Michiana Adventist Forum

Thoughtful discussions of timely issues for Christians…

• Home
• Discussions
• Give

“The Lost World of Genesis 1: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate” – John Walton

Date: January 22, 2011

Speaker: Dr. John Walton

Position: Professor of Old Testament Theology, Wheaton College
Topic: “The Lost World of Genesis 1: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate”
Venue: Biology Amphitheater
Attendance: 200 (standing room only!)
Listen/Download
Presentation: Showing parallels between Gen. 1 and Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) literature (Egyptian, Sumerian), Walton argued that Gen. 1 shows the imposition of order & function from disorder rather than the creation of material things. On days 1-3 God created a functioning existence for humans (time, weather, food); on days 4-6 He made functionaries (sun, planets, stars, fish & fowl, beasts), & day 7 shows the interconnection of cosmos & temple (God rules the cosmos from earth & rests on Sabbath). If moderns view Gen. 1 with a material ontology, ANE peoples saw it with a functional ontology. As God is present in both, neither position supports or denies creation/evolution arguments.

• Pages

  • Discussions
    • 2004 Discussions
      • “The Case Against Galileo: Its Implications for the Church Today” – Dick Osborn
      • “The Future of SDA Higher Education” – Andrea Luxton
    • 2005 Discussions
      • “The Adventist Health-care Ministry: Achievements and Challenges” – Allan R. Handysides
      • “The Case for An Adventist Law School” – Margaret McFarland
    • 2006 Discussions
      • “Intelligent Design: Revolutionary Science or Reactionary Religion?” – Ronald Numbers
      • “Seeds of Genocide: Witness to the Genocide in Rwanda ” – Carl Wilkin
      • “The Fat Lady Rides Again: Thoughts on the Current General Conference” – George Knight
    • 2007 Discussions
      • “The Christianization of the Sabbath in Colossians” – Harold Weiss
    • 2008 Discussions
      • “Adventists & Creation: A Way Forward?” – Thomas Goodwin
      • “A Mirror of Adventism? Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream”
    • 2009 Discussions
      • “Academic Freedom and Accreditation on Faith-Based Campuses” – Richard Osborn
      • “Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence Among Seventh-day Adventists: An Interplay of Sex and Religion” – Julia Pickett
      • “Gay: The Uncomfortable Truth” – Nancy Carbonell
    • 2010 Discussions
      • From Birding to Conservation: Adventists’ Engagement with Nature – James Hayward
    • 2011 Discussions
      • “The Lost World of Genesis 1: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate” – John Walton
      • “We Have Seen His Glory: Women in Ministry, Adventism in a Chinese Context” – Rebekah Liu
      • Archaeology and Biblical Accuracy: A Look at Minimalist, Maximalist and Adventist Views – Randall Younker
      • Genesis and Beyond: Reports from the Chicago Adventist Forum – Panel
      • The Promise of Peace: Dare to Live the Advent Hope Toward a Post-Conventional Adventism -Charles Scriven
      • “Adventist Higher Education in the U.S.: Which School Will Fail Next?” – Michael Scofield
    • 2012 Discussions
      • Checking the Political Pulse of the University: Findings from the 2012 SDA Religion and Social Issues Survey – Curtis Vanderwaal
      • CognitiveGenesis: The Impact of Adventist K-12 Schools on Students – Jerry Thayer
      • E Pluribus Unum: For Us? For the gods? For Both? – John Jones
      • Inspiration: Manuscripts, Mistakes, and Choosing a Version – Larry Richards
      • Reinventing the Church for the Twenty-First Century – Gary Hamel
      • Thirty-Four Years Inside Seventh-day Adventist Publishing—A Retrospective – Richard Coffen
      • Why Adventist Healthcare Still Matters – James Londis
      • “Is Everyone in Adventist Education a Minister? Reflections on a Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision” – Brent Geraty
    • 2013 Discussions
      • “The Religious Roots of the First Amendment: Dissenting Protestants and the Separation of Church and State” – Nicholas Miller
