CREATION,FALL,SALVATION

THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE HAS AN OVERARCHING AND UNDERGIRDING STORY LINE THE FIRST AND THIRD ACTS OF THE DRAMA FOCUS ON GODS ACTION OF CREATING AND REDEEMING THE SECOND ACT FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN ACTION OF WILLFUL SINNING

CREATION AND THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN CULTURE

THE IDEA OF CREATION INCLUDES THE CONCEPT THAT GOD IS DISTINGUISHABLE FROM WHAT GOD MAKES, IN OTHER WORDS, THE CREATION, INCLUDING HUMAN CREATURES ARE NOT A PART OF GOD, THOUGH THEY MAY BE MADE IN GODS IMAGE IN SOME WAY

THE CREATOR GOD

ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL TENANTS OF MONOTHEISM IS THIS NOTION THAT THERE IS ONE GOD WHO IS THE ORIGINATOR OF THE ENTIRE MATERIAL UNIVERSE HUMAN BEINGS AND HUMAN CULTURE MAY REFLECT GODS IMAGE, BUT THEY ARE NOT DIVINE

THE IMPLICATIONS OF CREATION THEOLOGY

SINCE CREATION IS NOT PART OF GOD, GOD IS NOT DEFILED BY THE EXAMINATION OF NATURE OR HUMANKIND INDEED, ONE FOUNDATION OF MODERN SCIENCE IS ACTUALLY THIS CREATOR/CREATION DISTINCTION, WHICH ASSUMES THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY CALLED THE UNIVERSE WHICH IS NOT GOD AND CAN BE EXAMINED

PSALM 8 AND CREATION THEOLOGY

THE PSALMIST SAYS THAT CREATION IS THE WORK OF GODS FINGERS OR HANDS, LIKE A POTTER MOLDING CLAY

THE CONCEPT HERE IS OF AN ENORMOUS DEITY WHO DWARFS THE ALSO ENORMOUS CREATION IT IS BOTH THE MAGNITUDE OF GOD AND THE MAGNIFICENCE OF CREATION THAT PROMPTS THE RESPONSE OF AWE AND WONDER

THE SIZE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF HUMANKIND

WHILE THE PSALMIST EMPHASIZES THE MINUTENESS OF HUMANS HE DOES NOT SUGGEST THE REMEDY FOR SUCH A RECOGNITION IS HUMAN STRIVING RATHER HE STRESSES WHAT GOD HAS MADE US, BUT A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS OR GOD

HUMAN DIGNITY GROUNDED IN GODS IMAGE AND GIFTS

KNOWING THAT HUMANS ARE CREATED IN GODS IMAGE COMES NOT FROM EXAMINING CREATION, BUT FROM KNOWING GODS WORD THIS BEING THE CASE, THE PSALMIST IS NOT SUGGESTING THAT AN ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD COMES FROM EXPLORING CREATION

THE BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE

THE PSALMIST OPERATES WITH A BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE BELIEVING IN GODS WORD, LEADS TO SEEING GODS WORLD, INCLUDING HUMANS, FROM THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE ANSELMS DICTUMFIDES QUAERENS INTELLECTUM, NOT VICE VERSA

CROWNED WITH GLORY, HONOR, AND DOMINION

BEING IN GODS IMAGE IN PART MEANS WE BECOME MINI-CREATORS AND RULERS OF THE REALM IT ALSO ENTAILS THAT WE HAVE A CAPACITY FOR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT OTHER BEINGS APPARENTLY DO NOT (ANGELS EXCEPTED)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS THEOLOGYS OFFSPRING

JASTROW STORY SCIENCE WITHOUT RELIGION CAN LEAD TO HOLOCAUST OR TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ETHICAL GUIDELINES RELIGION WITHOUT SCIENCE LEADS TO FIDEISM WITHOUT A CREATION THEOLOGY

SCIENCE AND THE FAITH PRINCIPLE

SCIENCE OPERATES WITH CERTAIN FAITH ASSUMPTIONS FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY IT CAN BE KNOWN, AT LEAST IN PART IT INVOLVES ORDER, DESIGN, PATTERNS

HUMAN FALLENNESS AND KNOWLEDGE

WHAT IS NOT ALWAYS FACTORED INTO THE EQUATION WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWING IS THE CONDITION AND POSITION OF THE KNOWER FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A FALLEN MIND WHICH NEEDS TO BE RENEWED AS ROM. 1.18-32 MAKES CLEAR FALLEN HUMANS KNOW GOD SOMEWHAT, BUT REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

THE NOETIC EFFECTS OF SIN

FALLENNESS, AS GEN. 3 MAKES CLEAR, AFFECTS THE WHOLE PERSON. THE PRIMAL SIN IS NOT THE DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE BUT THE DESIRE FOR ALL SORTS OF EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING THE EXPERIENCE OF EVIL THE PRIMAL EFFECT OF THE FALL IS SELF-CENTEREDNESS, OR NARCISSISM, I.E. IT PRIMARILY AFFECTS HOW WE VIEW OUR SELVES, ALIENATED FROM GOD

THE EFFECTS OF SIN PART II

FALLENNESS AFFECTS THE MIND, HEART, WILL EMOTIONS, AND THE BODY, IN SHORT THE WHOLE PERSON ITS EFFECTS ARE EXTENSIVE WITHOUT BEING INTENSIVE (I.E. HUMANS ARE NOT UNREDEEMABLE NOR HAS GODS IMAGE BEEN ERASED IN THE FALL) NOT SURPRISINGLY, IT AFFECTS HUMAN CULTURE AS WELL AS HUMAN NATURE, WHICH PROPAGATES NARCISSISM

RECOGNITION AND WARINESS

WHEN THE CHRISTIAN RECOGNIZES HUMAN FALLENNESS, THIS MEANS SHE CAN NOT TAKE CULTURE OR CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS NORMAL AT FACE VALUE CULTURAL VALUES, INCLUDING THE VALUES OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY MUST BE EXAMINED AND CRITIQUED FROM A CHRISTIAN POINT OF VIEW

BEYOND RECOGNITION TO RESTORATION

IN A CULTURE LOADED WITH SELFHELP PROGRAMS IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO RECOGNIZE THAT REDEMPTION IS NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE NOR IS REDEMPTION MERELY A MATTER OF RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN FALLENNESS

THE CHRISTLIKE MINDSET

PHIL. 2.5-11 AS PARADIGM RECOGNIZING ONES CONDITION AND POSITION DELIBERATELY STEPPING DOWN, TAKING ON THE FORM OF A SERVANT TRUE HUMILITY, AND LEAVING THE RESULTS IN GODS HANDS

LIVING SACRIFICES, TRUE WORSHIP

ROM. 12 PROVIDES A MODEL OF THE CHRISTIAN ETHICAL APPROACH TO LIFE WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP, TRUE SERVICE THE NEED FOR ONGOING RENEWAL OF SELF, INCLUDING ONES MIND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN STRUGGLE AND THE STRUGGLE OF AN UNREDEEMED PERSON (GAL. 5 VS. ROM 7).