FASTLY - Faith & Science Teaching

Creation and New Creation

In Brief

A common cartoon perception of Christianity is that it is all about the afterlife: creation has fallen into disrepair and Jesus has come to snatch us away. This activity focuses on the Bible’s teaching of a new creation in which the wounds of the old creation are healed, and asks students to see themselves as having a role in the renewal of creation. It provokes reflection on how faith and science debates about creation involve the future, not just the past.

Goals

Students will understand the idea of a new creation as a renewal of the first creation.

Students will understand how the biblical concept of creation relates to the future as well as the past.

Thinking Ahead

This activity asks students to compare two sections of the Bible that have been read and used in varying ways – the creation story in Genesis and the apocalyptic writings of Revelation. Consider how you will keep students focused on the details of the text if they are in danger of veering off into speculation, perhaps fueled by popular culture. The closing questions point to the way in which, in both the Old and New Testaments, humans are presented as working alongside God and representing God in creation. They raise the question of hope, and, implicitly, of how scientific and biblical narratives about the future relate to one another. Help students realize that the Bible does not necessarily stand in conflict with the scientific picture of entropy. Scripture does not teach that everything is getting better naturally, but that there is an additional force working for redemption.

Preparing the Activity

Needed:

• Students should have Bibles, Bible apps, or printed handouts with Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22 (see Creation & New Creation)

• Printed copies of Creation & New Creation Task for student notes.

Directions:

Students will use In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key learning.

Teaching the Activity

Open by telling students that they will engage in examining specific theological resources in order to gradually build a rich overall sense of what theology has to bring to discussions of origins.

Have students read Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22, either in class or for homework in preparation. Explain that these passages are from the very beginning and the very end of the Bible. To help students engage in close reading, ask them to identify all the things mentioned in the Genesis account of creation that appear again in the passage from Revelation, noting changes. Have them record their findings on Creation & New Creation Task. Give time to complete this task with a partner, and collect the results as a class. Details to highlight include:

• day and night / no more night
• sun, moon, and stars / the Lord being the only needed source of light
• seas divided / no longer any sea
• garden / garden city

Ask students how they interpret these details:

• Is water part of the fall, and is this why the new creation cannot have oceans?
• Is the New Testament describing a battle against literal darkness? Is the world more evil if we turn out the lights?

Ask students what “sea” and “darkness” might be pointing to poetically. Discuss ideas such as: no more night, no more darkness of sin, no more fear of hidden danger; the Lord’s direct presence outshines the sun in beauty and glory; the chaos represented by the sea (see Activity 5: God’s Victory Over the “Monsters”) is gone and there is safety and calm; the garden has developed into a garden city.

Ask students to consider what kind of change is envisioned here: how does the Revelation story move beyond an already “good” creation? How does creation become more perfect?

Read aloud 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (included on Creation & New Creation Task):

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God!’” (NET)

Then invite students to consider:

• What is the role of humans in the arrival of this new creation?
• What might it mean to be “ambassadors” of the new creation? What kinds of human activity might be signposts to the new creation?
• How could this relate to the mandate in the first creation story for humans beings to be image-bearers of God and rule the earth?
• How does this story compare to other cultural stories about the future? How do we imagine the future of the world? Does this effect our choices?
• In what sense are biblical and scientific stories about the future opposed or just different?
• What have you said or done in the past week that might be an example of being an ambassador for the new creation? What have you said or done that seems incompatible with this image?

Consider closing with a few minutes of silent reflection and/or journaling focused on personal response. Invite students to consider what the idea of being ambassadors of a new creation suggests to them regarding their own choices.

Finally, give students a few minutes to complete one of the sections of In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record the key things they have learned. Doing this after studying each source will help students focus on how each different source relates to the central theme.

God’s Victory Over the “Monsters”

In Brief

Sometimes we read Genesis 1-2 and conclude this is “THE creation account” of the Bible. A look at other creation accounts in Scripture suggests otherwise. Comparisons with other Ancient Near Eastern creation stories help us appreciate the distinctive creation teachings of the Bible. This activity engages students in comparing creation accounts and thinking about the claims that creation stories make about the nature of the world.

Goals

Students will compare the Bible’s creation account with other Ancient Near Eastern accounts and notice the similarities and differences.

Thinking Ahead

This activity focuses on how Old Testament theologians read biblical creation stories within their Ancient Near Eastern context.

