Monday, March 7, 2011

Week 6: Three Worlds Bridges/ Status, Worth, Value /Magazine Party/Wrap up

Second devotion:
 "Rats and Garbage":
Two rats
Ephesians 4:26
  • 1 Cor 7: 3-5
  • 2 Cor 2:10-11
  • James 3:13-16




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In the "three worlds" language of our textbook, interpreting the Bible is all about how we cross the bridge from  the literary and historical worlds to our
day (contemporary world):




This seems to get tricky..especially with issues like Slavery Sabbath War and Women.
  How do we know what cultural commandments carry over to our day?  It can be a tough bridge..
See also: "kicking butts, hair in a bun, tattoos"




Click here (scroll down to page 19-21) to see the helpful "bridge" section from Brian Dodd's book.  (i also really recommend chapter 1, pp. 9-18)


As you can see by the David Lee photo here,
and as you have been experiencing in class,
traveling the bridge can be a foggy and frustrating affair.




 


Or to mix the metaphor, the bridge can be
"all wet" (photo below and story here).





















To play with the bridge image one more time:
Here 's a pic of the New Choluteca Bridge, which, thanks to a hurricane, effectively links "nothing to nowhere"




This way of reading the Bible really helps us cross the bridge,
ans is especially helpful for sections or books of the Bible that we have too often read with "verse-itis,"
and not through the "historical world" and "literary world" of their day.


How about building a bridge from BOTH SIDES?:
Like this one in Virginia>


or the Hoover Dam bridge.





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Remember how many times we mentioned understanding what the text is saying is?
Ever have a hard time discerning words to songs?  When all you know is what it sounds like they're saying?

It can happen with contemporary songs:

or with hymns:



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Bible Study sources:

  • The "TNIV Books of the Bible"  that I'll mention is described in more detail here, in above video, and see an update: "The TNIV is Dead. Long Live the New NIV"
  • The IVP Bible Background Commentary is largely readable online at Google Books..helpful on Philemon. Just click here, then click "preview."
  • Several wanted the info on the books on structural Bible study. Here they are, with links to amazon.com, and in order from large/academic to small/accessible: "Methodical Bible Study" "The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study" and "Bible Study That Works."
  • Some good books on how to read the tougher passages of the Bible, and walk the bridge to "contemporary world" are "The Blue Parakeet, " "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth" and"Slavery Sabbath War and Women.
  •  Additional resources:

    The NIV Study Bible: the study notes here are not perfect, but they are extensive, and nothing else quite like it has been done ; basically summarizing the best available commentary on each book of the Bible. The notes have been adapted to different Bibles, and even translations (For example, you can but the New American Standard Version with the NIV Study Bible Notes, a great combo. The one I would recommend, though, is the TNIV Study Bible.

    Interlinear:
    NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English (Marshall)... Extensive preview here

    Many online

    The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Vital for grasping the historical/cultural significance of a passage. Extensive OT preview here, Extensive NT preview here
    Eerdman's Handbook of the Bible: It is amazing how this overview can sometimes nail the understanding/message of a particular book of the Bible, theme, or historical question. Full of charts and maps.
    Small preview here

    The New Bible Dictionary: The best one-volume Bible Dictionary; essential.

    Concordance: Strong's (free online) and Young's are still popular, but since we don't circulate in the King James much anymore (and these are not "exhaustive or complete), The NIV Exhaustive Concordance is to be preferred.

    Commentaries:
    In order from most detailed/academic/use of Greek and Hebrew
    todown-home, practical, devotional,sermon-oriented and "popular":
  • New International Greek Testament Commentary
  • Word Biblical Comemtary
  • New International Commentary
  • Inter Varsity Press Commentary (many volumes online free here at biblegateway.com
  • Matthew Henry's Commentary (free here; concise version here)
  • Warren Wiersbe's "BE" series
A good middle ground would be to start with the 2nd or 3rd above, and branch up or down from there. Individual commentaries within a series vary in quality, as each volume is by a different author, ideally a specialist in that book; but tha above series are so good, that most volumes are excellent. It would still be best not to buy a complete series, but pick and choose the classic volumes among 1, 2. and 3. One suggested list here

Online:

Of course, you can search our Israel tour guide's website for his comments about a passage you are studying:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Habakkuk
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
1 John
2 John
Revelation


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 This video clip on "kingdom of our group" dovetails with many themes from class:

Wolfgang Simson's comments here (1:03-2:22)

on

  • "the Kingdom of our group"

vs.

