Session 012: Genesis 4: Cain and Abel: A Traditional View

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This week we dive into Genesis chapter 4. The story of Cain and Abel. This is a short story, seemingly lacking in a lot of detail. And yet there is so much there. It also lends itself to many divergent interpretations depending on your worldview. For this session we are going to look at two rather traditional Western interpretations. yet, they are very different from each other. This will be good to look at these contrasting interpretations even if they are from a very Western perspective.

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 4

  • The Bible You Thought You Knew: The Story of Cain and Abel

    This is a well delivered explanation of Genesis 4 with particular attention to the ‘the ground’.

    Podcast Web Page:
    Podcast Download:

    • The Word on the Street: GENESIS: Cain and Abel

    This is a short podcast that takes a completely different perspective ad lesson from the story of Cain and Abel. This one focuses on relationships and sin. This is more typical of what you would hear in a Western Church rpesentation of the Cain and Abel story. The contrast in these two perspectives will be interesting in our group discussion.

    Podcast Web Page:

Here are some questions to prompt your study and/or discussion time:

  • When you read the story of Cain and Abel, what do you feel that the primary message is about? Obedience? Jeleaousy? Sin? Correction? What else?
  • What do you think about the podcast with a strong focus on ‘the ground’? Have you ever considered the implications of the ground?
  • The Word on the Street Podcast is based toward family devotionals, what did you get out of her interpretation of the story? What was your big take away?
  • What questions are outstanding for you when you read or heard the story? What details seem to be missing?
  • If you felt that there was a life application for you in this sotry, what was it? Hopefully your answer is something other than ‘don’t murder’.

Session 011: Genesis 3: The Fall: Who was the Serpent of Genesis – Part 2

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Based on the active discussion last week, our group has decided to continue the discussion of the serpant over another week. We are adding two short resources to add additional context to our discussion for the next week.

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 3

  • David Guzik: Study Guide for Genesis 3

    David Guzik is he senior pastor at Calvery Chapel in Santa Barbara, California. This study guide follows what we could consider a traditional look at the chapter, but allowing for mutliple interpretations.

    Blog Post:

  • Bnonn Tennant: Who is the serpent in Genesis, and is it an actual snake?

    Tennant does a good job of applying references to his thoughts. This is good because he looks at the spiritual beings in the Bible a little differently than we usually address them in Western though. One of the interesting comparisons that he makes is of the Garden and the Throne Room of the Lord. That leads to a broader discussion of the serpents role within the broader collection of non-human beings around God. Please read this one with discernment. It has some good points, but are outside normal thought. Throughout this post, there are links to related posts that may be of interest and add insite to what he states. This will provide solid discussion materal.

    Blog Post:

  • Wikipedia: Serpents in the Bible

    While we rarely introduce Wikipedia entries, this one does a good job of presenting an unboased view of ‘serpents’ within the Bible and other religious groups that the common public ties closely to Christianity. It includes a few perspectives that are not covered within our previous two resources.
    Wikipedia Entry

  • Don Stewart :: How Do We Understand the Serpent in the Garden of Eden?

    This is an entry written by Don Stewart for the Blue Letter Bible website. His interpretation takes a little different perspective than our groups disucssion took during our first meeting. This is provided to present another perspective for comparison.
    Blue Letter Bible Entry

Here are some questions to prompt your study and/or discussion time:

  • Do you believe that the term ‘serpent’ represents the entities physical characteristics, functional/operational characteristics, or both?
  • What are your thoughts on the Garden of Eden being representative of either the throne room or council room of the Most High?
  • Are you bothered by Bnonn Tennant’s use of the term god to represent the other spiritual beings in God’s court?
  • Why do you think that the serpent focused on Eve instead of Adam?
  • Snakes: Do you think that the serpent was literally a talking snake or that the curse resulted in snakes as we know them today?
  • What do you think happened with the curse?
  • If you were asked to explain the serpent to a non-believer, how would you explain who or what it is?
  • How would you explain the serpent to a believer?

Session 010: Genesis 3: The Fall: Who was the Serpent of Genesis

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This week we are going to look at the identity of the serpent in the Gardern of Eden. The Western Church usually assumes that the serpent was satan, but a deeper look at the identitiy of satan is rarely if ever looked at. We can dig into the origins of this serpent and obtain a better understanding of where it came from. Because of the nature of this study we are going to diverge from our normal practice of using audio or video recordings. We will using resources that are well referenced. We only have two resources, but they will take some effort to get through. This will be time consuming and require some seious mental energy, but given that this is identifying our greatest spiritual foe, it is worth the effort.

