Being God's Image

Why Creation Still Matters

De: Carmen Joy Imes

Narrado por: Carmen Joy Imes

What does it mean to be human? This timeless question proves critical as we seek to understand our purpose, identity, and significance. Amidst the many voices clamoring to shape our understanding of humanity, the Bible reveals important truths related to our human identity and vocation that are critical to the flourishing of all of creation.

Carmen Joy Imes seeks to recover the theologically rich message of the creation narratives starting in the book of Genesis as they illuminate what it means to be human. Every human being is created as God's image. Imago Dei is our human identity, and God appointed humans to rule on God's behalf. Being God's Image explores the implications of this kinship relationship with God and considers what it means for our work, our gender relations, our care for creation, and our eternal destiny. The Bible invites us into a dramatically different quality of life: a beloved community in which we can know God and one another as we are truly known.

©2023 Carmen Joy Imes (P)2023 eChristian

Great Listen

Carmen offers very good insights into the Biblical story and how our relationship with our creator is richer that we may have been taught.

Great sequel to Bearing God's Name!

Fantastic book and a great follow-up to Bearing God's Name!! Thoroughly enjoyed the narration. Looking forward to diving into this with a small group.

Dr Imes brings the HEAT!

absolutely loved this book! I've been really enjoying Dr Imes' way of presenting sound scholarship that *could* be a little heady and brings it right down to an accessible level without losing any potency.

the food for thought, especially at the end of the chapters, were particularly challenging and a true call to action onnthr part of the reader.

I'm inspired!

Breath of Fresh Air

This is exactly what we need to hear. It’s bold in places we like to color over and it gives us hope for change and unity.
Great for a study group!

One of best books I’ve read in 2023

An insightful book that takes a deeper look at scriptures and its commands that are not only practical but completely essential to our Christian walk and existence. If you are trying to apply more than just knowledge and wisdom, but an embrace of the personhood of Christ, enter this journey.

Fantastic Tour through the Bible on What It Means to Be Human as God’s Image

Dr. Imes reads her book which is a gift to the church. As a pastor, I love finding authors write finding the happy medium between a scholarly work and speaking to the average person in the pew for the sake of the church; Dr. Imes takes us on the adventure of what it means to be human by listening deeply to God’s wisdom revealed to us Christ and the Biblical story.

Dr. Imes defines what it means to be human through her interpretation of Gen. 1:28 as “being God’s image.” Being God’s image is our identity and our representational role in relation the creator and the rest of creation. God created and commissioned humans to exercise his reign over creation on his behalf.

Dr. Imes does not shy away from breaking from tradition in interpreting what the Bible is saying on the image of God (though I more than speculate that she is humble interpreter that is chastened by reading the Bible in community and the communion of past saints; see her acknowledgements on the biblical scholars she is conversant with and also an earlier book project called Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends where she goes outside of her wheelhouse of biblical scholarship to glean from church history and historical theology). Are humans made “in the image” (traditional view) or “as the image” (Imes view following the likes of top-notch OT scholar Bruce Waltke or others). In talking to a friend about this book and topic before reading it, he corrected me when I used the the traditional language of “image-bearer” and “made in the image”; and I stand corrected after reading Dr. Imes well-argued case. Dr. Imes spells out some of the implications throughout her book like what this view contributes to the discussion of persons with disability still being the image of God.

The other primary thing Dr. Imes does in this book is guides us through the Bible through the theme of what does it mean to be human as God’s image. It was quite the ride and had me soaring especially when getting to the climax of Christ; this was good news indeed. There’s so much more to the book, but I’ll leave that for those who decide to take the tour with Dr. Imes.

I would use this book for our church not only as a guide to equip us on understanding this significant doctrine but also as an intro to biblical theology to help people in the pew see the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus the Image of God.

Reorienting

Carmen Joy Imes did a wonderful job bringing top-tier biblical scholarship to every-day readers. She humbly and effectively explains content in a way that encourages readers to engage the Bible and come into the conversation believers should be having.

This book is full of surprises and challenges

The world and culture would have us believe that being Christian is completely irrelevant in our post modern culture. Some of the issues at hand have not been handled biblically enough or at all.
Carmen Joy Imes Phd. bravely guides us into wrestling with some of these issues beginning where the Bible begins, with humanity being made as God's image. Whether closer to the left or right on the cultural spectrum, all will be surprised and challenged by her findings. After reading part 1, I almost stopped reading. I'm glad I didn't.

get this book

A great follow-up to her first book Bearing God's Name. This book is very applicable to anyone's life as a Christian.

Amazing book!!!!

I loved this book immensely. Several years ago a Messianic rabbi changed what I had known of being created in the image of God. Since then I have sought out others that took me further in my quest to understand what it means to be Gods image. NT Wright, Tim Mackie and others have been my teachers. Carmen’s book has about all of it in one concise book. This is a tremendous resource for those just be learning of the subject in a new way.
Wish I would have known this truth when I became a follower of Jesus 60 years ago. Thank you, Carmen!!!