Genesis 1:1-2:4 Interpreting the Story

Charles E. Hummel, Director of Faculty Ministries for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, has written an informative article titled Interpreting Genesis One.

In this article, Hummel argues for the Framework interpretation of Genesis 1 and supports that argument by elucidating the spiritual messages that can be gleaned from the text by reading it from that point of view.  He also argues against building a concordant model that tries to harmonize Scripture with science by warning that "any apparent success in harmonizing the message with modern science guarantees a failure when current scientific theory is revised or discarded".

Ages of Joy benefits from these comments and adopts the following responses:

1. By all means, readers should plumb the depths of the Spiritual messages of Genesis 1 by considering the Framework model and comprehending it.  It is a valuable model.
2. Ages of Joy recognizes that a harmonized, concordant model will always be a "work in progress" but we reject that means it's a failure. The mission of AOJ is to constantly present the best possible concordant model, updating it as necessary.  We poll Science Daily to help with that task.
3. The book of Genesis should be interpreted from its historical context and a concordant, harmonized, scientific model must honor the perspective of the original readers.  AOJ attempts to do so and we recognize that some possible linkages between science and Biblical statements cannot be definitively made - they must be held lightly.
4. We recognize that Genesis 1, while conveying actual history, is a blend of prose and poetry.  We believe that while it presents a chronological sequence, it also embeds topical content, and we learn from the Framework model and Cultural-Historical perspective, that strict chronological accuracy was not necessarily a constraint on the author nor an expectation of the original readers.

Armed with this guidance, we believe that a helpful, harmonized concordant model can be developed and maintained without bending the text of Scripture and without resorting to complex, contorted twists on science.

We recommend reading the article and checking back here for new posts that glean a few more insights from Mr. Hummel.