I’d wager that the Genesis authors had no
historical, biological, or genetic information to rely on when they processed
and wrote the creation stories. Thus, early Genesis is likely to be a post-Exodus
founding narrative set in place to enhance the identity of the nation of Israel
and its God.
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Those who read Genesis 1 as basically a God ordering
of creation account often seem to ignore the natural world informer, which may
be telling us that things are not so unequivocally simple. When interpreting
Genesis 1 it simply won’t do to read the text alone, even in its ancient Near
Eastern context. The time has come, if we are to better interpret this story,
to also interact with the natural world and then see where that takes us. Creation
may not be so orderly after all, and if it’s not, Genesis 1 will have to be
read in a new light.
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The
validity of the Christian faith will only continue to suffer if we do not
engage the issues and ideas of our day. To bury our heads in the sand and hope
the challenges to the truth of what we believe will all go away, is wishful
thinking.
We have the significant calling to be a testimony to the love of
Christ, but this will not be heard, if we speak an entirely different language
unrelated to current discussions, nor will it be seen, if we live in a
spiritualized world of our own making, divorced from that which is really
happening. Being informed about what’s going on is a responsibility for
ourselves and others, as we tell the story of life and death in a pertinent and
persuasive manner that has traction in the listening and watching world.
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Recent questions revolving around ‘what is history?’
have given rise to this. What is narrative? Umberto Eco, of The Name
of the Rose fame, suggests that to tell a story or write a narrative you
have to construct a world.
On this view, Genesis is not merely information, but
a created story world – of course, in my perspective related to, but distinct
from the real world. Yet, Eco’s suggestion, while helpful, needs to be
supplemented. Stories also connect actions – narrative creates causal relations
between one action and another. Think about this. “God sees a cow in the field”
is not a narrative – “God sees a cow in the field and milks it” is. Another
feature of narrative, brought to light by Paul Ricoeur, is time. What is
recounted in narrative takes place in time and makes time. Thus, a temporal dimension
is not to be missed or ignored if we are to better understand stories. But right,
there are at least a few other important elements of narrative: plot, point of
view, characters, intrigue, suspense, drama, audience-reader; all of the above require
due consideration when reading stories, including those in early Genesis.
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Beyond
the fleeting and idolatrous deceptions of the meta-narratives
of absolutism and
relativism, lies the steadfast mediated truth of the Crucified and Risen One.
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Engaging a post-trust culture means meeting people
where they are in their suspicions and re-directing them to an ontology of
revised trust. Arrogant appeals made to institutions, politics, or churches, no
longer has traction, whereas personal encounter and investment carry
significant weight. Sacrificing time and energy should be a mark of Christian
love and charity towards others. Hammering out together the validity, or lack
thereof, concerning plausible explanations of reality has to take place one step
at a time. There are no fast and easy solutions to complex issues. Starting
with being human and living in the world is as good a place as any to begin the
journey towards transformation.
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