Saturday Ramblings 6.9.12

Happy Saturday, iMonks! I hope this has been a happy week for you. Are you happy? I’m happy. The Oklahoma City Thunder are resting up for NBA finals, ready to bring the championship trophy to Oklahoma. Oklahoma? Yes, Oklahoma. The Synonymous Rambler is happy. SR has been at church camp all this week. As a counselor or as a participant? I ain’t saying. My younger daughter is happy. She’s only a couple of weeks away from becoming a first-time mama. Happiness abounds in the iMonastery. Shall we continue in our happy mood by wading into what we call Saturday Ramblings?

Adam Palmer is happily traveling across America, hugging all in sight. Last week he and his family stayed with Richard and Gail McNeeley in Arizona, and all had a happy time. Not sure where AP is this week, but he did check in to let us know that it is the 33rd anniversary of the Moral Majority. Do you think, as this author posits, that the mix of conservative politics with the church is the reason more and more are saying they have no religious affiliation these days?

Planning your funeral? How ’bout a virtual funeral, with all of your so-called friends posting comments about how great you were online while they stay at home in their jammies? Is technology getting to be a bit much? I have plans for when I go over the rainbow to see Dorothy and Toto. I want a kickin’ rock concert, loud and proud. I want a barbecue buffet set up. A lot of smoked meat, beans and cole slaw. Wash it all down with gallons of Diet Coke. Everyone is invited. In person, not online.

Continue reading “Saturday Ramblings 6.9.12”

God Visits and Saves His People (Luke – 2)

First Things First
Restoring the Gospel to Primacy in the Church
Part Five:  — God Visits and Saves His People (Luke-2)

• • •

We continue our overview of Luke’s Gospel.

The Structure of Luke
Luke is the longest book in the NT. However, the overall structure of the book is simple and clear. It is organized around the motif of a journey. The first part describes Jesus’ coming into the world and his ministry in Galilee. The second part portrays him going on a journey to Jerusalem, where God’s plan of salvation is fulfilled in his finished work.

THE COMING: Jesus Comes into the World (1:1-9:50)
God fulfills his plan by visiting his people in Jesus

  • 1:1-4. Prologue
  • 1:5-ch. 2. The arrival and reception of the Christ-child
  • 3-4. The presentation of Jesus, the Son of God
  • 5-6. Jesus, Friend of sinners and divine Teacher
  • 7-8. Jesus, Savior of those who believe
  • 9:1-50. Jesus, King of the now and not yet

THE GOING: Jesus Goes to his “Exodus” in Jerusalem (9:51-ch. 24)
God fulfills his plan through Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem

  •  9:51-10:37. Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem
  • 10:38-13:21. Jesus journeys on, proclaiming the Kingdom amidst opposition
  • 13:22-17:10. Jesus journeys on, teaching about living in the light of eternity
  • 17:11-19:28. Jesus nears his destination, teaching proper attitudes toward the Kingdom
  • 19:29-ch. 24. Jesus returns to glory after his suffering/rising/appearing in Jerusalem

One characteristic that the reader will notice is the way Luke groups stories and teachings together by common themes. For example, in 1:5-ch. 2, Luke tells nine stories about the birth, infancy and childhood of Christ that highlight the reactions of faith and doubt that greeted his visitation. Likewise, in 17:11-19:28, we observe two groups of stories and teachings that take place as Christ nears Jerusalem, telling of the coming Kingdom and how people should respond to it.

In other words, as you are reading Luke, it is important not only to read each individual story or teaching section but also be aware of how it relates to the passages in the immediate context because the full impact of Jesus’ ministry is communicated through the entire grouping of material, not simply through the individual accounts.

Continue reading “God Visits and Saves His People (Luke – 2)”

God Visits and Saves His People (Luke – 1)

First Things First
Restoring the Gospel to Primacy in the Church
Part Five:  — God Visits and Saves His People (Luke-1)

• • •

Jesus-shaped Christianity will grow out of the soil of a Story-shaped Gospel. The more we immerse ourselves in the Story and get to know the Gospels, the greater the impact the Gospel of King Jesus will have in and through us.

