for the earth and the story it tells led him to affirm “theistic evolution” as an orthodox option. My dad is a conservative Southern Baptist Minister with an affinity for the earth’s rocks and the stories they tell, his belief highly influential to his daughter.

In college I studied History and Philosophy, primarily interested in the stories we tell and why we tell them. These studies further cemented my focus on the Who of Creation, bolstered by a single discussion on the differences in macro/micro evolution leaving me convinced that the conservative use of “evolution” in debate is primarily a straw-man fallacy. God is Creator. The means by which He created are not privy to me, a creation.

If it sounds like I advocate ignorance of science, allow me to disabuse that notion. As personal musings, these thoughts relate to me alone – my interests lie outside the science of creation. They do, however, land smack-dab in the middle of orthodox Christianity. Which brings us to the claim that without a historical Adam and Eve there is no historical Christ. I am about to wade into unfamiliar waters, so I ask for grace in these ponderings.

Genesis tells a creation story. The literary style is poetic, and the depictions quite beautiful. To need Adam and Eve to be real seems anthropocentric, the Creator is the one being exalted – He spoke, and it was so. And it was good. The Gospel – also Story – is a testimony of events and a Person. The Person of God – by whom, through whom, and for whom creation was made. To need a historical Adam for a historical Christ fails to make sense, to me. These theological waters are nearly as deep for me as the scientific ones, what I have primarily are questions.

Does Adam need to be real for his depiction as “everyman” in the fall and sin to be correct?

Does Christ, incarnate man, require man (namely a historical Adam)?

There are more questions. And the creation debate rages in this and far different arenas (Joshua has been listening to an Old Earth/Young Earth debate as I write…prompting so many more questions/thoughts to discuss!). Yet in the quiet of my soul creation holds a sacred spot. Creator God is the one to whom I cling, and the one who has gifted His creation with the image of Himself. We compose music, direct films, and capture images in photography, sculpture, paintings and more. We spin tall tales, build edifices, bake pastries, and birth children. We create because He is Creator. The wonder of it takes my breath away and I simply stand in awe. What was created has fallen, but the vestiges of divinity are there.

Continuing to teach a love for God's earth, Dad with Kenzie (L) and Judah (R).

I may be, ok, I most certainly am, unaware of the science and the theology of creation. In certain areas I ought to work harder to educate myself. Primarily, however, I am thankful for a dad who embraces God’s creation in a manner allowing God to be the focus and man the creation. We will not get everything right, but when we start focused on praise and laud to Creator God we’ve started correctly.

Editor's Note: This post is a part of the larger Torrey Gazette's "Creation Week."