William H. Jennings, Storms Over Genesis (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007). Xxiii + 149 pgs.
William H. Jennings is Professor of Religion, Emeritus, at Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Historically, his writings have centered on the intersection of social ethics and world religious traditions. In this new volume, Jennings explores what he deems to be the most influential words ever written: the first three chapters of Genesis. Being a distant relative of William Jennings Bryan (famous for the Scopes trial), Professor Jennings has a vested interest in this debate.
His study is an analysis of three controversies related to the Genesis account of creation: those proffered by Feminists, Environmentalists, and Creationists. In analyzing Genesis from a Feminist perspective, Jennings notes that it is wrong to perceive women as inherently subordinate to men due to a strictly literal reading of the creation account. In analyzing Genesis from a Environmentalist perspective, Jennings notes that the ‘dominion’ given to humans, as recorded in the Genesis account, in no way gives license to the inordinate abuse of the environ that recent generations have wrought. In fact, he asserts that ‘The creation stories in Genesis have contributed to the catastrophic deterioration of our natural world’ (51). In analyzing Genesis from a Creationist perspective, Jennings supports the notion that the creation account is intended to highlight the import of God’s activity, and not to delineate a particular timeline for the creation. He attempts to be faithful to the both of the Scriptural accounts of creation, taking insights along the way from scholars of the Hebrew Bible.
Without a doubt, Genesis remains a lightning rod of controversy in America’s century-long battle over Christian commitments. Opening with the NRSV of Genesis 1-3, so that the reader may evaluate the source material directly, Storms Over Genesis examines the views of fundamentalists, modernists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and feminists concerning these passages, while striving to illuminate core concerns fundamental to all who critically regard this text. With compelling prose, Jennings shows how and why fundamentalists and modernists, Catholics and Protestants all have been drawn to Genesis and wrestled with its meaning, legacy, and relevance today. Jennings reveals not only the many facets of this archimedean text but also the unique light it continues to throw on American religious life.
In an interesting note, Jennings also supports the notion of creation from chaos (4). Moreover, Jennings makes the argument that God, according to the Genesis record, is neither male nor female, but both Father and Mother instead (50). Though not explicitly arguing for this position, Jennings seemingly gives support for a panentheistic (i.e., that God is ‘in, with, and under’ all things) relationship between God and the world (64-67). Jennings is fair in his assessment of Creationists, in my opinion, although he eventually argues for an open future, one that is dynamic and incessantly evolving (99). In sum, this is an enlightening study that also reveals how hotly disputed religious passages can be to believers and nonbelievers alike. It is to be recommended for laity and beginning undergraduate students.
Bradford McCall