  • the Kingdom of God

are helpful.

He deals with the roots of group-ism, and also addresses the fascinating inclusio/chiasm of Jesus' sayings:

Luke 9:50:
"Whoever is not against you is for you."

Luke 11:23:
" Whoever is not with me is against me."

And if you keep watching, he'll suggest that God's Kingdom image is male/female, while some nations tend to incarnate (only) a male or female image. Can you guess which gender he assigns your country?


(Whole series here)



--------------------------------

On this week's topic of Worth and Status, we'll look at some of these Scriptures n class.  How do they inform your Philemon paper?
  • Matthew 12: 46 – 50
  • Matthew 13: 53 – 58
  • Mark 9:33 – 37
  • Luke 6:27 – 38
  • Luke 10:38 – 42
  • Luke 14:12 – 14
  • Luke 16:1 – 9
  • Luke 22:24 – 30
  • John 5:19-30
  • Acts 10:38
  • Romans 8:12 – 16
  • I Corinthians 11:17 – 22
  • Ephesians 5:21 – 33
  • Philippians 2:5-11
  • I Timothy 2:8 – 15
  • I Timothy 3:8 – 13
  • I Timothy 5:1 –16
In thinking about  living selflessly like Jesus did...

fill in this blank:
The Scripture suggests that Jesus was able to do miracles, and have 


supernatural knowledge, because he was ___________.



If you answered "God" ...
and not 'human"...read on:
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Some theologians call this "Spirit Christology" or "kenosis",  whether or not  this proposed theology is consistently true. If it is, it would almost move this question into the realm of "essential" doctrines, because it then provides the very key to how we are to live in relation to daily Christian life, walking in the power and possibilities of the Spirit; doing the "greater works than Jesus" that Jesus flatly and unapologetically predicted we would do. Now, not every proponent of "Spirit Christology" or "kenosis theology" is biblical or orthodox, so hear me when I say that I know I don't agree with everyone using these categories. The basic argument would be this; to put it bluntly, as one preacher did for shock value:

"Jesus did nothing on earth as God! "

Wow, better unpack that! Now, that statement doesn't have to imply He was not God.. He was, is and always will be fully God in my Book! It's just that He didn't. during His earthly ministry, anyway..do anything out of His innate, inherent and intrinsic Godhood. He voluntarily surrendered the rights to use and access His God hood's attributes... such as omniscience, or power to do mighty miracles. Several
Scriptures come into play: John 5:19 and 30 offer that Jesus did nothing in and of Himself, but only did what the Father and Spirit told/led/empowered Him to do. Philippians 2:6-11 asserts that Jesus didn't take advantage of, or even access of the rights and power of His Godhood, which would be "robbery," and a violation of the whole point of His incarnation; His coming to earth. Instead of functioning out of His eternal power and prerogative as Almighty God, He "emptied Himself". A by-product of this, is as Hebrews affirms "Jesus know every temptation we have endured by His own experience" (2:18 and 4:15). I also love to shock congregations by asking "When Jesus did miracles on earth, how was He able to do those miracles?" Well-trained evangelicals of course automatically answer, "Because He was God!" When actually, that may be the wrong answer all together. Of course He was God, no debate. But the only Scriptural answer to "How did He do those miracles?" is "in the power of the Spirit". And witness Matt. 12:28: He cast out demons; not because He was God and could do so, but as a human "by the power of the Spirit." Thus, that is the "key" key, crucial catch, and ancient but overlooked secret as to how we, mere humans, are to do the same works He did, even greater. (Jesus said that, not me. Blame Him: John 14:12) 



Answer: We do them through "checking in" with the same Father Jesus checked in with while on earth; and trusting,...radically; to the point where the supernatural almost becomes natural and norm... the same Spirit Jesus trusted. (Note Jesus, a few sentences later, suggests that is His secret, and ours. He simply passes the torch to us, but not without the sharing the same equipping Holy Spirit: verses 16-17).Such deep trust and dependency doesn't make us Jesus, of course, but they do position us to trust the timing and voice of the Father, and prompting and power of the Spirit, as radically as Jesus did...with similar and "even greater" results! If JESUS never did anything in and of Himself (John 5:19 and 30), who do we think WE are?

