Dr. Watson's Elementary Blog

New Book on Bible and Disability

2012-01-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

Candida R. Moss and Jeremy Schipper are the editors of a new volume called Disability Studies and Biblical Literature (Palgrave Macmillan), 2011. This one is a bit hefty in price (it lists for $90 on the Macmillan website), but it looks like it may well be worth a trip to the library. The fields of Disability Studies and Biblical Studies are coming together in some remarkable ways in contemporary scholarship, and this volume looks to provide several more examples of that fruitful convergence.

The book comprises twelve chapters which are as follows:

1. Joel S. Baden, "The Nature of Barrenness in the Hebrew Bible"

2. Susan Ackerman, "The Blind, the Lame, and the Barren Shall not Come into the House"

3. T. M. Lemos, "'Like the eunuch who does not beget': Gender, Mutilation, and Negotiated Status in the Ancient Near East"

4. David Tabb Stewart, "Sexual Disabilities in the Hebrew Bible"

5. Saul M. Olyan, "The Ascription of Physical Disability as a Stigmatizing Strategy in Biblical Iconic Polemics"

6. Rebecca Raphael, "Whoring after Cripples: On the Intersection of Gender and Disability Imagery in Jeremiah"

7. Sarah J. Melcher, "A Tale of Two Eunuchs: Isaiah 56:1-8 and Acts 8:26-40"

8. Warren Carter, "'The blind, lame and paralyzed' (John 5:3): John's Gospel, Disability Studies, and Postcolonial Perspective"

9. Mikeal C. Parsons, "His Feet and Ankles Were Made Strong: Signs of Character in the Man Lame from Birth"

10. Adela Yarbro Collins, "Paul's Disability: The Thorn in His Flesh"

11. Meghan Henning, "In Sickness and in Health: Ancient 'Rituals of Truth' in the Greco-Roman World and 1 Peter"

12. Nicole Kelley, "'The punishment of the devil was apparent in the torment of the human body': Epilepsy in Ancient Christianity"

As you can see, this is heavy stuff, but the topic is a serious one and deserves serious attention. There are a number of outstanding scholars in this volume.

More to come after I've finished reading it....

Call to Action?

2011-12-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

I just reread the Call to Action legislation that will go to the General Conference of the UMC. I think the point of this is to create accountability for our various areas of ministry (currently overseen by the general boards and agencies) and to streamline our massive bureaucracy.

O.k.... I think it will do the first, if it passes. There will be a Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry, accountable to a General Council for Strategy and Oversight. The CCMM will basically take the place of the general boards (except for the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits and the Publishing House). It will be governed by a fifteen member board of directors and provide supervision for all of these areas of ministry.

Now, one may ask, how can one council do the work of the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Global Ministries, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the Commission on Archives and History, the General Commission on Communications, the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns?

Simply put, fifteen people cannot do this work, nor will they be expected to. This will be the work of various offices overseen by the Council for Connectional Ministry and Mission. The legislation proposes a few different offices: the Office of Shared Services, the Office of Congregational Vitality, the Office of Leadership Excellence, the Office of Missional Engagement, and the Office of Justice and Reconciliation. Now, one may ask whether these offices can in fact do the work necessary for the governance of the denomination. And one would be wise to ask this. In fact, it must have occurred to the authors of the legislation, since they have also included a very important additional phrase: "and other offices as it may deem necessary to carry out long-term strategies established by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight and the Council of Bishops."

So here's my question: does this legislation, over the long run, really streamline our denominational bureaucracy and help us to save money? I'm not saying it won't, but I am suggesting that it might not.

Happy Birthday, KJV

2011-11-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, this year marks the 400 year anniversary of the King James Bible. As a way of marking this illustrious milestone, David Lyle Jeffrey has assembled a very fine group of scholars in the book, The King James Bible and the World It Made. Sometimes edited volumes can be hit and miss, but this one isn't. This is a very informative work, and I learned a great deal from reading it. I highly recommend it.

The Catholic Spirit

2011-11-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

I'm becoming more and more concerned about the divisiveness that I see within the Body of Christ. In the recent edition of Keeping in Touch, a publication for United alums, I have an article about how we are attempting to address this issue and promote Christian unity at United. If you'd like to see it, you can access this publication here.

Sensitivity to People with Disabilities, Tough Questions, and the Absence of Men

2011-10-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

I went to a great event today at Hyde Park Community UMC in Cincinnati. The topic was “‘Special Needs’ Training for the Church.” The focus was on people with Autism and Down syndrome. There was so much information it would be impossible to summarize. It did start off with some provocative questions, though: Do churches treat people with disabilities as people? Do they treat children with disabilities as babies? Do they offer real community? Do they regard people with disabilities first as people, or as disabled? How many families leave churches because the churches don’t welcome, or even make attempts to accommodate, children with disabilities?

