Christian Century:
An intellectually compelling look at our faith
subscribe to the Century
New Testament
Censoring the Bible
Fri, 05/14/2010 - 15:05 — Adam CopelandThe second reading from the Revised Common Lectionary (the Bible readings for worship used by churches around the world) for this Sunday comes from the book of Revelation. For a few weeks now, we’ve been working our way through Revelation and have now arrived at chapter 22. The assigned reading, though, is Rev. 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. On first glance, it sure looks to me like we’re censoring the Bible.... READ MORE.
Homosexuality as divine punishment in Romans 1
Wed, 04/21/2010 - 13:22 — James McGrathRomans 1 is one of the most frequently-cited passages in the New Testament when it comes to the topic of homosexuality. I considered simply reposting one of my earlier posts on the subject, but it seemed worthwhile taking the time to focus instead on one specific aspect of the passage. In Romans 1, Paul talks about homosexuality not as a sin, but as a divine punishment for sin. He never says "Because people lusted for people of the same gender, therefore..." they were punished. It is consistently that people have glorified the creature rather than the Creator, or done other such things, and therefore God gave them over to homosexuality.
If we look carefully at the language Paul uses, we notice that the terminology Paul uses for such intercourse not that of sin but that of shame and dishonor. Looking at the background to this language may help us understand why Paul could think of homosexuality as a punishment from God.... READ MORE.
The end?
Wed, 04/14/2010 - 11:54 — Steve PankeyMost scholars tend to agree that the 21st chapter of John is an epilogue, added later. They argue over when it was added and by who, but I'm not really interested in that piece of the debate. What I care about is why it was added. Why, after the nice, tidy finish of Jesus appearing in the upper room, breathing the Spirit, sending his disciples, reappearing for Thomas' sake, and then John's closing editor's note, does John (or pseudo-John, honestly who cares) then choose to reopen the story?
It reminds me of sitting in a movie theater, seeing the credits begin to roll and saying, "you know what, I'm not leaving yet, something else is coming." And sometimes it does.... READ MORE.
Morning thanks: Easter
Mon, 04/05/2010 - 10:54 — James C. SchaapIt’s Easter morning, dark as night outside, but soon enough, I’m sure, the dawn will come. Yesterday we were blown around by incessant prairie winds, but relatively warm temps made the backyard so becoming that I simply couldn't stay in the basement, even though the inside work is nearly suffocating.
I snipped some of last year's growth off some bushes, caught my finger something awful--blood all over; then, well-patched, moved on to the perennial bed where I'd left a heavy quilt of leaves over everything last fall. It's been so dry that I didn't even have to rake all that detritus; I simply blew off the dirty cover and there, just beneath, stood, armed for life, a battalion of pointy-headed green nubbins already reaching for the sun.
I don't think anyone knows for sure when the original Easter Sunday morning happened... READ MORE.
How do women preachers dress on Easter?
Mon, 04/05/2010 - 10:52 — edsundaywintersEarly in the morning she is on her way to the cemetery, to the place where he was laid to rest. What is going through her mind as she makes her way to his grave?
Maybe she is blaming herself. Reliving the last few days or even years to try to figure what she might have done to cause his death or what she might have done to prevent it. Painstakingly, she examines her words, her actions trying to find a clue to help her understand why this has happened. What could she have done that would cause things to turn out differently?
Perhaps she is too scared to be thinking of what she might have done or not done, said or not said. Maybe she is concerned for her own safety. After all, he is dead.... READ MORE.
Comprehending sight
Tue, 02/16/2010 - 13:46 — Steven WoolleyGospel healing stories amaze me, especially the ones where the blind receive their sight. Consider, for instance, the story in John where the man born blind and earned his living as a beggar was told by Jesus to go wash in the pool of Siloam. To be sure he received his ability to see, but what is more amazing is that he could see with comprehension. There is no indication that he had any trouble recognizing people or places; he had no difficulty adjusting to his new world of sight. He could see with comprehension, and I wonder if that is what we need to focus on.
Is that what Paul was getting at when he wrote about seeing in a glass dimly now but once fully in God’s presence seeing clearly? It’s not about seeing but about comprehension. The man born blind could see with comprehension once he had been touched by Jesus, but he could not comprehend everything.... READ MORE.
A well-known tale
Wed, 02/03/2010 - 15:17 — Steve PankeyThe story of Jesus and the miraculous catch is probably the best known fishing tale in history. It is a favorite of Sunday school programs, an easy teaching for youth groups, and it gets preached all the time. It is so well known that we barely know it at all. We've heard it so many times, we think we know it, but we know only bits and pieces.
A fellow priest and I were on the phone on Monday lamenting the translation of the NRSV when Jesus tells Simon from now on he'll be "catching people." Why ruin the pun of fishers of men, we both wondered. Well, mostly because that's Matthew's version, not Luke's. In Luke the Greek verb means "live catching" and not "fishing." Did you know that? I didn't.... READ MORE.
Messianic cause and effect
Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:48 — James McGrathAcademic discussions of the subject of the place of Jesus' birth has been spreading Christmas cheer throughout the biblioblogosphere. Mark Goodacre's podcast started it off, and Doug Chaplin, +Wrong and I all responded in different ways. The +Wrong discussion is particularly interesting since it offered examples of individuals who became known as "NAME 0f PLACE" where the place was not where they were born; to which Steph responded by pointing out that in such cases the place they were associated with was a place they became famous, and it is not clear that "Jesus of Nazareth" fits that category. (An example that comes to mind from a later time is Rumi).
Historians are understandably skeptical and must consider the possibility that Jesus was associated with Bethlehem later. Because of the joint convictions that (a) Jesus was the Messiah, and (b) the Messiah has to come from Bethlehem, some Christians could well have drawn the conclusion that Jesus must have been from Bethlehem.... READ MORE.
Are the gospels historically reliable?
Mon, 11/30/2009 - 10:48 — Chris BrundageNew Testament scholar Craig Blomberg says they are, and he uses methods of critical historical inquiry to support his views. Although at some points he takes the argument farther than necessary, on the whole he presents a strong and compelling case, looking in a detailed analysis at the Synoptics and John.
The most striking aspect of his argument came at the end when he noted we assume the Gospels to be generally historically reliable unless it is demonstrated clearly they are not. This is the same assumption made for any historical document, especially ones so close in time and space to their events as the Gospels are.... READ MORE.
On being born again
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:34 — Chris SissonsIf we are to take a radical approach to ethics, we need to understand what Christians mean by conversion. Let us start with the story of Nicodemus at John chapter 3:1. The most significant thing about Nicodemus is that he comes by night.
He is a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews and so it is likely he was a member of the Sanhedrin. He is a great man. So why does he come by night? The only conceivable answer is that he does not want to be seen with Jesus.
We never find out why he came to see Jesus because Jesus interrupts him before he can ask. It is possible he came to find out for himself as much as he could about Jesus. He starts by flattering Jesus, and so Jesus interrupts Nicodemus and tells him, he must be 'born from above' (v3)
Nicodemus does not understand and so Jesus explains some more. What is born of flesh is flesh, what is born of the spirit is spirit. This is a second birth. Jesus knows he is a learned man, a man who knows the law and the prophets. He knows what God has promised to the people of Israel. And yet he has found the more he knows of these texts, he is still far from the demands God makes through the law and prophets. Jesus is telling him, he needs to start over again, and find a radical change of perspective.... READ MORE.