When Jesus asked, in Mark 5:30, "Who touched me?," did He mean it, or was this a test? If "Spirit Christology" is true, one could answer the former, without sacrificing an iota of essential, foundational evangelical theology. When Jesus said even He (Matthew 24:36) did not know the day or hour of His return, was that a lie?. No, and this "lack of knowledge" on the part of a member of the all-knowing Trinity poses no problem. I would propose that He knows now, but He chose not to know on earth. This was all part of His modeling a complete self-emptying. This, though, is core to my third question:" How consistent and complete is this theology.? Did Jesus ever do anything 'on earth as God', even though He was God? And Lord, is this profound truth so profound that to miss it allows us to miss the 'normal' life you have intended for us?"

Whatever the ultimate answer to this question the Lord would give me, the bottom line question I keep hearing in the meantime. and "real time" is haunting: "Have I yet trusted as completely and recklessly as I could in the leading of the Father and the power of the Sprit? I almost don't even care if I do a greater work or not, I just want to be found faithful, and be an answer to Jesus' wild and waiting prophecy of John 14:12. 

I love Dwight Edwards' penetrating, "must-be- wrestled- with" self-questions :

1. What have I done recently that could not be duplicated by an unbeliever, no matter how hard they tried?

2.What blatant evidence of the supernatural God has leaked out of my life?

Questions indeed! (link)

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Don't forget to bring magazines for our project tonight..,


BONUS: Do not click this next link to read the secret about the magazine project we did tonight..  Seriously, it will ruin the project for you...only click to read this after we are done with our magazine project. 


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Here are some notes the faculty has put together to help summarize the class and themes:



Community
: is created, stories are foundational, laws/norms provide boundaries and guidelines, relational concept of righteousness/guidelines, power and authority are present but look different in community of believers, worship as something which forms and nurtures community, challenge of dealing with the realities of status within community and the different way status and relationships are to be grounded in the community of faith, the challenge of living lives that are connected, of allowing others to challenge and test our preconceptions about how the world works and who God is. Community as process and shared journey.

Skills: You know more about how to read and interpret the Bible than you did 6 weeks ago. We have noticed that there are different kinds of writing in scripture, and we have to work at reading and interpreting those different kinds of texts differently. We have realized that we bring who we are to the text, and must be aware of our own biases. We have recognized that sometimes we come asking questions the text is not trying to answer. We have to work at hearing the text and taking it on its own terms, developing ourselves as good listening partners. The work of hearing the text has meant we've asked many different kinds of questions of the texts themselves. What are the underlying assumptions about how the world works, who God is, how the community should be—these make up the historical world. They require investigative work and thought by us. They may reveal differences between assumptions of our day and the day of the texts were written. We have asked questions about the way in which the things we were reading were put together. Biblical writers have lots of material and are making choices about what is told and the way in which it is told. We learn what is important to them by the way they construct the story they tell. This is the literary world. And finally, tonight, we have especially asked questions about how the text impacts the people hearing or reading it. What are the biblical writers trying to encourage or cajole or command their hearers/readers to do? What is happening in the encounter that happens in front of the text as reader and text interact? This the contemporary world includes both the first readers and us, as readers now. How is the text influencing us? How are we responding?
The hope is that our time together, spent getting to know these different worlds, has enhanced your skills and joy for reading scripture. 
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Here is the syllabus for your next Bible Class: 300B..  IMPORTANT: ALL WORK IS DONE AHEAD OF CLASS, INCLUDING A  SERVICE PROJECT AND CHURCH VISIT..

It might help nto take this  survey  (by Paul Hiebert) ahead of class, to think about gospel, church and culture (click here for printable version):