Now, I couldn’t help but notice that the women outnumbered the men by quite a bit. I counted over twenty women, but only five men! Am I missing something? Come on, guys….

Kudos to the good folks of the West Ohio Ministry Team for Persons with Disabilities and Hyde Park Community UMC for putting on a very fine event.

A Nice Piece on Christian Love and Dialogue

2011-10-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Jamie Clark-Soles, who teaches at Perkins School of Theology, has written a very nice piece in the Huffington Post related to our engagement with our neighbors, both on a personal and national level. If you're interested, you can check out the article here.

Reading for Renewal

2011-10-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the privilege of giving the convocation address at United Theological Seminary. I called the address “Reading for Renewal.” It was about reading the Bible in ways that contribute to the renewal of the church. If you’d like to take a look at it, it’s posted on the United website here. Enjoy!

The Chicken or the Egg?

2011-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've been reading John Webster's Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch.Very interesting stuff. On p. 43 he makes a claim that was particularly striking and insightful: "All other Christian doctrines are applications or corollaries of the one doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity, in which the doctrine of the church, no less than the doctrine of revelation, has its proper home." For my own work in thinking about scripture theologically, this statement has far-reaching implications. I think that sometimes we think of the doctrine of the Trinity as derived from a particular theological reading of scripture, rather than of our theological reading of scripture as derived from the doctrine of the Trinity. I'm still thinking through this.... To be continued....

United's Church Renewal Site

2011-08-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

United Theological Seminary has just launched a new website dedicated to church renewal. This site is intended to be a resource for all who are interested in the Holy Spirit’s work in renewal within our churches today. Is has contains blogs, info on new books on renewal, dates and info on upcoming renewal conferences, and other information that may be of use to clergy and laity alike. This is an exciting development and I hope you’ll take the time to look through this helpful resource.

Vickers' New Book on Renewal

2011-07-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague at United Jason Vickers has just come out with a new book, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal, published by Baylor University Press. It's short, sweet, and to the point. It comes out of five years of teaching our introductory level course, "Foundations for Church Renewal," as well as numerous conversations with many different people who care deeply about the life of the church. The ideas are Vickers', but they have been sharpened by dialogue with pastors, judicatory leaders, laypeople, and other academics.

Since we started talking about church renewal at United about five years ago , we have always said that we don't have a canned answer that we're selling. Rather, our goal has been to open up a vital conversation about church renewal among all who have an interest in this topic. This book will lead to helpful conversations that, we pray, will bear fruit within the church. If you have an interest in church renewal, I'd strongly suggest checking this one out.

A Quote from John Wesley

2011-06-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

"Would to God that all the party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world were forgot, and that we might all agree to sit down together, as humble, loving disciples, at the feet of our common Master, to hear His word, to imbibe His Spirit, and to transcribe His life in our own!" - Preface to Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, 9.

Unity is an admirable Christian virtue

2011-06-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

I returned yesterday from the West Ohio Annual Conference. It was good to see old friends and to make new ones, and to be about the business of holy conferencing. I know many people would say that annual conferences do not always embody the ideal of holy conferencing, but, at least in West Ohio, I think that we do ok. The last two years have involved contentious issues that we have engaged (most of the time) with gentleness and humility.

Of course, there are folks who will not be satisfied with the decisions of the conference, and the old Protestant temptation to divide may become too strong to resist. But I am reminded in thinking about disagreement in ecclesial settings that unity is a Christian virtue that is often undervalued. Yes, the issues about which we debate are indeed important and need to be taken seriously, but so does the unity of our communion. We should remember that the solution to every problem in the Christian life does not immediately present itself, even to those who are most faithful and prayerful. Consider, for example, that the creedal statements around the Trinity and the Incarnation took around 400 years to develop, though controversies about the nature of the Godhead and the nature of Christ go back to the earliest days of the faith.

Paul asks rhetorically in 1 Cor 1:13, "Has Christ been divided?" It was a poignant question in the first century, and is no less so today.

Love Wins

2011-06-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

It seems like a lot of people who have been criticizing Rob Bell for Love Wins haven't read the book. This is not intellectually virtuous, to say the least. Regardless, I did read it recently (ok, I listened to the audio book) and I thought it was extremely interesting and helpful. What Bell articulates so well is that Christian orthodoxy is a very wide tradition with considerable room for debate, disagreement, dialogue. Christian orthodoxy does have particular parameters, but within those parameters a lot can happen. Bell is exceptionally skilled at making complex theological ideas accessible. I recommend reading (or listening to) this one if you have the chance.

Jason Vickers on the End of the World!

