In my last three posts (the first is here<\/a>), we looked at Al Mohler\u2019s understanding of the relationship between science and Christianity.<\/p>\n The heart of the matter is Mohler\u2019s notion of \u201capparent age\u201d\u2014that the universe looks billions of years old but is in fact only about 6000 years old, as the Bible says.<\/p>\n Today, we begin to look at Mohler\u2019s views as expressed on NPR\u2019s \u201cTalk of the Nation\u201d interview that aired on September 22, 2011. The audio and entire manuscript can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For those\u00a0interested, I have edited that NPR manuscript<\/a> by including only those portions As we continue here, I want to remind you that my purpose in these posts is not to refute Mohler, but to give his unsettled followers a sense that there is much more to be said on these matters than Mohler lets on, and that there is a vibrant, exciting, and above all necessary<\/em> conversation happening in the Christian and evangelical worlds.<\/p>\n Here the first two of five summary statements of Mohler\u2019s assertions in the interview, with some brief comments of my own in response. I address most of these points in greater detail in my upcoming book, The Evolution of Adam<\/a><\/em> (due out in January).<\/p>\n 1. Adam is central to the biblical storyline.<\/strong><\/p>\n If Adam is central<\/em> to the biblical storyline, why is Adam mentioned nowhere after Genesis 5:5 apart from 1 Chronicles 1:1 (the first name in the nine-chapter long genealogy that traces Israel\u2019s heritage from Adam to the postexilic Israelites)?<\/p>\n Similarly, if Adam\u2019s disobedience plunged humanity into moral helplessness, why is that central fact of the storyline not mentioned in the Old Testament? Why, by contrast, does God command and expect<\/em> Israel to obey God\u2019s law fully, even punishing them if they do not?<\/p>\n Would it not be better to say that Adam is an important figure in the biblical drama, though clearly not central, but that nevertheless careful attention must be paid to his role in God\u2019s story?<\/p>\n 2. Paul\u2019s understanding of Adam determines how we should understand the Adam story in Genesis.<\/strong><\/p>\n This assertion may sound attractive or even compelling at first blush: \u201cWho would know better than Paul what Genesis means?\u201d And since Paul sees Adam as the first human, evolution is therefore out of the question. This seems like an over-the-defense-break-the-glass-slam dunk.<\/p>\n The problem, however, is that Paul habitually transposes the meaning of Old Testament passages in light of the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul regularly engages in creative, Christ-centered interpretation, of the Old Testament that clearly moves in directions not intended by the Old Testament authors. (For some examples, see Romans 10:5-9; 11:26-27; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Galatians 4:21-26.)<\/p>\n For Paul, reading his Bible (our Old Testament) meant reading it with fresh eyes. Paul\u2019s Christ-centered use of the Old Testament is driven by his conviction that the resurrected Christ is climax of Israel\u2019s story. Israel\u2019s story is placed under the authority of the risen Christ, and is therefore read with that conviction in mind.<\/p>\n Another issue that affected Paul\u2019s creative use of the Old Testament was the Judaism in which Paul himself was schooled.\u00a0Creative\u00a0engagement of the ancient text to speak to current circumstances was the norm. As unconventional as Paul\u2019s interpretations of the Old Testament may be for modern readers, they fit very comfortably in his world.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peteenns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/images-1-300x146.jpg?resize=300%2C146&ssl=1\" "\\"images")
<\/a> where Al Mohler and Dan Harlow (Professor of Biblical and Early Jewish Studies, Calvin College) speak.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peteenns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/images-2.jpeg?resize=224%2C225&ssl=1\" "\\"images")
<\/a>If Adam is central<\/em> to the biblical storyline, why is Adam\u2019s role in that storyline only mentioned\u2013almost in passing\u2013in two of Paul\u2019s letters, Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15? Why do Jesus and the New Testament writers not share Mohler\u2019s conviction that Adam is central?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peteenns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/download.jpeg?resize=205%2C246&ssl=1\" "\\"download\\"")
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