In my current part-time pastorate, I have been (so to speak) "trying out"
some of the issues we have been discussing on this list in the past few
months. I was moved by Fred Phelps' original plea in January that
alternatives to YEC views should be given the hearing they deserve in
evangelical pulpits (and elsewhere). I recalled that in no church I had
been associated with (as a member, or on staff) had I heard YEC views
challenged from the pulpit. I also remembered what trouble could erupt if
non-YEC views were mentioned in adult classes - even in one case of a
special evening symposium with an invited speaker on science/faith issues.
So when my sermon series this winter reached the verses on "Christ the
creator" in Colossians 1, I decided to deal (ever so gently) with
"creationism" ... and pointed out that knowing God as Creator did not mean
accepting the YEC perspective.
As I had expected, a number of people were surprised! Soon came the request
for "more teaching on this subject", which for the moment I have responded
to a with a few-week adult class (some teens are coming too). I don't want
this topic to take over the church agenda for months...
Yesterday I outlined a spectrum of interpretations of Gn 1 found among
evangelicals. Kline's "framework" view elicited some interesting reactions:
one was that to place much weight on Gn 2:5 not fitting into Gn 1 (viewed
sequentially) seemed of no great significance. Considerations based on the
distinct nature of the 7th day apparently did not carry that much weight
either. Interestingly, some people were surprised by the idea that the
genealogies of Gn 5 and Gn 11 might be incomplete, or not susceptible to
linear addition of 'ages of begetting' - and even by the clear evidence
that eg. the Mt 1 genealogy of Christ leaves out a lot of kings...
What should prove interesting is that the class wants very much to hear
"about the science" next Sunday. Now is this going to bear out Glenn's main
contention that *only* the science will allow them to decide between
several biblical "possibilities", or is it that they see me as a
"professional scientist" more than as a "professional exegete"?
This is how some of "our issues" are playing out (in an abbreviated Sunday
School format) in one real-life church...it's a reminder to me of the need
(also discussed recently on this list) to translate all our theorizing into
"popular" level materials that the average church-goer will read. I would
be most interested to hear from others about their experiences in
presenting any of the ideas we struggle with on this list to
"non-professionals" both theologically AND scientifically.
>Peter
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Peter J. Vibert
Senior Scientist Interim Pastor
Rosenstiel Basic Medical The Congregational Church
Sciences Research Center in North Chelmsford
Brandeis University 15 Princeton Street
PO Box 9110, Waltham, MA 02254 N. Chelmsford, MA 01863
tel: (617) 736-4947 tel: (508) 251-1261
fax: (617) 736-2419
Int: peter@hydra.rose.brandeis.edu
WWW: http://www.rose.brandeis.edu/users/vibert
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