We Need a New Story

About Why Jesus and the Bible Matter to the World

The first book of the Bible gives an account of the creation of the cosmos and, ultimately, humankind. 

We now have empirical evidence that the cosmos came into being some 14 billion years ago; that galaxies and stars emerged from the initial particles; that Earth and our solar system emerged from the death of a star; that life emerged from the Earth; and that humankind evolved from the earliest forms of life. 

The Bible was written only after humankind had discovered agriculture, which in turn permitted the emergence of civilisation and empire, and human exploitation of not only other human beings, but of all living and inanimate resources to which we had access. Modern technology has increased the human ability to exploit other people and natural resources to such an extent that we are in danger of extinguishing the cradle of life itself.

Early in the development of empire, Jesus understood how the Bible pointed to the central need among humankind to care for each other and for all of creation. In his life he demonstrated the power of love and exemplified how to live free from all exploitation. His followers, convinced by the resurrection of the correctness of Jesus’ understanding, took up the subversive message, and the most successful territorial empire known to the Western world at that time – the Roman Empire, which had executed Jesus – first tried to subdue it, and finally subverted it to its own ends.  This has been happening in the West through succeeding historical periods and different empires ever since.

In today’s world, when scientists tell the story of the cosmos, they locate human beings as a “rational animal” that emerged almost by accident from the random activity of inanimate matter – which provides us with no ethical guidance except for self-preservation.  This is, however, the most widely accepted story reflected in the mainstream news media and education.

When churches tell the story of humankind in creation, on the other hand, they tell a different story: one based on divine revelation made accessible through the Bible.  They focus on “man created in the image and likeness of God” – which leads to our projection of all kinds of human characteristics onto the creator – so that the very word “God” is coloured by anthropocentric thinking and people choose to worship the God they are most attracted to, or reject the notion of any ultimate creator to whom humankind is responsible.

Neither of these stories is universally accepted, even within the West.

 Thomas Berry (1914 – 2009) argued passionately that we need a New Story that provides a shared meaning for humankind of whatever faith (or none) to pursue their own different activities as fruitful and responsible members of the earth community.

 

 Shouldn’t all Christians who care about our world, our friends and our families be adding our voices to this plea?