In the Beginning...We Misunderstood: Interpreting Genesis 1 in Its Original
Context
Johnny Miller, John Soden
Published 2012: 224 pages
For years, the evangelical church and its members have debated whether
the Bible should be interpreted literally or symbolically in regards to the
age of the earth. In their groundbreaking new book, In the Beginning . . .
We Misunderstood, authors Johnny V. Miller and John M. Soden say that all
these arguments have missed the point. Rather, what Christians really need
to know is how to interpret the Bible in its original context.
Exposing
the fallacies of trying to make the biblical text fit a specific scientific
presupposition, Miller and Soden offer a new approach to interpreting
Genesis 1 that explores the creation account based on how the original
audience would have understood its teaching. First, the authors present a
clear explanation of the past and present issues in interpreting the first
chapter of the Bible. Second, Miller and Soden break down the creation
account according to its historical and cultural context by comparing and
distinguishing both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian settings. Finally, they
explore common objections to help readers understand the significance that
the creation account has for theology today.
Christians need not look any
further than Genesis 1 to find clues to its meaning. Both irenic and bathed
in Scripture, In the Beginning . . . We Misunderstood will equip every
believer to navigate the creation wars, armed with biblically sound
explanations.