Gospel and Culture
By Paul Hiebert, from “Anthropological Insights for Missionaries”
This exercise is intended to help you test your own theological consistency on a
number of issues that Protestants in various denominations have felt important. As a
Christian in a cross-cultural setting, you will need to learn the differences between
those elements essential to the church in every culture, and those elements which are
not.
Part One
Separate all the items that follow into two categories, based on these definitions:
Essential: These items (commands, practices, customs) are essential to the church in
every age and place  [Mark these. “E” on the list.]
Negotiable. These items (commands, practices, customs) may or may not be valid
for the church in any given place or time. [Mark these “N” on the list.]
1. Greet each other with a holy kiss.
2. Do not go to court to settle issues between Christians.
3. Do not eat meat used in pagan ceremonies.
4. Women in the assembly should be veiled when praying or speaking.
5. Wash feet at the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist).
6. Lay on hands for ordination.
7. Sing without musical accompaniment.
8. Abstain from eating blood.
9. Abstain from fornication.
10. Share the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist).
11. Use only real wine and unleavened bread for your Eucharist meals.
12. Use only grape juice for Eucharist meals.
13. Anoint with oil for healing.
14. Women are not to teach men.
15. Women are not to wear braided hair, gold, or pearls.
16. Men are not to have long hair.
17. Do not drink wine at all.
18. Slavery is permissible if you treat slaves well.
19. Remain single.
20. Seek the gift of tongues.
21. Seek the gift of healing.
22. Lift your hands when you pray.
23. People who don’t work don’t eat.
24. Have a private “devotional time” every day.
25. Say Amen at the end of prayers.
26. Appoint elders and deacons in every congregation.
27. Elect the leaders.
28. Confess sins one to another.
29. Confess sins privately to God.
30. Give at least ten percent of your income/goods/crops to God.
31. Construct a building for worship.
32. Confess Christ publicly by means of baptism.
33. Be baptized by immersion.
34. Be baptized as an adult.
35. Be baptized as a child/infant.
36. Do not be a polygamist.
37. Do not divorce your spouse for any reason.
38. Do not divorce your spouse except for adultery.

Part Two
Reflect on the process by which you distinguished the “essential” from the
“negotiable” items. What principle or principles governed your decision? Write out the
method you used, in a simple, concise statement. Be completely honest with yourself
and accurately describe how you arrived at your decisions. Your principle(s) should
account for every decision.
Part Three
Review your decisions again, and answer the following questions:
Are your “essential” items so important to you that you could not associate with a
group that did not practice all of them?
Are there some “essential” items that are a little more “essential” than others?
Are there any items that have nothing explicitly to do with Scripture at all?
-Paul Hiebert

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Week 5: Quiz/Worshipping in Community/How to study a text viaThree Worlds

Devotions: text me a caption to this picture sometime during class:







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 quizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:
 
  1. MOSES ___                           A. Instruction, Law, First Five Books of Old Testament.
  2. TORAH ___                           B. Didn’t believe in angels, demons, resurrection. 
  3. PHARISEES___                        Emphasized written law, not oral tradition.
  4. SADDUCEES__                         Upper class, temple priests.
  5. ZEALOTS___                        C. Leader of God’s people through Exodus/ Red Sea
  6. ESSENES___                         D. Defined by boundaries, who is in or out
  7. CHIASM___                           E. Lived in community in Qumran, belived in End Times,
  8. INCLUSIO___                             Probably wrote Dead Sea Scrolls.
  9. BOUNDED SET___               F.Though it has a boundary, it is defined by direction of
  10. CENTERED SET___                 persons relative to the center (towards/ away)
  11.                                                  G.A word or theme is repeated at beginning and end of a text
                                                          (and often in the middle).
                                                      H.  Believed in armed rebellion against Rome; freedom fighters.
                                                       I.  Greek word for letter 'X.'  A literary device that follows an 'X'
                                                              or ABBA pattern or reversal; mirror image.
                                                       J. Believed in both Written and Oral Law.  Lay people, scholars,
                                                           middle class, believed in angels, demons, resurrection.
                                                             
    WEEK 5: WORSHIPPING IN COMMUNITY
    >>The Psalms were the basic ""literary world"  worship and prayer book
    for the "historical world"  Jews....and the early Christian church..
    ..so why don't we follow it in our " contemporary world?"   Maybe it's too honest.... and "spiritual."

    There are several ways to categorize, organize and group the psalms.
    You may have noticed they are broken into 5 "books."  The 5 is probably intentional...for the same reason we found 5 teachings in Mathew: it's the number of Torah/Pentateuch/Moses.

    There are  different ways to categorize the "types" of psalms

    Here is one way (thus the diagram):
    These four categories sound pretty distinct, and they are...but sometimes they overlap and Venn in surprising ways.  One psalm might visit most of these types, even switching midsentence.
    How do they overlap, relate for you.  I put them in a traditional order, but could they work in the opposite order (say, if you were having a bad day?).  Where would you place them in the diagram?
    --
    You may still be having trouble forgiving Walter Brueggemann for writing that book you had to read for last class (:..