For some students these comparisons will require pastoral sensitivity: why should I trust the Bible if it mirrors pagan accounts in talking about sea monsters? It is helpful to focus on these points:

• God speaks in the Bible in ways that the original audience would have understood, and so the Bible preserves traces of this “cosmic battle” imagery in order to portray the God of Scripture over against rival stories in the ancient world.
• The point of these passages is not to tell us exactly what lives in the sea, but to say something to us about God’s sovereignty over the forces of chaos and violence. This does not mean those forces are not real; poetic language can point to deep realities beyond the “literally” real without necessarily leaving the literally real behind. There are actual terrifying sea creatures.
• Both biblical writers and their ancient counterparts in other cultures were aware of forces of chaos and evil in the world that at times threatened to overwhelm them. The question that arises from comparing these stories is whether this chaos is essential to what the world ultimately is, or instead, whether the world as we know it is fractured and fallen away from the truth and reality of the God who freely created, sustains, and redeems it out of sheer, gratuitous love.
• Be aware of moments when faith could be undermined, or cynicism strengthened, and remind students that figurative does not mean false. The existence of parallel stories is not evidence against biblical truth. For example, if you say that a friend passed a test with flying colors, does your claim become less true if someone points out that no flags were actually used or if it is found that others have used the same phrase in different contexts?

In your teaching, how can you discern if your students are worried by what they are learning and help them see the issues more clearly? Teaching FASTly involves attending to student’s fears and concerns. How can you adopt practices of listening to them and making it safe for them to express concerns?

Related Book Review: The Bible Among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature by John N. Oswalt. 

Preparing the Activity

Needed:

• Bibles

• They will also need handouts with columns containing the different biblical texts mentioned below, side-by-side with stories such as the Enuma Elish (see God’s Victory). Consider having artistic interpretations of Leviathan/Rahab on the screen to add a visual context for reflection when students arrive in class, as well as while they work.

• Students will use In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key learning.

Teaching the Activity

Open by telling students they will engage with certain theological resources in order to build an overall sense of what theology brings to discussions of origins.

Hand out God’s Victory and read aloud the first four biblical texts (from Isaiah 51, Job 41, Psalm 104, and Isaiah 27) that describe God’s victory over Leviathan/Rahab. Allow different students to read, encouraging dramatic expression. Ask students: why are so many Bible passages concerned with sea monsters?

Next read together the extract from the Genesis creation story and then the extract from the Enuma Elish. Explain that in this passage a war is underway among the gods, and Marduk, one of the younger gods, kills Tiamat. Out of her corpse he makes the heavens and the earth. Ask students to work in pairs and identify the similarities and differences between the Enuma Elish passage and the Genesis passage. Ask students to identify the role of the fall in Genesis. In the Enuma Elish there seems to have been conflict from the beginning instead of sin entering and corrupting a good creation. A key question is: When did evil begin?

After a few minutes, have students share their ideas. Focus attention on the contrast between a world born from multiple gods struggling violently for supremacy, and one in which God, who creates through an enabling word, has no competition and is sovereign even over the chaotic “waters.”

Ask students to look back at other passages, including the parallels from Psalm 74 and 89, to find examples of how God’s relationship to the forces of chaos in the world, pictured as sea monsters, is portrayed. Compare also the promise in Revelation 21:1 that there will be “no sea” in the new creation – see Activity 4: Creation and New Creation. Help students see the difference between an elemental struggle between good and evil, and God’s sovereignty over chaos as described in Genesis and echoed in other passages.

Discuss with students:

• What kind of world does each story suggest we live in?
• How does each story picture our place in the world?
• Are these scientific stories? What kind of truth claims do they offer?
• What does the cross of Christ have to say about the differences between these stories? What is God’s answer to chaos?

Finally, address the following questions, either in closing discussion or as a journaling activity. Focus on helping students see how these ancient stories speak to our own lives:

• As we look around our world today, do we see people behaving in a way that reflects a belief in creation as built upon warfare and death, or upon grace and love? What are the consequences of these differing beliefs?
• Why does the story of creation, as the Bible tells it, matter for us today amid modern scientific stories about our origins?
• How does the life, death, and resurrection of Christ relate to sin and God’s sovereignty over chaos in the Old Testament creation accounts?
• In what ways does science contribute to chaos? Can scientific work be a form of service to God and part of overcoming the “monsters” of our day?

Finally, give students a few minutes to complete one of the sections of In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key things they have learned. Doing this after studying each source helps students focus on how each different source relates to the central theme.

Optional Extra

Use the following chart for further background on comparing Gen. 1 with the Enuma Elish. You may also use the Enuma Elish presentation slide with your class if desired.

Death Before the Fall?