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 3

  • David Guzik: Study Guide for Genesis 3

    David Guzik is he senior pastor at Calvery Chapel in Santa Barbara, California. This study guide follows what we could consider a traditional look at the chapter, but allowing for mutliple interpretations.

    Blog Post:

  • Bnonn Tennant: Who is the serpent in Genesis, and is it an actual snake?

    Tennant does a good job of applying references to his thoughts. This is good because he looks at the spiritual beings in the Bible a little differently than we usually address them in Western though. One of the interesting comparisons that he makes is of the Garden and the Throne Room of the Lord. That leads to a broader discussion of the serpents role within the broader collection of non-human beings around God. Please read this one with discernment. It has some good points, but are outside normal thought. Throughout this post, there are links to related posts that may be of interest and add insite to what he states. This will provide solid discussion materal.

    Blog Post:

Here are some questions to prompt your study and/or discussion time:

  • Do you believe that the term ‘serpent’ represents the entities physical characteristics, functional/operational characteristics, or both?
  • What are your thoughts on the Garden of Eden being representative of either the throne room or council room of the Most High?
  • Are you bothered by Bnonn Tennant’s use of the term god to represent the other spiritual beings in God’s court?
  • Why do you think that the serpent focused on Eve instead of Adam?
  • Snakes: Do you think that the serpent was literally a talking snake or that the curse resulted in snakes as we know them today?
  • What do you think happened with the curse?
  • If you were asked to explain the serpent to a non-believer, how would you explain who or what it is?
  • How would you explain the serpent to a believer?

Session 009: Genesis 3: The Fall: A look at the Two Trees

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There are two specific trees identified in the creation story and identified as located in the Garden of Eden. While they are obviously important trees; Our churchly interactions with these treees tend to be as side characters and used to support other creation story interpretations. Should there be more there? There is. This week we will look a little more deeply at threse tree. We have two resources that will be our primary points of discussion in the class. However, if you are interested in diving deeper, we will list some additional resources that may wet your pallet.

  • Session 009 Prolog Podcast

    Podcast webpage
    Podcast Download

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 3

  • Tree of Life vs. Three of Knowlede of Good & Evil (7 Minutes)

    This is a very short podcast. What it does well is show where the trees are in relation to the relationship between Adam and Eve, and the Lord God. There are a couple of interesting perspectives that are presented that I think that you will like. But we will leave that to the discussion time.

    Podcast Home on Spotify:

  • Weird Stuff: The Trees of Eden

    The following link is for RightNow Media. You will have to log into a RightNow Media account to access it. Unfortunately, there is not another link available. This is an extensive look at the trees in the creation story. One of the members of this dialog has written a book on one of the trees. This is another link that will be enjoyed and create many discussion points.

    Series Home Page on Rightnow Media:

  • Additional Links for a deeper dive

    The following links are some of the ones looked at for inclusion in this weeks discussion. They are not intended to be part of our upcoming disucssion. They are also not leaning in one specific direction. They are literally, all over the place in terms of theology. They are here to help you if you are interested in following this topic down a rabbit hole. If you do follow these links, may God bless you in your studies.

    What is the meaning of the Tree of Life?
    What is the Tree of Life? Bible Meaning and Importance.
    The Two Trees
    YouTube Video: Playing God
    History’s Most Misunderstood Tree: Why Nothing on Earth Will Satisfy
    The Tree of Life: Lost but Not Forgotten
    Eden’s two trees: Paths of life and death (Genesis 2–3)

    • Here are some general things to think about while listening to this week’s resources:

    • Why two different trees?
    • Did God set a trap?
    • Why was God worried that we would be like “us”?
    • When do we see the trees elsewhere in the Bible (this will take some study)?

    Session 008: Genesis 1, 2 & 3: Are There Two Creation Stories?

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    For many there seems to be two acounts of creation; Chapter 1 being the first, and the Chapter 2 being the second, with many considering Chapter 3 to be a continuation of the second ‘version’ of creation. So are these two different accounts? Two different versions? Two different perspectives. This week we will look at these questions.

    • Session 008 Prolog Podcast

      Podcast webpage
      Podcast Download

    • Scripture Audio:

      Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

      Genesis 1
      Genesis 2
      Genesis 3

    • Why Are there TWO Creation Acounts?

      This is a short YouTube video (8+ minutes) produced by ‘Masterpiece Bible’ on the two creation presentation in Genesis.

      YouTube Link:

    • Are there Two Creation Accounts in Genesis?

      This is a somewhat deep dissection of the Genesis text that looks at the literary makeup of the written text. The purpose is to understand how the first chapters of Genesis relate to each other. It is less than 25 minutes in length, but requires a little more concentration since it is taught more like a college class than a pastors sermon.