    But the same guy suggests another helpful way to categorize the Psalms:
    q        Orientation:
    o      Creation - in which we consider the world and our place in it
    o      Torah - in which we consider the importance of God's revealed will
    o      Wisdom - in which we consider the importance of living well
    o      Narrative - in which we consider our past and its influence on our present
    o      Psalms of Trust - in which we express our trust in God's care and goodness

    q        Disorientation:
    o      Lament - in which we/I express anger, frustration, confusion about God's (seeming?) absence
    §       Communal
    §       Individual
    o      Penitential - in which we/I express regret and sorrow over wrongs we have done
    §       Communal
    §       Individual

    q        Reorientation
    o      Thanksgiving - in which we thank God for what God has done for us/me
    §       Communal
    §       Individual
    o      Hymns of Praise - in which we praise God for who God is
    o      Zion Psalms - in which we praise God for our home
    o      Royal Psalms - in which we consider the role of political leadership
    o      Covenant Renewal - in which we renew our relationship with God
    (Click here for more)
    -----------------
    We noted how astonishingly HONEST the prayer/worship book of the Jews (and Christians) is!


    When we talk about the psalms of lament, psalms of imprecation, and psalms of disorientation being just as integral a part of biblical "worship" as the more "obvious," upbeat and "worshipful" psalms,
    these comments from Bono of U2 comes to mind. He makes a good point:


    Why are believers often so afraid of/threatened by the "honest and full truth," when the Scripture,
    and the biblical "historical world," is not?

    How about this:

    COFFEE, NOT JESUS

    "Pastor, can I you come over right away?" came the voice over the phone. " I have a terrible confession to make!" I took the trip across town, the whole way I was thinking "What in the world is she going to confess? She’s a sweet older saint! What did she do, accidentally swat a mosquito, and now she needs to confess being a murderer?" When I arrived, she sat me down and spilled it out; right to the point: "I am an occasional atheist! Is that okay? "

    I did not laugh, for I was priest-pastor in a holy moment, but took and shook her hand, signifying that I, too, belonged to that club. And she was freed; even though she was fearful of making that necessary and jolting confession.  This is merely confession of our occasional atheism, shocking honesty, and common humanity.

    Speaking of humanity, and radical honesty, and "occasional atheism"….that’s obviously a Johnny Cash thing.

    Two stories about Johnny  follow, the first below by the reverently irreverent journalist Chuck Klosterman:

    Here is the easiest way to explain the genius of Johnny Cash: Singing from the perspective of a convicted murderer in the song ‘Folsom Prison Blues,’ Cash is struck by pangs of regret when he sits in his cell and hears a distant train whistle. This is because people on that train are ‘probably drinkin’ coffee.’ And this is also why Cash seems completely credible as a felon: He doesn’t want freedom or friendship with Jesus or a new lawyer. He wants coffee. Within the mind of a killer, complex feelings are eerily simple. This is why killers can shoot men in Reno just to watch them die and the rest of us usually can’t.
    ("Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs", page 186)


    Usually!

    The next Cash story is already a contemporary classic:


    Cash once got a visit from U2 members Bono and Adam Clayton who were driving across the U.S. taking in the local colors. The three of them sat around a table before their meal, and Cash floored the two Irishmen with an incredible prayer of thanksgiving to God. Then, without skipping a beat, he raised his head and quipped, ‘Sure miss the drugs, though.’ (Dave Urbanski, "The Man Comes Around", p, xxi)


    All of us have at times wanted coffee, not Jesus. We have all missed our drugs, whatever they were. We have all considered taking a taxi out of Gethsemane ; lead-footing out of our marriage; but we know that we know that "these fast cars will do me no good." But we don’t know that until we say it. So we say it; and we stay. Even when part of us doesn’t.
               -dw




    Bonus video below, also U2 related. This is audio recording of Bono introducing Pastor Jack Heaslip (U2's chaplain/pastor) to offer a prayer/blessing on the opening night of a U2 tour, is insightful on several levels.

    I love how in the introduction Bono offers all the band's staff, roadies, etc. opportunity to participate in the blessing, without apology, but without coercion or exclusion. He's
    bounded and centered set.
    I also enjoy Bono's casual, almost apologetic, self-effacing (!) remark at the end about feeding the hungry "apparently" on the band that night.

    (By the way, Tim Neufeld teaches a whole FPU class on the Christian implications of U2;
    you should also be aware of The Rev. Beth Maynard's blog)

    --
    On that topic of BOTH bounded and centered set, I came across a post by Len Hjalmarson
    (FPU seminary grad) which introduces us to such a grid. This concept might be a really helpful model for your Philemon paper: How do you see one set or the other, or both, or both at the same time in Philemon?


