Curated topics for a disillusioned church
Speaker Mike Cosper details three ways we bear God's images in the world - our capacity for relationships, our capacity for culture-making, and our capacity for wielding power. Each of these characteristics of God are detailed in the Bible, but what holds us back from realizing our full potential of being made in the image of God?
The doctrine of the image of God is like prayer, communion, or any other practice that has become perfunctory. We kind of know what it is and what it means, but the necessity and revolutionary nature of the practice or belief has dulled with time and repetition. In The Imago Dei: Humanity Made in the Image of God author, Lucy Peppiatt seeks to break the casual understanding of this indispensable doctrine by defining the three main perspectives, getting into the weeds by analyzing church fathers' and theologians' thoughts on the nuances of the doctrine, and finishing with a superb summary.
In two short videos totaling just under eight minutes Biblical scholar N.T. Wright dives deeper into the doctrine of the image of God. Wright says Genesis 1 is a calling to humans to look after the world and make it a place where heaven and earth come together. Since humans are created in the image of God we have a unique role in God's plan. Heaven and earth are temples and we are the priests that are called to worship God through our God-given vocation of filling the earth with people and taking care of the earth.
From discussing headlines to role modeling human dignity in our everyday interactions with other people author Daniel Darling lists six practical ways we can teach our children, while holding ourselves accountable, to the fundamental theology of the image of God.
A series of insightful video clips, totaling just 17 minutes, from the documentary For the Love of God that details the history and the far-reaching influence of the image of God on human civilization.
What does it mean to be created in the image of God? What are some of the essential implications of this truth? Does the restlessness of human beings point to God? Dr. Russell Moore answers these questions and more in an insightful, practical 40 minutes. Moore states that the doctrine of the image of God cannot be boiled down to one thing, but suggests that if he had to choose one thing that is unique to humans it would be our innate feeling that there is something out there for us.
Few people are more respected than Fred Rogers and, perhaps, even fewer have embodied what it means to treat people with dignity and respect better than Mr. Rogers. In Won't You Be My Neighbor? fellow actors, stagehands, and guests of the show reflect on the revolutionary nature of his television show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and his passion for talking to kids about difficult subjects including war, anger, death, and racism.
There are three basic understandings of what it means to be made in the Image of God. One is a structural view that believes humans' ability to reason and have a conscience reflects the image of God. Another theory is relational where being made in God's image means living in a relationship with God and other people. The third view is functional where humans are representatives of God on earth. Whichever theory that one ascribes to it dictates how we are to interact with the world and our fellow human beings -- we are to treat people with "dignity and respect irrespective of gender, race, age, nationality or economic status because we remember our King’s words that as we did for “the least of these my brothers, you did also to me” (Matt. 25:40).
A wonderfully engaging, short, animated introduction to what the image of God means for humanity. A must-watch for the young and the old to begin learning about the foundational doctrine of the Imago Dei.
In ancient times people believed that royalty - pharaohs, emperors, and kings - were representatives of gods on earth. These image-bearers learned the will of their gods and carried out the god's purposes. This image-bearing title was exclusively reserved for those in power. Genesis 1:27, which declares that all humans are made in the image of God, was revolutionary. Instead of the will of god's being exclusive, Yahweh says that all humans can know and carry out his will. This theme laces the Bible and is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith. With a little bit of history, a little bit of theology, and a little bit of advice for today this is a perfect introduction to the image of God theology.
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