antony billington’s blog

Route 66 Through The Year: Psalm 6

2012-01-28T18:39:00.002Z

Spring Harvest’s ‘Route 66 Through the Year’ is designed to take readers on a tour through each of the 66 books of the Bible over the course of a year, with each day’s reading featuring a short passage and comment written by a variety of Spring Harvest speakers.

I have contributed notes for this week, looking today at Psalm 6.

Read: Psalm 6

The Psalm reminds us that we have moments – sometimes long moments – when we suffer physical pain of some kind, inner emotional turmoil, and fear about the future; perhaps we are even faced with death, threat from enemies, or a sense of God’s anger. And it gives us a voice with which to cry out to God. It might also, like other Psalms, provide a way of moving from anguish to a sense of assurance.

In reflecting on God’s discipline of him, David cries out for mercy (6:1-3), turning to God in his suffering, asking for healing. He does so, because this time of discipline was also a time of distress (6:4-7); and so he appeals to God save him ‘because of your unfailing love’, reminding God of his covenant commitment to his people.

In his time of discipline, he cries for God’s mercy; and in his time of distress, he pleads for God’s love. And he expresses the confidence that this will give way to deliverance (6:8-10). Apparently, nothing has changed the circumstances by the end of the psalm, but he is certain that the prayer has been heard, which brings a measure of much-needed relief and hope.

Where do we go for mercy we don’t deserve, for faithful love when all else fails, and for hope of deliverance? In God alone, and in Christ alone.

Linda Woodhead on Religion in the Public Square

2012-01-27T17:23:00.002Z

Linda Woodhead, ‘Restoring Religion to the Public Square: Faith’s Role in Civil Society’, The Tablet (28 January 2012).

One of the sample articles in this week’s The Tablet is by Linda Woodhead, on religion in the public square. Woodhead has been the director of a £12 million research project on ‘Religion and Society’, and she promises that some results of the research will be aired in future issues of The Tablet as well as through a series of ‘Faith Debates’ to be held in Westminster in the Spring.

At one point in this article, she draws an interesting analogy with feminism:

‘For decades, feminists battled to correct the distortion whereby the “male gaze” determined what was seen in history, literature, politics, and even the laboratory. The broadening of perspective that resulted changed the way we view the world. Now another revolution is needed: one to correct the secular gaze that airbrushes religion away. It’s a crazily narrow-minded approach, which has to turn a blind eye to the luxuriantly variegated religiosity of most of the world, and ignore the past. Including our own.’

Reminding us of four of the ‘most momentous events of our times’ – the revolution in Iran, the collapse of Communism, the attacks of 9/11, the Arab Spring – she notes the somewhat obvious point that ‘all had to do with religion as well as politics’.

Woodhead thinks there are some signs of change in higher education:

‘Students are now more openly interested in religion, and a new generation of academics is taking the subject more seriously, even in traditionally secular disciplines... [E]ven with British and other European students, there has been a shift since I started teaching in the early 1990s. They don’t carry the baggage about religion that their predecessors did. Often they carry no baggage at all: they are simply ignorant about religion. But their interest, and their open-mindedness, makes them eager for knowledge.’

Joel Green et al. on Scripture and Ethics

2012-01-27T16:18:00.004Z

Joel B. Green et al. (eds.), Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), xix + 889pp., ISBN 9780801034060.

My copy of this dictionary arrived earlier in the week, and I’ve been dipping in and out of it, reading some of the entries. It’s been very good so far. The contributors look to be a good mixture of the usual suspects in Scripture and ethics along with a considerable number of names that are new to me.

After Joel Green’s Introduction, there are three fairly substantial opening essays, but the vast bulk of the volume is made up of the A-Z entries, including articles on every biblical book.

I’ve been asked to do a talk on violence in the Old Testament, and so I have been looking at the entries on ‘Ban’, ‘Conquest’, ‘Genocide’, ‘Joshua’, ‘Holy War’, ‘Killing’, ‘Torture’, and ‘Violence’. Between them, they’ve helped to articulate many of the issues involved and pointed me to other reading.

There is a substantial pdf excerpt of volume here, containing the Introduction (by Joel Green), and the opening three essays (by Allen Verhey, Charles H. Cosgrove, and Bruce C. Birch), as well as the entries on the As (from ‘Abortion’ to ‘Autonomy’).

Peter J. Leithart on Imperialism in the Bible

2012-01-27T10:33:00.001Z

Peter J. Leithart, ‘A Tale of Two Imperialisms’, First Things (27 January 2012).

Peter Leithart has what I think is a great short piece in First Things, reflecting on imperialism in Scripture.

He begins by noting how common it is these days ‘to read the Bible as an anti-imperial epic, the story of God and Israel, then (for Christians) God and Jesus, against empire’, and then goes on to say:

‘It’s a hard sell for all sorts of reasons. Jeremiah urges the people of Judah to enter not exit Babylon (Jeremiah 27, 29). Isaiah invests Cyrus the Persian conqueror with Davidic titles – he is the Lord’s “servant” and “shepherd” and “anointed one” (Isaiah 44-45). Heroes like Joseph, Daniel, and Mordecai end up as chief advisors to emperors. In Scripture, there is no such thing as “empire” but only empires, and they are not all the same. Some are Babels, some beasts; some are rods of discipline, some provide refuge for the people of God.’

He goes on to reflect on the Babel incident in Genesis 11:1-9, which then moves in to Yahweh’s ‘counter-Babel program’ in Genesis 12:1-3.

‘Israel has an imperial vocation to realize in truth what Babel sought in rebellion – unity among peoples, a link to heaven, a great name, righteousness and peace and security. Abrahamic empire is not a Babel imposing its will but the center of “a unified world community under God’s rule” (Oliver O’Donovan). Israel’s hope, and the church’s, is not “peace in isolation” but “a peaceful international community” gathered around Zion (O’Donovan).’

His conclusion:

‘The Bible is not a story of Israel in opposition to empire. It is a tale of two empires, written to assure believers that all Babels will crumble and that Abram’s empire will shine forever.’

Route 66 Through The Year: Ezekiel 43:1-5 and 47:1-12

2012-01-27T08:29:00.001Z

I have contributed notes for this week on Ezekiel, looking today at 43:1-5 and 47:1-12.

Read: Ezekiel 43:1-5 and 47:1-12

The book of Ezekiel concludes with a vision of a renewed temple and city, everything in its place, where God once again lives with his people (chs. 40-48).

In 43:1-5, Ezekiel connects this vision with the earlier ones he received. As God left the temple in the first half of the book (chs. 8-11), so now he returns to take up residence forever. As Ezekiel was earlier invited to explore the temple, so now he is given a tour of its layout, dimensions and furnishings, told about its procedures and regulations, and sees its effect on the fruitfulness of the surrounding land (47:1-12). The presence of God, in the place of worship and sacrifice, transforms the whole city and the whole people. No wonder the vision ends with the glorious note that the new name of the city will be ‘The Lord is there’ (48:35).

As such, Ezekiel’s vision of the restored temple prepares us for the New Testament, where Jesus becomes the place where God truly dwells, the place where sacrifice is made, and where the church becomes the temple of God indwelt by his Spirit. Moreover, we look forward to a time when there will be no need for a temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb will be the temple (Revelation 21:22) – God’s people forever enjoying the glory of God’s presence.

Alister Chapman Interview on John Stott

2012-01-26T17:42:00.001Z

Alister Chapman’s book on John Stott has just come out – Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement (Oxford: OUP, 2012).

There is a 20-minute video (here) of Chapman being interviewed by Peter Sanlon at Oak Hill Theological College.

At one point, Chapman says:

‘One of the things I really admire about Stott is that he had a vision when he went to All Souls in 1950 to reach the entire parish. By the end of the 50s, he realised they were having a very negligible impact on the working classes of the parish. What I find so impressive is the way that Stott at that point didn’t just shrug his shoulders and say, “Oh well, it doesn’t really matter, the church is packed on a Sunday morning and we’ve got hundreds of highly educated people coming.” He saw this as a big problem, and he worked hard to try to find ways to reach out to these people who hadn’t been to university, who were in his parish, who he wanted to see converted.’

Route 66 Through The Year: Ezekiel 36:16-37:14

2012-01-26T15:03:00.001Z

I have contributed notes for this week on Ezekiel, looking today at 36:16-37:14.

Read: Ezekiel 36:16-37:14

As soon as the news of Jerusalem’s fall comes through to the exiles in Babylon (33:21), Ezekiel’s message shifts from threats of judgment to promises of restoration.

Throughout chapters 33-39, he envisages a return to a repopulated and fruitful land, freedom from enemy harassment, and the benefit of the wise reign of a king from the line of David, who will be a good shepherd to the people.

But something more fundamental even than these things is required. At the heart of God’s promises is the restoration of the people themselves which God himself will bring about, as he pledges to cleanse his people and give them a new heart and a new Spirit (36:25-27). This inward renewal is confirmed to Ezekiel in a powerful vision (ch. 37), showing how God can bring piles of dry bones together, put flesh on them, and breathe his Spirit into them – just as he did with Adam at creation (Genesis 2:7), just as Jesus would do for his disciples (John 20:22).

The words ‘You will be my people, and I will be your God’ (36:28) express in a concise formula the covenant relationship between God and his people. They also provide a powerful reminder of God’s initiative and love for us in bringing hope out of despair, life out of death.

Scripture Bulletin 42, 1 (January 2012)

2012-01-25T09:32:00.002Z

The January 2012 issue of Scripture Bulletin is available online, with the following articles (summaries are taken from Ian Boxall’s editorial):

Ian Boxall

Editorial

Jennifer Dines

What Are They Saying About the Minor Prophets?

Jennifer Dines considers the Book of the Twelve (often better-known by Augustine’s title of ‘the Minor Prophets’). She offers a fascinating and wide-ranging critical survey of different recent attempts to explain the existence of this collection and how it should be read, both diachronic (with their attempt to reconstruct the stages of its historical development) and synchronic (including canonical readings and reader-response approaches).

Sean Michael Ryan

In Animate Praise: The Heavenly Temple Liturgy of the Apocalypse and The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice

Sean Ryan’s article is an intriguing exploration of continuities between the angelic liturgy as described in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (found at both Qumran and Masada) and the scenes of heavenly worship found in the Apocalypse. For all their differences, Ryan has detected some striking similarities: not least, their shared visualisation of the heavenly realm as the interior of a celestial temple re-imagined as a living, animate structure of praise, and the prominence of the number seven as an organising principle. This suggestive article points the way to further research into the liturgical background and reception of the Book of Revelation.

Matthew van Duyvenbode

Word for the World: Four Characteristics of a Faithful Sharing of the Word

Matthew van Duyvenbode offers further reflections on Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, produced following the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God. Building on his work with Bible Society and his extensive knowledge of projects aimed at bridging the gap between scriptural engagement and contemporary culture, his particular focus is on the final section of the document: ‘the Word for the World’ (Verbum Mundo). He sets out four qualities or ‘hallmarks’ which should characterise a faithful sharing of the word of scripture in a missional context.

Book Reviews

Route 66 Through The Year: Ezekiel 25:1-17

2012-01-25T09:20:00.002Z

I have contributed notes for this week on Ezekiel, looking today at 25:1-17.

Read: Ezekiel 25:1-17

Ezekiel, like the other long prophetic books, has a section devoted to sayings of judgment against nations surrounding Israel (chs. 25-32). Four nations – Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia – are spoken about briefly in chapter 25. Tyre and Egypt are dealt with at greater length in Ezekiel 26-32.

Sadly, this section of Ezekiel describes what we know all too well – our propensity to value political superiority, oppress each other, exercise injustice, and exploit others for economic gain. And so, Ezekiel’s message is significant for us in the same way it would have been significant to those who first received it, as he declares the rule of the Lord over the whole of world history, that the ultimate destiny of all things is in his hands.

At the very least, these chapters demonstrate a strong belief that God was not just the national God of Israel but was Lord over all the nations of the world. They’re a valuable reminder of the global dimension to our faith, that God’s concerns stretch to the far corners of the world – in mercy and in judgment. Somehow, in a way that might always remain a mystery to us, God repeatedly tells Ezekiel that he was acting so that the nations would know he is the Lord.

Lord God, help us to trust in you and bless you for your supremacy over all things.

Whole Life, Whole Bible

2012-01-24T19:56:00.002Z

Those who know me personally will know I’m not terribly good with self-promotion; but it would probably be somewhat perverse not to mention to readers of this blog that I have recently published a book – Whole Life, Whole Bible – written with two colleagues from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, Margaret Killingray and Helen Parry, and published by Bible Reading Fellowship.

More information is available on the BRF website, here.

Here is the blurb I wrote for the back cover:

Where we spend most of our time – at home, at work, in the neighbourhood – matters to God and to his mission in and for the world. Far from restricting our faith to the ‘personal’ sphere, disengaged from everyday living, Scripture encourages us to take the Lord of life into the whole of life.

