Christian Formation

Integrating Theology and Human Development

James R. Estep, Jonathan H. Kim

• Publisher: B&H Books
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781433671678
• Topic: Theologie & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

For Christian education professors and students, Christian Formation provides a composite view of human development and learning from integrated theory, theology, and educational practices in the church. By design, the book integrates these elements into a cohesive foundational piece for Christian education. Contributors include:
• James Estep - "Christian Anthropology: Humanity as the Imago Dei, " "Developmental Theories: Foe, Friend or Folly?" "Moral Development and Christian Formation"
• Jonathan Kim - "Intellectual Development and Christian Formation, " "Psychological Development and Christian Formation, " "Cultural Development and Christian Formation"
• Timothy Jones and Michael Wilder - "Faith Development and Christian Formation"
• Greg Carlson - "Adult Development and Christian Formation"
• Mark Maddix - "Spiritual Formation and Christian Formation"

CHAPTER 1

CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY:

HUMANITY AS THE IMAGO DEI

By James R. Estep Jr.

When I observe Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You set in place,

what is man that You remember him,

the son of man that You look after him?

You made him little less than God

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him LORD over the works of Your hands;

You put everything under his feet.

Psalm 8:3-6

What does it mean to be human? What is it that makes us human? In the televised documentary “Ape to Man,” the theory of evolution’s history is unveiled over the last two centuries. It chronicles the scientific “quest to find the origins of the human race.”¹ It surveys the search for the proverbial missing link, begging the question, “How much ape and how much man would he be?” While modern evolutionary theory no longer regards human evolution as a single line of progression over millions of years but rather a line with multiple deviations and dead ends, it still continues the search for the common “root of the human family tree,” which marks the origin of humanity. But what makes us human? What could they look for? What is the definitive mark that makes us human? Is our humanity a matter of brain size, cranial capacity? Was it signaled by the development and use of tools, “stone technology,” or the use of fire? Did the development of language or our ability to walk upright on two legs signal the birth of humanity? ² Evolution is a theory in search of the elusive quintessential question in life: What makes us human

For the Christian, the question is not as elusive. For us, the answer is not found in evolutionary theories but in Scripture. We are human because we are made in the image of God. We are the bearers of God’s image, the imago Dei. This is the quintessential distinction of humanity within God’s creation. It is perhaps best illustrated by the difference between humanity as portrayed in an evolutionary chart versus the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The imago Dei is the divinitive mark of our Maker.

The Christian educator must remember that, while social science theories about learning, development, and lifespan changes describe the processes of growth in all of their dimensions, our humanity is more than the social sciences can discover; it is the imago Dei. While the biblical teaching on humanity includes more than the imago Dei, humanity, as God’s image-bearers, remains central to the Christian understanding of anthropology. This chapter is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the doctrine of humanity. Rather, it is a reminder to the Christian educator that our understanding of humanity is not only based on the social sciences but more so on theology—what Scripture teaches about humanity. It will first describe the biblical sketch of humanity as the imago Dei, identifying passages and providing a summation of Scripture’s teaching. It will then turn to the portrait provided by theology as to the meaning and nature of the imago Dei. From this, an assessment of the human condition will be rendered, evaluating the impact of sin (Adam’s and our own) on humanity. The chapter will conclude not only with integrative observations about the imago Dei but also with developmental theories in Christian education.

Biblical Sketch of Humanity as the Imago Dei

We are introduced to humanity’s unique and special distinction “in the beginning.” Genesis 1:26-28 reads (emphasis added):

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image [tselem], according to Our likeness [demūth]. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

So God created man in His own image [tselem];

in the image [tselem] of Godhe created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Much has been made over the choice of these two interactive terms, image and likeness. Tselem, most often translated image, signifies something cut or carved, a physical representation; whereas demūth, likeness, conveys the idea of being similar, bearing a similarity to the original.³ It is generally agreed that the first term is typically related to the physical representation of something, in this instance, its Creator; while the second is in reference to representations that are not necessarily physical in nature. However, the specific relationship of image/likeness is widely debated.⁴ For example, the Western Christian tradition has historically viewed these two terms as synonymous or interchangeable; whereas the Eastern Christian tradition (beginning with Irenaeus c. AD 180) has viewed the terms as parallel—not merely synonymous—with each one designating a particular dimension to the image of God in humanity. Regardless, it is obvious that “the two words together tell us that man is a representation of God who is like god in certain aspects.”⁵

By using these two words, Moses indicates we are wholly God’s representation; we are His image-bearers. This would be consistent with similar phrases used in the ancient Near East. For example, in Egypt, Pharaoh was regarded as being the image-bearer of Ra (chief deity of the Egyptian pantheon), meaning he was Ra’s representative on earth⁶—a status typically reserved for royalty in ancient Egypt. The Old Testament openly ascribes to every human, male and female, that we are all God’s image-bearers—tasked with being His representatives in His creation. We are the Creator’s temporal representation within His creation.

The language and sentiments of Genesis 1 are echoed throughout the Old Testament in regard to the uniqueness of humanity. The next occurrence of image/likeness language in the Old Testament is Genesis 5:1-2, which reaffirms the uniqueness of the creation of humanity and their special place in creation. This is further expressed in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image.” We cannot treat human life as of relative importance—on the same level—as that of animals. That we are made in God’s image “explains why human life is specially protected, but animal life is not.”⁷ Human life is sacred, requiring a capital penalty for a capital offense. Ethical implications accompany the imago Dei.

While the psalmist did not use the phrase “image of God,” he certainly echoed it in Psalm 8’s affirmation of the uniqueness, significance, and place of humanity in creation. While the psalm starts and concludes with the affirmation “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (vv. 1a, 9), its contents focus on the place of humanity within the Lord’s creation:

“what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him? You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him LORD over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4-6).

Once again, Scripture affirms the uniqueness of humanity and its distinctive place in the creation. The psalmist continues with the theme of “everything under his feet” by listing those pieces of creation over which humans have dominion: “all the sheep and oxen, as well as animals in the wild, birds of the sky, and fish of the sea passing through the currents of the seas” (8:7-8). In comparison with the opinions of ancient Mesopotamia, such as those reflected in the Babylonian creation epic, “the status of the human race in Israelite thinking was very high”—wherein humanity was created in the image of God, rather than regarded as mere servants of deities tired of work, and wherein human dignity was achieved through service rather than innate within humanity as the imago Dei.⁸ The Old Testament affirms the value and innate worth of every human as being God’s image-bearer.

Imago Dei in the New Testament

The imago Dei concept and language are not limited to the Old Testament. Many of the references to humanity as God’s image-bearer in the New Testament are parallel to those made in the Old Testament. As in the Old Testament, the New Testament authors seem to use two terms that are almost synonymous. They favor eikōn, which is the Greek term parallel to Hebrew tselem, translated image, and homoiōsin to parallel the Hebrew demūth, translated likeness. For example, 1 Corinthians 11:7 describes man, specifically the male gender,⁹ as being “God’s image [eikōn] and glory . . . .” Likewise, James warns his readers of the inconsistency of using the tongue to “...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Name Index
• Scripture Index