    Read Len's post here, featuring Stuart Murray's diagram at right.










    ------------------------

    Here's a sermon I once did on Psalm 22, which is another amazing psalm to use in a worship setting...How often have you heard "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?" in a church song?.

    But that sentence is not just what Jesus said on the cross, he was quoting from the prayer book of the psalms.

     One excerpt:

    I’ve got nothing left to give,” the professor said.

    Several years ago some other pastors and I had responsibility for a pastors retreat. We decided to bring in a deep, profound, distinguished man of God; a professor renowned in the field of spiritual formation.

    We were busy pastors, some of us bordering on burnout; we badly needed retreat…and training in the meat spiritual formation .

    So there was indeed a huge hunger and holy hush in the room, when after weeks of waiting, the respected PhD, whom we were thrilled had said “yes” to flying out the 3,000 miles from his seminary to enlighten our relatively small but serious group, opened his mouth that first night.

    Bibles and notebooks in hand , we leaned forward to receive what the master would say; what gleanings the guru had studied and prayed hard to impart.

    His opening line broke the silence, the mood, and all the “rules” of grad-school-level spiritual formation 701:

    “I have nothing to give.”

    “Excuse me?,” I am sure we all collectively thought.

    He continued, oblivious to our headscratching; indeed not even acknowledging the question marks hanging over us.

    I almost didn’t come. I almost cancelled, but I figured this retreat was booked, and I had better keep my commitment.

    You see, the other day, I woke up to my wife saying ‘I’m leaving you.’

    And she did.

    I was so distraught that all I could do was immediately, and in a daze, drive the thousand miles to my best friend’s house.

    When his wife answered the door, she could only manage: ‘How did you know?’

    ‘Know what?, I asked.

    ‘He just killed himself!’

    I could only jump shellshocked into my car, drive all those miles back home..

    ..To find my house had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground.”

    The question marks over our heads were gone.

    He matter-of-factly concluded:



    So all I could do is keep my commitment and make this retreat where you want me to teach you spiritual formation. I’m sorry if I’ve made the wrong choice in coming; if I’m wasting your valuable time and money. I am here to teach spiritual formation, and maybe I can do that…

    The only problem is I’m not sure I have anything left to give.

    That was the most profound lesson and lecture in spiritual formation that I have ever received.

    As you can tell, I remember every word of that opening lecture.



    whole sermon:

    "The Lord Be With You...Even When He’s Not!"







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    ------------------------------

    -------------------------------------------------------




    Text me a caption in class...within next half hour

    Remember Rob Bell, from  his sermon last week on the Literary Historical Worlds of Revelation?
    Tonight will watch his "Everything is Spiritual" message for our "road trip."
    If you think my whiteboard drawings are nuts, just wait till you see his!!





    The whole message is not on line, but these excerpts are:

    part 1:


    part 2:


    part 3:


    part 4:


    part 5:

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    Phinally... some help on PHILEMON 




    .
    Here is some help on how to draw a diagram in WORD.
    Here's a video on how to do it in Microsoft PAINT.
     

    ----------
    ----
    HOW TO STUDY A TEXT 
                   VIA THE THREE WORLDS:
    What I present below is a helpful process for studying any biblical text from a "Three Worlds Perspective."
    You will find it useful as you prepare your Philemon paper, but it is likely too much to use all of it.
    What this is below, is how to go deep in studying a given passage, by devoting a half-hour to an hour per world..asking

    "What do you observe in the passage related to the "three worlds"?
     =
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    First of all, become familiar with the "Three Worlds"  Concept which comes from your Hauer/Young Tetbook, see especially chapters two and three, and see class notes.
    Here  below is how one student summarized the worlds (she has more detail here)


    Literary World--The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text.  We mean the world (or, better, worlds) created by the text; the words on the page, by the stories, songs, letters and the myriad other types of literature that make up the Bible.  All good literature (and the Bible is, among other things, good literature) creates in readers' minds magnificent, mysterious, and often moving worlds that take on a reality of their own, whether or not they represent anything real outside the pages (Hauer and Young ch 2).