Whole Life, Whole Bible is written from the conviction that God’s word illuminates every part of existence, enabling us to see differently and live differently – from Monday to Sunday, in public as well as in private. A walk through the unfolding story of the Bible in 50 readings and reflections shows how our lives are bound up with, and shaped by, God’s plan to restore a broken universe. That big story forms our minds, fuels our imaginations and fashions our daily life as we live in God’s world, in the light of God’s word, wherever we are.

The following three people were kind enough to read it and write a commendation for it:

‘Packs a powerful theological punch and will stretch and inspire your faith. A must for every whole-life disciple and disciple maker!’

Rachel Gardner, Director, Romance Academy

‘People can get lost in the Bible’s structure – here are some exciting clues for joined-up Bible reading.’

Greg Haslam, Pastor, Westminster Chapel, London

‘Provides wonderful insights into the overarching story of the Bible and helps us consider how to live on the foundation of God’s word.’

Mark Meynell, Senior Associate Minister, All Souls, Langham Place, London

Available in Christian bookshops, online, and via LICC here.

Route 66 Through The Year: Ezekiel 8:1-18

2012-01-24T14:56:00.002Z

I have contributed notes for this week on Ezekiel, looking today at 8:1-18.

Read: Ezekiel 8:1-18

Chapters 4-24 of Ezekiel are dominated by warnings of judgment against the people of God. At the heart of this section is the vision in Ezekiel 8-11 which records the glory of God – the indication of his special presence – leaving the Jerusalem temple.

Chapter 8 shows God offended by the sinful actions of his people. Ezekiel is taken on a tour through the temple, where he sees that the sanctuary is itself corrupted, that idolatry has led to immorality and injustice in the land.

Painful though it might be, Ezekiel reminds us of the seriousness of sin. Our preciousness to God and the strength of his commitment to us mean he does not merely feel mildly insulted when we fail to honour him; he feels the strength of passion of a wounded lover, a victim of adultery.

So it is that chapter 9 goes on to describe how judgment is brought on Jerusalem and the people of God (though a remnant is spared), while chapters 10-11 record the departure of God’s glory from the temple and the city.

Even while the city is judged, however, God promises that he himself will be a ‘sanctuary’ for the people in exile (11:16). What’s more, he will bring his people back to himself (11:17-21), revolutionising their inner desires and restoring them to a life of service and worship.

Thank you, Lord, for your mercy in judgment.

Guy Brandon on a Christian Response to Immigration

2012-01-24T14:49:00.001Z

Guy Brandon, A Christian Response to Immigration (Cambridge: Jubilee Centre, 2011).

Guy Brandon, at the ever-productive Jubilee Centre, has produced a short document offering a Christian perspective on immigration. Here’s the summary:

‘Immigration is a live and perennial issue, and often prompts polarised and unhelpful responses from politicians, the media and the public. Our default viewpoint is frequently one of suspicion, a simplistic reaction that assumes immigrants all come for the same reason and have identical motives. The Old Testament’s approach to immigration was far more nuanced, and a biblical view of nationhood and immigration helps to bring a degree of balance and proportion to the debate.’

Route 66 Through The Year: Ezekiel 1:1-28

2012-01-23T10:21:00.002Z

I have contributed notes for this week on Ezekiel, looking today at 1:1-28.

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-28

It’s no surprise that many of us find Ezekiel puzzling if not daunting, especially given the length of the book, its bizarre passages, and the strangeness of the prophet himself. But there are two very good reasons for reading Ezekiel’s prophecy: (1) because of the situation in which he spoke, and (2) because of the God of whom he spoke.

The occasion was the exile of God’s people to Babylon (1:1-3). With exile came the loss of identity and security – land, temple, kingship – but the opportunity to renew their faith and hope in God himself. Ezekiel speaks powerfully to ‘exiles’ today, but he does so only because of what he says about God. The Lord repeatedly tells Ezekiel that he was acting – first in judgment, then in restoration – so that his people would know he was the Lord.

The book is best understood through a series of visions, the first of which occurs in 1:4-28. Ezekiel sees a vision of God’s throne (1:26), reminiscent of the ark of the covenant – except the wheels (1:15-21) make it clear that this is not so much a royal throne as a royal chariot, which moves wherever the Spirit wants it to!

The temple was left standing in Jerusalem, but God could visit the exiles in Babylon, and call Ezekiel (chs. 2-3) to bring the challenge and comfort they would need away from home.

Byron Borger on Books for Life-Long Learners 13.0

2012-01-21T14:14:00.001Z

Here is the thirteenth in a series of notes by Byron Borger on recent books, including Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us, by Christine D. Pohl, and Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good, by Amy L. Sherman (which I’m currently reading at the moment, and thoroughly enjoying).

Interpretation 66, 1 (2012)

2012-01-20T16:29:00.001Z

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, is now being published by SAGE. The first SAGE issue is now out and contains essays devoted to the theme of ‘Liturgy and Pentecost/Trinity Sunday’. For a while, at least, it is freely available online here.

The main essays and their abstracts are as follows:

Beverly Roberts Gaventa

Pentecost and Trinity

Luke’s story of Pentecost gathers into itself many biblical motifs having to do with the work of the Spirit, which creates and re-creates communities of faith, even if it remains out of their control. Trinity Sunday returns us to the richness of Scripture’s reflections on God, where we find the constant feature to be the claim that, in all God’s doing, God acts for us and for our salvation.

Andreas Schuele

The Spirit of YHWH and the Aura of Divine Presence

One of the characteristics of Spirit language in the Old Testament is that it occurs in places that have particular significance for the literary formation as well as the theological profile of the Hebrew Scriptures. This essay examines texts from 1 Samuel, Ezekiel, Isaiah 40–66, and Psalm 104 and reconstructs an awareness across the biblical traditions that the experience of divine presence unfolds in and through the “Spirit” as part of God’s “aura.”

Jennifer L. Lord

Pentecost and Trinity Sunday: Preaching and Teaching New Creation

Any renewal of preaching and teaching on Pentecost and Trinity Sundays will be helped by revisiting the nature of these feasts as inseparable from the larger paschal cycle. From the perspective of the larger feast cycle, the preacher and teacher can see these feast days as eschatological proclamation: the ongoing gift of the Holy Spirit is the work of new creation; all creation’s existence, redemption, and sanctification are the results of the ongoing work of the holy Trinity for the life of the world.

Jeremy S. Begbie

The Holy Spirit at Work in the Arts: Learning from George Herbert

If we want some clarity about the relation of the arts to the Holy Spirit of the Christian faith, it is wise to let the arts have proper space to operate theologically. The remarkable poem by George Herbert, “Ephes. 4. 30,” along with material from some of his other poems, gives a fair sense of what Herbert would have assumed about the relation of the arts to the third person of the Trinity, and is especially enlightening for the theology–arts discussion today.

Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons

The Feast of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday: Liturgical Art in Context

This article explores several visual depictions of the event of Pentecost and the doctrine of the Trinity from the history of Christian art. These images can aid contemporary faith communities seeking to reflect in liturgy and worship on the theological significance of these mysteries of the Christian faith.

Missio Dei from Mennonite Mission Network

2012-01-20T00:11:00.000Z

Missio Dei, in this case, is a series of essays available online:

‘Missio Dei is published by Mennonite Mission Network to invite reflection and dialogue about God’s mission in today’s world. Some features in the series focus primarily on the biblical and theological foundations of the mission task. Others present ministry case studies or personal stories of attempts to be faithful to Christ’s call. Perspectives represented reflect the passion and commitment of the agency: to declare in word and demonstrate in life the whole gospel of Jesus Christ, “across the street, all through the marketplaces, and around the world.”’

Recent editions include substantial booklet-length treatments of ‘What is an Anabaptist Christian?’ by Palmer Becker, and ‘Immigration and the Bible’ by M. Daniel Carroll R.

Michael W. Goheen on a Missional Hermeneutic

2012-01-20T00:02:00.002Z

Michael W. Goheen, ‘Continuing Steps Towards a Missional Hermeneutic’, Fideles 3 (2008), 49-99.

Before Michael Goheen published his excellent A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), he gave us the above essay – which effectively provides something of the hermeneutical undergirding for the book.

The essay has recently become freely available online here, which is great.

It’s 51 pages long, but they’re not long pages, and it’s a fairly easy read; plus, it’s really helpful to have it all in one place summarised so nicely. After a long-ish introduction, his two big points in the essay are (1) that Scripture is a record of God’s mission, and (2) that Scripture is a tool of God’s mission.

There is a much briefer summary of his reflections in the article, ‘Notes Toward a Framework for a Missional Hermeneutic’.

L. Gregory Jones on Asking More of Laypeople

2012-01-18T16:28:00.002Z

L. Gregory Jones has a short article here, looking at how Christian leaders can nurture relationships with laypeople ‘by entering the worlds where laypeople live, think and work – not seeing them primarily as church volunteers and funders’.

Taking a Christian businessman as an example, Jones says:

‘The businessman wanted church leaders to make a claim on him to help him live more faithfully as a disciple of Jesus Christ in his daily life. Church leaders could be more thoughtful in seeing laypeople as disciples who yearn to connect more explicitly their faith with the ideas, insights and imagination they have developed in their vocations.’

He notes that while Christian leaders often empathise when laypeople come to them for spiritual direction or in a pastoral crisis, ‘we often forget the importance of inquiry in our day-to-day leadership of Christian institutions’.

In part, he suggests, leaders forget to ‘practice inquiry’ out of insecurity or defensiveness, or because they ‘believe and act, unwittingly and sometimes wittingly, as though the church and its institutions were the only arenas in which Christian discipleship can be faithfully lived’.

‘Rather than recognizing, rightly, that the church and its institutions are central contexts for worship and the formation of Christian identity, we turn them into idols where they are our exclusive focus.’

This leads to a situation where the border crossing goes only one way, which ‘can alienate the laypeople the church needs to bear faithful witness to God’s kingdom’.

He recommends careful and patient listening to the perspectives of others, and to develop and deepen two-way border-crossing.

John Stott Resource Page

2012-01-18T16:12:00.001Z

Mark Meynell, he of Quaerentia, has started a page gathering links to online and published resources by and related to John Stott, which is well worth checking out.

Guy Brandon on Sexual Ethics

2012-01-17T21:55:00.001Z

Guy Brandon, ‘Free Sex: Who Pays? Moral Hazard and Sexual Ethics’, Cambridge Papers 20, 4 (December 2011).

The latest Cambridge Paper from the Jubilee Centre is available online, this one devoted to a Christian perspective on sexual ethics.

Here is the summary:

‘Rather than addressing fundamental moral issues around sexual freedom, this paper starts with our culture’s premise by taking a utilitarian approach and exploring the financial impacts. This is in line with the common assumption that what truly matters for public policy can be quantified. It argues that significant costs of sexual freedom are imposed on society as a whole, rather than borne solely by the individuals most directly involved. This represents an enormous moral hazard and, as a result, unsustainable and unjust public expenditure. The paper then explores ways to address this, the most compelling of which is the Bible’s emphasis on rootedness and group responsibility.’

Listening as an Act of Love

2012-01-13T06:21:00.001Z

[I contributed this week’s ‘Connecting with Culture’ from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, written to coincide with the London memorial service of thanksgiving for the life of John Stott.]

This day, Friday 13 January 2012, sees the London Memorial and Thanksgiving Service for the life of John Stott, held at St Paul’s Cathedral.

John will be remembered for many things, highlighted in the range of tributes already offered. Just one of those, key to LICC’s Connecting with Culture reflections, is his call to ‘double listening’ – listening to the word and listening to the world.

Already in the first edition of Issues Facing Christians Today, published in 1984, John wrote of his conviction to begin with ‘God’s Word written’, along with ‘a second commitment... to the world in which God has placed us’. And that double commitment was played out across a range of global, social, and personal issues. But it was in his 1992 book, The Contemporary Christian, that he laid out the concept of ‘double listening’ as ‘indispensable to Christian discipleship and Christian mission’.

And so he wrote of listening ‘carefully (although of course with differing degrees of respect) both to the ancient Word and to the modern world, in order to relate the one to the other with a combination of fidelity and sensitivity’. For John, this was a way of carefully treading the line between irrelevance to the world on the one hand and accommodation to the world on the other hand.

As such, it lay at the heart of his vision of preaching Scripture, training leaders, and making disciples. Our submission to God’s word and our location in God’s world mean that paying attention to both is essential for authentic Christianity.

But we don’t do so as a cheap evangelistic ploy. John insisted on the need to empathise with the way the world is experienced by our fellow human beings. Listening involves understanding the world’s needs, acknowledging its fears, hearing its questions, and loving its people. Love, of course, goes with genuine listening – living out our love for God and our love for our neighbours in the realities of the world in which God has placed us. The challenge, then (to borrow terms from Andy Crouch’s Culture Making), is to listen not only as an occasional ‘gesture’ but as a characteristic ‘posture’.

