Is this an argument worth having?

I come from a large family. I am the fifth of seven children. My mother was one of five children, as was my father. I have lots of cousins.

Growing up there were lots of family gatherings and picnics. We were a fun bunch. We never tired of playing games. If there were serious disagreements, I do not remember them. I like all my cousins and kept track of them. (They are now dying off quite fast.) We became a diverse bunch, but we still liked one another. We were family.

Our religious views have become distinctly different, and the same is true with politics. Nevertheless, I love my family and, I believe, we love one another.

I feel the same way about my religious family. I am a born-again Evangelical Christian of a Baptist variety. With that identification, I am a part of a small minority within the larger body of Christian believers. We call Jesus “Lord,” and that makes us a part of a family that numbers in the billions. The history of Christians getting along with one another is not good. Our wars with one another in the name of the Prince of Peace are scandalous. Why can we not remember that we are family, have our arguments in good will, and at the end of the day embrace and whisper, “I love you?”

Another argument is brewing. Some of the family is asking for a discussion in good will. Admittedly, it is a significant family discussion. The issue is easy to state, but difficult to discuss. Is Adam our great grandfather or is he a cousin? Some members of the family read the Genesis creation stories and insist that Adam and Eve are the parents of the human race. According to that version, humanity came from a single couple that lived in ancient Mesopotamia. Others, who are just as devout in the faith, take their cue from modern genetic research and conclude that the first human beings emerged, not from a single couple but from a community located in central Africa.

I love the argument. I have become one of those who believe the first human beings are in fact cousins. Even before the advent of genetic research, anthropologists and historians were arguing that Africa was the birthplace of the human race rather than Mesopotamia. I embraced their understanding many years ago. Reaching that conclusion had no impact on my faith. It had no influence on my commitment to follow Jesus. I concluded Adam as the first human being never lived. He is a legend and the story of his emergence is a myth. Legend and myth are legitimate literary devices that have been used in faith communities for millennium. Attempts to read mythology as history will always lead to nonsense theology.

Conferences are being held, books are being written and magazine articles are being published. Faculty members at Evangelical colleges and seminaries are quietly moving on to places where discussions are more free. Genetic science is proving to be a more formidable challenge to Bible literalists than Darwin’s theories about evolution.

A few weeks ago, Rob Bell pushed a large part of the Evangelical world into serious discussion with the publication of his book “Love Wins.” In the book he questions the existence of hell. It is proving to be a huge bestseller. Two things are in the book’s favor. First, Bell writes in a very readable style. It is a short book that lends itself to popular reading. Second, Bell uses scripture to make his case. He does not appeal to sources outside of the Bible. He speaks in the language of the pew.

The challenge of this newest discussion about Adam is different. Those who are calling for reassessment of the place of Adam in Christian theology are calling on science as their chief authority. For those who have embraced the Bible as the final authority in all things — including science — the discussions can become cantankerous and divisive. Science can become an enemy that divides the family. The books that will be written will be thick and the arguments will be complicated. Many will view the discussion as a clash between modern science and a faith that is outdated and untenable. A family discussion is much needed.

I asked if this is an argument that is worth having. My answer is that it is indeed needed, and has the potential to force people into a new reading of the Bible material. The Adam and Eve story is important commentary. Its message has been lost in the reading of a myth as history. It has in fact no conflict with scientific discovery, past, present or future. I think I will write about the meaning of the Adam and Eve story in next week’s column.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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