Unsettled Christianity

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August 17th, 2009

Exploring the Lost World of Genesis One (2)

Click to Order

Click to Order

For a start, see my recent review and part one of this series. Over the next two posts, I want to look at some of the strengths and weaknesses of his argument. I would strongly recommend this book to the reader who wants to start an exploration of a literal in context approach.

As I stated before, I would like to recommend this book to the reader, both scientific and theological. While I shared with you my view of the weaknesses of John H. Walton’s thesis, I would like to take this time to share with you my view of the strengths, and there are many, but I only want to talk about three of them.

  • It allows for a theological context to develop free of traditional views
  • It allows for the exploration of the purpose of Genesis 1 without the need to explore the scientific ramifications
  • It allows for a literal view of the 7 day creation account while attempting to find the author’s original context.

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August 13th, 2009

Exploring the Lost World of Genesis One (1)

Click to Order

Click to Order

For a start, see my recent review. Over the next two posts, I want to look at some of the strengths and weaknesses of his argument. I would strongly recommend this book to the reader who wants to start an exploration of a literal in context approach.

I have had a few days to think about this book and in doing so, I find that this book is worth a deeper look. While it may not officially be a book review, I feel that we can review his argument on a deeper level without sacrificing too much of the book itself.

I have identified three areas of weakness in which I see that the author’s argument has -

  • Is new, and thus, because of the virtue of never having been tried before, it is untrustworthy.
  • The use of Sabbath Rest and the Eight Day theology
  • The reliance upon the Temple motif with the insistence that Divinity rests in the Temple.

We will explore these three things and leave the discussion open for more.

First, as with any doctrine or interpretation, it must be tested by Scripture. In this case, since the doctrine that God created the world for His purposed is maintained and acknowledged – it is indeed very central to his argument – we must look elsewhere for verification of the interpretation. I would look to Tradition, to either ancient Judaism or to the Church Fathers. (While they are not always the best in interpreting Judaism, they must be included as a link to the Jewish community which produced Romans.) The author provides only creation myths from the Ancient Near East.

The author uses a few Egyptian texts as well as Mesopotamian texts to underscore this interpretation. There can be no denying that the ANE texts are too close for comfort to the Genesis account (this has been explained in different ways), he does show that the texts differ in their goal. While ANE myths center on the gods generally being selfish in their creation, with making things purposed for them, the God of the Hebrew texts constantly creates things which are ‘good’ for humanity. All of creation is for humanity, alone.

The fact that this interpretation cannot be found in history, except by conjecture, is a disability which plagues the entire work. It is not that it cannot be overcome, but as a new interpretation, it quickly becomes a new revelation. As a new revelation it is derived mainly from ANE texts and human reasoning.

Secondly, Walton states that the Sabbath rest, which seemingly has been misunderstood for all these generations, was not merely about rest, but first about letting God have control (because it was on this day which God inhabited the temple) and second about God ending His role as Creator and beginning His role as sustainer. We can actually find this idea in 2nd Enoch, an apocryphal work from around the time of Christ:

And I appointed the eighth day also, that the eighth day should be the first-created after my work, and that [the first seven] revolve in the form of the seventh thousand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thousand there should be a time of not-counting, endless, with neither years nor months nor weeks nor days nor hours. (2EN 33:1-2 OTP)

While I count his idea of the Sabbath as a weak point, the author’s assumption that the Eighth Day is important is dead on. We can find many examples of this (although it is never cited) in the early Church writings from Barnabas to Origen, from Justin to Clement.

Finally, in conjunction with the previous point, Walton builds his entire argument around the idea that the Sabbath is the moment which God assumes His habitation in the Cosmic Temple. It is the author’s statement that the Sabbath is the time when God inhabited the cosmic temple on the Sabbath which is not only the key to his argument, but a rather weak assertion as well.

I quote from page 146 -

What constitutes rest?

