The Language Of God And Adam’s Genesis & Historicity In Paul’s Gospel -- By: Ardel B. Caneday

Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 15:1 (Spring 2011)
Article: The Language Of God And Adam’s Genesis & Historicity In Paul’s Gospel
Author: Ardel B. Caneday


The Language Of God And Adam’s Genesis & Historicity In Paul’s Gospel

A. B. Caneday

A. B. Caneday is Professor of New Testament Studies and Biblical Theology at Northwestern College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

He has written many scholarly articles, including contributions to two recent edited volumes: The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies (Paternoster, 2009) and A Cloud of Witnesses: The Theology of Hebrews in its Ancient Context (T. & T. Clark, 2008). Dr. Caneday is co-author (with Thomas R. Schreiner) of The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance (InterVarsity, 2001).

Introduction

Drawing upon the prestige and influence he acquired as longtime head of the Human Genome Project, Francis Collins established The BioLogos Foundation with a commitment to theistic evolution.1 His foundation sustains the endeavor of The Language of God, his book, that attempts to synthesize evolution with Christianity.2 Collins believes the language of God in Scripture is not as clear as “the language in which God created life,” borrowing President Bill Clinton’s remarks during the unveiling of the completion of the mapping of the human genome.3 It is understandable, then, that Collins extended the imagery of divine revelation with vaunted confidence: “It’s a happy day for the world. It is humbling for me, and awe-inspiring, to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God.”4 He refers to what he calls “The Language of God” decoded within the human genome. Collins is confident that, given the uncertainty raised by multiple interpretations of the Genesis account of creation and “the obvious truths of the natural world that science has revealed to us” in that context:

I find theistic evolution, or BioLogos, to be by far the most scientifically consistent and spiritually satisfying of the alternatives. This position will not go out of style or be disproven by future scientific discoveries. It is intellectually rigorous, it provides answers to many otherwise puzzling questions, and it allows science and faith to fortify each other like two unshakable pillars, holding up a building called Truth.5

Perhaps this bravado explains the stained glass image of the DNA double helix on the book’s dust jacket.6

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