That is the burden of this series, which encourages Christians and churches to make the Gospels (and Acts) the primary documents for forming our Christian identity, theology, and calling. At this point in the series we are giving brief introductions to each Gospel to prime the pump for your individual and congregational study and contemplation.

* * *

Luke’s literary metier is the story. He is, simply, a gifted storyteller. His composition is filled with short, sharply defined vignettes. Each of them summons for the reader an entire imaginative world.

…[But] Luke is more than a miniaturist. He forges these short stories (many of them already circulating in some form) into a single narrative which draws the reader imaginatively from the mists of antiquity all the way to a rented apartment in Rome, and in the short space of 52 chapters communicates an impressive sense of historical movement.

– Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke: Sacra Pagina

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE

Part one of a two-part work
Luke is the only Gospel with a sequel, the Book of Acts. It is clear that the author intended these to be read together as two parts of one continuous history of God’s work—compare Luke 1:1-3 with Acts 1:1-3. Though these books are separated in our New Testaments because of the desire to put the four Gospels together, most Bible scholars today speak of Luke-Acts as a single work. By itself, Luke is the longest book in the NT. When combined with Acts, Luke’s writings make up over 1/4 of its material.

Together, this two-part book shows how God fulfilled his plan of salvation through Jesus and communicated the message of salvation from Jerusalem to Rome, the main city of the civilized world.

  • ​LUKE: What Jesus BEGAN to do and teach. God fulfills his plan by visiting his people in Jesus​. Geographical movement = from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.
  • ACTS: What Jesus CONTINUED to do and teach. God fulfills his plan by sending his Spirit-filled people to the ends of the earth​. Geographical movement = from Jerusalem to Rome.

Prologue states the book’s purpose
Luke and John are the two Gospels with clear statements of the authors’ purposes. While John records his at the end of his book (John 20:30-31), Luke introduces his at the beginning:​

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4, ESV)​

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. (Acts 1:1-2, ESV)

Observations:

  • First, Luke addresses his book to Theophilus, an official who was probably the patron who paid for the publication of this Gospel.
  • Second, this person probably represented the kinds of people that Luke expected to be the primary readers of his Gospel—either Gentile seekers who were seriously investigating the faith or Gentile believers who needed deeper assurance and certainty in their faith.
  • Third, Luke did careful research in order to produce a well-ordered account of Jesus’ story so that those who read it may have certainty about how God fulfilled his plan through the Jesus’ mission.

Luke…sets out to write the continuation of the biblical story, showing how the Gentile Church of his own day emerged in continuity from a faithful and restored Israel, organizing his narrative as a whole into the pattern of the Prophet and the people.

– L. T. Johnson

​In our next post, we will continue with observations on structures and themes in Luke’s Gospel.

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Reflections on Pastorum

With Peter Enns

I arrived home about 11:15pm after two full days of lectures on Biblical studies at the Pastorum Live Conference, sponsored by Logos Bible Software. Let me share a few reflections on this event.

  • This was a return to seminary culture for me. The presenters were academics who mostly emphasized academic principles of properly handling the Biblical text. This, of course, fit with the sponsor’s goal of selling software designed to help people study the Bible with good tools. Honestly, after having been a pastor and chaplain for as long as I have, while I appreciate a concern for skill, precision, and accuracy in interpretation, I was reminded again of how easy it is to miss the forest for the trees. I went to the conference hoping it would live up to its advertised approach: “At Pastorum Live, you’ll approach the Bible as an organic whole. You’ll learn from 21 of the world’s leading Bible scholars as they examine the Scriptures in the context of God’s grand narrative. At Pastorum, you’ll explore how the story of the Bible enhances the study of the Bible.” In reality, only a few took that approach, while the rest focused on a specific area of Bible interpretation or application. It was not so much about Story as it was about the discipline of Bible study.
  • With Scot McKnight

    Scot McKnight and Peter Enns were the two presenters that I felt best gave a picture of the Bible’s Story and how to therefore read parts of the Bible in the context of that Story. McKnight introduced his talk on the Sermon on the Mount by summarizing the argument of his book, The King Jesus Gospel, which contends that the Story of Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s story and that the good news it represents is fuller and richer than the “soterian” gospel of individual salvation of today’s evangelical church. He then interpreted the Sermon on the Mount in that context. Enns showed how Ancient Near Eastern themes of cosmic conflict inform key narratives and texts throughout the Bible, including the creation story, the Exodus, and various passages in the Psalms and Prophets. Then he showed how these themes reach their climax in the story of Jesus and finally, how the book of Revelation records the end of the conflict. Both men represented a storied approach that, in my view, reflects the actual nature of the text itself and models ways that pastors and teachers can keep both the Big Picture and individual texts in view while maintaining a proper focus on Jesus and the Gospel.

