Interestingly, after writing yesterday’s post that included a footnote gesturing towards my reservations towards the historical critical method employed by biblical scholars, I felicitously happened upon this passage from New Testament scholar Stephen Barton: Continue reading Performing the Scriptures
The Pulpit is a Prow
“Yet the preacher of the gospel of grace cannot be a mere minstrel, grinning good cheer in an age of despair. The preacher’s struggle against the darkness of this present world must be furnished with a full kit: the Bible, the sword of the Spirit, understandable now as it was not understood prior to modernity;1 the history of God’s peaceable Israel old and ongoing (called in Scripture the preparation of the gospel of peace); and supremely (though like the Trinity never so named in Scripture) the primary theology that gives our sermon its center, its raison d’être, its point. Continue reading The Pulpit is a Prow
- While not denying the gains of modern biblical scholarship, I would be inclined to see the legacy of the historical critical method of interpreting the Bible in more ambiguous terms than McClendon seems to at this point. ↩
Hans Boersma on Handling Scripture
There is an excellent essay by Hans Boersma in the current issue of First Things entitled “Fear of the Word” that grapples with some of the fundamental struggles and assumptions about Scripture that haunt preachers today. Here’s an excerpt: Continue reading Hans Boersma on Handling Scripture
The Fundamental Love Story
I was recently politely chided by a friend for not posting anything on the blog in recent days. I’ll have more to say in the days to come about some of the projects I’ve been working on, but in the meantime here is a beautiful and compelling passage from the first volume of James McClendon’s three volume Systematic Theology: Continue reading The Fundamental Love Story
Hauerwas on His “Frightening” Friendship with Jean Vanier
Faith and Leadership have published a lovely piece by Stanley Hauerwas on his friendship with Jean Vanier. The following is an excerpt in which Hauerwas recounts the first time he heard the L’Arche founder speak: Continue reading Hauerwas on His “Frightening” Friendship with Jean Vanier
Jean Vanier and the Wounds of Jesus
Earlier today, Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche movement, died at the Maison Médicale Jeanne Garnier in Paris. The official announcement from L’Arche can be read here and reports from various new agencies are beginning to appear, including that of the CBC here. Continue reading Jean Vanier and the Wounds of Jesus