1956 Geloof en Wetenschap : Orgaan van de Christelijke vereeniging van natuur- en geneeskundigen in Nederland - pagina 226

184

L. VERDUIN

the two „books" of which the Belgic Confession speaks in its Art. 2 is serious sin. And to be complacent in the presence of seeming contradictions between the two is extremely irreverent, to say the least. To carry our argument forward we shall have to discuss definitions. When we deal with definitions responsibly it will become apparent that not everything that has been labeled creationism is acceptable to authentic Christian thinking, and, that not all that has been called evolutionism is objectionable. Let's begin with the definition of the concept of creation. Most of us will recall from our childhood the question „What is it to create?" as well as the answer „To create is to make something out of nothing". This definition is good — as far as it goes. It is a good definition with which to begin. Every child should be taught to recite it. But as he grows older he will have to adopt a more sophisticated definition of creation. The reason for this is that the Biblical data requires it. Not all it has to say to us about origins is adequately stated with the formula „To make something out of nothing". Sometimes the Book calls it creation when it was not ex nihilo, „out of nothing". The Bible speaks of creation in the sense of ex nihilo in Genesis 1 : 1; likewise in Hebrews 11 : 3. But the Bible also calls it creation when the Creator in His creating takes recourse to already existing materials, as in the case of Genesis 2 : 7 and 2 : llf, for example. Our definition of creation will therefore have to be more complicated than „To create is to make something out of nothing". It will have to be adjusted so that it now also makes room for creation in the sense of „a creative activity of God done with recourse to already existing creaturehood". At this point we will have to do what theologians always do when they get stuck — and not only theologians; we will have to use two terms where we have used only one heretofore. In fact theologians have long ago already coined the terms we need. All handbooks on theology employ such terms as „primary" and „secondary" creation; or, „immediate" and „mediate" creation. The former of each of these pairs of terms stands for creation in the sense of „out of nothing" and the latter is used to signify creation in the sense of creation „with recourse to already existing materials". It is time the question is seriously asked in Reformed circles whether we have not all too commonly paid only lip-service to the idea of creation in its secondary sense, perhaps even reluctant lip-service at

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