Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

Lesson 4: Noah’s Flood: Genesis 6-9 What if… faith and science could agree on the flood? The Nephilim: Genesis 6 What if… we really don’t know who the Nephilim are? See Genesis 6:4. In mythology, the Nephilim are seen as fallen angels or demons, the demon possessed or the demon impregnated. They’re becoming more popular now in modern horror stories. One possibility is that they’re simply evil people—perhaps the descendants of Cain. Or they might represent a different branch of humanity, still able to reproduce with humans, but doomed to die out in time. After all, Neanderthal man died out. We don’t know (and neither do those who write their stories of angels and demons), so we guess; we interpret; and we wait to learn more. Noah’s Ark: Genesis 6-8 What if... the Bible really was written from more than one record? 1. Read Genesis 6:3-8, 7:1-5, 7,10, 12, 16b-20, 22-23, 8:2b-3a, 6, 8-12, 13b, 22-22. This is the southern, Judah version of the story, where God is called Yahweh. (Remember...

Lesson 3: The First civilizations: Genesis 3-5 What if… neither faith nor science knows for sure how the numbers add up? Cain and Abel (Genesis 3): What if… Cain and Abel could be Adam’s great-great-grandsons? Since Adam also means “man” (and earth, and clay, from which Adam was formed), and Eve means “mother of the living,” Cain and Abel’s story could be interpreted as the tale of Adam and Eve’s first children, or else of man’s and woman’s, of their great-great-… great-grandchildren. Different cultures have interpreted it differently in different times. The details of the Cain and Abel story do seem to suggest a more settled world than the immediate escape from Eden; a world of farming, villages and religion; maybe even of meat and cooking grain. Since Cain leaves and marries someone else, at the very least the details suggest a world where Adam and Eve are not the only human beings. What if… father doesn’t always mean Dad? Of course, the Bible does (sort of) say Adam is the father...

Lesson 2: The First Human Beings: Genesis 2-3 What if… faith and science agreed that there really was an Eden? Adam and Eve: What if… Adam and Eve were two people chosen from the crowd? One man. One woman: Genesis 1 ends with the creation of human beings. “Male and female He created them,” is says, implying more than one person, and certainly not discounting the possibility of more than two. But Genesis 2 starts with one man, Adam, in the garden, and begs the question: Was he the only “man?” What if he was the only man tested by God? What if there were other “people,” but their generations would die out in time, and only Adam’s descendants would survive? Would that contradict Genesis 1 and 2, or could it be valid, if unconventional, interpretation? And which matters more, the interpretation, or continuing to read the word? Richard Dawkins describes research that shows all humanity to be descended from a single woman who probably lived in Africa. She would have been one member of a ne...

What if… science and the Bible were both true? What if… creation and evolution told the same story? What if… Adam and Eve were real people? What kind of world would they live in? What if… we could tell the difference between God’s word and human interpretation? What is the aim of this study: • To keep the emphasis on the Bible. To remember God’s word is more important than my interpretation. • To be ready to encourage people to read the Bible and hear God’s word, rather than risk them rejecting what God says because of man’s word. My interpretation may be valuable to me, but it’s God’s word that might make a difference to my neighbor. • To know what the Bible says, even if it’s not what I think it ought to say. Lesson 1: Creation: Genesis 1-2 What if… faith and science don’t have to disagree? Before reading, try putting these 3 things in the order in which you think they were created – • Plants • Reptiles • Man Then read Genesis 2:4-8, 18-19. Is that what you came up with? If not,...