Adam and the Genome

Scot Mcknight

Description

Genomic science indicates that humans descend not from an individual pair but from a large population. What does this mean for the basic claim of many Christians: that humans descend from Adam and Eve?Leading evangelical geneticist Dennis Venema and popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight combine their expertise to offer informed guidance and answers to questions pertaining to evolution, genomic science, and the historical Adam. Some of the questions they explore include:- Is there credible evidence for evolution?- Do we descend from a population or are we the offspring of Adam and Eve? - Does taking the Bible seriously mean rejecting recent genomic science?- How do Genesis's creation stories reflect their ancient Near Eastern context, and how did Judaism understand the Adam and Eve of Genesis?- Doesn't Paul's use of Adam in the New Testament prove that Adam was a historical individual?The authors address up-to-date genomics data with expert commentary from both genetic and theological perspectives, showing that genome research and Scripture are not irreconcilable. Foreword by Tremper Longman III and afterword by Daniel Harrell.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• History of science

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493406746
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Dennis R. Venema and Scot McKnight
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.brazospress.com
Ebook edition created 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0674-6
Unless indicated otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the 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.
Endorsements
“In Adam and the Genome , Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight provide us with a model of the kind of open conversations that need to take place between scientists and scholars of the Bible and theology. Dennis clearly explains complex scientific information in a way that nonscientists will be able to understand, and Scot wrestles with ways we might understand what the Scriptures say about Adam in light of both a high view of Scripture and an openness to scientific discoveries. All who realize that we cannot ignore scientific discoveries as we think about the Christian faith will be grateful for Dennis and Scot’s partnership.”
— Roy E. Ciampa , Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship
“The dismal history of Christian opposition to the relatively assured results of scientific discovery, and the impact on intelligent, scientifically savvy young people of what may appear to them to be a failure by Christians to face facts, should make us deeply grateful to faithful Christian scientists and biblical scholars who seek to take both the Bible and the scientific data with full seriousness. Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight provide a fine model of such an endeavor as they confront the compelling evidence for evolution in the human line, involving a group of thousands of early hominins, and its meaning for the biblical treatment of Adam and Eve. One may energetically disagree theologically or question aspects of the neo-Darwinian synthesis while still being informed and stimulated by this ambitious, irenic, and engaging treatment.”
— Marguerite Shuster , Fuller Theological Seminary
“Venema and McKnight offer a rare sort of work worthy of our attention, combining Dennis’s ability to give clear, cogent explanations of the strength and motive force of the science behind biological evolution with Scot’s winsome and coherent biblical, historical, and theological expositions. Their honest appraisals help us see how they have managed the challenges and opportunities of genomic science and presented a path for faithful commitment to biblical exposition. Even where the reader may disagree with some particular aspect, their work challenges us to examine the traditions and systems of exposition that have grown over time. In doing so, Venema and McKnight help us see that exegesis that fully engages scientific discoveries need not amount to a rejection of the Scriptures. They offer a viable way forward, inviting a broader audience into the conversation.”
— Stanley P. Rosenberg , University of Oxford
“Few topics generate greater passion among evangelical Christians today than the question of the literal accuracy of the biblical creation story. With the advances in science, we have two accounts of the origin of living beings—one scientific, the other scriptural—and many believe that they are mutually exclusive. Choose science or choose the Bible, we are told, but we can’t have it both ways. This book, by two of evangelicalism’s most articulate communicators—one a scientist, the other a biblical scholar—carefully considers whether that claim is true. The result is the most lucid and thorough discussion of the topic I have ever read. Dennis Venema marvelously explains genetic concepts by using everyday illustrations. Scot McKnight’s approach is pastoral. In an awe-inspiring manner, he sensitively leads us into an appreciation of the biblical issues and shows us how theologically rich and intellectually satisfying they are. Because it is so clearly and carefully written, this book will mark a watershed moment in the history of evangelical Christianity. The radical distinction between two seemingly disparate positions ought to disappear forever, these authors show, as each position melds with the other to form one harmonious whole.”