Given the view of Genesis 1 presented in this book, we get a new way to think about the sabbath. If God’s rest on the seventh day involved him taking up his presence in his cosmic temple which has been ordered and made functional so that he is now ready to run the cosmos, our sabbath rest can be seen in a different light. (emphasis mine)

The author first wants to assume that his assertion concerning the Sabbath rest is the correct one. Further, Walton wants us to assume that somehow God was not running the cosmos before the first Sabbath. In not considering the rather Jewish understanding of Sabbath in Hebrews, the author would then allow us to assume that the Sabbath rest spoken of in Hebrews would allow us, upon entering into that rest, to become gods.

I would agree with his understanding that the Jerusalem Temple was patterned after heavenly things, but does this add to the author’s comments about the Cosmic Temple? While I believe it does, the author fails to materialize biblical support that the Sabbath in Genesis One is to be seen as God assuming His habitation in the Temple. In quoting Psalms 132, the author misses the clear statement that God’s dwelling place is in (mystical) Zion, assuming that this points, or rather allows him to point, to the fact that one can understand Sabbath, rest and Temple as meaning the same thing as the author would like for them to mean.

March 19th, 2009

Kim Clement – Mystic, Naturalist, Wiccan

In his opening punch to the Scriptures, Kim states,

After prophesying a number of times over the past several years about various cures coming from the Earth, fish, dolphins, etc., I found that my discourse was not in vain, and actually quite Scriptural, to my relief.

Seriously? You prophecy something that you don’t know if it is scriptural? Shouldn’t we always use Scripture as the starting point for anything?

Anyway, Kim’s word on the Elijahlist this week concerns magical healings from the Earth. This helps to add, I guess, to the need to subdue the Earth – because that is what Dominionism is, you know.

After quoting 2nd Kings 4.38-41, Kim announces

I got excited as I read this and realized that he had created a formula to combat the death and poison, and I believe that this is part and parcel of the prophetic mantle. I believe we have entered into this era again and this aspect of prophetic insight is about to be restored to the world.

When did it leave, Kim?, and Who and to whom is it going to be restored?

Subdue the Earth

Earth. We live on it, feed off it, are nurtured by it and basically, we are alive because of this big round ball, and yet some people have no expectations from it other than disasters and judgment. I speak of a large percentage of Charismatic Christians, or those with extreme religious persuasions. If we show the slightest interest in the preservation, upkeep or nurturing of the Earth, we are labeled as “new age believers,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. The Earth is home to millions of species, including humans, and is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist.

Since the very moment that life appeared on its surface, Earth’s biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms, as well as the formation of the ozone layer, which together with the Earth’s magnetic field, blocks harmful radiation, permitting life on land. Most importantly is the fact that the Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System, in diameter, mass and density.

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” Genesis 1:28

I love Earth. I have great expectations from it and according to my Gospel, I am expected to fill the Earth, have dominion over ALL of it, subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves on the Earth. How do you have dominion over fish? To take a net and catch fish or to take a gun and shoot a bird is NOT having dominion over them. If I follow Christ and how He dealt with the Earth and all it’s moving parts, I realize that the dominion God was speaking about was for our betterment and to use in combat. Most people can’t even imagine that mankind would have this power but it’s the truth.

Is it me, or is Kim loving this big ball of blue and green? The problem with the ‘subdue’ mentality it does not allow for the Fall of man. Do we still have the same promises to reign over this corrupt planet since we disobeyed God and brought about the corruption of creation. Remember, according to Paul (Romans 8) creation was waiting along with us for Christ. We had everything in Genesis 1.28  given to us – but if you read on, Adam had to work for everything against the earth after the Fall.

And do you really want to reign over something that is corrupt? And something that is not eternal? Isn’t this why God will create a new heaven and new earth.

After highlighting some facts on fish oil, etc…, Kim states,

God was sharing with me the fact that I was to reveal the deep secrets of His original plan, which is for us to TAKE dominion and subdue.

So, Kim has these secrets? Honestly, Kim? Friends, this man has lost it. The bible says that God gave dominion to the first couple, not that they had to take anything.

Further, the original plan was not secret – it is out in the open for all to see.

Kim then goes on to mess up more Scripture:

Jesus used this power to assist in the payment of taxes. Instead of the fish being a meal, it was now a completely different instrument – a mini bank. Read what happened, dear warriors. Jesus said Peter, “Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a silver coin. Take it to the officials and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

I enjoy reading this because you will notice that Peter was the one who threw his line out for the fish and it was Peter’s taxes that were taken care of—no one else’s. Many of my prophetic words have been about the Earth yielding its produce to us, as opposed to God dropping it from Heaven.

