It took a parody. I devoted a section of a chapter in Deep Exegesis to Peter Enns’s work, I’ve critiqued him on my blog here and here and here, as well as the similar work of John Walton, here and here. To my knowledge, neither Enns nor Walton took note. Enns did, however, answer my parody article, “The Abraham Myth” on his own blog at Patheos. It’s good to be noticed. If I want to interact with Enns again, I’ll... Read more
When Paul lived among the Thessalonians, he wasn’t a layabout and didn’t ask them for any necessities. He paid for everything he got (2 Thessalonians 3:7-8). Paul did have the right (exousia) to ask for food and shelter. He brought spiritual gifts, and could have expected material gifts in return. He deliberately gave up his rights for pedagogical reasons, so that his conduct could serve as a “model” (tupos) for the Thessalonians to imitate (memeomai). As elsewhere in Paul, the... Read more
Paul-Francois Tremlett (Levi-Strauss on Religion) provides this neat precis of the central claim of Levi-Straussian structuralism: “new way of thinking about questions of culture and cultural difference. Language had been seen as a transparent medium for expressing thoughts and for describing or re-presenting objects. In structuralist thought, however, language is understood quite differently. For structuralists, linguistic expressions—utterances or speech acts—are the products not of individual or authorial intentions, but are rather constituted in advance by a hidden or unconscious grammar.... Read more
Stan Van Hooft’s Cosmopolitanism pays closer attention to religion themes than many works on this theme. He clearly recognizes the role that religion plays in human life, and criticizes Martha Nussbaum for her avoidance of the point: Despite basing her description on an analysis of the cultural productions and literatures of many peoples, Nussbaum seems to have downplayed an obvious fact: most people in most parts of the world are religious. We in the West may have developed a more secular... Read more
Four times Babylon is called “Babylon the great” (Babulon he megale) in Revelation, and the uses of the phrase form a simple chiasm: A. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, 14:8 B. Babylon the great is remembered before God, 16:19 B’. “Babylon the Great” on forehead of harlot, 17:5 A’. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, 18:2 Four cities formed the original Babel (Genesis 10:10; the cities are Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh). From building those four cities, Nimrod went... Read more
A strong angel takes up a millstone and tosses it into the sea. Just so, he says, Babylon will be thrown down violently and will never be found (Revelation 18:21). How is a millstone like a city? For starters, a millstone is a piece of earth, a rock that is shaped for a particular purpose. It’s a cultural artifact, and one that is useful for human production. A millstone turns nature into culture, wheat into flour, which makes it possible... Read more
In his 1908 treatise on Passing Protestantism and Coming Catholicism, Newman Smyth posed what he considered the decisive question about Protestantism: “to what extent are the Protestant churches losing control of the forces of life? . . . Is it mastering the controlling forces of life?” (13). His answer was No. By comparison with the Catholic Church’s “undisputed control over whole spheres of human life” (14), Protestantism is culturally and politically weak. Family life used to be structured by the church’s sacramental... Read more
In her God Needs No Passport (89-90), Peggy Levitt reviews some of the recent discussions of cosmopolitanism – from luminaries like Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Amartya Sen. Levitt discovers one notable absence in all of them: Religion plays almost no role. And that absence is due, she argues, to the assumption that religion is inherently parochial, rural, closed: “Faith communities have rarely been seen as instances of cosmopolitanism, or as inspiring their members to look beyond their own club. Religion... Read more
The verb “descend” (katabaino) is used ten times in Revelation, and the uses form a neat pattern: A. Jerusalem (3:12) B. Angel in cloud with book (10:1) C. Devil (12:12) D. Fire of false prophet (13:13) E. Hailstones (16:21) B’. Angel with glory (18:1) C’. Angel to bind dragon (20:1) D’. Fire to devour Satan and armies(20:9) A’. New Jerusalem (2x; 21:2, 10) The sequence is framed by three references to the descent of “new Jerusalem,” the first a promise... Read more
Theology students learn everything except the Bible. They learn historical theology and church history, systematics and dogmatics; they master the linguistic and interpretive tools to study the Bible for themselves. Actual study of the Bible is often minimal. Theopolis Bible courses focus on the Scriptures themselves. Under the guidance of experienced teachers, students learn the contents and patterns of Scripture, learn to be delighted by its beauties and to plunge into its depths. During the 2015-2016 academic year, Theopolis will... Read more
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