Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Education and Creation Order
Education and Creation Order
: Education and
the Importance of Creation Order
Michael Goheen
Trinity Western University
Langley, B.C., Canada
Introductory remarks:
Lives not shaped by a doctrine of creation
as much as it should be
Understanding of creation essential for
education
Genesis 1 shows us Gods original intention
for world
Genesis 1 must be understood in original
context
from Egypt
Polemic against the myths,
religion, gods of paganism
Genesis one contains doctrine so rich in meaning that it
cannot be easily over-interpreted theologically. (Von Rad)
Word of God
Originating word: Word that creates wise
and good order of creation
Continuing word: Same word continues to
bring order (2 Peter 3.7; Ps. 147, 148)
GRACE
Supernatural
Soul
Church
Christian life
Faith
Revelation
Theology
__________________________________________
Material realm
NATURE
Body
Society
Empirical reason Natural law
Natural
Cultural life
Science
GRACE
Supernatural
Soul
Church
Christian life
Faith
Revelation
Theology
__________________________________________
Material realm
NATURE
Body
Society
Empirical reason Natural law
Natural
Cultural life
Science
Historical results
Creation separated from presence of God
Natural laws built into creation
Can be discerned by autonomous reason
Controlled to harness laws for social uses
Technology and rational organisation of
society
Christian education . . .
. . . resisting secularism that teaches about
Gods world as if his presence did not
matter.
Christian education . . .
. . . resisting naturalism that teaches about
non-human creation as if Gods word and
activity does not matter.
E. D. Fackerell
Christian education . . .
. . . resisting relativism that sees human life
as free from Gods ordering word.
. . . teaching for wisdom that finds true
freedom by discerning Gods order for
human life.
What is wisdom?
. . . the practical knowledge of
the laws of life and of the world
based on experience.
- Von Rad
Religious Beliefs
P Directing power
P Christ or idol
PCredal/Faith
PEthical
PPolitical/Judicial
PAesthetic
PEconomic
PSocial
PLingual
PHistorical/Formative
PAnalytical/Rational
PSensitive/Emotional
PBiotic/Life
Life as religion
Everything has been created was, in its
creation, furnished by God with an
unchangeable law of its existence. And
because God has fully ordained such laws and
ordinances for all of life, therefore the
Calvinist demands that all life be consecrated
to His service, in strict obedience.
-Abraham Kuyper