What Kim is lying to you about is this:

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” (Matthew 17:24-27 NKJV)

It was not Peter’s tax, but the money that the Pharisees sought to charge Christ as a teacher. This was due to Exodus 30.11-16 in which Jewish males were required to pay a tax to keep the Temple up. This is was not Peter’s responsibility. Christ actually reprehended Peter for giving in to their demand. Christ was the King, the Master of the House – and yet Peter had failed to see this. So has Kim.

I want to for a moment remind you of two things:

  • First, Kim said that he was surprised to find his ‘prophecies’ scriptural
  • Second, he quotes one scripture in all of this, but readily quotes science

What is wrong with this picture?

February 4th, 2009

Does Homosexuality Stem From a Failure to Bond with the Same-Sex Parent?

Recently, I wrote an article regarding three misconceptions about homosexuality. The response to this article, published on Christian Post, was voluminous and intense. On the plus side, some readers were relieved to see these misconceptions addressed, but on the down side, others attacked my orthodoxy and competence. Given this response and the admittedly brief treatment of each of the misconceptions, I plan additional articles which will elucidate each point. Although this deeper examination may raise additional questions, I hope to address some issues provoked by the initial article on misconceptions in ministry.

Recently, a very old post has received a lot of attention. What is the ’cause’ of homosexuality? Does it matter the cause if God has said that we must turn from our sins. Humanity has predisposition to sin, but do we stay in those sins and claim excuses or natures? This is a very interesting article written by a parent who has personally faced this argument.

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September 29th, 2008

The Love of Nature

Have you ever seen such silliness?

Seriously, do you think that any one of these people would do the same for the millions of children that are aborted every year?

For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen. But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him. For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen. Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned. For if they were able to know so much, that they could aim at the world; how did they not sooner find out the Lord thereof? (Wisdom 13:5-9 KJVA)

For either they are mad when they be merry, or prophesy lies, or live unjustly, or else lightly forswear themselves. For insomuch as their trust is in idols, which have no life; though they swear falsely, yet they look not to be hurt. Howbeit for both causes shall they be justly punished: both because they thought not well of God, giving heed unto idols, and also unjustly swore in deceit, despising holiness. For it is not the power of them by whom they swear: but it is the just vengeance of sinners, that punisheth always the offence of the ungodly. (Wisdom 14:28-31 KJVA)

As it were, they are without excuse because from the time of the Creation, his invisible attributes — that he is God with eternal power — have been clearly seen, being able to be perceived and understood by the things that he has created; Even though they know God, they glorified him not as God, and neither was thankful but becoming foolish and deceived by their own reasoning, their wicked heart was darkened; Professing themselves to be wise, they were made fools, Exchanging the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man, and to birds, four footed beasts, and serpents. Therefore, because of this reason, God left them to their own hearts, full of vile and filthy lusts, to do shameful things with each other Who exchanged the True God for the lie, worshipping and serving the created more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen! For this reason God gave them over to ungovernable and lustful passions, that even their women did pervert their natural intercourse for that which is against nature, And in like manner also the men, having abandoned the natural intercourse with the woman, burning in their lust one towards another; men with men, working that which is shameful, receiving in themselves the penalty which in the nature of things, was their inevitable recompense. Even as they rejected God, and did not think him worth knowing, God gave them over to an undiscerning, depraved, and debased mind that he rejected, to do those things which are not proper, Having been filled with all injustice, sexual perversion, wickedness, selfish greed, and the desire to injure; they are full of jealousy and murder, strife and deceit, evil dispositions and gossipers, — Back talkers, haters of God, boisterous, high minded, boasters, inventors of evil vices, disobedient to parents, Devoid of spiritual understanding, treacherous, hard-hearted to kindred, truce-breakers, merciless: Who having known the judgment of God — that they who practice such things are deserving of death — not only do they approve of those that do them, but they themselves engage in these acts.  (Romans 1:20-32 CTV-NT / W)