      • “Governing the Global Commons: International Environmental Law” – Kevin Doran
      • Creation in Scripture – Herold Weiss
      • General Conference Policy in Relation to the Ordination of Women – Gary Patterson
      • Why Care for Creation: Ten Reasons for Being Earth-keepers – Steven Bouma-Prediger
      • “Ellen White: Daring Liberal and Immovable Conservative” – Alden Thompson
      • “Exclusion and Embrace: Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation” – Ante Jeroncic
    • 2014 Discussions
      • “A. G. Daniells: Lessons in Leadership” – Benjamin McArthur
      • “Angel Bones in Unexpected Places: Songs of My Salvation” – John Berecz
      • “Ellen White Goes Public: The Collaborative Biography Project Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet” – Terrie Dopp Aamodt
      • “The Sacred Theater of Knowing: The Epistemologies of Hamlet on Film” – Monique Pittman
      • “The Theology of Ordination Study Committee: One Member’s Observations and Reflections” – Cheryl Doss
    • 2015 Discussions
      • “Conflict as Catalyst—Is a Lawsuit the Best Option?” – Deborah Berecz
      • “From ‘Ekklesia’ to Something Else: Church Organization and How It Changes over Time” – David Thomas
      • “Prayer and Illness: Evidence-Informed Reflections” – Elizabeth Johnston Taylor
      • “The Millennial Generation and the Adventist Church” – Meredith Jones-Gray
      • “The San Antonio (Texas) General Conference Session: Insights from Andrews University Insiders”
      • “When Loughborough Got It Wrong: An Examination of J. N. Loughborough’s Historical Writings” – Brian E. Strayer
      • “A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in China.” – Rebekah Liu
      • “Death Before the Fall: Biblical Literalism and the Problem of Animal Suffering” – Ronald Osborn; Robert Johnston; James Hayward
      • “The Psychology of a Peculiar People: Studies of Adventist Sabbath-keeping and Other Distinctive Doctrines” – Karl Bailey
    • 2016 Discussions
      • The Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) – Jeff Boyd
      • Toward an Understanding of Religious Extremism – Rachel Williams-Smith
      • Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Human Hands – Oystein S. Labianca
      • Where Do My Donations Go? A Conversation on SDA Church Financial Structure – Ann Gibson
      • “Adventist Higher Education: A Few Things to Keep in Mind” – Niels-Erik Andreasen
      • “Adventist Religion & Public Issues Survey” (Advertised as “How Will Adventists Vote?”) – John T. Gavin, William W. Ellis, Curtis J. VanderWaal
      • “Studying the Book of Life: Adventism and the Need to Go Beyond a ‘Blueprint’ Approach to Theology” – Manuela Casti Yeagley
      • “The Place of Scripture in the Founding of the United States” – Mark A. Noll
      • “The Suzy Principle: Why We Talk Too Much and Do Too Little” – Loren Seibold
      • “What Can We Learn from Gravitational Waves?” – Tiffany Summerscales
    • 2017 Discussions
      • Breaking Barriers in Food Equity: A Mobile Farmers Market – Garth Woodruff
      • Contemporary Adventist Music: Facing the Challenge – Adriana Perera
      • Contemporary Adventist Music: Facing the Challenge – Adriana Perera
      • Religious Freedom & Public Morality: Church-State Issues in America Today
      • The Nexus of Income, Nutrition, and Health: Breaking Barriers in Food Equity: Are We Paying a High Price? – Sherine Brown-Fraser
      • The Story of Steps to Christ: The Compilation, Sources, and Setting of the Book – Denis Fortin
      • What Is to be Done with Difficult Texts of Scripture? – Herold Weiss
    • 2018 Discussions
      • Paul among the Ecologists: Romans for the 21st Century
      • Time to Speak Out – William Johnsson
    • 2022 Discussions
      • Thoughts on Lifelong Engagement with Adventist Education – Niels-Erik Andreasen
    • 2023 Discussions
      • A History of Adventist Lifestyles – Part 1 – Bryan Strayer
      • A History of Adventist Lifestyles – Part 2 – Bryan Strayer
  • Give

• Feeds

• Full
• Comments