The Imago Dei
The imago Dei is the Latin expression for “image of God”. Gen 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. Theologians through the centuries have debated what it means to bear the image of God. While that is certainly an interesting question, I want to talk about one of the reasons the imago Dei is so important.One of the major worldview questions is, what is man? If the materialists are right, then man is a bag of molecules. We are a collection of proteins, complex chemistry and neural pathways formed by some serendipitous chemical reactions that took place in a primordial puddle. Or, to use Dr. Richard Pratt’s expression, “lucky mud.”
The Bible tells a different story. It reveals that we were created in God’s image. While we can debate exactly what this means, one thing is for clear. Unlike the rest of the created order, God has put His divine stamp on us. We bear His image. We are made in His likeness. We are special. We have value. We have dignity. This has an important bearing on the significant moral debates of the day.
Abortion. Assisted suicide. Euthanasia. Genetic engineering. Cloning. Human embryo stem cell research. Transhumanism. The great cultural debates of our day all hinge on the basic question: what does it mean to be human? If we are nothing more than lucky mud, then human beings have no more right to dignity than yeast. Utilitarian values (i.e. having a useful function) become the dominant determinant. In other words, get the dying, the infirm, the disabled, the nonproductive and the unwanted out of the way of the living. If, however, human life bears the stamp of the divine Maker, then human life is infinitely precious and ought to be protected.
Why do Christians take a stand to protect human life from the human embryo to the old and the sick? Simple. God values human life and made it precious by stamping human beings with the imago Dei.
2 Comments:
hello... my name is jennifer lee, and i think i'm reading a dissertation by you ... but i'm not sure if you are the same person as the one who wrote this book. the title is "reforming french protestantism, The Development of Huguenot Ecclesiastical Institutions... i happened to come across your blog... and i was wondering if you were christian b4 or after this book.
oh... and it's very confusing... i'm reading it for a class, but honestly... i have no idea what you're talking about or proving...
Tim, Thanks for the link!
Jennifer, I have never written a dissertation :-) Sounds interesting, but I think you have me confused with someone else.
If you want, post your question and I'll try to answer it. :-)
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