Interpretations of Christian creation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare different Christian interpretations of creation and explain the importance and influence of these beliefs today.
Key learning points
- There are different Christian interpretations of the creation accounts in Genesis.
- Some Christians interpret the Genesis accounts literally and view them as historical and factual accounts of creation.
- Some Christians take a liberal approach and believe that the Genesis accounts are metaphorical and symbolic.
- Beliefs about creation are important today because they can help with Christian understanding of God and humanity.
- The Genesis creation accounts can influence a Christians beliefs and behaviour towards the environment and human life.
Keywords
Creation - bringing the world into existence; the belief that the world is God’s loving creation
Genesis - the first book of the Bible in the Old Testament; contains the creation accounts
Liberal - referring to Christians who believe the Bible was written by human authors inspired by God and should be read in context
Literal/literalist - referring to Christians who view the Bible as the true and exact word of God
Common misconception
All Christians believe that the Bible is a historical and factual account of history.
Some Christians take a literalist approach and believe that the Bible is a historical and factual account. However, some Christians regard parts of the Bible, including the creation accounts, as metaphorical. This is known as a liberal approach.
Teacher tip
Learning Cycle 2 contains reference to knowledge covered in Component 1 - Theme 2: Issues of Life and Death (stewardship, abortion and euthanasia). You may wish to make links between this content and Theme 2 during this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the following terms to the correct descriptions.
the belief that God is all-powerful and unlimited in authority
the event in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve disobeyed God
a title used for Jesus in John 1, meaning He was present in creation
the responsibility given to humans to care for creation
Q2.Genesis 2:7 states, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of ”.
Q3.What does Genesis 2 suggest about humanity’s role in creation?
Q4.According to Genesis 3, what was the consequence of the Fall?
Q5.What does John 1:3 teach about the role of Jesus in creation?
Q6.What does Genesis 1 teach about God’s nature?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Genesis is the book of the Bible and contains the creation accounts.
Q2.Match the Christian denomination or belief to their interpretation of Genesis.
believe that Genesis is factually and historically true
view Genesis as symbolic stories with important truths
believe that the creation accounts found in Genesis are factual
Q3.How can beliefs about creation influence Christian behaviour?
Q4.In what way is creation an important belief for Christians today?
Q5.How does the Genesis creation story influence Christian beliefs about human life?
Q6.Why do literalist Christians reject the Big Bang theory?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Interpretations of Christian creation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Interpretations of Christian creation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Beliefs and teachings unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.