2011-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague Jason Vickers was on tv yesterday discussing the impending apocalypse. You can check it out here: Dayton's News Source :: Good Morning - Fox 45 In The Morning: Is Tomorrow the Last Day?

My Philosophy of Theological Education

2011-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've recently been appointed as Academic Dean at United (effective July 1), so I've been thinking through the ways in which I conceive of the work of theological education. Here's a brief statement of what I've come up with. Of course, it's subject to revision, so if you have comments, I'd like to receive them.

I believe that theological education should involve four main characteristics. First, we should aim to deepen the faith of our students by helping them to explore the riches of the Christian tradition through the centuries. Scripture, creeds, sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other resources are all part of the rich heritage passed down to us by our fathers and mothers in the faith. They are ports of entry into the life of God, ways in which we receive the Holy Spirit and become the people that God wishes us to be.

Second, we should try to instill within our students intellectual virtue and help them avoid intellectual vice. Intellectual virtue is characterized by traits such as listening, coherence, wisdom, empathy, critical judgment, and truthfulness. Intellectual vice, on the other hand, involves the rejection of these. If we cannot genuinely engage the positions of other people, most especially those with whom we disagree, the end result will always be division, and I do not believe that division is God’s will for the church.

Third, we should in all things strive to equip students for the work of ministry. In the classroom we must always have an eye toward the work of parish ministry, so while we take students into detailed discussions of our various disciplines, the goal is always the same: to create faithful and effective pastors. Scholarship is crucially important, but our scholarly work should be in service to the church. I want to maintain a vibrant conversation with church leaders about ways in which we can work together to prepare people for faithful and effective ministry.

Fourth, we should proceed in all humility. The work that God has given us is humbling work. We are constantly confronted with mysteries of the faith that we can never fully understand. We must be good listeners, first to God, but also to our students, to church leaders, and to one another. Insofar as we disagree, we should carry out our conversations in humility and Christian gentleness, keeping in mind that we serve Christ, who humbled himself for our salvation.

Ok, I'm finally posting a Rob Bell video

2011-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm probably one of the only bloggers in the Christian blogosphere who hasn't posted something about the whole "Is Gandhi in hell?" controversy. Personally, I like his take on that issue. This is a video on a different topic, though: resurrection.

Renewing the church without evangelism? Not likely.

2011-04-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

There is an article on the FTE website that offers some steps to renew the church. I have to admit, I found myself agreeing with a few of the points the author made, but the article was pretty condescending toward evangelicals. And there was one suggestion that I found quite troubling: "Remind yourself that you don't have to take God to anyone. God is already with everyone. So, rather than taking the approach that you need to take the truth out to people who need it, adopt the approach that you need to go find the truth that others have and you are missing. Go be evangelized."

Surely there is a need for Christian humility (which many Christians have embodied in the long history of our faith). Nevertheless the implicit claim in this statement is that the basic truths of Christianity--that God created and loves the world, that human beings live in ways that are inconsistent with God's will, that Christ died on the cross that we might have life, that God raised Jesus from the dead, that we have a new life in Jesus Christ--either are not true or don't matter. Sorry, but that doesn't seem to be a recipe for renewal to me. This sounds like the same brand of relativism that is killing "mainline" Protestant churches.

You can see the whole article here.

WOC Website on Autism

2011-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to say that my conference is getting more serious about ministry with people with disabilities. A step in the right direction is a new website that is being developed on Autism. Eventually, this site will include resources related to ministry with people with disabilities more broadly. If you have an interest in this area, check out the site.

If you happen to be in Cincinnati....

2011-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm delivering two lectures at Armstrong Chapel UMC on April 7 and 14, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The first will be on the historical signficance of crucifixion, what it meant in Jesus' day and how ancient people might have heard the message about the cross. The second will be on the present theological signficance of the crucifixion, with special attention to Christian understanding of atonement. If you want to learn more about these lectures at Armstrong Chapel, click here.

The earliest picture of Jesus? Not so fast....

2011-04-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I stood in line for quite a long time, and indeed paid good Canadian money to the Royal Ontario Museum, to see the ossuary box that had allegedly held the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. I did not go to Toronto just for this purpose, thank goodness, but was at a meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Many other scholars stood in line as well. The story was, after all, fascinating, and, if true, of real historical significance. Unfortunately it was not true. The so-called "James ossuary" was a forgery, though apparently a very clever one.

Lately the blogosphere has been abuzz with news of the "lead codices," which are owned by a Bedouin named Hassan Saida. There are several interesting aspects of these codices, but what has obviously garnered the most attention is the fact that one of them is alleged to bear the earliest pictorial representation of Jesus. If this artifact is authentic, it would be a monumental find.

