Faith

“If we define faith as credulity, as a leap in the dark, then no, that’s not what it is. I’ve put it in these words: God has put enough into this world to make faith in Him a most reasonable thing. He has left enough out to make it impossible to live by sheer reason alone.”

- Ravi Zacharias, Decision, March 2014, p.21

Apostle of the Last Days

There may be some who read Apostle of the Last Days: the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul and find to their surprise that it is not their father’s eschatology. C. Marvin Pate describes the content of Paul’s letters in the context of the contemporary views of the parousia held by Jews, Judaizers, Greeks, and Romans. Although there are charts that compare and contrast these views with Paul’s teaching, there are no timelines or prophecy charts so beloved by evangelical Christians.

According to Pate, Paul’s consistent premise in his epistles is that the last days began with the advent of Christ. This is termed “inaugurated eschatology.” Simply put, Paul does not teach that the last days are past, or that they are yet to come, but that they have begun.

As a recovering dispensationalist, I was interested to read how Pate treated the famous “Rapture passage” in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He writes,

Though the concept of a secret rapture of the church before the advent of the great tribulation followed by the visible second coming of Christ is enormously popular in American religion, there is no basis for such in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the key passage in the debate. This is because Paul equates the “rapture” (1 Thess. 4:13-18) with the parousia/second coming of Christ (98).

At times it seems as though the author gave too much attention to trying to find cultic religious themes as targets of Paul’s theology. However, it should be noted that the appearance of this may be more a reflection of this reviewer’s ignorance than a reflection on the author. Certainly modern interpreters are often guilty of failing to consider these cultural motifs in their study. Pate’s discussion of the background of Artemis worship in Ephesus was extremely valuable.

I was surprised to find several printing errors in the book. The outline of Paul’s theology in the introduction on page 31-32 is repeated on page 33-34. On page 131, a Scripture reference is given as 1 Cor.20. On page 261, Philo is quoted, “Therefore, if any desire comes upon the O soul…” (thee?). This is not indicative of Kregel’s usually excellent work.

Apostle of the Last Days is a valuable addition to one’s library on Pauline theology.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

The resurgence of Biblical theological studies is enriched by Jason S. DeRouchie’s What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About. Seventeen authors contributed articles to this redemptive-historical survey of the Old Testament. Through numerous charts and illustrations, the kingdom theme is unfolded from the Law to the Prophets.

The Old Testament was the Bible that Jesus read; the Scriptures that He claimed “testify of me.” For too long, this volume of Scripture has been viewed as the Jewish book; the part of the Bible that related to Israel.  In What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About we discover that the Old Testament is a Christian book; it is the book of the coming Messiah.

What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About is textbook material. It is rich in photographs, charts, illustrations, and maps. Chapters end with a review of key words and concepts. This is not a survey in the traditional sense of a survey, nor is it an introduction. Critical matters such as authorship are given scant attention.  Rather, it is an overview of each Old Testament author’s contribution to the unfolding story of redemption.

Readers from a dispensational perspective will be less thrilled about this volume. The contributors do not take that approach to the prophetic books in particular. One example of this is found in contributor Gary E. Yates remarks concerning the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah;

 The new covenant would [provide] spiritual transformation for all who belonged to the covenant: “They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest…for I will forgive their iniquity” (31:34; cf. Deut. 30:6). Ultimately, it is the work of the Messiah Jesus that makes this possible, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The restored remnant of Israel and the nations, with hearts now surrendered to Yahweh and the royal descendent of David (Jer. 23:5; 30:9), would never again have to experience judgment and exile for disobedience to Yahweh’s commands, and they would forever enjoy fullness of blessings in the Promised Land (32:39=41) (p. 256, italics original).

 

Preston Sprinkle’s comments on Ezekiel are even plainer:

 What are we to make of this future temple? Should we anticipate the future rebuilding of a literal temple, fully equipped with a Levitical priesthood (44:15-31) performing sacrifices for atonement for sin (45:15-17, 20)? This literal interpretation is possible and is suggested by the fact that Ezekiel is shown such detailed measurements of this temple (40:5-42:20) and given such detailed guidelines about how worship should be conducted within it (chs. 44-46). This literal interpretation runs into problems, however, when we look at the book of Hebrews, where the Old Testament sacrificial system is clearly a mere shadow pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (see esp. Heb. 10). …

Premillennial dispensationalism seems to be the evangelical default position. Many (including the reviewer) were trained in this context. This volume offers an invigorating challenge to this interpretive scheme. At least for some, this book will encourage a rereading of the Old Testament Scriptures in a Christological context.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Book Review: Embracing Shared Ministry

It should not take another book to explain the radical nature of the way of Christ when compared to non-Christian society. However, sometimes we need to be reminded of the counter-cultural call of Christianity. This is the premise behind Joseph Hellerman’s Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why it Matters Today.

I admit that I expected something different from the book when I decided to read it. I anticipated another book on the wisdom of plural leadership in the church. It certainly is that; but it is more.