John expounded the topic of double listening in his books, but he exemplified it in a life of ministry and mentoring, and encouraged others through exposition of the word and exhortation to be salt and light in the world, for God’s own glory.

Links

LICC’s John Stott tribute site.

John Stott, The Contemporary Christian: An Urgent Plea for Double Listening (Leicester: IVP, 1992).

Credo Magazine 2 (January 2012)

2012-01-11T10:19:00.001Z

The second issue of Credo is now out, this one devoted to the topic of ‘In Christ Alone’.

According to the blurb:

‘The January issue argues for the exclusivity of the gospel, especially in light of the movement known as inclusivism. This issue will seek to answer questions like: Can those who have never heard the gospel of Christ be saved? Will everyone be saved in the end or will some spend an eternity in hell? Must someone have explicit faith in Christ to be saved? Contributors include David Wells, Robert Peterson, Michael Horton, Gerald Bray, Todd Miles, Todd Borger, Ardel Caneday, Nathan Finn, Trevin Wax, Michael Reeves, and many others.’

The magazine is available to read here, and can be downloaded as a 35.5 MB pdf here.

On Being Faithfully Present in 2012

2012-01-06T10:03:00.002Z

[I contributed this week’s ‘Connecting with Culture’ from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.]

News junkies have been looking back at what made the headlines in 2011: the phone-hacking scandal; the Arab Spring, including the end of Colonel Gaddafi’s 42-year rule in Libya; the earthquake in New Zealand; the triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant coming perilously close to meltdown in Japan; the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton; the killing of Osama Bin Laden by US special forces in Pakistan; the summer riots across the UK; the Eurozone debt crisis; the Occupy protests.

How many of these could have been predicted this time last year begs the question as to what 2012 might have in store, aside from what we can already anticipate – the Queen’s diamond jubilee, Olympics, US presidential elections, not to mention the end of the world on 21 December (according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar). 2012, like 2011, will provide plenty of opportunity for Christians to ‘connect’ with culture.

Arguably, we’ve had some encouragement recently to do so. To many ears, the 2011 Queen’s Christmas Broadcast sounded avowedly Christian, with references to God sending ‘neither a philosopher nor a general... but a Saviour, with the power to forgive’. Before that was the Prime Minister’s speech, delivered during a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, asserting that the Bible ‘has helped to shape the values which define our country’, that the values we treasure as a society are ‘Christian values’. Focusing on Christianity, Peter Osborne wrote in The Telegraph on New Year’s Day about ‘the return to religion’, witnessing to ‘a change of public mood’ coming off the back of an era of materialism and selfishness.

In all of this, we can feel confident about bringing a Christian vision into the public sphere. As such, we will recognise that we are likely to find ourselves – in different ways – accepting, critiquing, and seeking to transform various aspects of given cultures from within. Seeking neither to take over the institutions of society nor abdicating responsibility altogether, we can exercise what sociologist James Davison Hunter has called a ‘faithful presence’ in the different places we find ourselves.

Such a stance, ideally, will flow out of the equipping ministry of gathered church communities into the daily lives of scattered disciples in the world – Christians whose lives are marked by the character of Christ – in every sphere, seeking to live all of life for the King of Kings.

Links

Tim Footman, ‘2011 – the year when a lot happened’.

Prime Minister’s King James Bible Speech.

The Queen’s Broadcast 2011.

Peter Osborne, ‘The return to religion’, The Telegraph (1 January 2012).

The Economist, The World in 2012.

Economic and Social Research Council, Britain in 2012.

Blessing (5)

2012-01-05T09:00:00.001Z

PrayerWorks, a new venture from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity starting in early January 2012, seeks to encourage prayer for the workplace by providing creative ways of praying and developing pathways of prayer for Christians together. From 1 February, this will include a 40-day journey of prayer for work using the prayer pathway of blessing. As part of this, I have been asked to write a supportive piece on what the Bible says about ‘blessing’ – what it tells us about God and the way he works, and its implications for our response in praise to God and in praying for others.

Earlier posts:

• Blessing (1) – Introduction

• Blessing (2) – Blessing comes from God – the creator God

• Blessing (3) – Blessing comes from God – the covenantal God

• Blessing (4) – Blessing flows through Christ

3. Blessing enlivens our praying

The topic of ‘blessing’ is not always included in treatments of prayer. This is arguably an oversight, as an appropriate understanding of blessing might inform and enliven our prayer life – as individual Christians and as local churches – in different ways.

(a) Words of petition

Blessing one another in prayer is a way of acknowledging that all good things, which build us up and make us fruitful, come from God. In blessing, we are expressing trust in God’s character and his love, not presuming on it, but asking him to continue to demonstrate his power in our lives and the lives of others, whether in the ongoing ‘mundane’ events of life or for the more ‘extraordinary’ needs of healing, rescue, provision, and direction.

This involves the recognition that God, in his grace, allows us to be the instruments of his blessing on others. Invoking God’s blessing on someone else thus serves as a particular kind of petition, with the implication that we are praying for the Lord to bless that person. In keeping with examples from Scripture, such prayers may be addressed to the person rather than God, but we are nonetheless asking for God’s blessing on them. It might be particularly appropriate to bless someone at special times, perhaps of pastoral need, or during sickness, or in the context of a commissioning – but not exclusively so. We will want to seek God’s blessing on others in line with God’s creative and life-giving purposes, in a way that exercises trust in his ongoing provision for us. This means we will be cautious about identifying his blessing solely with the ‘spectacular’ – the miraculous and special interventions – rather than with his constant presence within which the whole of life is lived, the ordinary as much as the extraordinary, the routine as much as the remarkable.

Moreover, since Jesus is now the focal point of God’s blessing, our prayers of blessing for others will take their cue from him – his commandments, his call, his love. And so we may pray for others the blessing that comes with participating in his death (1 Cor. 10:16; cf. Mark 10:38-39), for empowerment to bless those who persecute us (Luke 6:28; Rom. 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:9), for the joy and confidence that comes through knowing that every spiritual blessing comes from him (Eph. 1:3).

(b) Words of power

We know from personal experience that words are powerful. Positive, affirming words build up, while negative words tear down. The power of speech to shape someone’s self-perception – a child, a spouse, a friend, a colleague – for good or for ill, is enormous. A recognition of the power of words can, however, lead to a mistaken view of blessing which suggests that to say something is to make it happen, the presupposition being that the person who utters a blessing has the authority to do so effectively. But we should be clear that blessing is not a magical formula for victorious living, still less a guarantee of material prosperity; nor is it about twisting God’s arm into doing something.

It has sometimes been supposed that Old Testament curses and blessings operated with a view of language where the speakers believed that their words had causal, or even magical power. The story of Isaac blessing Jacob rather than Esau, for instance, suggests the blessing cannot be taken back once it has been spoken (Gen. 27). Is a magical control of the future implied?

We are helped here with the recognition of what is sometimes called the ‘performative’ nature of language, the acknowledgement that words perform certain actions. The phrase, ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife’, or ‘You’re fired’, spoken by an appropriate person in an appropriate context, are not merely making statements about things but doing things. ‘Bless’ is also an example of performative language where something is done in the saying. But just as the words ‘I do’ or ‘I give and bequeath’ or ‘You’re fired’ only carry force in particular contexts where particular social mores are in place in which the words are accepted as carrying force, so also blessing is only effective when spoken with appropriate conventions in place. Genesis 27 is a striking example of this: Isaac disposes of his estate in the form of a blessing which is considered legally binding and can’t be taken back. The ‘power’ is not inherent in the words themselves so much as in the social conventions of their use, and has nothing to do with magic or fate.

The primacy of God in blessing means that it his power that counts, rather than any supposed power inherent in the words themselves. Praying words of blessing has no power apart from the activity of God himself to bless. For us, this is an encouragement that prayers for blessing don’t depend on the right use of a special formula, but on the promise and guarantee of God’s own word. It also means we can be confident that we won’t go far wrong if we bless others in line with Scripture – with the grain of God’s ongoing care for creation, in alignment with his desire for covenant relationship with his people, and in tune with his work of redemption through Christ.

(c) Words of praise

If God comes first – as the source of all blessing – we bless people and things in relation to him. Blessing food, for instance, is a shorthand way of praising God for it. We are not thanking the food itself, or invoking God to make sure it tastes good, but acknowledging him as its ultimate giver.

In fact, many of the occurrences of ‘bless’ words in the Bible are used by men and women back to God himself. Having received God’s blessing, the community of faith blesses God in return – not to grant him favour in the way he does for us, but to give thanks. Throughout the Psalms, in particular, the people are called to ‘bless’ the Lord because of how he has blessed them, and the primary way they bless him is through praise (e.g., Ps. 28:6; 31:21; 34:1; 41:13; 68:19; 72:18; 89:52; 100:4; 103:2; 104:1; 106:48; 124:6; 135:21; 144:1; 145:1-2, 10). In addition, in 1 Chronicles 29:10-11 and 20-22, David ascribes glory to God, declaring how great he is (29:11); when he calls on those gathered to bless the Lord, their response is to bow their heads, worship and offer sacrifices to God (29:20-22). In this case, blessing the Lord affirms him as Lord and pays him honour.

As much as we might seek God’s blessing for ourselves and for others, to follow the pattern of Scripture also involves blessing God – as an expression of individual or corporate praise, giving thanks to God, praising him, acclaiming him as Lord.

(d) Words of preparation

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the blessing of the congregation of God’s people appears to be significant. Some church traditions echo this in giving considerable place to blessing in their gatherings – in greetings, before and after the sermon, during communion, and so on. Perhaps especially for those less used to blessing in a congregational context, there may be a place for acknowledging the significance of the benediction as a crucial component of the gathered worship – as that which sends people on their way in service to Christ. The final blessing serves as a bridge from the gathering to the life outside the four walls of the church building, not merely marking the end of the worship service, but connecting the gathered worship to the scattered lives of the worshipping people beyond the weekly gathering. The benediction – appropriately used – prays for God’s providential care and powerful equipping of his people as we move from the gathering into everyday life, asking that God will bless us as we do so.

‘Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Hebrews 13:20-21)

For further reading

Keith Grüneberg, Blessing: Biblical Meaning and Pastoral Practice, Grove Biblical Series 27 (Cambridge: Grove Books, 2003).

A helpful booklet-length treatment.

Patrick D. Miller, They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994).

A full and rich exploration of different types of prayer, especially in the Old Testament, with a useful chapter on blessing and cursing.

Christopher Wright Mitchell, The Meaning of BRK “To Bless” in the Old Testament, SBL Dissertation Series 95 (Atlanta: Scholars, 1987).

A scholarly work which divides the uses of the brk root into three categories: God blessing man, man blessing man, and the use of brk in the praise of God.

R. Scott Osborne, The Book of Blessings (Xulon Press, 2007).

Available as a free download. A book which focuses on speaking blessings based on Scripture, using the language of the Bible, gathering biblical references modified in order to create blessings, divided into discrete areas such as blessing for courage, for joy, for faith and trust, etc.

Claus Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church, Overtures to Biblical Theology, trans. Keith Crim (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978).

Something of a classic in the area, describing blessing in different traditions within Scripture.

9Marks eJournal 9, 1 (January-February 2012) on Sunday School

2012-01-03T11:18:00.001Z

The latest issue of the 9Marks eJournal is now available as a pdf here.

In the Editor’s Note, Jonathan Leeman and Trevin Wax (guest editor) write:

‘If we content ourselves with a 45 minute Sunday sermon for instructing the saints, we’re letting the Friday night movie beat out our time investment into them by double.

‘That’s why the two of us want to push the retro envelope and encourage you to reclaim adult Sunday school. If you don’t have it, get it. If you have it, consider how you might make more of it. In the immortal words of Huey Lewis, it’s hip to be square.

‘The two of us have slightly different ideas about how to structure a Sunday school program. Trevin wants to cycle good material through fixed classes. Jonathan wants to cycle people through good classes. But the big point of agreement is this: don’t be afraid to teach. And teach comprehensively and systematically. That’s our challenge to you.’

Blessing (4)

2012-01-03T08:45:00.001Z

Earlier posts:

• Blessing (1) – Introduction

• Blessing (2) – Blessing comes from God – the creator God

• Blessing (3) – Blessing comes from God – the covenantal God

2. Blessing flows through Christ

The New Testament links God’s blessing with Jesus, quintessentially expressed in Ephesians 1:3:

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’

‘Spiritual’ here may mean ‘of the Spirit’ – the blessing that comes by the Spirit – in which case, this blessing is triune-shaped: the Father blesses us through the Spirit in Christ, the three-in-one God working to bring about our salvation. Paul goes on to catalogue God’s amazing blessings – which come to us only because of the death of Christ, which brings about redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7).