  • Richard S., Tim B., and Tim H.

    I had a good chance to sit with some young guys who are in pastoral ministry, to learn about their backgrounds, churches, families, and goals. Tim Hallman, Tim Bordeaux, and Richard Strick are all serving in Indiana, and living the life of pastoral service in different evangelical churches, one in a small college town — at St. Peter’s First Community Church in Huntington, one doing youth ministry in a rural area — at North Manchester First Brethren Church, and one in the city of Ft. Wayne — at Anchor Community Church — where there is more of an urban feel. Interacting with them brought back many good memories of life “on the front lines” as a minister with a vocation in the church. When you see their faces here and read their names, please shoot up a prayer for them and ask that God’s will be done through them as it is in heaven.

     

    All in all, I’m not a big “conference” guy. Most of the time, I find the hype irritating and it’s rare that a conference lives up to expectations. However, this one was pretty low key and laid back (except for the insane schedule of 21 speakers in two days) with plenty of time to interact with others. All in all, a good experience and worth it.

Pastorum…Pete Enns

One of the final presenters, called to “connect the dots” on what we’ve been learning at Pastorum is Peter Enns. I spent some time with Pete earlier in the day and will report on that tomorrow, but in this post, I will follow along and live-blog while he does his presentation. Pete has just taken a position at Eastern University and has been working with BioLogos throughout this past year.

* * *

Ancient Near Eastern ideology has concept of the cosmic battle through which order is brought to chaos and the true king is named.

The story of Exodus is not so much about Moses v. Pharaoh but about the cosmic battle between Yahweh v. the gods of Egypt. (Ex. 12:12)

The issue = whom will Israel ‘avad (worship, serve)? Will they “serve” Pharaoh and thus the gods of Egypt? Or will they “worship” Yahweh at the mountain. The Exodus is not just a story of liberation but of whom Israel will serve.

The cosmic battle motif informs the Gospel portrayal of Jesus in Mark 1-6.

  • Mark 1:12-13 — Battle with Satan
  • Mark 1-6 — Power over unclean spirits manifested in caring for the downtrodden and setting them free from sin, sickness, death (1:27 – “What is this?”)
  • Mark 4:35-41 — Jesus power over the sea (imagery from creation, Red Sea, Psalms) (4:41 – “Who is this?”)
  • Mark 6 — Feeding crowds in wilderness (who need shepherd) and walking on water.

Jesus is the King, who defeated the forces of evil and brings order out of chaos, setting the captives free.

Pastorum…Day Two

Live blogging from day two at Pastorum Live Conference in Chicago…

Session one is Scot McKnight on Sermon on the Mount as Gospel.

“The Gospel has been distorted and colonized.”

Distortion: God loves me, God is holy, God made us in his image, but we rebelled against him, and are now destined to hell because we are sinners. God sent his Son to release us from the guilt and shame of sin, and if we trust him, God will forgive us and we can go to heaven.”

This is a compelling rhetorical package of doctrinal points created in revivalism to precipitate decisions.

This has created a “salvation” culture in church not a “gospel” culture.

Colonized: Gospel has been equated with word “justice” — and seen as worked out through political process.

Mainlines in general aligned with Democratic party and progressive politics. Evangelicals with Republican party and conservative politics.

* * *

Where do we go to begin our discussion of the Gospel?

1. 1Cor 15: Israel’s story comes to culmination in the storied life and work of Jesus.

2. Sermons in book of Acts.

3. The Gospels. They are called “Gospel” because they ARE Gospel. It is not merely “genre” but they are, in content, the Gospel. The purpose of these books is to announce that Jesus is the Messiah, that he fulfills the story of Israel, that he saves.

In “soterian” gospel — the story of Israel disappears.

