Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God
Overview
Magisterial, up-to-date study of human beings in the image of God
Misunderstandings about what it means for humans to be created in God's image have wreaked devastation throughout history—for example, slavery in the U. S., genocide in Nazi Germany, and the demeaning of women everywhere.
In Dignity and Destiny John Kilner explores what the Bible itself teaches about humanity being in God’s image. He discusses in detail all of the biblical references to the image of God, interacts extensively with other work on the topic, and documents how misunderstandings of it have been so problematic.
People made according to God’s image, Kilner says, have a special connection with God and are intended to be a meaningful reflection of him. Because of sin, they don’t actually reflect him very well, but Kilner shows why the popular idea that sin has damaged the image of God is mistaken. He also clarifies the biblical difference between being God’s image (which Christ is) and being in God’s image (which humans are). He explains how humanity’s creation and renewal in God’s image are central, respectively, to human dignity and destiny.
Locating Christ at the center of what God’s image means, Kilner charts a constructive way forward and reflects on the tremendously liberating impact that a sound understanding of the image of God can have in the world today.
Key Features
- Explores themes of renewal, dignity, and destiny
- Proposes a biblical foundation for cultural engagement
- Provides a message of hope for humanity
Contents
Part I: The Human and Divine Context
- Much Is at Stake: The Liberation and Devastation of God’s Image
- Much Is Known: Christ as God’s Image
Part II: Human Dignity
- Humanity’s Creation in God’s Image
- The Impact of Sin on Go
- Misunderstandings about God’s Image
Part III: Human Destiny
- Humanity’s Renewal in God’s Image: Primary Voices
- Humanity’s Renewal in God’s Image: Recurring Themes
Conclusion
Top Highlights
“Ultimately, the image of God is Jesus Christ. People are first created and later renewed according to that image. Image involves connection and reflection. Creation in God’s image entails a special connection with God and an intended reflection of God. Renewal in God’s image entails a more intimate connection with God through Christ and an increasingly actual reflection of God in Christ, to God’s glory. This connection with God is the basis of human dignity. This reflection of God is the beauty of human destiny. All of humanity participates in human dignity. All of humanity is offered human destiny, though only some embrace and will experience it. Christ and humanity, connection and reflection, dignity and destiny—these lie at the heart of what God’s image is all about.” (Page xi)
“People who are lowest on the reason, righteousness, rulership, or relationship scale are deemed least like God and least worthy of respect and protection—a conclusion that makes good sense if being in God’s image is about current capacities, virtues, functions, and/or relationships.” (Page 18)
“Sin has badly damaged human attributes, and they need restoration in Christ. But sin has not damaged God’s image—which is why the New Testament only says that humanity, not God’s image, needs restoration (see Ch. 7).” (Page 113)
“Adam here refers not only to a single man named Adam but also to humanity as a whole.” (Page 85)
“Yet at the same time there is every indication that people remain ‘in God’s image’—that no harm has been done to this status or to the image on which it is based. People retain a special connection with God (though their relationship with God is badly damaged), and God still intends for people to reflect likenesses to God (though in actuality they largely fail to do so). The image of God is the standard of who people are created to be—embodied in the person of Christ—and that standard is not diminished in any way because of sin.” (Page 134)
Praise for the Print Edition
A masterful book on the important biblical concept of the imago Dei, which has too often received cursory treatment. The breadth and depth of Kilner’s scholarship are impressive, and his carefully crafted work is simultaneously astute and engaging.... Students and theologians will be consulting his Dignity and Destiny for years to come.
—Brent Waters, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Dignity and Destiny is a masterful treatment of the imago Dei doctrine. John Kilner, in this magnum opus, advances the discussion through careful historical and biblical research on one of the most significant and complicated areas in the history of theology.
—Themelios
A well-analyzed, nicely written study of the single most important truth undergirding respect for human life.... Our society, including the church, has a spotty record dealing with moral challenges—racism, poverty, gender roles, abortion—which are skewed by distorted views of what it means for us to bear the image of God. Kilner’s book gives a soundly biblical understanding that can address these shortcomings.
—Daniel R. Heimbach, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Product Details
- Title: Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God
- Author: John F. Kilner
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2015
- Pages: 414
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Anthropology