— Darrel Falk , Point Loma Nazarene University
“This is an unlikely book. Who could imagine a geneticist and a New Testament scholar teaming up to write about Adam and Eve? We are fortunate that they did. Venema and McKnight address in a learned yet accessible way issues about which many of us have little understanding. We are indebted to them for giving us information and insights that enable us to think about human origins in ways that are both scientifically informed and grounded in a carefully nuanced interaction with the biblical text and early Jewish traditions. The church is well served by this sort of interdisciplinary collaboration, which assists us in both adapting and adopting Adam (and Eve) as interpreters have through the centuries.”
— John H. Walton , Wheaton College
“This is a unique and valuable book: an expert geneticist and a leading New Testament scholar come together to address questions of Adam and Eve. Venema and McKnight guide readers in an in-depth look at the genetic evidence for human evolution and at the views of Adam in the ancient Jewish world. As these two Christian scholars listen to each other, share their personal journeys on origins, and address the questions of evangelicals, their pastoral concern for the church and for students shines through. Not all readers will agree with their conclusions, but the book is essential reading for all who seek an understanding of human origins that respects both Scripture and God’s creation.”
— Deborah Haarsma , president of BioLogos
“Anyone who doubts that Christian faith and evolutionary science can have a peaceful and fruitful relationship needs to read this remarkable book, a shining example of a complementary approach to science and religion in which both enhance, enrich, and complete each other. Dennis Venema offers indisputable scientific evidence for the evolution of living organisms, including humans, in a clear, accessible style. Scot McKnight deals with the challenging issue of whether Adam was a historical person. Drawing upon a wide range of creation accounts from the ancient Near East, and in particular ancient Jewish literature, he demonstrates that biblical passages on human origins and Adam must be read within their ancient milieu and context. I highly recommend this book.”
— Denis O. Lamoureux , St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta
Contents
Cover i
Title Page ii
Copyright Page iii
Endorsements iv
Foreword by Tremper Longman III vii
Introduction ix
1. Evolution as a Scientific Theory 1
2. Genomes as Language, Genomes as Books 19
3. Adam’s Last Stand? 43
4. What about Intelligent Design? 67
5. Adam, Eve, and the Genome: Four Principles for Reading the Bible after the Human Genome Project 93
6. Adam and Eve of Genesis in Their Context: Twelve Theses 111
7. The Variety of Adams and Eves in the Jewish World 147
8. Adam, the Genome, and the Apostle Paul 171
Afterword by Daniel Harrell 193
Notes 201
Index 221
Back Cover 227
Foreword
In 2009 the world commemorated the two hundredth birthday of Charles Darwin and the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species . Many decades after the appearance of that book, evangelical Protestants find themselves once again in a bitter conflict over the theory of evolution. Though the controversy still rages with those outside our theological family, particularly the “New Atheists” such as Richard Dawkins, the most heated discussions are now taking place among evangelical Christians—between those who believe that one must make a choice between the Bible and evolution, and those who argue that the Bible and evolution are not in tension with each other.
Fuel for this intra-evangelical debate comes from the mapping of the human genome, which was completed in 2003 under the leadership of Francis Collins, who is not only a leading biologist but also a devout evangelical Christian. The evidence provided by the genome, added to the mounting evidence of hominid fossils, further testifies to the persuasiveness of the theory presented by Darwin in the mid-nineteenth century.
To compound the conundrum, the research of evolutionary biologists also points to another conclusion that disturbs many evangelical Christians—namely, that humanity begins not with a single couple but rather with an original population of some thousands of people. This evidence leads to the now-much-discussed question of the historical Adam. If Adam and Eve were not historical individuals, is the Bible true? Were humans originally innocent? Was there a fall? Is there such a thing as original sin? If so, how does original sin affect us today?
These are crucial questions that aren’t easily answered. They are also questions that cannot be ignored by refusing to address them or by vilifying those who hold opinions that are different from the ones we are used to.
Further, the evidence is