in the beginning - genesis 1

Greg Boyd – Creation Matters – That, Not How (Genesis 1)

[app_audio src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/redeeminggod/04_Greg_Boyd_Creation_Matters.mp3″][contentblock id=3 img=html.png]When you think of Genesis 1, what do you think of?

Do you think Genesis 1 is a scientifically accurate account of how God created the world in six twenty-four hour periods?

Or maybe you think Genesis is a terribly misguided and backward myth from thousands of years ago which has been completely debunked by modern science, so that anyone who believes in what Genesis 1 says is like those who still believe the earth is flat?

If you hold one of those views, this Theology.fm show is for you, in which Greg Boyd shows us a third option.

Genesis 1 and Creation

in the beginning - genesis 1You may not know this, but I have a podcast of my own. It is the One Verse Podcast. In it, I teach through Scripture one verse at a time. In the opening episodes of the One Verse Podcast, I take a careful look at Genesis 1, and show how it is impossible to read this chapter with a scientific mindset.

When Moses wrote Genesis 1, he was not thinking about science, and so if we try to read it scientifically, we are reading it in a way that Moses, the inspired author of this text, never intended it to be read! To try to read Genesis 1 scientifically is to read Genesis 1 incorrectly. A scientific reading of Genesis 1 is not a literal reading of Genesis 1, nor is the best reading, or even the correct reading.

So I was thrilled to hear this message by Greg Boyd where he argues the exact same thing. In this sermon on Genesis 1, Greg Boyd argues that the real point of Genesis 1 is not how God made everything.

No, the point is that God made everything, and in Genesis 1, Moses uses beautiful poetic, literary theology to make this point.

So listen to this podcast episode to see how Greg Boyd explains how we can read Genesis 1 the way Moses intended.

creation vs evolution

Most people think that the only two options regarding Genesis 1 are to believe that it teaches evolution, or to reject it as hopelessly untrue.

Greg Boyd presents a good alternative to these two options, and while there is much research to back what he says, this message on Genesis 1 is a good introduction. In his next sermon in the series, he goes on to explain more about what it means to be made in the image of God. You can get that sermon by subscribing to Greg Boyd’s podcast on iTunes.

If this sort of explanation of Genesis 1 intrigues you and you want to learn more, I invite you to subscribe to my own podcast on iTunes. Just search for the One Verse Podcast with Jeremy Myers. I am taking a careful and detailed look at each and every verse of Genesis 1, showing how it cannot be read scientifically, and should instead be read poetically and theologically to teach us some amazing truths about God, His creation, and ourselves.

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10 responses to “Greg Boyd – Creation Matters – That, Not How (Genesis 1)”

  1. Matthew Richardson Avatar
    Matthew Richardson

    Genesis does not describe ‘how’ God create the universe. I only lays out the order and time frame in which He did it. That being said, there is evidence in existance that supports the idea of a young (thousands of years not billions) universe crated nearly instantaniously. I wont bother to write a full treatise on the subject here. If you have questions you can find most of the answers here… https://answersingenesis.org/ or here http://creation.com/

    1. Jeremy Myers Avatar
      Jeremy Myers

      Yes, I am familiar with both sites and ministries. I have even attended a weekend conference taught by Ken Ham, and have read a dozen of their books or so.

      I just think the way they are trying to read Genesis 1 is not the way Moses intended it to be read, which means that their reading is not the literal reading of the text.

      I am not saying that this means evolution is true. All I am saying is that we cannot use Genesis 1 to try to disprove it, since this is now what Moses intended.

    2. Matthew Richardson Avatar
      Matthew Richardson

      Evolution doesn’t need to be disproven as it hasn’t been proven yet. Logical arguements and subjective interpretation of evidence does not constitute proof. In any case, I suspect Moses wanted Genesis to be read ‘as written’. I don’t think he was trying to be metaphorical or poetic.

    3. Jeremy Myers Avatar
      Jeremy Myers

      I agree that Moses wanted Genesis to be read ‘as written.’ And since he knew absolutely nothing about evolution or Charles Darwin, there is absolutely no way he was writing against it.

      Matthew … have you listened to any of my episodes on Genesis? Did you listen to this one by Greg Boyd? I think if you did, you would be better equipped to voice any objections you might have.

    4. Matthew Richardson Avatar
      Matthew Richardson

      Not yet. But I did hook up with iTunes and have a link to your podcasts. I fully intend to listen to them. Sorry I haven’t yet. Looking forward to them.

  2. Kendra Good Rittenhouse Avatar
    Kendra Good Rittenhouse

    This is excellent! Thank you for your scholarship and helping to fill a void in biblical understanding.
    There is also an excellent book on Genesis written by Peter Enns and Jared Byas called, “Genesis for Normal People”.

    1. Jeremy Myers Avatar

      Thanks, I’ll check it out! Glad you enjoyed the episode.

  3. Wesley Rostoll Avatar
    Wesley Rostoll

    Is there a way of downloading these audios? Would love listen to them when Im driving.

    1. Jeremy Myers Avatar
      Jeremy Myers

      Yes, You can subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher. Go here for more details: http://theology.fm

  4. Jeremy Myers Avatar

    Listen to this podcast episode to see how @Greg_Boyd explains how we can read Genesis 1 the way Moses intended. https://t.co/xN1qn9K8DN