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<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Many of course will know this book. It is typical of the excellent prose and accessible stuff that we\u2019ve come to expect from Tom\u2019s popular writing. The book\u2019s central thesis is that God\u2019s kingdom came by means<\/em> of Jesus death on the cross, by means of a non-violent martyrdom. Wright believes that Israel\u2019s theocracy in the OT has been transferred to the church in the New Testament. The story of Israel is now continued in revised form in the story or the church. So this is no private, separatist vision of church life. The church as the new Israel has a revolutionary political agenda, a theocratic politician vision. This political vision is a nonviolent one \u2013 power through suffering. Gundry characterizes Wright\u2019s understanding of the mission of the church like this:<\/p>\nThe Christian church-especially in the West and most especially in the United States \u2013 should oppose the use of military force and accompany the preaching of eternal salvation with philanthropic works in society at large, these works being inherent to God\u2019s continuing to become king on earth as in heaven right now, not merely utilitarian for the purpose of recommending the gospel of salvation in the age to come\u201d (58).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Gundry\u2019s concerns are hermeneutical and exegetical. With the former, the question of the relationship between the OT and the NT, the relationship between biblical Israel and the church, is at the heart. In disagreeing with his thesis, Gundry puts his finger on the most important hermeneutical issue of the book \u2013 actually, I think this is the hermeneutical problem of Wright\u2019s whole theological project. Wright argues that the story of Israel comes to its climax in the Gospels, in the story of Jesus. This is not the problem for Gundry. The tension emerges however with what Wright means by this. For his thesis to work, the story of Israel is climaxed in the story of Jesus only after significant revisionism<\/em>. Gundry sees this clearly:<\/p>\n
At this point a tension is to be noted in Wright\u2019s proposal. To support its theocratically political aspect, he stresses that \u201cthe four Gospels present themselves as the climax of the story of Israel,\u201d so that \u201cIsrael had not been abandoned,\u201d the theory of abandonment being \u201ca gross caricature of the actual biblical story.\u201d On the other hand, through Israel \u201chad not been \u2018replaced\u2019 . . .[i]t had been transformed\u201d through the inclusion of \u201cpagan converts.\u201d To the extent that this transformation is emphasized, the theocratically political cast of God\u2019s Israelitish kingdom recedes as, for example, in Jesus\u2019 statement that \u201cGod\u2019s kingdom will be taken away from you [the leaders of Israel] and given to a nation [called Jesus\u2019 \u2018church\u2019 in Matt 16:18] producing its fruits\u201d (Matt 21:43) and in Paul\u2019s distinguishing \u201cGod\u2019s church\u201d from \u201cJews\u201d as well as \u201cGreeks\u201d (1 Cor 10:32) . . . to the extent he allows difference between the old, monoethnic Israel and a new, multiethnic \u201cIsrael\u201d leverage is lost for a transference of the Israelitish political theocracy to the church (59-60).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is a dense passage. And frankly \u2013 I hate to say this \u2013 but I would have wished for better prose and a more user-friendly structure to the piece. Gundry\u2019s prose and readability do not compare with Wright\u2019s, at least not here. But muddling through the article is worth one\u2019s time. And I found it illuminating once penetrated. If I read Gundry right (no pun intended) he is saying that Tom can\u2019t have his cake and eat it too. If Tom wants Israel\u2019s theocracy in the church he needs ethnic distinctions and violence. The key line in the passage I think is \u201cTo the extent that this transformation is emphasized, the theocratically political cast of God\u2019s Israelitish kingdom recedes.\u201d\u00a0Wright\u2019s hermeneutic, in other words, can\u2019t deliver his conclusion.<\/p>\n
As for the exegesis, Gundry tours some of the most important texts dealt with by Wright in the Gospels to show their lack of support his thesis. Gundry\u2019s point is that the Gospel writers don\u2019t seem to underscore suffering in either Jesus\u2019 ministry or his cross-death. And, more importantly, the cross is not presented by the evangelists as the place of the coming of God\u2019s kingdom. Gundry contents instead that the kingdom of God comes \u201cin spite of\u201d his death on the cross, but by means of it. What\u2019s more, the kingdom story is far from over. Gundry concludes his argument observing the violent climax of the coming of God\u2019s kingdom in Jesus\u2019 second coming. He states, \u201cthe violence of divine judgment needs to be incorporated into a comprehensive NT theology of God\u2019s kingdom . . . whether we like it or not, whether we take it literally or figuratively, NT language of final judgment bespeaks violence\u2014violence of an extreme sort, in fact\u201d (71-72). Gundry concludes:<\/p>\n
God\u2019s kingdom continued despite the cross, God\u2019s kingdom underwent revision because of the cross, and this revision consisted in the internationalizing of God\u2019s people and the delay of his political rule over the world till the second coming of Christ in resurrected, judgmental power (73).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Perhaps I\u2019m not reading Gundry right (again no pun here), but I wonder if he\u2019s denying too much. I can agree to a point, but I think the atoning death of Jesus on the cross is a necessary<\/em> element of the kingdom come. It has a preparatory function<\/em>, much like John the Baptist\u2019s function. For example in Matthew it solves the dilemma of Israel\u2019s national sin, particularly the sin of innocent blood (1:21; 23:30, 35; 27:4, 24, 25). Also, I don\u2019t know if I can go with him on his own form of revisionism. I\u2019d like to hear him elaborate particularly on what he means by the revision of the kingdom because<\/em> of the cross. I don\u2019t see the cross revising either the nature of God\u2019s people or the timing of the kingdom.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the recent issue of BBR (24.1, pp. 57-73), Bob Gundry published a critique of Tom Wright\u2019s very popular book How God Became King called \u201cAn Exegetical and Biblical Theological Evaluation of N.T. Wright\u2019s How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels.\u00a0 Many of course will know this book. It is typical of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":195,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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