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Module 2 Session VIII

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Module 2 Session VIII 1 Session VIII Introduction to Christian Theology The Human as God’s Creature: Creation & Image Introductory Comments: - The relationship between anthropology and Theology In the history of Christianity theology has sometimes tended to lose its way and become more focused on humanity, leaving God as a sideline rather than a s the primary subject of theology. It attempted to do this in the in the first 3 centuries with Pelagianism, which tended to be focused on the freedom of humanity, rather than the sovereignty of God. It happened again in the Middle Ages with Aquinas who gave a special place to the role of reason in theology. With the advent of the renaissance and enlightenment, theology becomes truly “anthropocentric”. Theology is, properly speaking, about the right ordering of the being of God, and then humanity. That is, humanity must be understood from the perspective of God’s self-revelation and not vice versa. This must be kept at the forefront of our understanding of theological anthropology. - The relationship between anthropology and Christology Given the above statement then, theology must think of humanity in terms of the imago Dei. Therefore, it will explain the human creature in reference to Christ who is the one truly human and truly divine individual. Our creation in the image of God, as per Romans 5, is our creation in the image of Christ. Thus theological anthropology takes its point of departure from Christ, not from Adam, though Adam is essential to the understanding of such a theological anthropology. - The relationship between anthropology and Scientific/Social views Theology must also look to the Scriptures first and foremost in its anthropology, and not to social, psychological, and or scientific views of the essence of the human creature as a starting point. To be sure these aspects do give us an understanding of certain phenomena of the human. But they can never give us a clear understanding of the human as a product of divine creation. This is the prior fact of the human that delimits and determines what can be said of the human from these other perspectives. I. The Biblical Doctrine of Humanity as God’s Creature a) Images of Humanity – Theological anthropology is nevertheless one point of contact between science and theology. On the theological side humanity is a mystery to itself, but known to God. The social scientific view sees humanity as a problem to be solved without God. Thus the debate between them regards the questions of origins, purpose and destiny. Secular culture is perpetually asking questions to which Christian theology claims to have the answers. Because anthropology is a cross-disciplinary topic, many images of the essence of humanity abound. Some of the most prominent include the following. i) Humanity has often been viewed in mechanistic terms. We are but intricate machines not unlike other biological machines of other species. Thus all knowledge of the human serves this mechanistic view. The goal of science is to improve the machine. In this approach persons are regarded as things, or objects of scientific inquiry. 2 ii) The basis of this mechanistic view is evolutionary biology. It sees us merely as a complex animal like all other organisms. We came to be through a process of random chance. The only difference between animals and us is the degree of adaptation. We have evolved to a higher state because of our greater degree of adaptation to our environment. This is seen in behaviorist psychology – the experiments of Pavlov, etc. Behavior modification can be achieved through the application of the right stimuli. Thus humanity can be perfected through behavior modification. (B. F. Skinner) iii) Nihilistic philosophers and some existentialist view humans as pawns or automatons of capricious Gods, or merely unfortunate existences in a world destined to destroy us all. (F. Nietzsche, E. Hemmingway, Bertrand Russell). We are merely pawns at the mercy of capricious “forces” that control us. These forces of nature are either, intelligent, a-personal, or even mere chance. We are like Carnus Sisyphus, a Greek mythological character who was consigned by the God’s to the endless uselessness of pushing a rock up a hill only to have it roll back to start all over again. There are other views of humanity, but these are the most prominent today. b) The Christian theological view of God’s creature. - The Christian faith has always viewed humanity as a product of God’s creation. We are made in the image of God through a conscious and purposeful act of God. This image of God is intrinsic to our nature. We are unique in our ability to rationalize and have relationship to God. We have an eternal dimension that transcends time in one direction. - Yet, for all that, we fit into God’s creation in a biological/physical way. But our value and happiness is not in comfort, food and shelter, but in God’s higher purpose for His creature, namely to glorify Him. As such all of us have unique and intrinsic value before God (Matt. 10:23- 31). This allows for a view of life that is deeply joyful and satisfying. What are the key theological features of the Christian view of humanity. i) The Biblical concept of humanity as God’s creature; vis-à-vis origins. Two accounts are contained in Genesis; Gen. 1:26-28, which tells of God’s decision to create us in the larger context of His creative action. Nothing is said about our composition in terms of body soul and spirit, but the imago dei is highlighted. Only our purpose, which is to be fruitful and have dominion, and our distinction as male and female receive a clear definition. Verse 26 states God’s intention to create us in his image (tselem) and likeness (demuth). The word for image is repeated twice in verse 27. This concept of likeness is repeated and expanded on in Gen 5:1. Gen 9:6 indicates, in it proscription against the taking of human life, that the primary reason for the proscription is creation in the image of God. Threr are no other references in the OT to this concept of the image of God. It only occurs twice in the Apocrypha, in Wisdom of Solomon 2:23 and Ecclesiasticus 17:3. Thus we need the references of the NT to more fully develop this doctrine. - Gen. 2:7 is a quite different account. The way in which God created us is clearly outlined, and the essential aspect of our being, creation in the image of God, is defined as a spiritual and relational quality of being. “And man became a living being” forms the central affirmation of this account. ii) This raises the second theological consideration, namely, the direct divine creation of the human? The Christian view conflicts with scientific view, which raises some serious questions for Christian theology, including; 3 Did God create Adam directly or indirectly through evolution? (theistic evolution) Did He do so by divine fiat in a short period of time? (fiat, creatio ex nihilo) Did He make all the various (kinds) of life and they evolved from there in their own ways without admixture? (progressive creationism) iii) Direct creation of the human and science. There is no connection between the highest primate and homosapiens, there is only a theory that such a connection is possible. Progressive creation would therefore seem to fit the data best. We actually have very little said about Adam’s physical characteristics. The prior question is not what did Adam look like, but what defines him as a human being. Things like language, rites, symbolism, tools, burial of the dead and rationality – all of these should be considered together as indicating the uniqueness of humanity in creation. Scientifically we can only study the phenomena of the human, not humanity in and of itself. Only Theology can give us a true account of the origins of true humanity. c) What then is the Theological meaning of Humanity. 1) Because of our status as creatures we are dependent upon a Creator. This should cause us to ask why we came to be in this way. Our value is not intrinsic to ourselves, but vested in God’s care for us and his sovereign plan for creation. (Gen. 1:26-28; Gen 2:7-8) 2) Humanity is interdependent upon creation itself. We are part of the sequence of creation and thus should live in harmony with it. Our kinship means our stewardship, which means we must care for creation. (Gen 1:28) 3) Humanity has a unique place in creation, visa vie dominion. As created in God’s image we have been endowed with Spirit and reason, both of which form the basis of our ability to be stewards, and have dominion over creation. But the fall impairs this so that on our own we fail in the task of stewardship. (Gen 1:28; Gen 3: 14-19) 4) Humanity is interdependent on fellow humans. We are related to one initial pair of humans, who have the unenviable task of feeding us, clothing us, teaching us to live in the fear and worship of God, and establishing us as stewards in our own right. Trust me, this sounds easier than it is!!!! We also share in sin and disobedience, through the sin of Adam. Thus we have a common inability to relate to the Creator. But we also share in God’s plan for us and have the offer of salvation in Christ as our common ground. Thus we are related and interdependent on a Christological basis.
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