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Jereth has used the example of "The DaVinci Code" to demonstrate the possibility of non-historical narrative. However, my concern is that the analogy of DVC to Genesis is so rife with emotion that the point of comparison will certainly be obscured by the perceived truth as communicated by Dan Brown, and the actual truth as communicated by Genesis. As a consequence, I will endeavor to produce an analogy that hits on the notion of a non-historical narrative and also communicates truth (as an orthodox Christian can accept it).
Surprised by Joy
Most people are aware that C.S. Lewis produced an autobiography titled, "Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Earthly Life." He explores the factors that led to his journey into Atheism, and then into Christianity. It is an historical narrative, not in a strictly historical sense, but in the sense that his anecdotes are actual accounts of factual events in his life. The narrative is littered with analysis in which he examines how the various events influenced him.
It is my understanding that this is the sort of narrative YECs have in mind when they talk about Genesis. This was what I had in mind when I was a YEC. Clearly, if any of the stories differed from the actual events to a degree that introduced anything more than an observer's personal bias, they would be false. Personal bias in Genesis is acceptable, even necessary, because one purpose of the narrative is to describe the nature of a particular relationship. Personal bias in Surprised by Joy is expected because the intention of the author is to present, more than just the facts, the truth as to how he perceived his life.
In this sense, Genesis cannot be said to contain stories that are fictional.
The Pilgrim's Regress
Most people are not aware that C.S. Lewis also produced another autobiography (of a sort) called, "The Pilgrim's Regress." Instead of individual anecdotes coupled with analysis, however, he treats his whole life using a figurative ("romantic") narrative. He is a character, called John, who is born in the village of Puritania but spends his life journeying across the world searching for an island he has only seen in visions.
The story is an apology and requires no internal analysis. All analysis is performed by John and the characters with whom he comes in contact. The people and places represent philosophies in which he found himself during his "journey." Furthermore, elements of the story are real, even if they are not factual. The dragon he fights is not factual, but one can see what it represents. Importantly, there are ambiguities wherein it is difficult to match elements of the story with historical fact. Is Vertue a second persona for Lewis, an actual friend, or simply another philosophy with which Lewis could not separate himself?
At any rate, the story is true even if it is not factual. I don't think any TE, here, holds that Genesis is the same sort of story as The Pilgrim's Regress, but the latter certainly holds sway that there exist narrative forms that are true and not factual. On a personal note, The Pilgrim's Regress is my favorite book and I found it far more profound and edifying than Surprised by Joy.
The question to most of the TEs, here, is not whether Genesis is true. It is whether it is a factual history. It only confuses the issue when someone asserts that if it is not an historically accurate narrative that it must not be true.
Surprised by Joy
Most people are aware that C.S. Lewis produced an autobiography titled, "Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Earthly Life." He explores the factors that led to his journey into Atheism, and then into Christianity. It is an historical narrative, not in a strictly historical sense, but in the sense that his anecdotes are actual accounts of factual events in his life. The narrative is littered with analysis in which he examines how the various events influenced him.
It is my understanding that this is the sort of narrative YECs have in mind when they talk about Genesis. This was what I had in mind when I was a YEC. Clearly, if any of the stories differed from the actual events to a degree that introduced anything more than an observer's personal bias, they would be false. Personal bias in Genesis is acceptable, even necessary, because one purpose of the narrative is to describe the nature of a particular relationship. Personal bias in Surprised by Joy is expected because the intention of the author is to present, more than just the facts, the truth as to how he perceived his life.
In this sense, Genesis cannot be said to contain stories that are fictional.
The Pilgrim's Regress
Most people are not aware that C.S. Lewis also produced another autobiography (of a sort) called, "The Pilgrim's Regress." Instead of individual anecdotes coupled with analysis, however, he treats his whole life using a figurative ("romantic") narrative. He is a character, called John, who is born in the village of Puritania but spends his life journeying across the world searching for an island he has only seen in visions.
The story is an apology and requires no internal analysis. All analysis is performed by John and the characters with whom he comes in contact. The people and places represent philosophies in which he found himself during his "journey." Furthermore, elements of the story are real, even if they are not factual. The dragon he fights is not factual, but one can see what it represents. Importantly, there are ambiguities wherein it is difficult to match elements of the story with historical fact. Is Vertue a second persona for Lewis, an actual friend, or simply another philosophy with which Lewis could not separate himself?
At any rate, the story is true even if it is not factual. I don't think any TE, here, holds that Genesis is the same sort of story as The Pilgrim's Regress, but the latter certainly holds sway that there exist narrative forms that are true and not factual. On a personal note, The Pilgrim's Regress is my favorite book and I found it far more profound and edifying than Surprised by Joy.
The question to most of the TEs, here, is not whether Genesis is true. It is whether it is a factual history. It only confuses the issue when someone asserts that if it is not an historically accurate narrative that it must not be true.