Already, then, it should be clear that while God continues to provide for the material wellbeing of his people, the New Testament has nothing like the same emphasis as the Old Testament on blessings in terms of material prosperity. With the coming of Christ and the inauguration of the new covenant, God’s provision of blessings in the form of fertility, descendants, long life and good health, give way to ‘every spiritual blessing in Christ’ – blessings to be experienced now, and which will be experienced in full with the final kingdom, blessings which the old covenant could only foreshadow.

Blessing is now to be understood as mediated through Jesus Christ. For the Christian, then, Jesus becomes the focal point of blessing from God – in the fulfilment of blessing and in the invoking of it.

(a) Blessing fulfilled

It’s not too far into the early church period before Peter preaches that God has blessed us by the sending of his servant Jesus in fulfilment of his promise to Abraham (Acts 3:24-26). Paul elaborates on this in his letter to the Galatians, showing how God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations is now fulfilled in Christ (Gal. 3:6-14; cf. Heb. 6:13-20; 12:17).

He has done this because, in his death, Christ has borne the consequence of the curse of the law. Paul refers to Deuteronomy 27:26 and 21:22-23 in Galatians 3:10-13, reminding the Galatians of the penalty of breaking the law and so falling outside the sphere of God’s blessing. Christ redeems us from the curse, enabling Jew and Gentile alike to enjoy relationship with God, extending to Gentiles the blessing promised to Abraham. Once again, to read the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 as if they were timeless principles is to confuse the covenant God made with the nation of Israel in that particular time and place with the unconditional promise to Abraham now carried forward and fulfilled in Christ.

(b) Blessing invoked

Echoing the language of Exodus 19:3-6 (in calling Israel to be a priestly kingdom, a holy nation, for the sake of nations), Peter is likewise clear that God was finally fulfilling his promise to bring the Gentiles into the blessing too (1 Pet. 2:9-10). That blessing gives them the privileges – and responsibilities – that went with the covenant. Hence, Israel’s call – their identity and role with respect to the world – is now taken up by the church, by all followers of Christ. God’s mission to bless all nations continues to be worked out through us, his chosen people – wherever we may find ourselves ‘scattered’ (1 Pet. 1:1).

We are able to bless others because we ourselves have been blessed.

Blessing of Christ

The language of blessing is found in the early chapters of Luke’s gospel (1:42, 68-69; 2:28-32) woven in with promises of God’s redemptive presence in the coming of Christ. Then, at the end of the gospel, in words that are reminiscent of the priestly blessing in Leviticus 9:22, Christ blesses his disciples:

‘When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.’ (Luke 24:50-53)

Somewhat ironically, Luke starts with a priest, Zechariah, unable to complete his service in the temple (1:21-22) and ends with Jesus giving a priestly benediction. He has made the sacrifice which brings about the forgiveness of sins to be preached to all nations (24:46); now, as he departs in order to send the Spirit to be with them and equip the disciples, he blesses them for the mission that lies ahead.

Blessing through Christ

It’s possible that an echo of the priestly benediction might be heard at the start of Paul’s letters, in the regular greeting – with the ‘grace and peace to you’ reminiscent of the final sentence of the priestly prayer, ‘And be gracious to you... and give you peace’ (Num. 6:25-26). If this is the case, Paul’s frequently-added words ‘from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ in his greetings reinforce the source of the blessing. Grace and peace provide more than just a convenient greeting, but summarise the blessings of the gospel – which come through Christ.

Even if this is a stretch, the benedictions or doxologies at the end of some of the New Testament letters function as blessings (e.g., Rom. 16:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:23; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 6:16, 18; Eph. 6:23-24; Phil. 4:23; Col. 4:18; 1 Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess. 3:18; 1 Tim. 6:21; 2 Tim. 4:22; Titus 3:15; Philm. 25; Heb. 13:20-21, 25; 1 Pet. 5:14; Jude 24-25). 2 Corinthians 13:14 is perhaps the most well known of these:

‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’

This is instructive in itself, reminding us, like Ephesians 1:3, that grace is available only through Jesus Christ, is grounded in the love of God, and is mediated to us by the Holy Spirit.

Hence, blessing is to be understood in christological terms, coming to us as a result of Christ’s work. It is only in Christ that we understand what it means to blessed by God, and it is only because of Christ that we can bring to others his blessing (Rom. 15:29) and are able to bless, rather than curse, even those who persecute us (Luke 6:27-28; Rom. 12:14; 1 Peter 3:9).

Robert H. Gundry on the Gospel of Mark

2012-01-02T22:05:00.001Z

I’m not sure how long this offer will last, but Kindle users might like to know that a commentary on Mark by Robert H. Gundry is currently available from Baker Academic, via Amazon, at no charge. This is excerpted from Gundry’s one-volume Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), and is a brief and helpful, non-technical commentary on the gospel of Mark.

Blessing (3)

2012-01-02T17:32:00.000Z

Earlier posts:

• Blessing (1) – Introduction

• Blessing (2) – Blessing comes from God – the creator God

(b) The covenantal God

To be blessed is not only to benefit from God’s ongoing gifts in creation but to enjoy special relationship with God. God’s desire and intention to bless his people is bound up with the covenant relationship he establishes with them, beginning with Abraham.

The promise to Abraham

The promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, given against the backdrop of the curses announced in the previous chapters (3:14, 17; 4:11; 5:29; 9:25), mark a new turning point in God’s dealings with the world. Judgment is not the last word: God does not reject the nations, but chooses one family to bring blessing to the nations. Thus begins the first episode in a long story in which God progressively works out his plan of restoration – a plan which includes creation itself. In this way, God’s promises to Abraham may be read in conjunction with Genesis 1 – as a reaffirmation of his original blessing on men and women. It is Abraham and his descendants who will become God’s instruments to bless the world. From this one man and his family, God’s blessing (‘bless’ words appear five times in Genesis 12:2-3) will flow to all nations.

It’s not clear in 12:2 whether Abraham is commanded to be a blessing or told that he will be a blessing; either way involves the transmission of blessing to others. There is also ongoing debate as to whether 12:3 should read ‘all families will be blessed through you’ (passive) or ‘all families shall bless themselves by you’ (reflexive). As it happens, similar phraseology elsewhere in Genesis (in 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14) suggests both will be case, and the upshot is the same in any case – God’s blessing will be extended to the nations through Abraham.

The link with worship

The deliverance of God’s people from Egypt and the establishment of his covenant relationship with them at Sinai leads into the building of a sanctuary to facilitate preservation of that relationship. Through the sacrificial cult, Israel was able to dwell in harmony with God and enjoy his ongoing blessing – mediated through the priests. So it is that at the conclusion of the first service of worship, Aaron blesses the people (Lev. 9:22-23), and the levites are set apart for this as an ongoing task (Deut. 10:8; 21:5; 2 Chron. 30:27). God’s blessing is thus bound up with appropriate worship and sacrificial offering. With the priest’s blessing comes the guarantee that atonement has been successful, making the final blessing an essential component of the worship, confirming God’s favourable attitude to his people, serving as a reminder that his presence is with them, to bless them.

The priestly blessing is specified in Numbers 6:22-27:

‘The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”’

The source of the blessing is clear: it is the Lord himself – seen in the threefold repetition of his name in the blessing itself, and confirmed in the final phrase (‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them’). This strong link between God’s covenant name and the blessing of his people is also promised in Exodus 20:24, where it is connected with appropriate means of atonement. Although the blessing comes only through the Lord God, it is the priests – in a functional and representative role – who mediate it to the people. It may be seen as a prayer for God’s blessing and protection, his approval and grace, his attention and peace – a prayer which is promised to be effective – ‘I will bless them’ (6:27).

The priestly blessing is alluded to in several psalms (e.g., 29:11; 115:12-15; 134:3). Psalm 67, for example, begins: ‘May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us’ (67:1). But the blessing, in this case, is sought not for its own sake or for the sake of Israel, but for all peoples, as seen in the next line of the Psalm – ‘so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations’ (67:2) – with the Psalm expressing the hope that God’s blessing will become a global reality. While Psalm 67 reflects on the ‘blessing’ part of the priestly benediction, Psalm 121 echoes the ‘keeping’ part, with forms of that word appearing six times in this Psalm of Ascent. The Lord watches over his people not just on their occasional journeys, or even on the physical ascent to the temple in Jerusalem, but ‘now and forevermore’ (121:8).

The blessing promised in Numbers 6 is reinforced by the account of Balaam in Numbers 22-24. The king of Moab hired Balaam to curse the people of Israel (22:4-6); but each time Balaam opened his mouth, he blessed them instead of cursed them (Num. 23:8, 20; 24:9-10). Balaam, in spite of his skills and renown as a prophet, was powerless to bless or curse Israel without the Lord’s direction (cf. Deut 23:4-5; Josh. 24:9-10; Neh. 13:1-2). It’s a strong indication that no magic or rituals will make a difference; the authority to bless belongs to the Lord who cannot be coerced.

The way of obedience

According to Exodus 23:25-26 and Deuteronomy 7:11-15, God promises to bless his people if they are obedient to him and provide them with everything necessary for their well-being in the land. The blessings are articulated more fully in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (cf. Lev. 26:1-13), providing a picture of the blessed life as bound up with the provision of food and water, children and crops, farming and fertility, defeat of enemies and long life in the land. The establishment of the covenant flows out of God’s undeserved love for the people (Deut. 7:7-8), but the promise of blessing seems conditional on ongoing obedience to the covenant stipulations (7:11-15; 11:8-15; 28:2), while disobedience causes a breakdown of the covenant, with curses replacing blessings (27:26; 28:15-68). At the very least, this shows that the old covenant people of God were not simply passive recipients of blessing, but were called on to follow God’s standards in everyday life.

Even so, this is not a mechanistic system of reward and punishment so much as an expression of the consequences of staying within and straying from the covenant stipulations which ordered their relationship with God and each other. Keeping or breaking God’s requirements does not set in motion a series of blessings or punishments applied by fate, but from the hand of God with whom they were in covenant relationship.

The invocation of blessing

So far, we have focused on God’s blessing of the created world and his covenant people, but we also see in Scripture examples of people praying for God’s blessing on other people. We have already noted that priests were called to pronounce blessings in the Lord’s name, but others were also able to do so, effectively invoking God’s blessing on someone else – ‘May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful’ (Gen. 28:3).

In some cases, a blessing could be as simple as a greeting (Gen. 47:7; 1 Sam. 13:10; 15:13; 2 Kings 4:29) or a parting (Gen. 31:55; 47:10; 2 Kings 19:39), or it could be as significant as a father invoking God for the continuation of blessing from one generation to another (Gen. 27:27-29; 48:15-16; 49:25-26). There are examples of leaders blessing their people (Deut. 33:1; 2 Sam. 6:18; 1 Kings 8:14, 55), of family members blessing a woman about to be married (Gen. 24:60), of a mother blessing her son (Judges 17:2), of a blessing for fertility (1 Sam. 2:20-21). In each case, blessing appears to involve praying for, even invoking, wellbeing, health, and prosperity from one party to another. Such blessings are different from regular prayers in that they are addressed to fellow men and women rather than God, but they still function as requests or desires for God to bless, and he is still understood to be the ultimate source of the blessing.

It should come as no surprise that many of the blessings occur in the context of family life, expressing hopes for the safe birth of children, fertility of crops, increase of herds, defeat of enemies, and length of days. Even so, within the context of the biblical story as a whole, such blessings were significant for the ongoing survival of God’s covenant people precisely so that God’s plan to bless the nations could be brought to its completion.

A number of these themes are combined nicely in the book of Ruth, which shows the significance of blessing at the heart of the ongoing life of the covenant community. The story begins with a parting, with Naomi urging her widowed daughters-in-law to return to their homes in Moab and effectively praying a blessing on them (1:8-9). In doing so, she commits their future to God, seeking his kindness for them, and praying that God will grant them the security that comes from being married rather than the vulnerability that would come with widowhood. The next blessing occurs in 2:4, as Boaz greets his harvesters with ‘The Lord be with you’, and they reply with ‘The Lord bless you!’ Although this may be no more than a greeting (but what a greeting!), it’s a lovely reminder of God’s presence in the everyday, with the use of God’s name to invoke his blessing in daily life and work, in the meeting and leaving of friends. In his first encounter with Ruth, Boaz prays a blessing for Ruth’s wellbeing because of her faithfulness to Naomi (2:11-12), words which are picked up again in his blessing of her in 3:10 as she dares to seek Boaz, as her next of kin, to take responsibility for her wellbeing. 2:19-20 then records Naomi’s reaction to Ruth when she returns from the fields with a supply of grain – ‘Blessed be the man’ – with a prayer seeking God’s blessing on Boaz. Then, after Boaz and Ruth are married, those who witness the occasion seek God for the provision of children and the building up of their household (4:11-12). When a child is born, the women bless God in thanksgiving for dealing kindly with Naomi (4:14-15). Naomi’s desire for Ruth to find security in a husband’s house (1:9) has come true. In a story shot through with covenant faithfulness, the blessing she sought has come about in the blessing from God of a family from whom will come king David (4:18-22), from whom will come Christ himself (Matt. 1:5). Here is one snapshot of the Old Testament story which traces the transmission of God’s promise of blessing from Abraham through the generations to all nations.

