Monday, July 18, 2011

The Lost World of Genesis

Here's a link to the second part of an interesting interview with John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College.  In the interview, Walton discusses his book, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate, and his idea that the the creation of the universe and the Garden of Eden were closely related to Solomon's Temple, in the sense that the Temple was a model of the cosmos.  He posits that the creation account in Genesis 1 is a description of function (in terms of temple use) rather than a description of the material universe, i.e., the young earth creationist viewpoint.  He relates this idea of creation and the cosmic temple to the other ancient cultures of the Bible, in how their temples were set up and used, as well as their shared symbolism.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Maori Baptismal Font

I just came across this article about an interesting Maori-carved baptismal font in an Anglican Church in New Zealand.  Although it was created for a western-style church, the meaning of the carvings is an interesting attempt to use Maori spiritual motifs for a Christian context.  I'm not sure if it is a successful example of contextualized art or not.  I'd be inclined to say not, because it wasn't created for a Maori Christian context and seams to be more syncretistic than contextualized.   But it looks really cool, and I think it was a noble attempt.  Take a look and let me know what you think!