Genesis should open thusly, “God, created, the heavens, earth, flora, fauna and man from the dust which God also created.” The point is that Genesis is about God and what he created. Genesis teaching usually focuses the incidents, the fall, the tower, Noah, the patriarchs and Moses at the end. Yet those are examples of who this new god (God) was. The message of Genesis is the chronological revelation of God. He is preeminent, not the incidents. I had never been taught his name Yahweh was not given until Exodus! It amazes and frustrates me that our religious teachers do not teach the basics of the books based upon the theme of the book. Exodus is who God is, the introduction of monotheism into a polytheistic world. Matthew is the account of Jesus’ deity. If the book of Matthew is false, then the reminded of the New Testament is false. Our leaders, in my opinion, need to focus on the basics, not on the incidentals.
Paul D. Flaming
Fresno, California
This article has been posted by Christian Leader staff. The Christian Leader is the magazine of U.S. Mennonite Brethren.
