Atheists becoming theists and vice versa can often take place because of the
virulent debate over evolution – creation, notably about Genesis 1-3. There is a
massive controversy about the interpretation of origins and early Genesis
nowadays. If you’re interested, we recommend you read our new book From
Evolution to Eden, which engages the tough questions and offers fresh
directions.
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Eden-Making-Sense-Genesis/dp/1938367197/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432667840&sr=1-1&keywords=laughery
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-evolution-to-eden-gregory-j-laughery/1121224279?ean=9781938367199
It seems like we want to “see” God so badly that we assume God is doing all kinds of things in our lives and the world; from helping us catch an airplane when we’re late and giving a safe journey, to providing us with a school to go to and a high grade point average. Such detailed aspects of our lives as these, and the way God and the world work, are perhaps in need of facing the underlying question of Divine action. How does God act in the world? I’m not convinced we know as much as we assume, however, on my account this should not be viewed as a problem. I would wager that unknowing can be, at times, a privilege. I suppose that in overstepping our knowledge boundaries instead of being faithful, we’re running on the fuel of conjecture, which may actually result in our being faithless – believing ourselves and not God. So, we ought to be concerned about faith and where and to whom it is directed, as this will have consequences for the present and the future.
New territory! Trying to navigate without clarified assumptions on Divine Action.
Not only am I in the books for research, but living every day in this space is an education in itself. Who knows where it all goes? For now, I’m going to sit down and have a glass of vin rouge. Santé!~
A risky elegance flows through nature, as beauty and disaster sometimes confront each other in space and time.
In today’s harsh reality of selfishness and greed, some say there is no such thing as a gift. Giving is always with motive or interest and that disqualifies it. I would argue that while motive or interest will always be with us in giving, it need not necessarily abolish gift, as this would seem to depend on what the motive or interest are. Let’s say a canceling of gift might be the case if one gave it with the motive of receiving something in return, but if one gifts with a motive to satisfy or please the other and requires nothing in return, then the gift character of giving would not be nullified. That is, other interest wins—over a perverse self-interest—and preserves the possibility of true gift.
“This material on early Genesis is unlike any scholarship I've encountered so far, taking the literature of Genesis seriously and imaginatively, while at the same time engaging the voice of current scientific understandings of the world and its origins. What results is nothing short of dynamic, challenging and liberating for a person that seeks to be a good reader of texts and the world.”
“The anorexic may begin her journey defiant, but from the point of view of a male-dominated society, she ends up as the perfect woman. She is weak, sexless, and voiceless, and can only with difficulty focus on a world beyond her plate. The woman has been killed off in her. She is almost not there. Seeing her like this, unwomaned, it makes crystalline sense that a half-conscious but virulent mass movement of imagination created the vital lie of skeletal female beauty.”
Stories, Signs, and so many paths to explore
The story teller in the gospel of John understands the turning of water into wine at the wedding of Cana as the first of Jesus’ signs (semeion) and we will focus more intently on this signing. Remarkable acts throughout this whole narrative are always signs. Notably, the most frequent word in the New Testament connected to these types of acts is power, however, it is never used in this recounting. For our narrator, such events are for the purpose of pointing—they are sign-posts that direct the viewer towards an authentication of something beyond the mere events themselves. In a sense, signs in the story strike at the heart of imagination. To “see” the meaning of a sign is to be able to imagine it and its implications.
The wedding at Cana also points readers to the signing scenario of turning water into wine. Jesus, so to speak, is signing in. In this first sign he gives his signature to the proceedings, but what’s in a signature? To sign is an act of commitment. It’s easier to break our word than to retract our signature. Signature is, as it were, often verified by an official who confirms that “yes, this is her/him” that is committing to this or that. Jesus’ signature—his signing into the world that is—offers light to humanity, which is groping around in darkness. Shockingly, the quality of the wine due to “signing” baffles the steward, who knows nothing of what has taken place behind the scene. What is clear to him is that this is not the traditional wedding procedure. He is thoroughly perplexed by the way things unfold. Serving the “good” wine last is a reversal of all the old ways of doing things, as Jesus signing in changes not only the water into wine, but the world. His signature is verified and attested to by the testimony of John who declares that the signature/sign is that of Jesus the Messiah. Imagine the good wine, a new world, and life, all “signing ins” by Jesus.
Double Trouble - in the Garden of Genesis 2-3 and in the Garden of literal interpreters. How do you read the story? What’s going on here? Our new book, From Evolution to Eden suggests some new directions should be brought into play.
Height of irony? Many today are highly suspicious of human authority, yet even the most insecure and those lacking self-confidence seem to trust themselves.
How, if at all, is it possible to reconcile current scientific data and biblical interpretation when it comes to understanding Genesis 1-3? 
Our new book From Evolution to Eden takes this on and comes to surprising conclusions !
Paul’s rhetoric of equality in 1 Corinthians 7 is astounding. Not only do the bodies of wives belong to their husbands, but the bodies of husbands belong to their wives. Marriage partners are not free to do what they please with their bodies. Spirituality is an earthly-bodily phenomenon. Liberty, asceticism, and idolatry are three false emblems of an overly already-focused spirituality that leads us astray. Misunderstandings abound today. Bodies are worshipped (idolatry), devalued (liberty), or seen as having nothing to do with the spiritual, which is entirely cut off from the physical world (asceticism). The body - both what it is and what it does are key parts of living spirituality.
On Genesis 1-3. If you want to read something safe and traditional on this issue, Don’t ! read our new book From Evolution to Eden. Making Sense of Early Genesis.
Just try and do ethics without imagination. My wager is it simply won’t be possible.
Having problems making sense of Genesis 1-3? Who were Adam and Eve? What Garden? A talking Serpent?
We think early Genesis is a dynamic story that can engage our changing portraits of nature. But how? Pick up our new book From Evolution to Eden for help in answering these and other questions.
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Eden-Making-Sense-Genesis/dp/1938367197/
A key part of the drama of the gospel narratives shows us that Jesus manifests himself as the sent One in the midst of the “actual” world in order to point people in the direction of a “possible” world that is so much more than the actual one. The actual and possible world connection and trajectory he makes and provides leads us into the “real” world, which can be grasped through imagination. When imagination is engaged, the beliefs and actions that pertain to the real world begin to come into focus and in so doing, offer us a choice as to how to live a transformed life.
Developing a rich and responsible imagination will lead to a greater sensitivity to read and be read by God’s story. To imagine, in this way, is not connected to perceiving an object in the world, but it is a startling engagement with language, as semantic innovation, that results in a productive event or eruption of meaning that has the capacity to bring us into contact with the Infinite One.
One of the most significant questions being asked today about Genesis 1-3 is: Are Science & Theology to be understood as entirely distinct or fully related? We wager neither option is viable. Find out why and what we propose as a possible way forward in our new book From Evolution to Eden.
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Eden-Making-Sense-Genesis/dp/1938367197/
Even being suspicious of oneself about having the ability to believe in God is embedded in trusting this suspicion. If it turns out that we are such people of trust, which I believe is the case (we can’t escape trusting), I’d wager the question that has to be addressed is whether what and who we trust merits the designation “trustworthy.”