      YouTube Link:

    Here are some general things to think about while listening to this week’s resources:

    • Why are there two apparent tellings of the creation story?
    • Is the creation of ‘MAN’ and the creation of ‘ADAM and EVE’ the same people or different?
    • Is Chapter 3 tied to Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or does it stand alone by itself?
    • What to YOU see as the similarities and differences between the two accounts.

    Session 007: Genesis 3: The Fall – An Eastern and Western Perspective

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    Genesis Chapter 3 is often referred to as the story of ‘The Fall’. Sadly, while there is much to be gained from this passage, there has also been many interpretations that have been self-serving and damaging to others. In this session we will dive deeply into both the Western and Eastern views of this scripture. While we don’ thave time to cover all aspects, the included links will provide plenty of fuel for some deep discussions.

    • Session 007 Prolog Podcast

      Podcast webpage
      Podcast Download

    • Scripture Audio:

      Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

      Genesis 3

    • Knowing When to Say Enough

      We’ve listened to it before, so if you have already listened to it once, you are ahead of the class. Or listen to it again, but focus on the material from Chapter 3.

      BEMA Discipleship Podcast website:
      BEMA Session 3 download:

    • Playing God

      Rabbi Jari Lorge delivers a presentation that is called “Playing God”. It is a wildly different look at the Creation story than we are used to and comes from a purely Jewish perspective. As a Western Christian, when you hear the initial premise, you will probably be turned off and/or caught off guard. Stick with it; not because you will necessarily agree in the end, but the insights that were presented definitely have facets that can be translated effectively in our understanding of God’s relationship with us, his creation.

      YouTube Link:

    • Why did God Pant the Tree

      Ravi Zacharias, and another panel participant answer a question: “Why did God plant the tree?”. Short, but a little heavy and sweet at the some time.

      YouTube Video:

    • Versebyverseseministry.org – Shame

      This podcast looks at the state of Adam and Eve and focuses heavily on the aspect of shame. It is an angle that you may not have seriously contemplated before.

      Podcast Website:
      Podcast Audio Download:

    • Their Story

      John Walton, an OT scholar looks at The Fall. The presentation is “Telling ‘their story’”. It is a look at Adam and Eve as Archetypes. This is a strong proposition because it has a view of Adam and Eve that works whether you look at them as true individuals, as a representative couple, a philisophical group, or simple as an object lesson. Fair warning. At times if is somewhat academic and deep. There are some wonderful nuggets to chew on from this one.

      YouTube Video

    Here are some things to think about when studying these resources.

    • What do you think are the major differences between Eastern and Western thought?
    • How does Eastern Thought look at sin in comparison to Western thought?
    • Do you think God set up Adam and Eve to fall?
    • What could either Adam or Eve have done to redeem themselves?
    • What is the significance of shame and covering themselves in this story?

    Session 006: Genesis 1 & 2: Other Creation Stories and what sets Genesis apart?

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    There is a rather significant protion of Western culture that now believes that the Genesis story of creation is just a myth like any other creation story from other ancient cultures. In fact, may think that the Genesis story was taken in large part from the Balylonian and Egyptian creation stories. This week are are going to look at the general classifications of creation myths and then dive rather deep into a discussion of what makes the Genesis story unique.

    • Session 006 Prolog Podcast

      Podcast webpage
      Podcast Download

    • Scripture Audio:

      Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

      Genesis 1
      Genesis 2

    • The Creation Myth

      We’ll start this weeks resources with an article from Britannica. Iin this article we’ll see one of the current aspects for grouping the worlds creation myths together. This should provide a solid foundation in how most secularists view creationist stories in general.

      Encyclopedia Britannica website:

    • Is Genesis Just One of the Many Creation Myths?

      Our fist podcast is a very short episode of “The Point” by Breakpoint. It breaches the question, “Is Genesis Just One of the Many Creation Myths?”

      Breakpoint Podcast

    • The Genesis Creation story compared to those from Egypt and Babylon.

      We’ll listed to two Sunday School classes taught by William Lane Craig. These two Youtube vdeos get rather deep and collegeate, but they are very good at dubunking the idea that the Genesis creation story came from ither Egypt or Babylon.

      Examining the Supposed Parallels Between Genesis and Egyptian Myths.
      Did Genesis Borrow from Babylonian Myths?

    Here are some things to think about when studying these resources.

    • Do you think that the Bible took stories for other cultures? Or did other cultures take from the Bible?
    • Why do you think there are so many similarities in creation stories that are totally disconnected from each other?
    • Does this issue even matter to you? Why yes or no?

