"Very Good" is not perfect

It may be obvious, but when someone says something is very good it is assumed that the thing is not perfect. In fact the use of the qualifier "very" denotes that "goodness" is collection of shades of grey. Something can be very good, good, sorta good, kinda good, almost good, formally good, etc. There is no grey in perfection. Something is either perfect or it is not. If something is kinda perfect means that it is not perfect. 

This is important to remember when Christians read Genesis this point that God does not declare creation as perfect but "very good". Creation was never perfect. Even the garden where Adam and Eve trotted was not perfect. It was very good. 

There has never been a state of perfection that we "fell" from. There are only shades of good. 

Which means that we can see places and times in the world that are very good. We will never see perfection. But when we see very good, we get a glimpse of what God intends. 

Looking for a geographic location for "Eden" is a red herring. Creation is infused with good and the very good. Stop looking for perfection. 

It was never made.

Not impressed with a God that creates

Across denominations and religious traditions, the idea that God is creator is very clear. The idea of God as creator may be one of the handful of characteristics about God that every religion agrees. 

Which is why is may come as a surprise when I say, I am not too impressed with God as a creator.  

We all can create stuff. That really is not that impressive to me. The ability to create something new, while difficult, is much easier than the ability to transform something.  

Transformation requires not only the ability to see something for what it is, but also to see what it could be. Transformation requires that when we look at something we are not bound to the predefined limits of that object.  

For instance, in the amazing TED Talk by Ken Robinson, he brings up the paperclip question. Here is the section of the talk animated by RSA: 

You see most of us see the paperclip for what it is. We are bound to the predetermined limits of the paperclip. So we can think of 15 examples of uses of paperclips. However, with imagination we break out of the predetermined limits of the paperclip and see alternate uses if the paperclip was transformed in some way (200 feet tall). 

When God creates, God really is transforming. This is really quite awesome. We are impressed when we see something new - say a new house or a new car. But we are blown away when we see something transformed - say a car that was rebuilt after a crash.  

Transformation is so world changing that it may be worth noting that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead but we do not have a religion of Lazarus. Both he and Jesus were brought back to life after they died, but only Jesus was understood to be the Son of God.

Why? 

Because Jesus was not brought back to life. Jesus was not resuscitated like Lazarus.  

Jesus was resurrected. Resurrection means you are different - transformed in some way yet recognizable.   

Creating something is great. But transforming something is earth changing.  

More than 2 creation stories in the Bible - yep

When you read the opening chapter of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, you will read about God creating the world in seven days. It is a very poetic and liturgical story of God creating. Genesis chapter two is another story of creation of a very anthropomorphic God who creates Adam from dirt and then Eve comes on the scene later after Adam is unable to find companionship with any animal. 

These two stories are like the Christmas narrative in which there are two stories (one in Matthew and one in Luke) which are different but when we see the Christmas plays in December, both stories are pushed together making it seem as they are really just one story. 

This post is not about the first two chapters of Genesis. This post is, however, about another creation story in the Bible. 

Exodus.  

Exodus is the story of the people of God being created. It is the story not so much of a pre-scientific understanding of the natural world order, but a story of a pre-enlightenment understanding of human nature.  

While the pre-scientific mind might not have gotten the story of how the big bang works, the pre-enlightenment mind seems to have hit the nail on the head when it comes to understanding human nature. 

For as much as we like to think we are free and rational beings, it is clear that everyone is enslaved. Some are physically so and that is horrific. Others are enslaved to Pharaohs of their own making and still others are held prisoner to a Pharaoh that is far less obvious to identify. 

We are all enslaved to the Pharaoh of the crowd. 

From conformity experiments to scapegoating an innocent person, it is clear time and time again that human beings are held captive to the Pharaoh of the crowd. We get whipped up in a frenzy when our team wins the championship and we are manipulated to walk by and ignore a child hit by a car. We are all enslaved to the Pharaoh and this is why the story of the Exodus is, perhaps, the greatest creation story of all. 

It is in this setting of a people enslaved that God creates a new people. A people who would no longer be enslaved to the crowd mentality. A people no longer held hostage to having to blame others. A people that would not be like the Pharaoh they just left. A new creation, if you will. 

And yet, here we are. Still enslaved to the Pharaoh of the crowd.  

I am not interested in the debate of how the world came into existence or how old the earth is. I am far more interested in the conversation of how it is that we are set free and yet, even after all these years, continue to long to be back under the rule of Pharaoh?