George Sayour (Genesis 1:1, 31) "In the beginning God created - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

George Sayour

(Genesis 1:1, 31) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

But… There’s a Debate About this

God’s Providence • Primary & Secondary Causes’ • “In Him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28 • “In Him all things hold together” - Col 1:17 • He covers the heavens with clouds; 
 he prepares rain for the earth; 
 he makes grass grow on the hills. - Psalm 148 • “You Knit me together…” - Psalm 139

Historic Theistic Scientists • Nicholas Copernicus • Sir Isaac Newton • Sir Francis Bacon • Robert Boyle • Johannes Kepler • Michael Faraday • Galileo Galilei • Gregor Mendel • Rene Descartes • William T. Kelvin • Blaise Pascal • Max Planck

Sir Isaac Newton • "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being .” ( Principia , 2 nd ed.)

So What Happened? • Charles Darwin – No, not Darwin… • Enlightenment Thinking -The Rise of Modernity • Romans 1 – It ’ s the Human Condition

The Church and Science • Galileo & the Church: Geocentric vs. Heliocentric • The Columbus Flat Earth Hoax • Bible - Literal / Figurative? • Phenomenological Language • What Science Questions does the Bible Answer?

Wisdom of the World • Romans 1:19 - 23 • 1 Cor 1:19 – 30 :: see Is 29:14, Is 19:12, Is 33:18, • 1 Cor 3: 18-20 – see Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11

Natural ism • Methodological Naturalism – Scientific inquiry is limited to the natural realm – The Scientific Method – Not concerned with Metaphysical / what exists outside of nature • Ontological Naturalism (ie. Naturalism) – Ontology – Philosophical study of the nature of being/existence – The natural order & physical realm is all there is.

Ontological Natural ism • It is a Worldview & a Philosophy • No Transcendental, No MetaPhysical, No SuperNatural • No God, No Soul, No Miracles, No Afterlife • Closely related to : Materialism, Reductionism, • Darwinian Evolution, Big Bang Cosmology • In Search of a TOE • Theory of Everything

Ontological Natural ism • The natural order & physical realm is all there is. • All knowledge in the universe comes through Scientific Inquiry / Scientific Method • There are only natural and empirical causes for everything in the Universe • Questions that can’t be answered scientific inquiry are meaningless & irrational

Course Outline • Intro / The Debate • Big Bang Cosmology/ Anthropic Principle • Genesis 1 & 2 / Bible • Genetics, DNA, Design • The Theory of Evolution • Technology & Bioethics • Fossil Record & The • The Environment & Flood Global Warming • Age of Earth & Dating • Summary Class Methods

Genesis 1

Survey Results: Origin of Life 11 • “Fiat” Creation of Kinds ? 2 • Darwinian Evolution – unguided, random ? 8 • Theistic Evolution directed by Personal God ? 1 • Theistic Evolution - by Impersonal God

Survey Results: Age of Universe 8 • Young – 6,000 - 10,000 years old • Old – Billions of Years 12 • Don’t know 1 (Don’t really care)

Origin and Nature of Universe 6 ? • Big Bang Theory and all it entails ? 4 • Steady State (meant Static) ? 2 • Expanding Universe ? 2 • Multi-verse 4 God’s Word, God Spoke, God Created • Other 3 • Not Sure

5 ? • Micro Evolution ? 2 • Macro Evolution 5 • Natural Selection 12 • Intelligent Design ? • Irreducible Complexity 3 • I don’t know 2

Genesis 1 & 2 13 • The Accounts are Compatible ? • 2 Separate Stories that Conflict 1 • Genesis 1 is Poetry 6 • Genesis 1 represents 6 Literal Days 8 • Genesis 1 : 6 Symbolic / Framework days – Not mentioned was the “Day - Age” or “Gap”Theories

Genesis 1: Pattern & Repetition • “Then God Said”….“Let there be” (“Fiat”) • “And it was so” • “And God Saw….That it was good • “So the Evening and the morning were the _ day” • “After their own kind” / “According to its kind”

Genesis 1: Order and Progression • 7 Days – sets the course of our week – Exodus 20:8-11 • “ God Said” used 10 times in Chapter 1 – vs: 1,3,6,9,11,14, 20,24,26, 28 , 29 – Brings Natural Order out of Chaos • “It is ….good” – 10 times in Chapters 1 & 2

Genesis 1 Verse 1 Sets of 3s TIME • In the Beginning • Past, Present, Future ELOHIM • God Created • Father, Son, Spirit • 3 Physical Dimensions SPACE • The Heavens • Solid, Liquid, Gas MATTER • And the Earth

Genesis 1 Literary Structure Forming / Separating Filling • • Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars Day 1: Light / Darkness • • Day 5: Fish , Birds Day 2: Waters / Sky • • Day 6: Animals, Day 3: Land / MAN Vegetation

Worldviews Biblical (Gen 1-3) vs. Naturalistic • God is creator, infinite, • Matter/Cosmos is all there is and personal and is infinite • Life created according to kinds • Animals & Humans result of Humans in God’s Image given Random Chance processes & Dominion are = • Universe was designed for man, • Universe came into being in With purpose and originally GOOD Chaos, is hostile toward man • Death, Decay, Entropy is • There is no sin, No cohesive result of the Fall and sin view of history • Death brings end to existence • Death brings Heaven or Hell • Science & Technology can • Only a Redeemer can make cure the ills of society everything right again

Genesis 1 Chronological Views • 24 Hour Day View – Mature Creation & Flood Geology answer Science • Day – Age Theory – Chronological but days are actually long ages • Gap Theory – Long gap in between vs 1 and 2 ( 24 hour days) • Intermittent Day Theory – 24 hour days w/ long periods between them

Gen. 1: NonChronological Views • Framework View – Gen 1 is a literary framework to explain the truths about God in the context of creation • Analogical View – Serves as an analogy for 6 days of work 1 day of rest • Revelatory Day Theory – God revealed this to Moses in 6 - 24 hr days • Religion Only View – Gen 1 is only meant to teach Spiritual truths

Read Genesis 2 • What Does it Teach? • How does it harmonize with Genesis 1? • What are the literary difficulties? • What are the scientific difficulties? • Other Questions?

Read Genesis 3 • What Does it Teach? • What are the scientific difficulties? • What are the Theological difficulties? • What other questions do you have?

Homework • Read the Flood Narrative Found in Genesis Chapters 6 – 9 • What is it teaching? • Compare to the Creation Account • What difficulties do you have with it?