To people who have had some exposure to the discussion on Genesis 1 in the context of views of origins, many of the terms of the debate are well known, and are used with a type of 'in-game' shorthand. So it was a surprise to discuss the passage in my Home Group (a small group of people from my church that meet one evening a week to reflect on a Bible passage and pray), and find that the terms usually encountered in origins discussion were completely alien! I was quite surprised by the uproar that some of the 'suggested' answers given by the minister, I assume, attracted, as well as the perpexity that some of the questions caused.
Some people didn't understand the term 'worldview' and thought that it meant the view held by 'the world' as opposed to a biblical view, for example.
The suggested answers made reference to 'Enuma elish', 'genre', 'polemic' etc. Because these were so out of context for my fellow members, they were quite affronted by their introduction into a Bible study; the theological assumptions in the study: both questions and suggested answers, were overwhelming for most. Indeed, the questions themselves; and I'll post them up some time, left most group members puzzled, and unable to form an answer, let alone discuss a view. Needless to say, discussion drifted all over the place; but heart-warmingly, seeking to respond to the passage and do so with Christ in mind.
I liked the answer of one elderly man, who when confronted by the questions attempting to lead us down the literary path said something like: "it says God made it bang, bang, bang," with hand taps on the table for emphasis.
Interesting how the obvious and the contrived can be so far apart.
The contrast to the 'studies' we were used to; which simply stimulated discussion about the meaning of the passage in its own terms and for our Christian practice, was 'deep and meaningless'. It tendentiously intended to second guess a particular, I think, unhelpful, approach to the text, rather than help people apply it to their view of God.
Funny, in a way, but sad.