The central question of NT is “Who is Jesus?” not “How can I be saved?” The second follows from the first. Central question of evangelism is “Who do you think Jesus is?” It is getting people to interpret Jesus well, getting to assign to Jesus the right identity and title.

* * *

The Sermon on the Mount as the Gospel

Frequently seen as teaching Christian ETHICS or discipleship. This is a fundamental mistake. It is GOSPEL.

1. To read the Sermon properly, we begin with context (4:23-25-9:35).

Inclusio at 9:35 — This frames this section and tells us what section is about.  (Beginning with ch. 10, disciples extend this ministry into world.)

This is what Jesus is about: (1) He teaches, (2) He performs great works. Sermon on Mount is therefore a depiction of who Jesus is as Teacher. It is Jesus’ claim on his followers — Here is what I teach; will you follow?

2. Sermon articulates Jesus’ Kingdom vision.

Summons to listen to Jesus and follow him within Kingdom of God. Future coming to bear on present. Not regulation of life of disciples but signs and examples of what happens when Kingdom of God breaks into this world.

3. Sermon begins with new Christology.

“New Moses” Christology — the Lord who calls people to follow him. It is exposition of his own life as well as what he requires of his followers.

4. Sermon can be reduced to word “more”.

Jesus wants more from his followers — which leads to “Who does Jesus think he is, and how can he expect this of us?” He can expect more because he has brought a new world into existence into which he calls his followers.

5. Sermon ends with an “invitation”.

Serious call — you have heard me, will you follow? If you think I’m Lord, will you merely say it or will you do what I’ve said?

Conclusion

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT HAS A STRANGE WAY OF MAKING US BETTER PEOPLE OR BETTER LIARS.

Best Quote Ever?

I’m looking forward to spending some time with Peter Enns later today at the Pastorum Conference.

In preparation, I took a look at his blog to see what he’s been writing about, and found this stunning quote from D.M. Williams. He has been running a series of articles on the Creed that Enns has been featuring, and this is from the final post: “Credo: He Was Raised on the Third Day.”

This is telling it like it is, folks. So relentlessly focused on the essential, it is simply breathtaking.

It is notable that on only two recorded occasions did Paul go so far as to make the claim that the gospel itself was at stake in a given controversy. The first in his letter to the Galatians and the issue on the table is whether or not Gentile converts needed to keep the Jewish Torah and the males among them become Jewish proselytes by having themselves circumcised.

…The other issue on which Paul is willing to stake everything is Jesus’ bodily resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15 he tells them, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (v. 14) and “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (v. 17) In other words, the gospel itself is at stake here. The resurrection of Christ is “a matter of first importance” (en protois–v. 3) and an article upon which all else hangs.

…I am always amazed at how quick we often are to sound the “The Gospel is at Stake” alarm. We evangelicals sometimes act like a flock of Chicken Littles, running around like we’ve lost our heads squawking, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The gospel’s at stake! The sky is falling!” at even the slightest rattling of our little hen-house of a subculture. We could save ourselves a lot of grief by remembering the centrality and priority of the resurrection and by putting everything else in (that) perspective.

…So ask yourself: If it turned out that Jesus is risen but Darwin was right about human origins after all, would you give up your faith? If it turned out that Jesus was risen but Protestantism was wrong and Catholicism or Orthodoxy was right (or the other way around), would you opt to become an atheist? If it turned out that Jesus is risen and that the New Perspective is more right than wrong about Paul, would that be grounds to abandon Christianity altogether? If it turned out that Jesus is risen but the doctrine of predestination is true (or false!), would you see no more point in following Christ? If it turned out that Jesus is risen but Genesis 1-11 is ancient Near Eastern mythology, would you apostasy? If it turned out that Jesus is risen but Mark and Luke made historical slips here and there and Jonah was actually a non-historical children’s story, would your faith be in vain?

Here’s the kicker: If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, not only are you needlessly worrying yourself over secondary matters, you may have adopted “another gospel.”

More Pastorum…Session Two

First speaker in afternoon: Dr. Michael Heiser, “How to Interpret the Bible Out of Context.”

He blogs at Paleobabble.

