In Our Image

In Our Image brilliantly illuminates who we are as humans by demonstrating the surprisingly deep parallels between our motivations to replicate ourselves through computer technology and our emerging understanding of ourselves as relational beings created in God's image. This book is required reading for anyone--Christian or non-Christian--intrigued by the possibility of artificial intelligence.

For two thousand years, Christians have been intrigued by the somewhat enigmatic Imago Dei references in the book of Genesis. Much theological ink has been spilled mulling over the significance and meaning of these words: "Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness . . . " In The Liberating Image, J. Richard Middleton takes on anew the challenge of interpreting the Imago Dei. Reflecting on the potential of the Imago Dei texts for developing an ethics of power rooted in compassion, he relates its significance to the Christian community's distinct calling in an increasingly violent world. The Liberating Image introduces a relevant, scholarly take on an important Christian doctrine. It will appeal to all Christians seeking to better understand what it means to be made in God's image.

Digital imaging can alter a picture so fast it leaves people asking, "What is reality?" Have we bought into a user-friendly, "designer" God of our own? In his eighth provocative primer on Christian living, Pastor Steven Lawson asks if we're seeing a true picture of God these days, or a distorted one designed to fit a popular image on the present cultural canvas? Lawson tackles the timely topic on the personal and greater church levels. Non-condemning, Made in Our Image alerts readers to the dangers of a socially constructed deity and inspires them to "accept no counterfeits" for the true, living, sometimes "socially incorrect" God.

Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth...But something was missing...” Before creating humans, God said, “Let us make humans in Our image, after Our likeness.” In this playful new twist to the Genesis story, God asks all of nature to offer gifts to humankind—with the promise that the humans would care for creation in return. Then, woman and man were formed from the dust of the earth, in the image of God and in the image of all of nature. And it was very good, indeed. Whether you’re large like the whale, small like the ant, lazy like the lizard, or busy like the bee, this spirited story with its lively illustrations celebrates the interconnectedness of nature and the harmony of all living things.

ccording to Scripture, humankind was created in the image of God. Hoekema discusses the implications of this theme, devoting several chapters to the biblical teaching on God's image, the teaching of philosophers and theologians through the ages, and his own theological analysis. Suitable for seminary-level anthropology courses, yet accessible to educated laypeople. Extensive bibliography, fully indexed.

The relatively quiet lives of a Vermont couple, Connie and Alex, forever change one foggy morning when they stumble upon the following phrase in Genesis "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...". Why were these plural pronouns used? Who was "us" and "our"? Was it possible that the bible was actually describing the creation of humankind by extraterrestrials? Determined to find an answer, the couple begins to research further and their suspicions are confirmed. Wanting to share all of the information they have gathered, Connie starts a blog. She learns that many of the women who read her blog have seen a UFO and have Rh negative blood, similar to Connie. Were they brought together for a reason? This is Susan Alan's first novel. Although this tale is purely fiction, the literary, art and electronic references are all real. It is Ms. Alan's desire that this story not only entertain but also fuel thought and discussion.

The thesis of In Our Image is that the traditional Christian assertion that God made man in his image (Gen. 1: 26) has been turned on its head by Christian orthodoxy, and that it is most often the believer who makes God in his image. It is true that the Bible as a whole seems to support the traditional Christian theist view of a God ‘out there’ who creates mankind according to his will and demands high standards of holiness, but a too-superficial reading of the text will tend to overlook the significance of myth and symbol, thereby missing the point that the Bible is essentially a human document expressing human concerns. Holiness, although of the essence, is not primarily a top-down affair imposed or demanded from above, but a bottom-up one which is created by, and lies at the heart of human experience. Christian fundamentalists read the Bible with black-and-white literalism, while liberals often reduce religious experience to the merely human. Smith here argues for a via media which appeals to the harmonious existence of faith and reason as the chief means of addressing man’s modern existential situation.