Catholics
Consider Creation
April 21, 2007
Faith
and Education Issue May 13-26, 2007, page 30
by Carol Kloss, CCSS coordinator
"How did we get here? How did the universe begin? How
has life developed on earth?"
In the complex culture of the United States today, we find
varying answers to these fundamental human questions in the fields of
creationism, intelligent design, and evolution, and in the creation
stories of the biblical book of Genesis. As Catholics, how do we choose
the answer most meaningful for us?
We can first learn the Church's approach to the Genesis
chapters on creation, according to Pauline Viviano, who presented
instruction and insight on the many answers to the questions of origins
to 110 people at "Catholics Consider Creation: Biblical
Perspectives, Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Evolution," a
Chicago Catholic Scripture School Special Event held Saturday, April 21
at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge.
Comparing writing style, terminology, perspectives on God
and humanity, and the order of events in the two stories of
Genesis 1-2, Viviano, associate professor of theology at Loyola
University, demonstrated that the Bible offers us two separate accounts
of creation and neither account is meant to be understood as historical
fact.
Instead, the formal account of the creation of the universe
in Genesis 1 and the more personal account of the creation of life on
earth in Genesis 2 teach about God, humanity and the relation between
God and God's creatures in a way that is not historical but is
nevertheless profoundly true.
Catholics differ from some other Christians in that we do
not read these chapters as scientific fact, but as an expression of our
belief that everything in creation depends on God the Creator. That
belief is presented through stories that reflect an ancient
understanding of the cosmos.
As an expression of the Catholic position, Viviano offered
Pope John Paul II's statement in a 1981 address to the Pontifical
Academy of Sciences that "the Bible itself speaks to us of the
origin of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with
a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationship of
man with God and with the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to
declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this
truth it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the
time of the writer."
Creationism, on the other hand, maintains that the biblical
accounts of creation are scientifically accurate. Advocates of
creationism therefore deny the theory and evidence of evolution.
Since 1950, however, the church has increasingly come to
recognize the validity of the theory of evolution as evidence of
evolutionary processes has been gathered in various scientific
fields—a position evident in Pope Pius XII's encyclical "Humani
Generis" and statements by Pope John Paul II.
But the church's recognition of evolution is balanced by
its belief in God the Creator's relation to the evolving universe. If we
view the physical world as self-explanatory and self-originating, said
Viviano, we absolutize scientific knowledge and live in a world without
God.
Intelligent design theory observes purpose in the world's
complexity and says this purpose is evidence of an Intelligent Designer.
Viviano said this viewpoint is based on philosophical arguments. The
church disagreed with some of those arguments in a 2004 statement of the
International Theological Commission by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
now Pope Benedict XVI.
Participants received a bibliography,
key Church statements
relating to the day's topics and a list
of resources for teaching children about creation.
Biblical
Archaeology Day 2007
March 24, 2007
Only faith can convince us of the religious truth of the
Bible, but archaeology helps us understand the society and culture of
ancient Israel—the world in which the Bible came to be, according to
Fr. Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M., who offered an afternoon of instruction and
insight on the Bible and archaeology to sixty people at a Chicago
Catholic Scripture School Special Event held Saturday, March 24, 2007 at
Sacred Heart Parish in Palos Hills.
Fr. Hoppe, a former professor of Old Testament at
Catholic Theological Union who has participated in archaeological digs
in Israel and written books and articles on biblical archaeology,
described the development of biblical archaeology since its beginning in
the nineteenth century. Early archaeologists were often treasure hunters
who used to dig through an entire ancient site. Now, archaeologists
excavate small areas using scientific methodology in order to leave the
rest of the site available for future work.
Half the attendees were CCSS students and graduates. Their
study of Joshua and Judges was enhanced by Fr. Hoppe's presentation of
how the findings of archaeology help us read the biblical stories of
Israel's emergence as a people in Canaan—as theology, not history.
Barbara Carlo (CCSS St. John of the Cross) said she tends
to want to read the Bible like history or a historical novel. "Fr.
Hoppe's presentation helped me move from wanting facts to immersing
myself in the theological reflections and statements of faith in the
Bible," said Barbara. "Now I can listen to the text and not
only enjoy the faith of my forefathers and mothers, but challenge myself
about what God is doing in the present."
Archaeology has also moved from proving or disproving
the historical value of the biblical texts to using the material remains
of ancient Israel—the "garbage everyone leaves behind"—as
a way to understand its society and culture, said Fr. Hoppe.
Nancy Gaines (CCSS St. John of the Cross) appreciated
learning that archaeology today is "not just about finding
treasures, but is more about understanding the peoples and cultures of
the times. I also discovered that most finds are accidental and
excavations happen in small portions for future excavations to follow.