In Brief

When did death enter the world? How does the theological claim that death is part of the fall relate to the scientific claim that death has been part of how the world works since long before humans appeared? This activity engages students in exploring biblical passages that are important to theological debates around this question.

Goals

Students will understand that questions about origins are related to theological questions about death.

Students will understand how specific interpretive questions can lead to different views of death in relation to origins.

Thinking Ahead

God tells Adam and Eve “in the day you eat of it you shall surely die,” and the apostle Paul states that “the wages of sin is death.” Yet, an evolutionary account of life on this planet suggests millions of years of death and extinction among species before humans ever emerged. The question of death therefore creates a point of tension between theology and science in regard to origins. Rather than simply pitting science and theology against one another, this activity helps students see that the theological conversation around this issue is itself complex, with more than one position represented among those who take the Bible seriously. It engages students in close reading to compare their assumptions against particular texts. Think about how it is possible to help students see that there are options to explore and assumptions that can be questioned, while still embracing the authority of Scripture.

Determine whether your students have an accurate working knowledge of the scientific concept of evolution.

As you plan for this lesson, remember that death is not just a theological question; it may be a topic that touches some students closely. Consider how to be sensitive to varying feelings and needs of your students.

Check with science colleagues about the possibility of coordinating a review of evolution as a scientific concept in their classes with your work on the theology of creation. If your students need to review the concept of evolution within this sequence of work, you can find resources for doing so in Understanding Adaptation.

Preparing the Activity

Needed:

• You will need pictures (provided in Death Before the Fall) or videos of predators and prey to show students

• Copies of Psalm 104 and related texts (see Death Before the Fall)

• Copies of Death Before the Fall 2 (an article entitled “Creation in Labor” by Rev. John Timmer)

• Bibles

• Students will use In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key learning

• We recommend www.socrative.com as a good online ”polling” method to gather student responses anonymously.

Teaching the Activity

Open by telling students they will engage in examining specific theological resources in order to build an overall sense of what theology brings to discussions of origins. In this activity they will learn why there is theological discussion about the place of death in the world.

First read Genesis 3 together as a class, explaining that this passage describes the fall of a creation described as “good” in Genesis 1. Show a video or two of animals preying on other animals, or use the pictures in Death Before the Fall slides. Video examples could include: a whale toying with a seal before devouring it, a lion stalking, chasing, and killing its prey, or other video clips.

Ask students to share their opinions anonymously through an online poll or response cards: Did events like this take place before the fall? Did these animals always have fangs/talons/claws to hunt and kill prey? Use these questions to get a sense of how your students see the relationship between death and the fall.

Next distribute copies of the handout in Death Before the Fall and also have students read through Psalm 104. Then ask students to review the creation story from Genesis 1 and work with a partner or in  small groups to identify the parallels in Psalm 104 to the Genesis creation story. Point out that looking closely at related texts is an important part of the practice of careful biblical interpretation. What evidence is there that Psalm 104 is modeled on the creation story and describes God as the creator?

Once you have reviewed students’ findings together, draw their attention to Psalm 104:20-22.

• If the section describing animals such as the lion is supposed to echo God’s creative activity on day six, and if lions are described as receiving their prey from God, does it follow that lions eating other animals is a “good” thing?
• Does this imply that predation and animal death has always been part of the unfolding drama of creation, and that therefore the fall is about something more specific than death? If not, how are we to understand this text? How can we interpret the psalm if death came only after the fall? Is the Psalm simply telling the story of God’s world after the fall? If you have time, ask students to similarly consider the passages on the third page of Death Before the Fall.
• What might “death” mean in Genesis 3 if it did NOT refer to the basic presence of physical death in the world? Could one believe one of these alternate explanations and still be a faithful Christian? Why or why not?

Hand out copies of the article about the groaning of creation in Death Before the Fall 2. 

Give students a few minutes to read the article. Then discuss:

• Why does the author of this article think that the “groaning” refers to more than the fall? What details is he picking up on in the Romans passage?
• Can something be both “good” and “groaning” for something even better?
• What does this interpretation imply about the bigger storyline of creation, about how the drama of creation unfolds? What is the beginning, middle, and end of the story?
• If you have time, have students read the account of the peaceable kingdom from Isaiah 11. How does it relate to the groaning of Romans 8?
• Could this reading of creation help us in thinking about how the biblical story of the world’s origin and the scientific story about the world’s origin relate to one another?

Finally, give students a few minutes to complete one of the sections of In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key things they have learned. Doing this after studying each source will help students focus on how each different source relates to the central theme.