That we are blessed by God means we acknowledge that God is Lord of creation and covenant, the one who freely gives us all good things. That we bless others is an expression that they too might enjoy what we have received. In relationship with God, we are blessed by him, a blessing which overflows from us to others which is then offered back to God in thanksgiving and praise.

Englewood Review of Books 2, 1 (Advent 2011)

2012-01-01T16:06:00.001Z

The Advent 2011 issue of Englewood Review of Books is now available.

This one contains an interview with Jamie Arpin-Ricci, author of The Cost of Community, which explores the Sermon on the Mount, the life of St. Francis and his community’s struggle to follow both. It also reviews Brian Walsh’s new book on Bruce Cockburn, Thomas Yoder Neufeld’s Killing Enmity, on violence in the New Testament, and looks back at Neil Postman’s ‘classic’, Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Those outside North America are able to sign up for a free electronic edition, kindly delivered to your inbox as an attached pdf.

Blessing (2)

2011-12-28T15:18:00.000Z

Earlier posts:

• Blessing (1) – Introduction

In our exploration of the significance of blessing, we begin (where else?) with God himself.

1. Blessing comes from God

The Bible is clear that God is the source of every blessing, which are his to give and administer. God operates out of love and grace towards his world and his people, and we are to understand blessing in the light of that. In particular, blessing is bound up with two major aspects of his work – creation and covenant.

(a) The creator God

In Genesis 1, having first declared them ‘good’, God then blesses the creatures he has made – fish in the sea, birds in the sky, people on the earth (1:22, 28; 5:1-2). Blessing in this case relates to their capacity to multiply and flourish in their allotted space. In addition, humans – as God’s image-bearers – are called on to steward the earth, to exercise loving rule over other creatures. That God’s blessing remains on humanity even after the entrance of sin into the world is seen in its restatement to Noah after the flood (Gen. 9:1-3), where blessing is God’s generous giving of good things to his creatures and ongoing provision for them, with Genesis 8:21-22 promising the unending provision of times and seasons. God’s continual care for the created world is also reiterated in the New Testament (e.g., Matt. 5:45; 6:25-33; Acts 14:17; 17:25; James 1:17).

So significant is this theme that one biblical scholar, Claus Westermann, made a distinction between blessing as God’s ongoing activity in sustaining creation through natural processes, and deliverance as God’s isolated acts of saving his people through remarkable events. Arguably, as we shall see, God’s acts in creation and salvation shouldn’t be distinguished too sharply, but it’s still worth noting that God is present not just in his mighty acts of ‘saving’, but in the ongoing results of his activity of blessing humanity and his constant sustaining work in all realms of life. To be sure, the Bible tells of a series of events in which God works powerfully on behalf of his people, but he is as much a part of our ongoing existence in the giving of life, the bringing up of children, and the cycle of the working week. God’s blessing in these realms is continuous and often unnoticed, but no less real for that.

Even so, the opening chapters of Genesis also show how sin results in rebellion against God, estrangement from each other, and the ensuing struggle to live and work in a fallen world. It becomes apparent that sin is all-pervasive as well as destructive, and brings about death. What now of God’s intention to bless? All this is backdrop for what follows with the call and promise to Abraham, the beginning of the story of salvation, where God’s blessing on humanity becomes particularised in a special people.

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

2011-12-28T15:15:00.002Z

As usual at this time of the year, Justin Taylor (of ‘Between Two Worlds’) has an excellent post on various plans for reading the Bible through in a year.

Blessing (1)

2011-12-27T07:47:00.001Z

The language of ‘blessing’ is used in everyday speech more than we might imagine. Most often it has to do with something that contributes to a person’s happiness or wellbeing. ‘Bless you’, we sometimes say after someone has sneezed, a practice which appears to be related to asking God to protect someone, traceable back at least to the first century ad. Or maybe we wish our friends ‘every blessing’ when we sign off emails. ‘Count your blessings’, a well-meaning person urges us when we’re feeling sorry for ourself. Indeed, on some occasions, we may consider we have been ‘blessed’ by someone’s kindness, or something good happens to us and we describe it as a ‘blessing’ – perhaps even an ‘unexpected blessing’ or ‘a blessing in disguise’. Whereas on other occasions, truth be known, something is more of a ‘mixed blessing’.

Then, perhaps, a superior at work says she is happy to give her ‘blessing’ to a project we’re working on, or a father-in-law gives his ‘blessing’ to the marriage of his daughter to her future husband. Some of us may say a ‘blessing’ before a meal as a way of acknowledging God as the giver of all good things. Or, we may attend a church where services end with a ‘blessing’, or even where bread and wine is ‘blessed’ before it is distributed. More controversially, we’re aware that people talk about whether it is appropriate to ‘bless’ same-sex partnerships in church.

What ‘blessing’ means differs from context to context, a variation which is reflected in the Bible too. In Scripture, the concept of blessing is related especially to the Hebrew root brk in the Old Testament and the Greek eulogia in the New Testament. Even limiting ourselves to occurrences of these, words related to ‘blessing’ appear over 300 times in the Old Testament and 65 times in the New Testament – constituting an important biblical theme.

Let Earth and Heaven Combine

2011-12-25T08:51:00.001Z

Here is one of my favourite Christmas hymns that I haven’t sung for a while. It’s by Charles Wesley. I will be forever grateful that I spent my formative Christian years in a church tradition where hymns like this were de rigueur – sung, believed, preached, and lived.

Looking at it again, the second verse now sounds a little docetic to my ears! I strongly suspect that can’t be the case with Wesley. Moreover, the whole tenor of the hymn speaks of the mystery of what God was doing in becoming flesh, captured wonderfully in those lines in the first verse – ‘Our God contracted to a span/Incomprehensibly made man’. That always made me smile as each member of the congregation would invariably fit the words to the music in slightly different ways. But, just to sing it, to think about matching the music, required thinking about the lines and then being taken up – even just for a moment – in wonder.

Let earth and Heaven combine,

Angels and men agree,

To praise in songs divine

The incarnate Deity,

Our God contracted to a span,

Incomprehensibly made Man.

He laid His glory by,

He wrapped Him in our clay;

Unmarked by human eye,

The latent Godhead lay;

Infant of days He here became,

And bore the mild Immanuel’s Name.

See in that Infant’s face

The depths of deity,

And labour while ye gaze

To sound the mystery

In vain; ye angels gaze no more,

But fall, and silently adore.

Unsearchable the love

That hath the Savior brought;

The grace is far above

Of men or angels’ thought:

Suffice for us that God, we know,

Our God, is manifest below.

He deigns in flesh t’appear,

Widest extremes to join;

To bring our vileness near,

And make us all divine:

And we the life of God shall know,

For God is manifest below.

Made perfect first in love,

And sanctified by grace,

We shall from earth remove,

And see His glorious face:

His love shall then be fully showed,

And man shall all be lost in God.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Jeff McSwain on the Incarnation in the Pastoral Epistles

2011-12-24T15:11:00.002Z

Jeff McSwain, ‘The Christmas Epistles: A Most Human Understanding of Godliness’, Christianity Today (22 December 2011).

Setting up his theme, McSwain writes:

‘The event of the birth of Christ... contains all the others. Bundled in the manger is the salvation of the world. The Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension are all present implicitly in the baby Jesus, only to be unpacked over the next thirty-plus years. Far from being secondary, the Incarnation is in a very real sense our saving moment! At Christmas we can thank the Lord with Simeon: “For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:30).We say this not only because we are looking backward through the Cross to the crib but also because, from the very beginning, even before Adam fell, God was looking “forward” through the crib to the Cross!’

It’s an interesting piece, interspersing lines of Christmas hymns throughout what is essentially a set of reflections on the incarnation in the pastoral epistles. As McSwain says, ‘it is in the Pastoral Epistles... that we find most profoundly this idea that salvation comes in the person of Jesus Christ, and for this reason I call these pastoral letters the Christmas Epistles’.

Byron Borger on Books for Life-Long Learners 12.0

2011-12-24T14:47:00.001Z

Here is the twelfth in a series of notes by Byron Borger on recent books, including Richard Mouw’s The Challenges of Cultural Discipleship: Essays in the Line of Abraham Kuyper, Brian J. Walsh’s Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination, and Salvation Means Creation Healed: The Ecology of Sin and Grace by Howard A. Snyder with Joel Scandrett.

Marilynne Robinson on What Literature Owes the Bible

2011-12-24T14:41:00.001Z

Marilynne Robinson, ‘The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible’, The New York Times (22 December 2011).

I read Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson’s first novel (published in 1981), during the summer this year and was utterly beguiled.

This is a short piece by her on the influence of the Bible on literature in English, from which the following is excerpted:

‘The Bible is the model for and subject of more art and thought than those of us who live within its influence, consciously or unconsciously, will ever know.’

‘Biblical allusions can suggest a degree of seriousness or significance their context in a modern fiction does not always support. This is no cause for alarm. Every fiction is a leap in the dark, and a failed grasp at seriousness is to be respected for what it attempts. In any case, these references demonstrate that in the culture there is a well of special meaning to be drawn upon that can make an obscure death a martyrdom and a gesture of forgiveness an act of grace. Whatever the state of belief of a writer or reader, such resonances have meaning that is more than ornamental, since they acknowledge complexity of experience of a kind that is the substance of fiction.’

I see she has a collection of essays due out in March 2012, which will be worth looking out for. The blurb tells us: ‘In this new collection she returns to the themes which have preoccupied her work: the role of faith in modern life, the inadequacy of fact, the contradictions inherent in human nature. Clear-eyed and forceful as ever, Robinson demonstrates once again why she is regarded as a modern rhetorical master.’

Scott Kauffmann on Common Grace

2011-12-23T12:10:00.001Z

Scott Kauffmann, ‘The Problem of Good’, Q Ideas (2007).

Scott Kauffmann’s essay on common grace takes its cue not from the problem of evil (if God is good why is the world so bad?), but from what he calls the problem of good – ‘if we’re all so bad, why is the world so good?’

He takes in the fundamentals of common grace, common grace in Scripture, living common grace – in personal relationships and in cultural engagement – and the dangers of common grace.

Here’s his closing paragraph:

‘Yes, God’s greatest gift to humanity – the Cross, the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate expression of saving grace – answers the number one question of humanity, the problem of cosmic and personal evil. And common grace, God’s second greatest gift to humanity, the answer to the problem of cosmic and personal good, is just as close beside you – as close as the gravity that keeps you from sliding off the earth. May you learn to receive both kinds of God’s love, embrace both kinds of God’s grace, and celebrate both kinds of God’s goodness wherever you find them. May grace begin to replace a fear you couldn’t defend, with a hope you cannot resist.’

Carl Trueman on Sex and Song of Songs

2011-12-23T12:01:00.001Z

Notwithstanding the ‘theological’ readings of ancient and more recent times – even the restrained ones – I’ve been persuaded for many years that (what G. Lloyd Carr calls) a ‘natural’ reading of Song of Songs is more appropriate, and the best fit for the evidence – historically, literarily, and canonically.

Recent years, however, have seen an increasing proliferation of approaches which, in my opinion, then go too far the other way in effectively over-sexualising the poetry of Song of Songs, making it more crude than it probably really is, losing the richness and subtlety – and the romance – in the process. (How easy it is to do that when it comes to sex.)

So, I wholly agree with Carl Trueman in a recent post (‘No Sex Please, I’m British’) when he writes that ‘the turning of the Song of Songs primarily into a sex manual is arguably a greater act of reductionism than jumping straight from the text to Christ and the church’. He helpfully points out that while Scripture does occasionally use crude language to talk about sex, ‘it never uses such language to describe a properly functioning marriage’; he has wise words for those of us who preach and teach, calling us to pay ‘respect to the form which scripture uses to speak of such things’.

L’Abri Papers from Jerram Barrs

2011-12-22T16:40:00.001Z

The Learning Resources page at L’Abri Fellowship England contains a number of useful pieces, including the following from Jerram Barrs:

• Christianity True to the Way Things Are

• The Christian and Society

• The Christian Mind

These are transcripts of lectures; there’s some overlap in the material, but I think the one on the mind is the best of the three.

