Since I do a lot of graphic design on the computer, I had a thought the
other day that may apropos to our understanding of Genesis. When
working with photos digitally you can have low resolution photos and
high resolution ones, the difference being that low resolution photos
are composed of large pixels (dots) to give you an idea of what is
really there and high resolution photos are of extremely fine detail
made up of very tiny pixels. Low res photos are much easier to move
around and position, but high res photos are what you want in the
document for final presentation -- being the closest to reality (but not
reality -- only a representation of it).
I like to think of the Genesis account as a low resolution picture given
by the Holy Spirit to all people as a good representation of what really
happened. It is not false, but it is not highly detailed. And it must fit
the level of understanding of all people at all times. Our greatest
wisdom may come in recognizing that fact and being satisfied --
instead of pounding at heaven's gate and demanding a high res
picture. Maybe the Father knows best.
I can just picture Him looking at some of our discussions and saying to
others in His presence, "Just look at those dumb kids! I've sent them a
low resolution picture that is perfectly fine for their level of
understanding, and now they are taking their magnifier to it!" On our
side we are saying, "Look at this; it's nothing but a bunch of dots!
There's no reality here." First, because the creation is past and has
been massively altered by physical change since, we never get to
examine the reality of the event itself -- only a verbal picture of it. The
reality of it is likely to be so grand and so far beyond our capacity to
describe or understand, that only a low resolution picture is all we can
compute.
The second thing I can hear the Father say is, "Why do they spend all
their time debating something they cannot hope to fully understand,
when what I have asked them to do -- to develop the Creation's
wonderful potentialities for my honor and glory -- has been so
neglected? When will they realize that I am not holding them
accountable to explain how I created it, but how they used or abused
it?"
With that we turn to an examination of environmental degradation.
Dean Ohlman
Cornerstone College