Help me decipher this Francis Schaeffer chart: Man's Two Natures

[yoyoceramic]

Hi Everyone,

I am reading parts of Through His Eyes: God's Perspective on Women in the Bible, and I came across the following chart which makes no sense to me whatsoever in its presentation.

Does anyone know what the author is trying to communicate by inserting this chart? How do you read the chart and what does the chart itself communicate?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Tim]

There are two columns in the chart. The left column describes the category of finitude/infinitude. The right column describes the category of image. The two lines are not underscores, but rather dividing lines.

In the left column, man finds himself in the "lower category", unlike God, because man is finite like the animals and lower living and non-living "structures".

In the right column, man finds himself in the "upper category", like God, because man shares the image of God.

Schaeffer describes man's nature as having a duality. In one sense, we are like the animals (physically). In another sense, we are like God (in our likeness/image).

 

[yoyoceramic]

So in context of the book, why is this chart included? What is this chart's proper application?

 

[Tim]

From the title of the book (I have not read the book), and the excerpt you have included, it would seem that the author is discussing womanhood by examining Eve first as a person, then as a woman.

The flow of the argument seems to be such:

Eve (and Adam) were like the animals...
but Eve (and Adam) were also unlike the animals in that they were created in the image of God...
they were created for dominion...
they were created for relationship...

I suspect at this point, the author would begin to discuss the nature of this relationship. In the particular aspect of human-to-human relationship, I would think this would include discussion of the unique roles of men and women. That would then provide discussion most germane to the thesis of the book as I would expect from the title of the book.