Equip to Disciple Issue Four (2011)

2011-12-20T20:01:00.002Z

The fourth 2011 issue of Equip to Disciple is online here (5.6 MB pdf), with its usual assortment of articles and reviews (in amongst slightly too many adverts for my liking, but I’m glad if it helps pay the way for the publication).

Most significantly, the editor, Charles Dunahoo, contributes the second installment in an ongoing series on the kingdom, this one asking the question: ‘Should the church separate, identify, transform or... effectively be salt and light in the world?’

Pew Forum Report on Global Christianity

2011-12-20T10:58:00.001Z

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has published a report on Global Christianity, on ‘the size and distribution of the world’s Christian population’.

For those who are really interested the full 130-page report is available as a 11.7 MB file here. Meanwhile, here are the first few paragraphs of the Executive Summary:

‘A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically widespread – so far-flung, in fact, that no single continent or region can indisputably claim to be the center of global Christianity.

‘A century ago, this was not the case. In 1910, about two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, where the bulk of Christians had been for a millennium, according to historical estimates by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Today, only about a quarter of all Christians live in Europe (26%). A plurality – more than a third – now are in the Americas (37%). About one in every four Christians lives in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-in-eight is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%).’

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary (2): What if God Was One of Us?

2011-12-19T11:15:00.002Z

[I contributed today’s ‘Word for the Week’, a weekly email service provided by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. It’s the second of two reflections on the Christmas story as told in Luke’s gospel. I’d been wanting to write something constructive on the ‘guest room’ in Luke 2:7 for a long time, and it was really hard to get it below the absolute maximum of 400 words. Lots of notes now lie shredded on the electric cutting room floor of my hard drive.]

Joseph... went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:4-7

Yes, you read that right – ‘no guest room’. That’s how the revised New International Version translates Luke 2:7. It comes as a surprise to some people to discover that there is no mention of a stable or an inn, let alone an innkeeper, in the Christmas story.

Given that Joseph was returning to his home town, it’s highly unlikely he would not be able to find shelter there. Even allowing for the shame of a child conceived out of wedlock, hospitality codes meant that strangers could expect some welcome, let alone a member of the family expecting the birth of a baby. Moreover, that Jesus was born ‘while they were there’ suggests plenty of time to arrange suitable housing.

Luke uses the regular word for ‘inn’ when relating Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (10:34). The word used here, however, is the same one he uses for the ‘upper room’ of a house where the last supper took place (22:11). It refers to a lodging or guest room, usually part of a private house.

This, and the mention of the manger, fits what is known of peasant houses from this period. They typically had one room where eating and sleeping took place, with a lower section for animals. Mangers were often cut into the floor of the living accommodation. In some homes, a ‘guest room’ could be built on the flat roof or at the end of the house. Luke tells us that this room is already occupied, so Mary places the newborn child in the most comfortable place in the house – the manger in the main family room. It’s lowly, but more domestic than destitute.

Somewhat ironically, the effect of the stable scenes on our Christmas cards might be to distance Jesus from us, perhaps allowing us to forget that he was born as ‘one of us’. As it happens, the most striking feature of Luke’s account is its decided ‘ordinariness’, with Jesus born in the normal surroundings of an everyday peasant home.

To be sure, he is the Saviour, Christ the Lord (2:11), and yet he takes his place with us in the mundaneness of the everyday world. And the salvation he brings comes in the context of real life, and to people just like us.

Michael Horton on Christ and Culture Once More

2011-12-18T09:59:00.001Z

Michael Horton responds here to the recent post by Tim Keller on ‘Coming Together on Culture’. I suspect the ‘Once More’ in the title of his piece is either wishful thinking on his part or a complete misnomer.

He recognises that Keller is ‘encouraging healthier conversation’, yet sees ‘even in his post’ what he ‘would regard as some misunderstandings about the 2K [two kingdoms] position’. He thinks Keller’s description ‘makes it sound as if 2K folks are more neo-Anabaptist’. ‘On one point,’ he says, ‘I think that’s true. Neo-Anabaptists like Stanley Hauerwas and Scot McKnight argue that the church is called to be a new society in this fading evil age, not to create one. Beyond that, though, we are worlds apart.’ He then goes on to point out that Luther and Calvin opposed radical Anabaptists ‘who disparaged God’s common grace in culture’.

My blog entries over the years will testify to the esteem in which I hold Michael Horton and his work, but he has not convinced on this issue – even if I do feel as if I’ve been helpfully warned away by him and other 2K advocates from the worst excesses of a transformationist position.

For my own part, nothing he says here detracts from the essence of what Keller was outlining in the earlier post. Horton says he is ‘often baffled by the gross caricatures of the 2K position’ but, while he declares this isn’t the case with Keller’s interaction, he still looks as if he is trying to fine-tune what really is the 2K position. Fair enough, I think, providing the warning against building caricatures and the generosity to allow fine-tuning is allowed both ways.

He also notes that David VanDrunen, one of the main current proponents of the 2K position, has a new work in the pipeline, ‘defending the position with exegetical and biblical-theological depth’. I’ll look forward to seeing that. I’m very interested in what Luther and Calvin and the Anabaptists thought, and how we place ourselves in relation to them; but I’m so much more interested in Jeremiah and Jesus and Peter and Paul, and how we place ourselves in relation to them...

Meanwhile, we can expect this discussion to run and run...

IVP Academic Alert 21, 1 (Spring 2012)

2011-12-16T19:47:00.002Z

The latest Academic Alert from IVP (USA) is available here, profiling forthcoming titles, with a special focus on Gillian R. Evans’ Roots of the Reformation and the Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophets (edited by J. Gordon McConville and Mark Boda).

Tim Keller on Coming Together on Culture

2011-12-16T09:06:00.001Z

For those who are following the ongoing debates in some circles about the nature of Christian engagement with culture – with the ‘transformationists’ on one side and the ‘two kingdoms’ proponents on the other side – here is a short but helpful article by Tim Keller which critiques both sides, and draws attention to some of those who are trying to steer a ‘middle way’ or reframe the discussion in different ways.

Douglas Wilson on Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)

2011-12-16T09:01:00.002Z

Douglas Wilson, ‘Christopher Hitchens Has Died’, Christianity Today (16 December 2011).

Following the death of Christopher Hitchens last night, Douglas Wilson has written a sympathetic piece for Christianity Today reflecting on his life and death. At one point, he says:

‘I came to know Christopher during the promotion tour for his atheist encyclical, God Is Not Great. True to form, Christopher did not want to write a book attacking God and his minions only to have the release be a wine and cheese party in Manhattan with a bunch of fellow unbelievers, where they could all laugh knowingly about the rubes and cornpones down in the Bible Belt. So he told his publicist that he wanted to debate with any and all comers, and in the course of promoting his book, he did exactly that.’

Wilson himself debated online and live with Hitchens...

‘One time we shared a panel in Dallas, and I told the crowd there that if Christopher and I were not careful, we were in danger of becoming friends. During the time we spent together, he never said an unkind thing to me – except on stage, up in front of everybody. After doing this, he didn't wink at me, but he might as well have.’

Foundations 61 (Autumn 2011)

2011-12-15T20:28:00.001Z

The second online edition of Foundations: An International Journal of Evangelical Theology, published by Affinity, is now freely available (here in its entirety as a pdf).

Here is the editorial summary of the articles which are also listed below:

‘This issue of Foundations offers a range of articles and reviews which will be of interest to our readers. Dan Strange’s article is the substance of the paper that he gave at the Affinity Theological Studies Conference in February 2011. John Legg provides a provocative exegesis of the parable of The Good Samaritan. Thorsten Prill identifies key issues in world mission today and challenges churches, missions and missionaries to be caught up in a missionary movement with God. Ralph Cunnington provides a critique of the views of Francis Turretin on the authority of Scripture. Eryl Davies provides a detailed review of a number of recent books dealing with the doctrine of the Trinity. There are also a number of other book reviews.’

Dan Strange

Not Ashamed! The Sufficiency of Scripture for Public Theology

John Legg

So Who is My Neighbour?

Thorsten Prill

Evangelical Mission Organisations, Postmodern Controversies, and the New Heartbeat of Mission

Ralph Cunnington

Did Turretin Depart from Calvin’s View on the Concept of Error in the Scriptures?

D. Eryl Davies

Review Article: Trinitarian Theology

Book Reviews

Catalyst 38, 1 (November 2011)

2011-12-15T20:01:00.002Z

The latest of Catalyst (still, probably, my favourite free theological journal) is now online, with a selection of short articles, mostly excerpted or adapted from fuller works by the authors:

J. Todd Billings

Premodern Biblical Exegesis:Why Does it Matter for Preachers and Teachers Today?

Randy L. Maddox

How John Wesley Read the Bible

Kenda Creasy Dean, edited and abridged by Nathan T. Stucky

Teenagers and the Art of Translation: Parents Matter Most

Henry H. Knight III

Consider Wesley

Tyndale Bulletin 62.2 (November 2011)

2011-12-12T20:32:00.001Z

The latest Tyndale Bulletin contains the below articles with their abstracts:

David Seccombe

Incongruity in the Gospel Parables

Evidence is given of deliberate use of incongruity and the outright bizarre in some of the gospel sayings and parables. This is sometimes smoothed away by translators and commentators, who appear uncomfortable with it. Yet it has the marks of being one of Jesus’ characteristic teaching devices, the tendency of the transmission being to smooth out discordancies. With this in mind the parable of the leaven is re-examined, and it is argued that it contains three incongruities which strongly suggest its authenticity and could have made it a startling piece of communication for its original listeners. The results gained are employed to clear the way for a correct approach to the parable of the ten minas.

Carsten Vang

God’s Love According to Hosea and Deuteronomy: A Prophetic Reworking of a Deuteronomic Concept?

One of the most evident shared themes between the books of Hosea and Deuteronomy is the theme of God’s love for Israel. The usual scholarly explanation goes that Hosea fathered this notion which later was taken up in the Deuteronomy tradition. A close scrutiny of this theme in Hosea and Deuteronomy establishes that the lexical and structural agreements in the theme are considerable. However, it also reveals some major differences within the thematic parallel. The simplest solution seems to be that Hosea has reused an available Deuteronomic concept.

Allan Chapple

Getting Romans to the Right Romans: Phoebe and the Delivery of Paul’s Letter

How did Romans reach the people for whom it was intended? There is widespread agreement that Phoebe was the bearer of the letter (Rom. 16:1-2), but little investigation of or agreement about the exact nature of her responsibilities. By exploring the data available to us, especially that found in Romans 16, this essay provides a reconstruction of the events surrounding the transport and delivery of the letter to the Roman Christians. In particular, it proposes the following:

• Phoebe conveyed the letter to Rome, probably by sea;

• the church in Rome at this time consisted of house-churches;

• Phoebe was to deliver the letter first to Prisca and Aquila and their house-church;

• Prisca and Aquila were to convene an assembly of the whole Christian community, the first for some time, at which Romans was to be received and read;

• Prisca and Aquila were to be asked to arrange for copies of Romans to be made;

• Phoebe was to deliver these copies to other house-churches; and

• Phoebe was to read Romans in the way that Paul had coached her at each of the gatherings to which she took it.

Rodney K. Duke

Form and Meaning: Multi-Layered Balanced Thought Structures in Psalm 24:4

The complex literary artistry of Psalm 24:4 reveals it to be the focal point of this song of procession to worship. Standing in a catechism-like section, this verse provides the answer to the question about those qualified to approach God. This text exemplifies how artistic form was used to set this verse apart, complement the content, and highlight its theological message. It employs four levels of balanced thought structures that emphasise the total purity that is expected from one who would draw close to God. Theologically this verse functions as a call to holiness in response to God’s grace.

Gregory Goswell

Isaiah 1:26: A Neglected Text on Kingship

In recent studies of the theme of kingship in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 1:26 has been neglected. This article seeks to demonstrate that this text is relevant to the theme. The future of leadership within the city of Jerusalem-Zion as forecast in Isaiah 1:26 is theocratic in shape, with Davidic kingship notably absent. The judges and counsellors spoken of are leaders appointed by Yhwh the King and act as judicial officers under him. The setting of Isaiah 1:26 in Isaiah 1, the immediate context of the section 1:21-26, the absence of any mention of kings in Isaiah 2–4, and the portrayal in the first half of Isaiah’s prophecy of Judaean kingship as a dying institution, all confirm this reading. Isaiah 1:26 is one of a number of texts in the first half of Isaiah that prepare the reader for what would otherwise be a radical shift to an exclusive focus on divine kingship in Isaiah 40–66.

Andrew J. Wilson

Hebrews 3:6b and 3:14 Revisited

Hebrews 3:6b and 3:14 have been central to Reformed interpretations of the warnings in Hebrews for several centuries. Today, however, there is something of an impasse in scholarship: on one side, there are those who see these verses as an interpretive key to the letter, and thus understand the warnings to refer to spurious or false believers; on the other, there are those who argue that since Hebrews warns real believers away from real apostasy, these two verses cannot mean what, at a grammatical level, they appear to mean. In this paper, I appraise the scholarly discussion so far, identify three key issues relating to grammar and context, and then propose a way through the impasse that has not been considered in modern scholarship.

