My friend and fellow blogger, Pastor Steve McCoy, ever mindful of the image of the Southern Baptists, is now watching out for my image. In an effort to improve my standing in an increasingly youthful development in our Biblical and Theological Studies Department has re-configured my thin beard into the image of David Crowder. Now, my merry little band of Boaz Johnson, Brad Nassif, Genevive Dibley, and Joel Willitts can rise up and bless me as a youth. Thanks Steve.... Read more
Sometimes the way to follow Jesus is to go to the cross with him. Peter thought this was the only option for the household slaves — he appealed to them to look to God for grace, to look to God for vindication, and to follow the example of Jesus. Sometimes we pursue justice “within the order,” and sometimes we bear with the system and suffer. I don’t think there are any hard and tight rules to show us the way.... Read more
In Alan Mann’s Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society, which drew plenty of healthy comment yesterday, there is a big-time emphasis on narrative or story. Whether we talk like this or even think like this or not, “story” or “narrative” gives meaning to our lives. We make sense of our life and our world by telling a story of our life or our world — it structures the elements into a coherent whole. Atonement, according to Mann, is a story and... Read more
In Alan Mann’s Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society, which drew plenty of healthy comment yesterday, there is a big-time emphasis on narrative or story. Whether we talk like this or even think like this or not, “story” or “narrative” gives meaning to our lives. We make sense of our life and our world by telling a story of our life or our world — it structures the elements into a coherent whole. Atonement, according to Mann, is a story and... Read more
Hi! It’s nice to be the bearer of GOOD news!! If all remains as is, Bob will be coming home this Friday!! [This is a note from Wendy.] |inline Read more
The closest thing I’ve seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society: Engaging with an emerging culture, in the new Paternoster series called Faith in an Emerging Culture. Because some of you will be interested, here’s the Amazon link. There are three separable sections to this book, each of which is innovative. |inline Read more
Many of you know we conducted an international search for an opening in our Department (Biblical and Theological Studies) this year, and some may recall that we had over 165 applicants and inquiries. Really quite amazing. What we discovered in the process is that there are too many qualified people. In the process, which began with our favoring a person in Theology, we discovered that we needed a Bible person, and we are happy to announce that Joel Willitts has... Read more
Many of you know we conducted an international search for an opening in our Department (Biblical and Theological Studies) this year, and some may recall that we had over 165 applicants and inquiries. Really quite amazing. What we discovered in the process is that there are too many qualified people. In the process, which began with our favoring a person in Theology, we discovered that we needed a Bible person, and we are happy to announce that Joel Willitts has... Read more
Yesterday’s post sets up today’s. Peter is addressing the powerless — much more powerless than we can probably recognize today. And they are “slaves” (the Greek word probably indicates “household slaves”). Peter is addressing the gamut of the “household” (2:18–3:7) so it makes sense to include “household slaves.” Peter’s concern is how they should live, as Christians, in a Roman world that is just beginning to hear about Jesus as Lord and Messiah. |inline Read more
Before anything else, let’s admit this up front: it is not easy for us to look at 1 Peter 2:18-25 (on slaves submitting to masters, as Jesus submitted to the Father) without fire in our eyes, shame in our history, and nuance all over everything we say. Why? Because of what we know about the history of slavery in our world. This text, to use a term from feminists studies, a “text of terror.” But not to all of us.... Read more
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