Just got the eversion the other day and started it this evening. The introduction alone is a helpful, broad overview, like a contour map.
Chapter Headings reinforce that this is not just a list of canned views and makes no attempt to simiplify the complicated issues.:
Scripture, Science and the Holy Spirit
Creation, Evolution and Divine Action
Suffering and Death before Humans
Human Evolution
The Soul, the Imago Dei, and Special Divine Action
Adam and Eve in Scripture
The Doctrine of Original Sin through Church History
What is sin?
What changed when Sin Began?
Whose Fault is It?
Difficult Questions for Each Type of Scenerio
Conclusion: God’s Answer is Still Jesus
I finally managed to sit down for a while yesterday and finish chapter 1. I think this will be a valuable book for Christians (and particularly lay-people) who are grappling with understanding how concepts of “sin” and “original sin” fit within an evolutionary context.
Haarsma is clearly used to translating and teaching ideas to people who are hostile to them or simply don’t comprehend them. The first chapter is very thorough, setting up the background for the rest of the book. Some quotes and chapter-headings to give you a feel for this section:
Scripture, Science and the Holy Spirit
“Discoveries in science and archaeology are making the church reconsider this interpretation. The church has learned not to ignore the discoveries of science simply because they challenge long-held interpretations of particular passages of scripture. The churchhas also learned not to simply accept the first new intreptation of Scripture that fits with the new science.” How Scripture Rightly Affects Science
“Some of the earliest scientists justified their belief in those foundational presuppositions of science because of what the Bible teaches.”
“Christians find in Scripture not only motivaton to study God’s creation but also teachiings that support the foundational principles for doint science.” Theology, Not Science, Determines How We Reinterpret Scripture
“Science doesn’t dictate how we interpret Scripture. But science does sometimes alert us to new theological problems that we had not considered before.” Principles for Intepreting Scripture
This section contains nothing “new” or surprising. YECers and IDers would probably agree to the very typical list of principles. Historical Examples: Discoveries about the Earth and Solar System
“These hermeneutical methods helped the churchthrough several historical episodes in which the church’s traditional interpretation of certain passages conflicted with new scientific data.”
A painfully true quote from Augustine: “Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth,…and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, preseumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn.” Hermenutics Informed by Knowledge of Ancient Cultures
“Because God spoke to them in a way they could understand, the theological message of Genesis 1 came through more clearly. This helped the people of Israel share their story with the surrounding cultures. They could communicate the essential truths of Genesis 1 to the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians in a way that those cultures, too, could easily understand.” Calvin’s Principle of Accomodation: God Speaks “Baby Talk” to Us
This section provides a standard coverage of the topic. Again, nothing suprising, unless one is not already acquainted with the idea. The “Plain Lesson” of Scripture (Not Necessarily the “Plain Reading”)
“God didn’t correct that picture [ANE cosmological picture] with modern scientific ideas. Instead, God told them what they needed to learn in a way they could understand.” Celebrating God’s Accommodation
“We should be comforted by the idea that God communicated the authoritative message of scripture in ways that accomodate the sometimes-mistaken cultural beliefs of the original authors and audience. It’s another example of God’s grace. But this can be a scary idea at first.”
“We cannot avoid the influence our modern culture has on us as we read Scripture.”
This section includes a fictional example of how we can build doctrines based on cultural misunderstandings, which may/will later lead to conflict over how to deal with those resulting doctrines. I think it will speak to many who feel that harmonizing faith and scientific discovery is equivalant to stepping into heresy. Good Reinterpretations Are the Work of the Holy Spirit
Haarsma includes many examples we don’t even think of, that demonstrate how we have had to reinterpret Scripture (or drop interpretations that worked their way into the church) in light of new knowledge of all kinds.
