Many people view science and religious faith as bitter enemies with conflicting views of the universe, especially when you consider the scientific explanation for the universe’s origin versus the biblical account. But is this tension real, or is it based on a deep misunderstanding of what the Bible is and how it communicates? Genesis 1-2—written thousands of years ago—says many surprising things about the origins of the universe. But these chapters also leave most of our modern scientific questions unaddressed. So what do we make of this? In this 2011 lecture from a science and faith conference at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin, Tim asks what it means to read the first two pages of the Bible as ancient Hebrew texts and considers how they might interact with modern scientific claims.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

• The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John Walton
• In the Beginning... We Misunderstood: Interpreting Genesis 1 in Its Original Context by Johnnie V. Miller and John M. Soden
• Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science by Scott McKnight and Dennis Venema
• Science, Creation and the Bible: Reconciling Rival Theories of Origins by Richard F. Carlson and Tremper Longman III
• Enuma Elis (ancient Babylonian creation narrative)
• Atrahasis Epic (ancient Babylonian cosmology text)
• Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

• “Nob Hill Instrumental” by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

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