    Historical World--The historical world of the Bible is the world "behind the text" or "outside the text".  It is the context in which the Bible came to be written, translated, and interpreted over time, until the present.  In studying the historical world of the Bible, we look for evidence outside the text that helps us answer questions such as, who wrote this text, when was it written, to whom was it written, and why was it written.  We also probe the text itself for evidence that links it to historical times, places, situations, and persons (Hauer and Young 2)..



    Contemporary World--The contemporary world is the "world in front of the text" or the "world of the reader."  In one sense, there are as many contemporary worlds of the Bible as there are readers, for each of us brings our own particular concerns and questions to the text.  They inevitably shape our reading experience.  We are all interested in answering the questions of whether the Bible in general, or particular texts, have any relevance to our personal lives (Hauer and Young  ch3).
    -Brolin


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    Then, if a specific way to organize your research would help,


    here is ONE way you might approach your study:

    You might envision studying a passage as a four step process, or a three step process  (Observe, Interpret, Apply) with an important interlude (Correlate).
    The following outline is from Oletta Wald:


    • OBSERVATION What does the text say?
    • INTERPRETATION  What did it say and mean to its original readers? What does it mean by what it says? 
    • Don't forget CORRELATION: How does this fit with the flow/narrative/story of the rest of  Bible
    • APPLICATION How does this apply  today?  What does it say and mean to us?  How should my life be different tomorrow if I believe this message is relevant?
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    These three steps parallel fairly well with the "three worlds':
    OBSERVATION =LITERARY WORLD
    INTERPRETATION=HISTORICAL WORLD
    APPLICATION=CONTEMPORARY WORLD..

    and in the "one way" article below,
    CORRELATION=INTERLUDE 

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    Here, then, below, might be one way to study three worlds.  You might follow this process for your next "Three Worlds" assignment, limiting yourself to an hour for each world. 

    25 STEPS:
     


    LITERARY WORLD: 

    1)Pray for wisdom and insight...it's not considered cheating! (: 

    2) If a text has not already been assigned, decide on the exact parameters of your text; yourpericope.

    3)Make a working decision on genre, and who the text seems to be addressed to.  Note if it is addressed to an individual or a group.

    4)Re-copy on sheet of paper (or word document) the text  (use NRSV, NIV or TNIV translation..Find them all in the drop-down box at Bible Gatway here) without paragraph breaks.  Ponder it for several minutes,  read it aloud several times, listen to it on audio (BibleGateway.com) and  (maybe) even begin memorizing it..  Jot any preliminary thoughts or questions about what it seems to say and mean.  Comment on  any mood, atmosphere, emotion and tone that you imagine.

    5)Rewrite/rearrange the text (or re-organize or reformat it) in a way that makes sense of the flow of thought and grammar.  Even if you aren't familiar with grammatical terminology, split apart clauses and pay attention to tense and form. Try some sentence diagramming (examples here here,here, here)
    (See Oletta Wald, "The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study" for ideas), and David Thompson, "Bible Study That Works).

    Indent new thoughts, even new phases. Make rhymes, parallelisms, and paragraphs  (obvious.   Note (maybe color code) repeated words and ideas.  New paragraphs or indentations for different speakers. Do you spot  inclusio?  chiasm?
    Maybe use this chart >> as a checklist.
    See pp 40-49 of Hauer/Young for lots of help. 
    Try a computer wordle (here) or word cloud (here) of the passage. Outline the passage.  Jot down any new insights about what the text seems to say or mean.

    6)Chart or diagram the text in any way that makes sense to you. Make particular use of arrows/circles/underlining to connect themes,  logic, words literary devices.

    7)Do you see any examples of bounded sets? Centered sets? Fuzzy sets? 

    8)Comment on the context (the sections just before and after your chosen text.  Are there any thematic or literary connections?  Repeated themes or words?
    Especially if your text is a gospel or from Samuel/Kings/Chronicles, locate any other book where the same story is told (often these are listed under paragraph headings in Bibles;  see a Gospel Parallels chart here;  you can also check BibleGateway.com). and compare/contrast the accounts.  Make tentatative conclusions about your author's viewpoint and TTP (targeted theological purpose), based on what he/she does NOT include.

    9)Briefly consider the book the unit is drawn from.  Do you know of any themes or issues it is known to address?  Read the introduction to the book
     here, and check for it in the index of Hauer/Young

    10)What would be your working title to your text? 



    HISTORICAL WORLD

    11)Make observations about which  book, which Testament the text is from, and anything you know about its author, historical setting, and its place in the broader biblical narrative (See index in Hauer/Young, for example).