A Self-Emptying God?

In Brief

This activity explores the question of whether the idea of evolution necessarily implies that God could not be involved in the universe. It helps students see that arguments about origins involve important theological questions and engages them in exploring important alternative viewpoints.

Goals

Students will understand the distinction between theistic and deistic approaches to evolution.

Students will understand that debates about origins involve important theological questions about God’s relationship to the world.

Thinking Ahead

Some Christians struggle with the idea of “theistic evolution” because it seems to relegate God to setting up creation and then simply “letting it go” on its own. This idea seems dangerously close to deism, a view of God as the impersonal architect of the universe and its laws who is no longer involved. Others wonder why energy is spent debating questions of origins when there are so many other important issues with which to be concerned. This activity engages students in exploring some of the theological questions behind the debates, looking in turn at the idea that accepting evolution necessarily implies deism, and then at the view that evolution could be understood as a sign of God’s self-emptying love, allowing freedom for creation. The activity uses practical interactions of the classroom to illustrate what could seem to be abstract questions. The hope is that this will help students grasp the ideas more concretely. Think ahead about how you will need to set up the classroom layout for the flow of the activity to work well, and about what your position, posture, affective tone, and the amount of space you give to student voices communicate about the world. Consider how your teaching choices contribute to students’ formation.

Preparing the Activity

Needed:

• You will need the presentation slides in A Self-Emptying God and copies of A Self-Emptying God.

• Students will use In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key learning.

Teaching the Activity

Open by telling students they will engage in examining specific theological resources to build up an overall sense of what theology brings to discussions of origins.

Begin by displaying on the screen the slides summarizing deism, asking students to copy it into their notes. Make sure students copy down the material. As they do so, stand in a corner or, if possible, in an elevated spot, and watch them benevolently. If any student raises a question, do not speak, but just point to the screen. The aim is to provide a practical sense of how deism tends to see God’s relationship to the world. If possible, wind up a clock or set a visible timer such as an iPad, while students read and write.

After some time to read and write, step out of your distant role and engage with the class from the front of the room. Discuss with them what they have gleaned about deism. How is it different from the involved, speaking God of theism? Ask how the way you taught the class so far illustrates a deist conception of God. For instance, instructions were given at the beginning but it was left to students to follow them, the giver of the instructions remained uninvolved, and students had to figure out the material themselves.

Explain that one concern some Christians have with the idea of theistic evolution—that is God creating over a long period of time through the processes of evolution—is that it seems very close to the uninvolved God and clockwork universe of deism. The argument is not just about the age of the earth, but about what kind of God we worship. Does the idea of evolution leave God with too little to do?

Now, move to the center of the room in the midst of students, sitting among them if possible, and focus on interaction, being a supportive presence, and making space for students’ thoughts and questions to be heard. Turn students’ attention to the passage from Philippians 2:5-11 on the next slide. Read it aloud to them, then have the class read it aloud together. Point out that this is a key climax in the drama of Scripture: God’s supreme act of involvement in his creation. Discuss interactively with students what this passage is articulating about God’s relationship to the world. Questions could include:

• How is God’s relationship to the world described?
• How much freedom does the passage imply that humans have over and against God’s power?
• Could God have chosen not to take on our humanity?
• Could God have not given us the choice to love him in return?
• Why did Christ give up equality with God for us?

Explain that a theological term for what is described in this passage is kenosis. This means self-emptying and refers to Christ emptying himself of his power and privileges for the sake of serving and saving humanity out of love and trust in the Father. Conclude with this question:

• Does God love the rest of creation, apart from humans?
• If he does love it, is it possible that God could also give the rest of creation freedom to develop, as he does with humans? Consider the places in Genesis 1 where God says “Let the land produce…”

Finally, return to the question of God’s relationship to evolution. Hand out copies of A Self-Emptying God and have students read about kenosis and evolution. As you discuss this reading with students, point out that this is another well-respected Christian position regarding evolution. Here there is still space for evolution to unfold according to its own principles, but this is interpreted as God withholding his power out of love for his creatures, not because he does not intervene or is not involved. Could evolution be an act of love for the universe, part of the drama of God’s intimate relationship with his creatures? Or would this force incompatible ideas together?

While you may wish to allow time for students to express their views of the positions described, the main point is to help students see that debates about origins involve important theological questions and require careful theological thinking about God’s relationship to the world.

In closing, mention explicitly that although you have used the interactions in class to illustrate different views of God’s relationship to the world, with you representing God and students representing the world, your real-world position is alongside your students before God.

