What Happened in the Garden

Evangelicals are no strangers to the issue of creation and evolution. Traditionally, that discussion involved issues within Genesis 1–2 (e.g., the length of days or a gap in the opening part of the creation story). However, recently, the debate has spread to the issues of Adam, Eve, and the Fall (Gen 2–3). If we accept evolution, our conceptualization of Adam also needs to be changed. Adam and Eve could not be the parents of all humanity if evolution were true.

At this point, we might wonder if this really matters. What will change if we reinterpret the opening chapters of the Bible? Perhaps, for some of us, we might believe that this will have little impact on our lives. We can contain the repercussions of a new reading of Genesis 2–3 to our understanding of those chapters of Scripture and our comprehension of science. Outside of that, nothing else will change.

However, reinterpreting the first chapters of Scripture does not stop at the end of Genesis 3. The story of Genesis 2–3 is the foundation for the rest of the story in Scripture. Change one part of that and we will shift our entire theology. Even more, theology is not just ideas in an ivory tower but the way we understand reality around us (cf. Prov 8:22–36). It intersects every point of life. And so a modification of this passage will have a “snowball effect”—it will rework how we understand the Bible and alter how we understand all of life. What would change when you reinterpret the opening chapters of Genesis? In a word: everything.

This reality originally compelled the faculty from various disciplines to come together and address this matter. Our understanding of Genesis 2–3 is not something confined just to the Bible and science departments; it is something acutely felt in all disciplines. This collection of essays investigates this topic from a variety of angles to help us see the reality and ramifications of Genesis 2–3.