Week 1 - Creation

The Text for week one was Genesis 1 and 2

The first thing that takes place in the class is a midrash discussion. midrash was a jewish tradition of teaching that was characterized by dialog and interaction. in this case the bible passages were being shown on a screen and jeremy lead the discussion by asking questions and responding. the discussion was fuelled by everyone asking and responding to questions and comments.

These are some of the random thoughts that I took away from the midrash:

- From the very beginning we get a look into the character and attributes of God. He is an artist and expreses creativity. If you want to get a better look into why God created the heavens and earth, go and ask your local artist why they create art. Their answer will reveal the character of God.

- Starting in verse Gen 1:27 we get the first case for Imago Dei (that man was created in the image of God). This becomes the ultimate groundwork for how we are to view all humans.

- Because of this we have no right to devalue the worth of ourselves or others. This is where we should derive our ultimate sense of worth and apply it to those around us. This will directly battle against our natural process of valuing people based upon their performance or any other criteria that we naturally gravitate towards.

- In Genesis 1 we are given some answers to the question of why we were created and why we are here. These are questions that need to be addressed by everyone.

These are some random thoughts that i have that revolve around the content of what i learned in the creation week but also the method of teaching things via the "story formed life". I've been realizing that it is very difficult to fully and accurately explain the gospel without beginning at creation. If you do not begin at creation and the fall and you go straight into being told about Jesus than Jesus becomes a part of my life to the extent that i realize that i need him. For me, i was told that i accepted jesus into my heart when i was 4. because i did not have much of a grasp of the creation or fall or how it fit into that story. because i only feel like i need jesus on the merit of my 4 year old short comings, accepting jesus becomes more of a straegic move that i make to get out of hell and or make my life better. this cheapens grace and elevates my human position to a point that seems to diminish the gospel incredibly.

One of my final thoughts, that piggybacks, on this previous idea is coming to grips with what god's original plan was in creating adam and eve and placing them in a perfect garden. i've never really spend much time considering what god's actual "plan" was. in studying and meditating on gen 1-2 for the last 2 weeks i've come to grips with the fact that what happened with the fruit at the tree knowledge of good and evil was probably the biggest tragedy in all of human history. right now i say that in a very academic sense but i think to truly understand the gospel i must start to believe that through faith. the effect that this will have on my viewpoint of god, the human condition, and my own need for the gospel is prfound.

This week i would like to begin focusing on what it means to view all humans as created in God's image. I would also like to attempt to think through the story of my life in light of the narrative that God was the beginning and is the center.

i could proofread this but i would be way less likely to ever post again.