David Instone-Brewer

Jesus of Nazareth’s Trial in the Uncensored Talmud

The Munich Talmud manuscript of b.San.43a preserves passages censored out of the printed editions, including the controversial trial of ‘Yeshu Notzri’. Chronological analysis of the layers in this tradition suggests that the oldest words are: ‘On the Eve of Passover they hung Jesus of Nazareth for sorcery and leading Israel astray.’ This paper argues that other words were added to this tradition in order to overcome three difficulties: a trial date during a festival; the unbiblical method of execution; and the charge of ‘sorcery’.

John Nolland

The Thought in John 1:3c-4

With a working assumption that the final words of verse 3 belong with verse 4, the article seeks to clarify the thought in the three clauses making up verses 3c-4. It concludes that the thought expressed is this: the mystery of animate life, existing as it does ‘in the Logos’, shines as a light upon humanity, a light intended to light up the divine presence in the world in that it reveals the presence and working of the Logos. A second alternative is possibly viable: creation is life-giving, and the life it gives acts as a light revealing the Logos.

Daniel S. Diffey

The Royal Promise in Genesis: The Often Underestimated Importance of Genesis 17:6, 17:16 and 35:11

There are three specific instances in which a royal promise is made to an individual in the book of Genesis. Scholarship has largely viewed these as incidental within the larger framework of the major themes found in the book of Genesis. This short note seeks to correct this misunderstanding by demonstrating that the promise that kings will come from Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob is integrally linked with the themes of fruitfulness, seed (offspring), and land. Thus, the theme of kingship is a much more important theme than is often held.

Dissertation Summaries

Andy Harker

Spiritually Called Sodom and Egypt: Getting to the Heart of Early Christian Prophecy through the Apocalypse of John

This work engages with and refreshes the debate regarding the nature of early Christian prophecy – a debate that has become somewhat deadlocked and stale – by placing Revelation at the centre of the debate and finding there a tertium quid challenging both sides of the debate. It is argued that Revelation is much more likely to be representative of regular early Christian prophecy than is often assumed and that what constitutes John’s prophecy (and potentially early Christian prophecy generally) as prophecy is essentially the way in which the text moves the affections – by a particularly powerful use of allusive metaphor to ‘name’ features of the contemporary world in such a way that the referent is completely swallowed up by the allusion.

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary (1): There’s Something About Mary

2011-12-12T09:50:00.001Z

[I contributed today’s ‘Word for the Week’, a weekly email service provided by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. It’s the first of two reflections on the Christmas story as told in Luke’s gospel; this one owes much to the inspiration of friend and former colleague, Conrad Gempf, Lecturer in New Testament at London School of Theology.]

The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.’

‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’

Luke 1:30-34

While it has always been possible to make too much of Mary, it has been all too easy to make too little of her. Because, even if she is not an object of faith, she is an example of faith. And a very real example too.

Her story is elaborated in later Christian literature and art, with accounts of her own miraculous birth and childhood, accompanied by regular angelic visitations. Annunciation scenes sometimes portray Mary as reading Scripture or praying, or spinning purple thread for the temple veil – none of which is found in the gospels. Instead, like the fishermen and tax collectors who would be called, her heavenly encounter comes in the midst of everyday life – as an ordinary Galilean girl engaged to be married to Joseph. And, like the rest of us would be, she’s surprised and scared by the arrival of Gabriel.

Her response to his message is just as human, and wonderfully real. Faced with the increasingly amazing announcement – child, then son, then great, then Son of the Most High, then king, then eternal – Mary is frozen back at step one. A child? She’s young, but she’s not stupid; she knows how babies are made, and she knows she’s not been with a man. And so she says: ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ No deep theological question. No amazing insight. No request for a sign. And no objection: ‘I am the Lord’s servant... May your word to me be fulfilled’ (Luke 1:38).

It’s a staggering response. Her reputation would be at stake, and her husband-to-be might want nothing more to do with her. She will play out something of the scandal of the gospel in her very self, and yet consents to do so as a servant of the Lord. She believes the word that is spoken to her, even if she doesn’t fully understand it, and her trust exercises itself in submission.

Then, as her story goes on, faith and obedience will give rise to joyful singing and quiet reflection – all appropriate responses of ordinary, everyday servants of God since, at Christmastime and all times.

Willem J. de Wit on Herman Bavinck

2011-12-11T10:24:00.001Z

Willem J. de Wit, On the Way to the Living God: A Cathartic Reading of Herman Bavinck and an Invitation to Overcome the Plausibility Crisis of Christianity (Amsterdam: VU University Press, 2011), x + 208 pages, ISBN 9789086595860.

Fans of Herman Bavinck will be interested to see that this book by Willem J. de Wit is available for free download here.

The blurb says:

‘Post-Christian Amsterdam is a place where life seems to be good without God, where Jesus is seen as a figure of a distant past, and where only a few people still go to church. However, it is also a context from which a deeply reflected invitation springs to face and overcome the plausibility crisis of Christianity.

‘By telling the story of the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) and his struggle to remain standing as a Christian over against the modern worldview of his day, this study offers interested readers all over the world a mirror in which to face their own struggle.

‘Moreover, in a world explained without God and marked by evil, it extends the invitation to adopt a binocular worldview and to live with open eyes on the way to the living God, even if this implies dying with Christ.’

The author, Willem J. de Wit, is Lecturer of Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt. Earlier he worked as a junior research fellow for the International Reformed Theological Institute at VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Evangelical Alliance Reports on UK Evangelicals

2011-12-10T14:24:00.001Z

The Evangelical Alliance UK is producing a series of reports from surveys into the beliefs, habits and practices of evangelical Christians in the UK.

They kicked off with an initial survey of more than 17,000 evangelicals (which I mentioned here), and they have followed it up with two further reports – one on ‘Does Belief Touch Society?’ and another (released last week) on ‘Are We Communicating?’

Adam Nicolson on the King James Bible

2011-12-09T19:52:00.002Z

The December 2011 edition of National Geographic magazine carries an article by Adam Nicolson on ‘The Bible of King James’, which is available online here.

As the opening blurb says:

‘First printed 400 years ago, it molded the English language, buttressed the “powers that be” – one of its famous phrases – and yet enshrined a gospel of individual freedom. No other book has given more to the English-speaking world.’

Books on Christianity for Non-Christians?

2011-12-09T11:45:00.002Z

At LICC today, we were asked what books about Christianity we might recommend to an unchurched person which could be given with confidence, without cringe or embarrassment. I thought Tim Keller’s Reason for God might fit the bill, and responded with the below blurb.

Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Scepticism (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2009).

A best seller, and rightly so, widely read and respected by believers and sceptics alike. The first part of the book examines seven of the most common objections and doubts about Christianity, while the second part explores seven reasons to believe in the claims of the Christian faith. Compelling without being forceful, Keller writes with intelligence, elegance and compassion, drawing on personal conversations as well as literature and philosophy.

John D. Woodbridge on the King James Bible

2011-12-08T19:34:00.001Z

An essay by John Woodbridge, available here, was given as an address at the King James Version Festival, hosted by the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union University, in September 2011 It will also appear, along with other papers from the event, in Ray Van Neste (ed.), KJV400: Legacy and Impact (Borderstone Press, forthcoming 2012).

Woodbridge sets something of the historical background to the translation, noting that ‘it was created in a context of genuine turmoil for many Europeans’.

But in line with a number of his own published concerns, he focuses particularly on the specific beliefs of the translators regarding biblical authority, arguing that ‘their understanding of Scriptural authority remained within the central Augustinian tradition of the Western Christian churches’.

The struggle over biblical authority between Roman Catholics and Protestants, he avers, is revealed in the writings of the William Whitaker (1547-95), master of St. John’s College, Cambridge University, who was an Anglican and a Reformed theologian.

In his A Disputation on Holy Scripture (1958), Whitaker identified certain significant traits as constituent elements of his doctrine of Scriptural authority: (1) that Scripture is completely truthful (in line with what Whitaker believed was the central teaching of the western churches); (2) that Scripture’s principal author is God, the Holy Spirit; (3) that Scripture is an infallible rule of faith and practice (in that it contains sufficiently all we need to know about salvation); (4) that Scripture’s original texts were inspired of God (the Greek and Hebrew originals as opposed to, say, the Latin Vulgate); (5) that vernacular translations of the Bible are authoritative to the extent they faithfully reflect the Hebrew and Greek originals inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Woodbridge maintains that ‘the translators shared many of the same perspectives as those of William Whitaker’, showing that they too affirmed the full truthfulness of Scripture, that its principal author was the Holy Spirit, etc.

He ends the essay with a personal note:

‘Personally, one of the great joys in having pursued this study of the translators’ views of biblical authority was to encounter their closing counsel to their readers regarding their love of the Word of God. Their preface ends in an exposition of their heartfelt desire that readers of their translation would love the Word of God. Their comments are genuinely inspirational. Hopefully, they will lead us to treasure God’s Word even more than we may presently do.’

Global Gospel Project

2011-12-08T18:21:00.001Z

Mark Galli, ‘Making Disciples Today: Christianity Today’s New Global Gospel Project’, Christianity Today (2 December 2011).

Michael Horton, ‘Why We Need Jesus’, Christianity Today (2 December 2011).

Mark Galli announces here a projected five-year enterprise from Christianity Today called the Global Gospel Project, which will have seven emphases:

• Biblical

• Broadly evangelical

• Set in the local church

• God-centered

• Question-driven

• Global

• Joyful

Calling for ‘a full-orbed discipleship of heart, mind, soul, and strength’, Galli promises they will look at ‘a biblically based theology through the lens of the classic creeds, ethics through the Ten Commandments, and spirituality through the Lord's Prayer, as well as the nature of teaching’.

The series begins with a piece by Michael Horton on ‘Why We Need Jesus’. Those familiar with some of Horton’s recent works will not be surprised to hear those chords resounding here too:

‘Biblical faith emphasizes that we cannot ascend to God on our own; rather, the God of the Bible descends down to us.’

‘There is no passable route from us to God. We cannot climb the ladder of mysticism, speculation, or merit. In pride, we try to rise to heaven through reason, but God descends to us in humility and self-sacrificial generosity. We seek the truth within ourselves or in universal laws derived from our moral intuition, but God surprises us – and his name is Jesus.’

Centre for Public Christianity (December 2011)

2011-12-07T10:04:00.003Z

The latest email newsletter from the Centre for Public Christianity contains links to several video interviews, including one with John Dickson discussing the history of the idea of humility and how it came to be seen as a virtue in the Western World, one with Kevin Vanhoozer on finding reality through theology, and a review of Robert Banks’ recently-published book, And Man Created God.

Anvil 27, 2 (2011)

2011-12-02T19:55:00.001Z

The latest issue of Anvil is available online (requiring a pain-free registration process), with a set of essays looking at theology from a global perspective.

Editorial

Stephen Bevans

A Theology for the Ephesian Moment

Stephen Bevans writes of what he has learned as he tries to engage in theology from a global perspective – some of the joys and the challenges. He reminds us that not only are all theologies contextual but also that they are all limited. He explains that the problem with contextual theologies is just that – context – but that we have to grapple with this in our diverse world.

Timothy C. Tennent

Theological Translatability in the New Global Context

Timothy Tennent is President of Asbury Seminary in Kentucky with previous mission experience in India. He tells us that theological reflections from the Majority World church need to be a normal part of our theological study in the West and not just an adjunct from exotic climes. This is important because it exposes some of our blind spots and heresies and reminds us of the theological translatability of the gospel on many levels – including the theological.

Atola Longkumer

Witnessing Together: Christian Mission and Global Partnership

Atola Longkumer is from India and teaches at Leonard Theological College in Jabalpur. Her article on partnership deals with the realities and complexities of this vital theme in our global context. For those of us located in the West, or global North, it is good to read how our sisters and brothers from other parts of the world understand partnership and our part in it.

Julia Cameron

John Stott and the Lausanne Movement

John Stott died on the afternoon of 27 July 2011, in the College of St Barnabas, a home for retired clergy, in Surrey. Obituaries appeared in all four leading UK newspapers on 29 July, where he was afforded more space than is given to most cabinet ministers. His global influence can be described only as colossal.

Miroslav Volf

Interview with Miroslav Volf

Rowan Williams

Martyrs’ Memorial, Namugongo

We are very grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for allowing us to use his moving poem on the Ugandan martyrs, which does, after all, restore a proper perspective – that God is God and we are not and that the loving God of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of the loyalty and fealty of people from any and every culture – even if it cost us our life.