    12)Are persons/events/places  from other biblical books (or testaments) mentioned?  If so, you might check these names places in  your class notes,  Oxford Bible notes, New Bible Dictionary. Erdmans Handbook to the Bible,  Erdmans Bible Dictionary, Worldwide Study Bible) or on Ray VanDer Laan's website (type the name or term in the search bar).  Is there intertextualty, hyperlinking? Check resources such as BibleGateway.com (tutorial here), concordances, cross-references.

    13)Read the section about your text from at least two commentaries (and be sure to quote then in your final project)  The Bible Background Commentary is recommended.  Don't get overwhelmed with detail, or understanding everything written, but do make note of anything that confirms or differs from your findings, and especially any iusight that is intriguing or new.

    14)Read the section about your text from "The Bible Background Commentary' (Old Testament  
    or New Testament)What "historical worlds" insights are found there? 

    15)Read any article or datafile below  from VanDer Laan  about your passage:

    Genesis
    Exodus
    Leviticus
    Numbers
    Deuteronomy
    Joshua
    Judges
    Ruth
    1 Samuel
    2 Samuel
    1 Kings
    2 Kings 
    1 Chronicles
    2 Chronicles
    Ezra
    Nehemiah
    Esther
    Job
    Psalms
    Proverbs
    Ecclesiastes
    Isaiah
    Jeremiah 
    Ezekiel
    Daniel
    Hosea
    Joel
    Amos
    Obadiah
    Jonah
    Micah
    Habakkuk
    Zechariah
    Malachi 
    Matthew
    Mark
    Luke
    John
    Acts
    Romans
    1 Corinthians
    2 Corinthians
    Galatians
    Ephesians
    Philippians
    Colossians 
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Thessalonians
    1 Timothy
    2 Timothy
    Philemon
    Hebrews
    James
    1 Peter
    1 John
    2 John
    Revelation



    INTERLUDE:

    16)If the text is from a gospel, incorporate any insights from 300 class about the  historical world of Jesus day. If the text is not a gospel, how would it relate to Jesus and the gospels, particularly  the Sermon on the Mount?
    Watch this short video, and ask how your text relates to the "center" of the Bible.  Where does the story  fit?  Do other passages seem to fulfill,  supercede,  bring further revelation to it?


    17)Read the text in two more translations (one being a standard translation such as NRSV, TNIV, ESV, JB, NASV and one being a looser translation or paraphrase (The Message, The Voice, Good News Bible).  .Find them all in the drop-down box at Bible Gatway here)   Jot down any differences and insights.

    18)Summarize your thoughts, findings, feelings and questions

    19)Would you modify your working title at this point?  Add a subtitle which hints at a sub-theme.


    CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

    20). What do you know abut the "contemporary" world of the people in the text., or the people addressed in the text.  Comment on how your world/our world is different than ours, and note any problems this causes in application.  Review

    21)Remembering your":personal and social inventory,"  your results on RRWI/EPIC and the Dan Nainan "What race IS that guy?" video: in what ways does your  faith perspective, culture, class, age or gender help or hinder you in understanding/relating to/ appreciating and personalizing the text.

    22)On the left hand column of  a sheet of paper, summarize your findings, suggestions and hunches about what then text "means" to the original readers/ hearers.  Then on the right hand column, make corresponding implications for what the text might mean to us today.  How is our situation/nation/church/world the same or different? 

    23)Especially if your text is  teaching or parable, how might it be retold in  our day, with contemporary references (culture, technology, news etc).  If the text is parable (or acted parable, like the Fig tree cursing or temple tantrum)  how might Jesus (or whoever told the parable) tell the same story to make the same point today?  (ex. who are the "Samaritans" of our day?)  How might Jesus (or whoever told the parable) tell a different  story to make the same point today? 

    24)Incorporate any insights from areas of skill and knowledge you have (maybe from different classes you have this semester),especially from disciplines that may seem unrelated (science, math,  music, computers. mechanics).  Think creatively.

    25)What is your working summary of the text;s message and meaning,and applications.
    What does it have to with a contemporary church's life?  My life?
    Craft a short devotional thought, or a brief outline of a teaching (sermon or drama) you might offer if asked to bring a  devotional or message on this text in a church setting.


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    "outgoing devotion": Text me a caption to this final photo at some random time before next class: