Dr. Richard Lints Image Of God

(2) Dr. Richard Lints has over 30 years of theological teaching experience holding the current position of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Hamilton Campus at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Lints’s holds degrees from Westminster College (B.A.), University of Notre Dame (M.A. & Ph.D.), and University of Chicago (A.M.). Dr. Lints’s has over five publications; expertise includes apologetics and theology while his interest “have focused on the interface between theology and philosophy.”

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The primary purpose of this book is to provide a different theological view of Genesis 1, the use of 'image' in the canon, and how idolatry has grown. The author accomplished getting his points across to the reader. However,

Lints focus is mainly on a few verses in the book of Genesis chapter one. Using these few verses he lays the foundation for how we have manipulated the image of God and gives meaning to a phrase used throughout the book imago Dei. “The methodological commitments of the imago Dei are manifested in how we read the canon and also how we read ourselves. The language of the imago Dei draws attention away from the ontological accounts of human identity towards theological accounts (pg.23).”

Following that in chapter two Lints explains the differences in our human nature and identity. “The “reflective” nature of human identity. God so constitutes human beings with the purpose of reflecting him in the created order that it is essential to their identity that this reflection ‘fill the earth’ (Gen: 1:28) (pg. 33).” The reflective nature of human would not exist without the Creator. Using Romans 1:23 Lints describes the depths of human identity and the worshipping of other gods falsely created. Idols constantly pull humans away from the Creator God. “But the canon strongly argues that the only defense against idolatry is God himself (pg.

Lints sums up idolatry simply with a quote at the beginning of the text “Identity and idolatry are intertwined (pg.30)” Lints examines idolatry and notes that idolatry is not purely an intellectual matter, but it is more explicitly a heart problem. Lints provides a broad understanding of how idolatry came into existence and how it is lived out. No one can ever fully be satisfied by any idol only by the one true Creator can fulfillment happen in a person. Using Paul’s message in the book of Romans he further expands the reader’s knowledge providing readers with two ways to combat idolatry found in the New Testament. (1) “Idolatry is prohibited on the grounds that it inverts the relationship between Creator and creature.” (2) “Idols represents gods that do not exist