by Christopher L. Cudworth

Revised 10/16/06

Having been raised in a Christian household, confirmed in a small town congregation, educated at a Christian college, married in a conservative church and immersed in 40-plus years of religious life, you could say I believe Christianity to be a pretty good thing. But I do not consider Christianity to be a perfect religion. One glance at the array of hairsplitting denominations within the Christian faith is proof enough that the perfect way to honor God and Jesus Christ has never been settled.

Except…

There are people who insist that a form of religious perfection can be found by reading the bible in a literal way. But as we are about to consider, the worldview of biblical literalism does not always lead to perfection in faith. Biblical literalism may actually damage our ability to apply the wisdom of scripture to life in the modern world. This is particularly true in regard to Genesis, the book of the Bible that has long been advanced as an historical and scientific record of events from the dawn of creation to the early civilization of human beings. Opinion surveys1 regularly show that anywhere from 30% to 50% of Americans accept some form of literal interpretation of the Bible that includes the biblical creationist account of the origins of life. This worldview may be actually be expanding its influence thanks to the efforts of an increasingly aggressive Christian evangelical community2 willing to promote its ideology through a number of means ranging from the media to the courts, schools and government. Proponents of biblical literalism use these channels to spark debate and establish political and social partnerships that expand and carry its influence to the culture at large.3 The worldview of biblical literalism now wields influence as a supposedly authoritative (and ostensibly infallible) source of truth on a host of cultural, social, scientific and political issues.

The purpose of this book is to consider whether the worldview of biblical literalism is the most legitimate interpretation of scripture and if literalism as a rule of thought is the manner in which we should be reading the Bible. If not, then it is incumbent upon us to find a better way to put the traditional wisdom of the Bible to work in the rational context of modern civilization.

The Genesis Fix examines how worldviews are formed by comparing the perspectives of biblical literalism to modern methods of thought such as rationalism and naturalism. We consider how each worldview regards creation and the origins of life, tracing the theological roots of biblical literalism to determine how the associated worldview came to be such a prevalent theological force in Christian faith. We consider substantial New Testament evidence suggesting Jesus Christ objected to literalism as a rule of thought.

To illuminate the scriptural alternative to biblical literalism, The Genesis Fix outlines the validity of metaphorical interpretation of the Bible to explain why this approach has significant advantage in applying biblical truth to culture today. The Genesis Fix also examines the state of modern social issues by comparing conservative and liberal ideology to the teachings of the Bible. Our closing chapter The Genesis Solution provides a summary of practical biblical concepts outlined in this book.

The progressive tradition of rational faith is at perpetual risk of being overwhelmed by the doctrine of anachronism and denial driven by biblical literalism. We can settle for this potentially damaging model for Christianity or take steps to repair our faith by seeking a metaphorical reconciliation between ancient wisdom and modern knowledge. The Genesis Fix is a repair manual for faith in the modern age. Here is hoping everyone can put these ideas to good use.

Christopher Cudworth