Finally, give students a few minutes to complete one of the sections of In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key things they have learned. Doing this after studying each source helps students focus on how each different source relates to the central theme.

Optional Extra

Have students explore deistic conceptions of God further from sources such as this.

God Sets Up His Temple

In Brief

This activity engages students in exploring a series of connections between the creation passages in Genesis and the descriptions of the tabernacle, helping them see how a theological reading of Genesis portrays the world as God’s dwelling to be filled with his presence.

Goals

Students will understand the connections between biblical creation and tabernacle narratives.

Students will reflect on the implications of this connection for a view of how God relates to the creation.

Thinking Ahead

Various Old Testament theologians have argued that Genesis 1 is meant, among other things, to depict God setting up the earth to be his temple and then coming to dwell within it as he “rests” in the sanctuary he has prepared for himself. This lesson explores the Scriptural reasoning behind this interpretation and engages students in exploring whether this might be one of the main “plot points” of the “drama” of creation from the beginning. What if, in other words, the whole point of creation is for God to prepare a place for himself that he can fully flood with his glory, and what if that day is still coming in Christ? What would be our role as his people in this endeavor? If students are used to reading Genesis only as literal historical narrative, consider how you will help them notice the symbolism in the story related to the temple. Teaching FASTly will help students to focus on the question of what truths the passage is seeking to show us.

Preparing the Activity

Needed:

• Copies of the handout provided in God Sets Up His Temple and the slides in God Sets Up His Temple

• Bibles

• Students will use In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key learning

Teaching the Activity

Open by telling students they will engage in examining specific theological resources in order to build an overall sense of what theology brings to discussions of origins.

Show students an image of what the tabernacle might have looked like (God Sets Up His Temple). Hand out copies of God Sets Up His Temple. Explain that the first column on the first page outlines the days of creation, while the list of references from Exodus on the next page refers to details from the construction of the Tabernacle while Israel is in the wilderness. Ask students to work with a partner to find correspondences between each detail and the creation account from Genesis 1. Review this with students when they are ready.

Read Genesis 2 from the next two slides. Discuss with students:

• There are pomegranates woven on the priests’ robes in Exodus 28:33-34, and the priest’s robe has onyx stones attached to it with the names of the tribes engraved on them (Exodus 28:9-12). Do these connect to any details in the creation account in Genesis 2? (Onyx is mentioned there and fruit is important in the story.)
• What do these connections to Genesis 1 and 2 show about the tabernacle?
• What is it intended to be a model of?

Help students see that the tabernacle, the place of worship for the people of God, is a microcosm or a model of the cosmos with God enthroned amid the creation, and that the creation story is describing the world in ways that evoke the tabernacle, with the world as God’s tabernacle/temple. Point out the parallel between God “resting” after completing all the work of creation, and God coming to dwell in the Tabernacle after Moses completed all the work God had given him to do. As you read aloud the key verses from Exodus listed below, ask students to count how many times the Lord speaks to Moses about the Tabernacle before he comes to dwell in it. Note that the six references parallel the six creation days before “resting.”

• Exodus 24:1
• Exodus 24:12
• Exodus 25:1
• Exodus 30:11
• Exodus 30:17
• Exodus 30:22

If time permits, or for homework, have students read other passages that connect the tabernacle with creation. These are found on the second page of the handout (God Sets Up His Temple).  Have them work with a partner or in small groups to identity how each passage suggests a connection between the tabernacle/temple and the creation.

Ask students to think about what these connections may be suggesting about the larger story of the world. Why is there a seat above the ark in the tabernacle? What is meant to happen after the tabernacle is finished? (God comes to dwell in it.) Ask students:

• What is meant to happen to the world after the creation is completed? What actually happened?
• What drama begins to unfold because of human rebellion?
• Will creation still reach the same ending? For what should we hope?

Show the passages on the final slide and read them aloud together as a class.

Finally, discuss or have students reflect and journal about these questions:

• What does this interpretation of the relationship between the creation story and the tabernacle passages reveal about the character of God and our relationship with him?
• What do you think the creation passages in Genesis are trying to teach us about the world? Does this reading of Genesis and Exodus help us in thinking about how the biblical story of the world’s origin and the scientific story about the world’s origin relate to one another? Are they answering the same kinds of questions?
• Do we have any role in the movement toward God’s glory filling the earth? Could the way we practice science be related to this story at all?

Finally, give students a few minutes to complete one of the sections of In the Beginning 2 from Activity 1: In the Beginning to record key things they have learned. Doing this after studying each source helps students focus on how each different source relates to the central theme.