Michael Heiser suggests Paul saw his mission in terms of Gen. 11, Deut. 4, Deut. 32, Isa 66, Acts 2. Reclaiming the nations scattered at Babel. That’s why he wanted to go to Spain (Tarshish) — the westernmost of nations acc. to their worldview.

Followed by Mark Futato from Reformed Seminary, Orlando on structure and meaning in the text. This is something I have always been interested in, and something I think many Bible readers miss. It’s very often true that the Bible says as much by HOW it is written as by WHAT it says.

Psalm 8 as an example:

  • Beginning: O Lord, how majestic!
  • Middle: What is man, that you are mindful of him?
  • End: O Lord, how majestic!

Humans in the middle, surrounded by the majesty of God.

John Walton now speaking about the ways we muck it up when we preach Bible narratives.

Final speaker for the day = Richard Briggs, lecturer in Old Testament and director of Biblical Studies at Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham University in England. It’s about time we had a British accent!

Who we are has a great deal to do with how we read the Bible.

If you are kind and generous, it is likely you will read Scripture in a kind and generous manner.

If you are an angry person, you will likely bring that to your reading.

There is such a thing as “interpretive virtue.”

Live from Pastorum Conference…

From CM: I will be live-blogging from the Pastorum Live conference in Chicago today. Feel free to check in throughout the day and ask questions as I share what I’m hearing, my impressions, and my interactions with others.

* * *

Arrival
I left Indy just before 7am ET and arrived at Park Community Church in Chicago. It is a clear, cool, cloudless day, perfect for traveling. I pumped up one of my James Taylor playlists and sang along through the boring stretches on I-65 (is there any other kind of stretch on I-65?). Traffic was fine, except for some slowness on the Dan Ryan expressway, but that’s to be expected. I got here in plenty of time, with only one stop for coffee and a bathroom break, got checked in, and am seated at a table in the middle of the church auditorium. We are seated at round tables and everyone has a laptop, iPad, and other electronic devices at the ready for processing and sharing the teaching today. I’m seated next to a delightful lady from Valparaiso, IN who teaches Bible studies at her church and came for a couple days of study. I think that’s cool.

Sesson One: Dr. Craig Evans
Dr. Evans is talking about the Dead Sea Scrolls and their implications for the NT teaching about Christ. Main point = Christology not later Christian concept that grew out of Greco-Roman cultural concepts and responded to Caesar, etc., but much already present in Judaism prior to Jesus, as evidenced by DSS.

Session Two: Dr. Craig Keener
Dr. Keener is speaking about the fact that we approach the Bible “across cultures and across centuries.” They are having trouble with projection from laptop. Taking a break to cast out demons from the technology.

During the break, talking with a few young pastors from Indiana who’ve joined us at our table. They read Internet Monk! And they didn’t change tables when they found out who I am!

Craig K. just called us all liberals who don’t believe the Bible. None of us have obeyed 2Timothy 4:13. And Paul is still waiting for his cloak and books.

Dr. Keener is winsome and an excellent teacher.

Session Three: Dr. Eckhard Schnabel
Dr. Schnabel is from Trinity, where I went to seminary. He is teaching on Paul in Athens (Acts 17) as an example of how knowing background can help us understand Bible better.f

Was Paul’s speech EVANGELISM? Not likely. No Gospel. Was it PRE-EVANGELISM? Not sure Paul would have embraced this concept. What kind of speech was it?

Dr. Schnabel suggests that Paul was going before the city council for an official hearing about introducing a new “god” into the city of Athens. Paul is trying to allay the fears of the council about the “god” he is bringing to Athens and letting them know they need not get involved in investigating further. However, Paul also uses the occasion to subtly challenge the commitments of the council in the light of the one true and living God.

First Impressions…

While the Logos software guy promotes their Bible study program, let me respond to the experience so far.

  • Technology is great — when it works.
  • Thank God for people who devote themselves to studying and teaching the Scriptures.
  • Reading and understanding an ancient book is more challenging than many are willing to admit.
  • As a pastor, I would feel overwhelmingly inadequate to know immediately how to simplify this and make sure I keep my focus on the Gospel. I’ve been lost in the trees and missed the forest so many times in my life before when trying to teach and preach, and I’m reminded of that today. For a person who loves to study, this is a banquet. But packaging it in such a way that it will be bread for the hungry, that is a different matter.