Our Origin Story #2 of 21:

All things have been created through Christ and for Christ…

And in Christ all things hold together. (Col 1:16-17)

When we read our creation story we can’t help but see it through the eyes of Christmas (God entering into his creation), Good Friday (God suffering for his creation), and Easter morning (God resurrecting his creation). As the hymn goes:

This is my Father’s world …let the earth be glad.

For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.

No place but is holy ground.

We did not form our origin story from scientific investigation. We come to it “by faith”. How it is that we have found ourselves in Christ is something of a mystery. Each one of us has our own story. Somehow, “God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Ro 8:16). Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Morning have a way of reminding us of the wonder of our faith.

We come to our creation story from a different place than Christian (the author of Origin Story, let’s call him David C. from now on). For David C., there is no room for such faith. His creation story will not allow for a “creator god”. His is an origin story formed by “modern science” alone. No other voice is allowed.

Seems to me, our creation story allows for greater tolerance. Our faith does not restrict us. It frees us. There is ample room in our creation story for all sorts of science. Notice how King Solomon goes about his scientific work:

He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon

to the hyssop that grows out of the wall;

he spoke also of beasts, and of birds,

and of reptiles, and of fish. (1K 4:33)

Solomon supports the arts as well:

He also uttered three thousand proverbs;

and his songs were a thousand and five.

One of his lengthier proverbs speaks, in an artful way, of the value of scientific investigation (Pr 6):

            Go to the ant, consider her ways, and become wise!

            Without having a boss, or anyone telling her what to do;

            The ant gathers her food in summer,

            And stores it up during harvest time.

And songs… the Bible chose to include the best of the thousand and five (SofS 1:2):

O that you would kiss me

with the kisses of your mouth!

For your love is better than wine,

Science and Art… that’s part of the bible story too. There is something real and wonderful about creation that is worthy of our investigation (science) and wonderment (art). There is, at least to my lights, good science in David C’s origin story; but, it lacks art. Maybe art is a threat to a “modern science origin story”. Art would risk opening the door to something transcendent—something bigger than the material world. So the “modern science origin story” keeps things bound to scientific inquiry alone. It’s intolerant of other possibilities. It lacks poetry and song.