Joseph Hellerman begins by showing that Philippi, which is specifically identified in Acts as a Roman colony, was immersed in the culture of honor and prestige that dominated Roman society. He summarizes this by saying, “The people of Philippi had been socialized to embrace the status conscious, honor-oriented values of their cultural world” (p.26). As a Roman colony, Philippi was a “Rome away from Rome.” It is fitting, then, that it was to believers in this church that Paul expounded the selfless self-emptying of Christ in the richly Christological passage of Phil. 2:4-11. Hellerman reminds us that this deep, theologically rich Christology was given in the context of inter-personal behaviors and not in the halls of the academy. Theology is to be lived.

After building upon this and exposing our own culture’s romance with honor and status, the author makes a plea for church leadership that more closely imitates the way of the cross as described in Phil. 2:4-11. We know too well that many churches tend to follow corporate strategies designed more for the business world than for the flock for whom Christ died.

This book is a good exercise in interpreting Scripture in the context in which it was written. We tend to judge the example of Christ by modern concepts of  humility. Hellerman clearly shows the absolutely radical nature of Paul’s injunction when viewed through first century Roman lenses.

As I progressed to the latter part of the book, I wondered if Hellerman would take a more extreme approach and denounce leadership out of hand. He does not. He knows that leadership is necessary and that, like nature, it abhors a vacuum. Someone will lead. It is the quality, accountability, and relational nature of that leadership that makes the difference.

Embracing Shared Ministry is a welcomed addition to the body of literature available in church leadership. It may send some sacred cows to the altar, but such sacrifices need to be made.

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

 

 

Tattooed Jesus

A co-worker sent this link to several of us and asked for our thoughts. Perhaps you have you have already seen the story or heard the buzz. This story is about a billboard that supposedly depicts Jesus sporting tattoos. Here is my comment:

I read this statement yesterday and found it to be surprisingly appropriate to this discussion, The author was writing about the church at the end of the first century; "The process of accommodation to the values of the dominant culture continued unabated for the next several centuries..." (Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why it Matters Today by Joseph H. Hellerman). His point was that the early Christians were known for their counter cultural message. Unfortunately, it did not take long for assimilation and syncretism to set in.

One might argue that a tattooed Jesus is counter-cultural. No doubt the intent was to show that Jesus came to "seek and to save the lost."  But this image is radical only if the dominant culture is one of white shirts, ties, and wing tips. This is obviously not the case. In fact, body art is embraced by the culture in ways previously unknown. So, a picture of a tattooed Jesus should certainly come as no surprise.

May be the larger is this: why are people upset because their favorite rendition of Jesus is being defaced? Since when did we learn what Jesus actually looked like? The billboard merely shows a man who represents what we have embraced as the image of Jesus, without any empirical evidence.

What is even more disturbing is this: when did it become OK to violate the 2nd commandment and revere images as representations of God? The uproar over this is telling.

Vanity Plates

Vanity plates have long been a means of self-expression. Sometimes it’s fun to guess what the combination of letters and numbers signify. Recently, I followed a new, shiny, black Mercury with titanium wheels, driven by a woman, who from what I could see, was very well dressed. Her license plate read “GD FVR ME.” I assume the message was “God favors me.” I do not know this person, so I could not possibly comment upon the truthfulness of that statement. But as I saw that plate on that car I began to ponder the message.

I have just upgraded my vehicle to a 2001 Buick Century. This was my wife’s car, but we “upgraded” the Buick to a 2001 mini-van. For the past 3 years, my “ride” was a 1993 Chevrolet Lumina. This was a dependable car, although not particularly attractive. I am convinced that a GD FVR ME vanity plate would not have the same impact hanging on my 1993 Lumina.

The message seems to be that if God does favor you, the manifestation of that would be in the form of a shiny, new, black Mercury. I would not be opposed to a new Mercury if God saw fit to bless me with one. However, if God’s expression of favor to me is the forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and the surpassing riches of knowing and loving Jesus, I’ll take the Lumina.

The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good

Several books have been recently published that explore the dangers inherent in ministries that target the poor and underserved segments of the population. Toxic Charity shows how well intentioned ministry can actually be detrimental in the long run, particularly if that ministry fails to address the causes that precipitated the individual’s dependence upon our charity. When I requested the book, The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good, I thought would be reading along the same lines.

Peter Greer offers a great balance to the growing list of titles about people helping people. Unlike Toxic Charity, Greer does not deal with how our helping people can hurt those who are helped; rather he shows how helping people can hurt the people who are the helpers. The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good recounts the dangers that may easily overtake the leaders involved in ministry. Chapters cover topics like “the Spiritual Danger of Giving Leftovers to Loved Ones” (especially convicting), “The Spiritual Danger of Justifying Minor Moral Lapses for a Good Cause” and “The Spiritual Danger of Thinking You’re the Superhero in Your Story,” to name a few.

When you read the chapter titles, it is easy to think of certain individuals in the public spotlight who have become the poster child for the dangers covered in the chapters. Greer, however, avoids the easy targets and shows how all of these dangers can trip up any of us. He takes a shot at all of us with words like, “Nothing is wrong in taking pleasure in your work… Work is a gift. But finding your identity in your work is a cheap substitute for finding your worth in Jesus Christ. And I’d forgotten my identity as a Christian leader was subordinate to my calling as a follower of Him (italics original).”

My wife finished The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good before I did. Her comment was that “every man in ministry should be required to read this.” I finished the book. I concur.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Library Thing as part of their Early Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising