a sabbath rest

I am taking a personal blogging break for an indefinite period of time: a long day's sabbath rest. In the meantime, I am doing some semi-personal, semi-professional blogging—blog-adapted sermons and the like—as pastor of Morden Mennonite Church. If you'd prefer to read my more academic fare and published work, have a look at my website. Or, if you want to follow my random musings in 140 characters or less, click through to my Twitter feed.

Peace,
Michael

some basic perspectives on origins

For some reason, there seem to be a lot of people these days who are interested in my perspectives on the origins of the universe and humanity.

Strange, that. It's almost like asking a locked-out hockey player what he thinks about global warming. Nevertheless, for those who care to know, here you are.

When it comes to origins, I have held to the same basic perspectives for quite a while now. I have stated, taught, preached, blogged, or published all of these points in various ways and in diverse venues for at least fifteen years.

First, God created all things—God himself and not merely some impersonal forces or natural laws. God created the heavens and the earth, and made humans in God’s image. Through Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the very image of God, all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible; without him nothing was made that has been made. Thus, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Second, beliefs about exactly when and precisely how God created all things are neither central nor essential to an authentic Christian faith or a historically orthodox Christianity. Thus, it is not necessary for the sake of one's faith to hold to any beliefs about these matters with strong conviction; in fact, it may even be unwise to do so.

Third, the point of the biblical creation stories in Genesis 1-2 is not to answer modern questions about exactly when or precisely how all things came about. It is to answer, through an ancient genre for an ancient people, some common human questions, questions about who God is as Creator, what the cosmos is as God's creation, who we are as God's creation, how God as Creator relates to his creation, how we are to relate to our Creator and the rest of his creation, and the like. All subsequent biblical theology—as my first point illustrates—continues in this same trajectory.

Fourth, these modern questions about exactly when or precisely how all things came about, while potentially having tremendous theological significance, are best left to science. One should consult astronomers, physicists, geologists, paleontologists, biologists, and geneticists for these questions, not biblical scholars and theologians, let alone people who are neither trained theologians nor trained scientists.

Finally, if I’m right about these first four points, then whatever my personal perspectives are on exactly when or precisely how God created all things is a moot point. I'm not a scientist, so my thoughts on these matters carry no weight. And, with respect to my salvation, my orthodoxy, and my biblical fidelity, any thoughts I have on these matters are irrelevant.

Okay, so this is probably not the answer some of you were looking for. But while I'm able and willing to affirm more than this on origins, I suppose one might say these are things I can fully concur with—especially if by "fully concur" one means "agree with completely and in every respect, without reservation or qualification."

For more thoughts on creation theology and the role of creation in the biblical narrative, see my brief volume, The Beginning and the End: Rereading Genesis's Stories and Revelation's Visions.

it's true

Yes, it's true. (Strange, seeing my name in Christianity Today.)

Here is the official public statement, which I have agreed to:

Dr. Michael Pahl has been relieved of his teaching duties because he is unable to concur fully with each and every position of Cedarville University's doctrinal statement. This decision was made following a review by the University administration and trustees prompted by Dr. Pahl's recent book, The Beginning and the End: Rereading Genesis's Stories and Revelation's Visions.

Dr. Pahl's orthodoxy and commitment to the gospel are not in question, nor is his commitment to Scripture's inspiration, authority and infallibility. He is a promising scholar and a dedicated teacher, and will be missed by his colleagues and students. Nevertheless, the University has determined this decision to be in the best interests of its constituency at this time.

On a completely unrelated note, there's this guy I know who is looking for a job:

A promising scholar and dedicated teacher, thoroughly orthodox in his Christian faith, fully committed to Scripture and the gospel, is looking for an academic position in New Testament studies and/or biblical theology.

Joking aside, I really am looking for such an academic position for fall 2013. If you are on a university or seminary search committee looking to fill a position in New Testament or Christian origins or biblical theology, chances are my c.v. has crossed your desk already, or it will in the near future. In the meantime, please check out my website and my curriculum vitae to find out more about me, and by all means feel free to contact me. I'd love to hear from you!