    Session 005: Genesis 1 & 2: Adam & Eve: Evolution and Science

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    For this weeks session we will look at aspects of Evolution and Science as it pertains to the Adam and Eve story. There is far too much to realistically cover in one session, however we will try to look at a broad range of topics to review before our discussion. We have several short web articles to read that provide definitions and some context, one podcast which is a recoding of a debate between Young Earth and Old Earth creationist positions and a second podcast between two Christians debating between Young Earth and Evolution.

    • Session 005 Prolog Podcast

      Podcast webpage
      Podcast Download

    • Scripture Audio:

      Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

      Genesis 1
      Genesis 2

    • Theory of Evolution from National Geographic

      A short National Geographic ‘Encyclopid Entry’ on the Theory of Evolution. A quick overview of the origins of what is now known as evolution.

      National Georgraphic website:

    • Micro-evolution Definition

      An science.com article providing an explanation of the differences between micro and macro evolution

      Scence.com webpage:

    • Genetic Entropy Points to a Young Creation:

      This article makes the argument for a young earth creation based on genetic entropy.

      Article webpage

    • Classic Replay: Do We Live on an Old or Young Earth?

      This debate was recorded in front of a live audience at Gunnersbury Baptist Church in 2012. Representing OEC were Hugh Ross & Ken Samples of Reasons To Believe. Representing YEC were Andy MacIntosh & Stephen Lloyd.

      Podcast Web Page
      Podcast Audio Download

    • Classic Replay: Adam, Eve, Sin & Death – Young Earth vs Evolution Debate

      From 2013: The second of two debates in which Young Earth Creationist Andy McIntosh debated palaeontologist Robert Asher.

      Podcast Web Page
      Podcast Audio Download

    Here are some things to think about when studying these resources.

    • In your mind do you believe that there is room for both science (in some form) and a religious interpretation of creation?
    • Can you articulate your personal views of how life started?
    • If challenged on those beliefs, can you defend them without making the argement personal?

    Session 004: Genesis 2: Adam and Eve: Looking at the The Marriage of Adam and Eve

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    We have three podcasts that we are going to listen to this week that each take different perspective of the marriage of Adam and Eve.

    Our first podcast is called God’s Design for Marriage and is presented by Steven J. Cole. His sermon focuses on the role of companionship that was solved by God providing a companion for Adam through the creation of Eve.

    Our second podcast is an NPR interview with Bruce Fieler who wrote a book called “The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us”. In the interview he presents his interpretation of the Adam and Eve story which is a departure from the typical telling of the story. But the departure may not be incorrect. We’ll leave that for our upcoming discussion time.

    Our last podcast for this week comes from Dr Edward Sri from the “All Things Catholic” podcast titled “Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love”. As can be extrapolated from the title, in this podcast Dr. Sri looks at how Love is represented within the story of Adam and Eve.

    Refer to the Resources tab for links to this weeks resources for study. We are looking forward to the discussions during our next session. Have a wonderful week.

    • Session 0004 Prolog Podcast

      Podcast webpage
      Podcast Download

    • Genesis 2 Audio:

      Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

      Genesis 2

    • God’s Design for Marriage – Steven J. Cole

      This sermon focuses on the role of companionship that was solved by God providing a companion for Adam through the creation of Eve.

      Bible.org Podcast website:
      Podcast audio download:

    • Author Finds A Counter-Narrative Of Equality In Adam And Eve Story – NPR – Interview with Bruce Fieler

      In the interview Bruce Fieler presents his interpretation of the Adam and Eve story which is a departure from the typical telling of the story. But the departure may not be incorrect. We’ll leave that for our upcoming discussion time.

      Podcast page
      Podcast audio download

    • Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love – Dr. Edwards Sri – All Things Catholic Podcast

      As can be extrapolated from the title, in this podcast Dr. Sri looks at how Love is represented within the story of Adam and Eve.

      Podcast Web Page
      Podcast Audio Download

    After the class this will be a link to to a podcast of the discussion points

    Session 003: Genesis 2: Adam and Eve: Western & Eastern Interpretations

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    This week we will be looking at the creation of Adam and Even in Chapter 2 of Genesis.

    We will look at it from the Eastern and Jewish perspective as we listen to the BEMA discipleship podcast and Marty Solomon.

    We will also listen to this from a more Western traditional interpretation as presented in three sermons from Steven Armstong in the Verse by Verse Ministry website.

    Refer to the Resources tab for links to this weeks resources for study. We are looking forward to the discussions during our next session. Have a wonderful week.

    After the class this will be a link to to a podcast of the discussion points