Joel B. Kemp is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He is currently writing a book entitled, Blackness in 3D: Biblical Race, American Law, and Contemporary Crises. This work explores how the Primeval History was used to help construct blackness in antebellum America and how those constructions contributed to American legal traditions about race.
Our reception of Genesis 1:3 emphasizes the inherent power of God’s word, not only to improve lives but also to change (and create!) new structures. Just as God once brought order from chaos, God can do so again.