Reviews

Andy Naselli on D.A. Carson’s Theological Method

2011-12-02T19:41:00.001Z

Andrew David Naselli, ‘D.A. Carson’s Theological Method’, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 29, 2 (2011), 245-74.

Andy Naselli has been D.A. Carson’s research assistant since 2006, and is well placed to write this lengthy essay outlining what he sees as Carson’s theological method. The article is a revision of a paper submitted to Kevin J. Vanhoozer in December 2006 for his ‘Advanced Theological Prolegomena’ PhD seminar.

Stephen R. Holmes on Christmas

2011-12-01T15:55:00.001Z

Stephen R. Holmes, The Politics of Christmas (London: Theos, 2011).

The ever-productive team at Theos have produced another helpful-looking booklet, this one written by Stephen Holmes, on Christmas.

There are more details here, it’s available for download here, and here’s the back cover blurb:

‘Christmas is about spending time with family and friends... at least, that is what the vast majority of us think.

‘Yet, this safe, domestic Christmas was largely an invention of the Victorians. The Christmas stories themselves, as told in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels, are far less peaceful and far more unsettling.

‘Economic exploitation, imperial oppression, social stigma, petty tyranny: all are in the sights of a story in which God himself is born into a poor, vulnerable and somewhat unorthodox family unit.

‘While Christmas must undoubtedly be a time for family and generosity, Stephen Holmes argues, it should also be a moment when we hear and attend to the Bible’s message of justice and freedom for all.’

Lausanne World Pulse (December 2011)

2011-12-01T09:27:00.001Z

The themed articles in December 2011’s Lausanne World Pulse – the last official issue to be published – are devoted to ‘Early Church Models of Evangelism and Mission’.

Jerry Root

Evangelism and the Early Church

What can we learn from the approaches employed by the early Church to reach others for Christ? Root shares five points: (1) their lives were transformed demonstrably by the love and forgiveness of Christ; (2) their love burned hot for Christ and found obedience to the Great Commission; (3) they made the most of the opportunities before them; (4) they demonstrated great creativity in sharing the gospel; and (5) they were not willing to let fear keep them from telling others about Jesus.

Dion Forster

When You Cannot Preach: A Case for Relational Evangelism

One may be surprised to see how simple, yet different, Jesus’ model of evangelism is when compared to many popular models used today. Dion discusses the importance of relational/friendship evangelism following a pattern of blessing people, building relationships, ministering to needs, and then preaching the gospel.

John Abraham Godson

Prayer in the Early Church

Prayer is one of the foundations upon which the early Church was built. It permeated and undergirded their actions and fellowship. Godson looks at how the early Church prayed, where they prayed, and for what they prayed. According to Godson, the early Church prayed without ceasing, individually, corporately, with the word of God, earnestly, and with thanksgiving.

Dale Schlafer

Ekklesia: A Call to Unity in the Body of Christ

We should be so connected relationally with other followers of the Lord Jesus that the non-believing world thinks we are one, the author writes. Biblical unity has been authorized by our Lord. The question for us is: are we doing it?

Carol Madison

Two New Prayer Tools to Fuel the Prayer Movement

The author shares two resources to expand prayer movements both nationally and internationally. Prayer Connect magazine (with the tagline: ‘Connecting to the Heart of Christ through Prayer’) published its premiere issue in July 2011. Praybook is a website that interfaces with Facebook as a tool to mobilize thousands of people to pray for thousands of ‘friends.’

The Executive Summary is available here, and the full version here.

Ethics in Brief Volume 17, Nos. 3 and 4 (2011)

2011-12-01T09:15:00.001Z

The next two issues from Volume 17 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

David John Sandifer, ‘Is Christian Forgiveness Conditional?’, Ethics in Brief 17, 3 (2011)

The duty of Christian forgiveness has traditionally been understood to extend to all offenses. Recently, however, an interpretation has arisen to challenge this, arguing that Christians are only called to forgive those who demonstrate genuine repentance. This article argues that this view is based on a fallacious analogy between God’s forgiveness and ours, and that it runs counter to both the direct teaching of Scripture and the thrust of Christian discipleship.

Christopher Orton, ‘UKIP and the Common Good’, Ethics in Brief 17, 4 (2011)

This paper addresses the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and its call for Britain to withdraw from the European Union (EU). The paper does not argue for or against withdrawal but aims to help Christians reflect theologically on the question. The first section briefly considers two of UKIP’s 2010 General Election policy statements. Whilst UKIP demonstrate some openness to the theological tradition of ‘common good’ thinking, Christians will still find their basic policy commitments problematic. The second section explores the kind of ‘common good’ argument for withdrawal that Christians might find persuasive. It suggests that British trade policy might provide a basis for such an argument, but insists that more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Paul Copan on the First Christmas

2011-11-30T19:44:00.001Z

Paul Copan has a nice summary here of some of the ‘myths and realities’ surrounding the first Christmas, looking particularly at the alleged ‘inn’ (following Ken Bailey and others), the angels, and the presence of docetism in our hymnody and theology.

Scottish Journal of Theology 64, 4 (2011)

2011-11-30T14:35:00.001Z

The most recent issue of Scottish Journal of Theology – 64, 4 (2011) – is available here to read and download free of charge until 31 January 2012.

Soma (2011)

2011-11-29T20:24:00.001Z

My friend Eddie Arthur, who blogs at Kouya Chronicle, recently drew my attention to this new open access theology journal.

According to the website:

‘Soma is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access theology journal published online in the heart of Africa. The title, Soma, is a hybridized word. In Greek it is a noun. It means “body”. In Swahili it is a verb. It means “to read” or “to study”. This journal seeks to develop a body of theological knowledge, practice, and reflection across languages, cultures, disciplines and economic backgrounds. In these interstitial spaces and moments theological discourses and theological counter-discourses will emerge. Consequently, while the journal is interested in modern theology generally, it will give priority to theologizing that is consciously done on the boundaries or margins of well-established theological discourses and theologizing that is done on the boundaries or margins of society.’

In the Editorial, Robert S. Heaney of St. John’s University of Tanzania, Dodoma, writes:

‘The launch issue addresses “Theology and Globalization”, with contributors seeking ‘to unveil and question the imperialist nature of theologizing in ancient and modern times’, and ‘to propose theological responses to globalization and... interrogate already existing responses to empire and globalization’.

In addition to an editorial on kingdom and empire by Rowan Williams, the main articles are as follows:

Joerg Rieger

Between Accommodation and Resistance: Theology in a Globalizing World

Peter Hatton

‘Age After Age...’ The Old Testament and Empire

In a way that, to some extent, parallels the modern ‘neo-liberal world order’, the rulers of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, prompted by the belief that the gods had made them ‘true shepherds’ of the peoples known to them, enforced their hegemony over the ancient Near East, exercising brutal military power but managing diversity and displaying a certain tolerance of local cultural and religious autonomies. Their policies were both novel and durable. They were adopted by the Babylonian, Persian and Seleucid Empires that followed Assyria and so form the context within which the Old Testament Scriptures were composed. These Scriptures do not seek to answer the imperial monologue with another but, secure within a distinctive religious, linguistic and cultural tradition, consider the claims and performance of Empire in a dialogic fashion.

Susan Abraham

What Does Mumbai Have to do with Rome? Postcolonial Perspectives on Globalization and Theology

Does postcolonial theory that cogently presents postcolonial perspectives on globalization have relevance for theology? The article argues that postcolonial theory’s emphasis on eschewing identity-based strategies for liberation is an urgent necessity in a globalized and militarized world. Postcolonial theorists seek justice and care for the poorest women and children of the Global South, arguing that these concerns should be part of theological and religious agenda.

Jonathan S. Barnes

Christian Ecumenical Partnership from Edinburgh 2010 to the Present: The Home Base, Education, and the Persistence of a Global Church Perspective

The idea of partnership between churches of the West and those of other parts of the world was, at least in its nascent stage, part of ecumenical discussions at the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh (1910). However, a review of the Edinburgh Conference’s Commission VI report on the home base reveals that the concept of Christendom was the dominant worldview of those present, overriding other contesting views. Further, when tracing the history of ecumenical relationships from Edinburgh 1910 to the present, it is evident that the Christendom worldview continues to persist among the constituents of the Western churches, with negative effects on partnership efforts. In reviewing this history, Lamin Sanneh’s typology of churches as either Global (the churches of the North or Western World, also formerly known as ‘sending’ or ‘older’ churches) or World (the churches of the South and East, formerly known as ‘receiving’ or ‘younger’ churches) will provide the critical lens through which this history is understood, for if the goal of ecumenical partnerships is to be realized, the members of the home base must stop seeing mission as expansion and lose the desire to remake others in their image; in short, they must become, in their worldview and ethos, World Christians.

Elmer Martens on Numbers 6:24-26

2011-11-26T14:25:00.001Z

Elmer Martens, ‘Intertext Messaging: Echoes of the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26)’, Direction 38, 2 (2009), 163-78.

Understanding intertextuality as ‘the process of invoking a text, either through direct quotation or through allusion, as a way of adding color and depth to the topic under discussion’, Elmer Martens here explores how the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 is echoed by other biblical writers.

The Priestly Benediction (Numbers 6:24-27)

He begins with some reflections on the blessing itself, a three-line prayer followed by a concluding explanation:

‘The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

The benediction, he notes, is to be spoken by ‘Aaron and his sons’ (Num. 6:22; cf. Deut. 10:8; 21:5). The Lord is the subject of each line, and it is best to think of it as three petitions rather than six – with each line containing a call on God to act, followed by an outcome of his action. The first petition is for blessing, the second is about guarding and protecting, while the third – make his face shine – ‘expresses contentment and joy and points to favorable acceptance’.

‘In sum, the Aaronic benediction is a petition to God for beneficence to be shown to a people, a beneficence couched in six verbs: bless, keep, make a face to shine, be gracious, lift up countenance, and give peace.

Old Testament Echoes

Martens goes on to explore some Old Testament echoes of the priestly benediction, notably in Psalms 67 and 121.

Psalm 67 begins: ‘May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us’ (67:1). Here, however, the intended blessing ‘is desired, not in the interests of individuals or even of Israel, but in the interests of God’s salvation becoming known to peoples everywhere’, as seen in the next line of the Psalm: ‘so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations’ (67:2). The prayer for blessing functions ‘as a channel for God’s revelation and salvation to nations’. And Psalm 67 goes on to describe what is entailed in this ‘blessing’. As Martens summarises:

‘God’s favor on a people is sought for the ultimate benefit of the peoples of the world. The ancient benediction, Israel-focused, has become globally-focused. Its dimensions are distant both in geography and in chronology In short, the Psalm in its reuse of the priestly blessing tweaks it in three ways. “Blessing” is about physical productivity. Blessing also has a decidedly spiritual dimension, one having to do with knowing God’s salvation. And thirdly, the benediction is given a missional thrust.’

While Psalm 67 reflects on the ‘blessing’ part of the priestly benediction, Psalm 121 echoes the ‘keeping’ part, with forms of that word appearing six times in this Psalm of Ascent. The Lord watches over his people not just on their occasional journeys but ‘now and forevermore’ (121:8). As Martens notes, ‘the ancient ritual is “tweaked” to encompass the image of a journey, be that the physical ascent to Jerusalem, or symbolically, the journey of life’.

New Testament Echoes

Martens suggests that an echo of the priestly benediction might be seen not at the end of Paul’s letters so much as at their start, in the regular greeting – with the ‘grace and peace to you’ reminiscent of the final sentence of the priestly prayer, ‘And be gracious to you... and give you peace’.

This isn’t as straightforward as it might appear, as Martens himself notes, since the Greek translation of Numbers 6 uses eleeo (normally rendered with ‘show mercy’, ‘be merciful’, etc.), whereas Paul uses a form of charis in his greetings. Of course, charis and eleos are closely related (cf. Ps. 86:15; Exod. 34:6), and Paul’s frequently-added words ‘from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ in his greetings are odd if they are ‘little more than a conventional form of “hello”’. Martens summarises:

‘Granted, it may still be something of a reach to regard Paul’s salutation in his letters as a re-use of the priestly blessing. But, while speculative, it is not an unreasoned reach. If the echo of Paul’s salutation of “grace and peace” is less than sharp, but distant... there is an echo nevertheless. The exercise of intertextuality is more than matching some words; it is realizing the power of ancient texts now hinted at, now expounded. More than repetition or echo is involved.’

Martens concludes his article by noting, among other things, the benefit to preachers of attending to intertexts – by paying attention to how Scripture itself elaborates on ‘blessing’ and ‘keeping’, by seeing how other passages show ‘what it means to live under divine benediction’.

Byron Borger on Books for Life-Long Learners 11.0

2011-11-26T12:29:00.002Z

Here is the eleventh in a series of notes by Byron Borger on recent books, including The Meaning of Marriage by Tim and Kathy Keller.