As time goes on, we can return to the past once again to excavate and
discover new things from new perspectives."
He offered three examples of how such understanding
can illuminate particular aspects of the Bible: how Israel emerged as a
people in Canaan, described in Joshua and Judges; the context for Jesus'
ministry in Galilee; and the context for understanding Jesus' use of the
metaphor "kingdom of God."
The findings of archaeology have helped us see that
the Israelites emerged gradually in Canaan, not through the great
military victories described in the book of Joshua or the battles
described in Judges, said Fr. Hoppe. We have to read those books as
religious, not historical, texts.
Archaeological investigation of the cities and towns
of ancient Galilee, such as Sepphoris, Tiberias, Capernaum, and
Nazareth, shows that Jesus carried out a mostly urban ministry, not a
rural ministry, and the disciples were savvy businessmen.
The extensive building program of King Herod the
Great in the "kingdom of Herod," documented by archaeology,
provide a physical context in which to understand Jesus' use of the
"kingdom of God."
Fr. Hoppe finished the day with a discussion of some
archaeological frauds, including the recently publicized tomb of Jesus
and the James ossuary.
Participant Bob Shute of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Parish and a first-year student in the Chicago Catholic Scripture School
said the day gave him a great perspective on the times in which the
Bible was written. Bob, who has just finished studying the books of
Joshua and Judges, said "I now see those books as written in a real
time and place, written by people who were writing later about things
that happened hundreds of years before."
Participants
received a bibliography for learning more about biblical archaeology.
They also viewed a display of biblical artifacts provided by the Badè
Museum of Biblical Archaeology of the Pacific School of Religion in
Berkeley, Calif.
2006
Special Event
Fundamentalism:
What It Is and How Catholics View It
October
24, 2006
Developing a genuinely Catholic identity is one of the best
ways to respond to the challenge Protestant fundamentalism presents to
U.S. Catholics today, according to Fr. Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M., who offered
an afternoon of instruction and insight on fundamentalism to ninety
people at a Chicago Catholic Scripture School Special Event held
Saturday, October 28, 2006 at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago.
Fr. Hoppe, a former professor of Old Testament at Catholic
Theological Union who has presented seminars on fundamentalism for over
twenty years, introduced participants to the Protestant fundamentalist
theology reflected in the preaching of many radio and television
evangelists and in books such as the Left
Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
With illuminating explanations of the seven
“dispensations” into which fundamentalist theology divides the
Bible’s history of the world and the fundamentalist vision of the
future final times, which is based on a fundamentalist reading of the
letters of Paul and the book of Revelation, Fr. Hoppe presented
information much appreciated by attendees who encounter these ideas in
their workplaces and parish ministries.
Michelle Czmil, of Saint Barbara Parish in Brookfield, now
has a better understanding of her fundamentalist co-workers, and how
their Christianity differs from her Catholic Christianity. For
fundamentalists, according to Fr. Hoppe, salvation comes to a person
solely as a result of accepting Jesus Christ as his or her personal
savior. Michelle’s co-workers have asked her if she had accepted Jesus
Christ has her personal savior, and she never understood the question.
She knew she had accepted Jesus Christ long before, yet also knew there
was more to being a Christian than that acceptance. “The true meaning
of being a Catholic is being part of a community, part of the Church,
and giving good works.” said Michelle. “That in itself tells you
you’re a real Christian, a real Catholic.”
Nancy Gaines, of Saint Bede the Venerable Parish in
Chicago, will bring what she learned into her ministry as a catechist.
“The most important message was that we should reinforce our Catholic
identity.” Nancy said. “I want to help teach kids who we are as
Catholics. I want to teach them not to be afraid to speak up and say
they are Catholic. It will be important for me to impress that on our
kids.”
Fr. Hoppe also addressed the differences between
fundamentalism and related Protestant Christian movements such as
evangelicalism, Pentecostalism and charismatics. In response to
questions, he described the relationship between fundamentalist churches
and mainline Protestant churches, such as the Presbyterian and Lutheran
churches, and discussed local churches such as the Willow Creek
Community Church in South Barrington.
Participants
received a list of resources for learning more about fundamentalism as well
as an excerpt on the fundamentalist approach to the Bible taken from The
Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, a 1993 document on
approaches to biblical interpretation produced by the Pontifical
Biblical Commission. Learning more about the Bible and the Catholic
approach to reading it—becoming biblically literate—is one of the
ways to effectively respond to the fundamentalist challenge, said Fr. Hoppe.
