Evolution in the Bible

Patricia J. Veenema MDiv.

Description

Like transparencies on an overhead projector, in this book we overlay two valuable tools: the model of the Documentary Hypothesis and the model of Spiral Dynamics, enabling us to view the God of the Hebrew Scripture from an Integral perspective.

How can the God of the Old Testament be the same God of the New Testament? With an evolutionary lens, there is a reasonable answer to this question. At every stage of development, we can have an inspired understanding of the Divine, but our perception will be configured by our worldview or value system.

Like transparencies on an overhead projector, in this book we overlay two valuable tools: the model of the Documentary Hypothesis and the model of Spiral Dynamics, enabling us to view the God of the Hebrew Scriptures from an Integral perspective.

This book invites you to make peace with the God of the Old Testament while honoring the ancients. It helps you release the dogma of religion and gives space for you to evolve your understanding of God and awaken to an integral acceptance of the inevitable and necessary stages of human development.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Spiral Dynamics
• Hebrew Bible
• Old Testament
• Don Beck
• Religion
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press
• Date de parution: 30 décembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798765237571
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Evolution IN THE Bible
 
An Integral Overview of the Hebrew Scriptures
 
 
 
 
Patricia J. Veenema, MDiv.
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 Patricia J. Veenema, MDiv.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
Balboa Press
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
All scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible), Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Website
 
 
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3756-4 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3757-1 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923274
 
Balboa Press rev. date: 12/30/2022
Dedicated to
EJ N iles
 
 
 
In Memory of
Harv Morrow
And
Don Beck
Foreword
I am pleased to be invited to present a foreword to this book. While being in no way a biblical scholar I recognize the importance of Pat’s primary question. Beliefs are at the root of so many of the world’s disputes and there are so many contexts in which the bible is invoked as an authority in support of widely different viewpoints.
My own expertise is in the model developed by Clare W. Graves and subsequently called Spiral Dynamics (SD). The model itself is wide in perspective, comprehensive in its coverage of human thought and behavior. It describes why we think in the ways we do. It presents those different humans views of our world and our priorities for how to live in it as an adaptive process. Our thinking systems change to respond to the demands of our life conditions in a way which resembles the genetics of biological adaptation to varying ecosystem contexts. It is a psycho-social Darwinism.
In order to provide a perspective on views of the bible it is necessary to take a slice through the richness, let go of the reasons and simplify SD to a core set of outcomes. As an enthusiast for the wider model, I encourage readers to discover what lies behind the stages of thinking that it describes. An introductory overview of the wider theory can be found in this book’s Appendix. Nevertheless, this simplification has a great deal to offer to any student of human thought and therefore to anyone exploring the relationship between their own thinking and the stories and teachings of the Bible. This book explores that offering.
My own way of looking at the sequence of worldviews is to note that it sets something alongside the notion that God created all that we see and are and that “He” created us in his image. In contrast, our views of God or the Divine are reflections and projections of how we see the world, and how we see ourselves. In that sense we create God in our image. These reflections and projections are opened up in this book for us to see more clearly the way in which the Bible itself emerged over time, had its own development and was written by a variety of hands. Beyond that it offers a way to see the further development of thought since it was written and explore the ways in which more recent worldviews affect our interpretations of its content.
Pat’s book is a study guide, and the virtue of this presentation is that it doesn’t tell us what to think. Instead, it presents us with a lot of questions that we can ask of ourselves, regarding the bible itself and about its writers. It makes many of those questions explicit and provides guidance for the journey. It is an invitation to explore the territory of thought, and of Judeo-Christian religious thought in particular. What are you seeing, and how are you looking? It is a rich opportunity for expansion, and I hope that readers will enjoy and benefit from that.
Jon Freeman
Trainer of Spiral Dynamics at ValueMatch. Director of Future Considerations, Author of: The Science of Possibility.
September 2022
Acknowledgments
The original idea to overlay the Documentary Hypothesis with Spiral Dynamics came out the work of Rev. EJ Niles, who taught this evolutionary lens to many Unity students from her pulpit and from the classroom lectern. In Seminary, as I unpacked my embedded theology and re-formed my understanding of the Bible, EJ’s pastoral responses to my sometimes-emotional reactions provided courage and sanity to continue the excavation. I appreciate her late husband Harv Morrow for providing “Harv Slides.” (complex PowerPoint slides that illustrate the authorship of the Bible over the centuries.) EJ told Don Beck of her work, who heartily encouraged her to publish it. I am grateful that EJ and her ministry Spiral Pathways supported me as I wrote.
I acknowledge that Unity Institute and Seminary provided a safe space for me to transform my understanding of God and the Bible. I acknowledge the teachers of my childhood: my parents, ministers, Sunday School teachers, and Bible teachers for giving me a thorough Biblical education. Without that rich Bible foundation, I would not have been able to write this book.
I’m grateful to Richard Elliott Friedman whose books were constantly at my side as I wrote. I am also grateful to Marcus Borg, Israel Finkelstein, Garry Stevens, and Epimetheus.
My thanks to Doris Rikkers and Ellen Hamersma who edited and advised. I appreciate Darla Henry, Cindy White, Barbara Keller, Cheryl Driscoll, Lou Therrell, study groups from Unity of Olympia and Unity of Tustin, and countless students who suggested, encouraged, and discussed the manuscript in our online classes. And to those who supported me financially in publishing this manuscript, it is an honor to know people from many areas of my life stepped forward to help get this information to readers.
I launch the book knowing my research will never be concluded, and excited to anticipate responses from you, my readers.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Which God of the Bible?
Chapter 2: Tool #1: Spiral Dynamics
Chapter 3: Tool #2: The Documentary Hypothesis
Chapter 4: A Magical God: PURPLE vMeme in the Bible
Chapter 5: A Warrior God: the RED vMeme in the Bible
Chapter 6: An Authoritarian God: BLUE vMeme in the Bible
Chapter 7: An Intelligent God: The Wisdom Writings
Chapter 8: Integral Thinking About the Bible
Appendix: The Spiral Dynamics Model
About the Author
Endnotes
 
 
 
 
“In his evolution man has apparently always moved in cycles; but each time he comes again to his starting place he seems to be a little in advance of his former state.” 1
~ Charles Fillmore. Mysteries of Gen esis
“He who studies Mind may know how to “discern the signs of the times.” He becomes familiar with certain underlying principles, and he recognizes them in their different masks in “the whirligig of time.” Under the veil of historical symbology the Scriptures portray the movements of Mind in its different cycles of progress. These cycles repeat themselves over and over again, but each time on a higher plane. Thus the sphere or circle is a type of the complete Mind, but in manifestation the circles are piled one on top of another in an infinite spiral.” 2
~ Charles Fillmore Talks on T ruth
Introduction
It has been the bestselling book since the invention of the printing press. It has influenced religion, culture, government, economics, and ethics. It has had more influence on Western civilization than any other book and has been the bedrock of western culture for over 3000 years.
The Bible provides comfort, inspiration, and guidance, and is often misinterpreted, causing social, spiritual, and psychological pain, and countless ethical dilemmas and debates. It has been misunderstood, misquoted, and presents a God many are ashamed to align themselves with. Many Christians and Jews no longer read the Bible. It sits on the shelf collecting dust while they try to make sense of their religion within the context of modern worldviews.
I grew up with the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God for All Ages. I believed that there was no other legitimate sacred text. I accepted the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) as true because every statement of faith is footnoted with a reference to a Bible verse. Tangled in the web of trusting my elders and Calvinist teachings, I abandoned logic to affirm