The fact of the matter is, at this stage many aspects of the codices seem fishy. I mean, really fishy. I mean, Moby Dick fishy. (Ok, Moby Dick was a whale, but you get my point). As the instance of the James ossuary shows clearly, without very detailed scrutiny of an artifact, even experts can be fooled. The fact that the codex covers are made from cast, rather than inscribed, lead, is highly suspicious. There is suspicion around a number of the characters involved. There is considerable translation work that needs to be done on the codices. And the talk around the blogosphere is highly skeptical: check out these links:

http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2011_03_27_archive.html#7454369078247746754

http://rogueclassicism.com/2011/03/30/lead-codices-silliness/

This seems to be no great discovery for archaeologists, but for bloggers it's pure gold.

Church Renewal Conference, Day 2

2011-03-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

We had another great day yesterday. It was good to get insights from Leonard Sweet about what he called our "TGIF" world: Twitter, Google, iPhone, and Facebook. These were some very thought-provoking lectures.

Next year the conference will be on new monasticism, and the speakers will be Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove and Elaine Heath. Should be another good one.

Now to get reader for Walter Brueggemann, who will be here on May 11....

Church Renewal Conference, Day 1

2011-03-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had opening worship tonight at the Fort McKinley campus of Ginghamsburg Church, and it was awesome. The music was very fine, and Bishop Violet Fisher preached a great message on the work of the Holy Spirit for the renewal of the church.

The folks at Fort McKinley have done some amazing work in turning the church around. They have really invested themselves in the neighborhood around the church, and part of their doing so has been to convince people to eat at locally owned establishments. That was part of the program tonight, and two students, our admissions officer, and I ate at Maryann's Southern Kitchen on Salem Ave. It was like being transported to food heaven.

Looking forward to tomorrow....

World Down Syndrome Day

2011-03-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today is World Down Syndrome Day. The date of 3/21 refers to the third copy of the twenty-first chromosome that causes Down Syndrome. People with Down Syndrome are often stereotyped in ways that devalue them as human beings. This is not a properly Christian approach, since from a Christian perspective a disability does not devalue or dehumanize any person. With today's early intervention techniques, moreover, there is no telling what people with Down Syndrome can accomplish. You can learn more about World Down Syndrome Day and how to support people with Down Syndrome by clicking here.

Conference on Church Renewal: Light the Fire!

2011-03-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

I don't believe that the decline of the church is God's will. I'm glad to say that I work for an institution that is taking seriously the need for church renewal in the U.S., Western Europe, and other places. This year on March 27th and 28th we're launching the first in what we plan to be an annual conference on renewal, the Light the Fire conference. Our keynote speaker will be Leonard Sweet. Bishop Violet Fisher will preach during our opening worship, which will be held at the Fort McKinley campus of Ginghamsburg Church. I hope you can join us for what I anticipate will be an outstanding event.

New Bible study for people with intellectual disabilities

2011-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

Friendship Ministries is dedicated to ministry with people with intellectual disabilities. I recently reviewed a curriculum on the Psalms that they developed, and I think it is an excellent resource. It is very thorough and employs a variety of teaching methods to reach people across a spectrum of intellectual abilities and learning styles. To learn more about Friendship Ministries, visit http://www.friendship.org/.

CNN's Puzzling Story on Crossan

2011-02-28T06:25:00.000-08:00

Sure, John Dominic Crossan is an interesting figure. He is an engaging and very personable individual. His scholarship has been extremely provocative and influential. While I disagree with many of his conclusions, I've benefited from reading his work. But why is it that CNN has run a story on him for two days on the homepage of their website? I know that every year as Easter approaches the major news outlets like to run stories on the historical Jesus, often highlighting depictions of Jesus that undermine the church's major Christological claims. But Crossan's major work on the topic, The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant, came out in 1993. When this book came out, Bill Clinton was beginning his first term, the Dallas Cowboys were a good football team, Janet Jackson had a number one hit, and "Jurassic Park" was in theatres. A considerable amount of work on Jesus has come out since 1993. Two days on the homepage, with the caption "John Dominic Crossan's 'blasphemous' portrait of Jesus".... I won't hold my breath waiting for them to highlight a "non-blasphemous" portrait of Jesus.

Christians and Muslims in Cairo

2011-02-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this CNN story that deals in part with Muslims protecting Christians during the protests in Cairo. This is a different angle on Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt, one that we rarely see in the U.S.

Climbing Sinai

2011-01-19T14:36:00.001-08:00

Back in the USA

2011-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Got back in late last night. I heard a couple of our West Virginia travelers were hung up in New York overnight, but I haven't heard anything else about flight complications.

Overall, this has been a very, very good trip. The program of the Society for Biblical Studies isn't just about tourism. It's about getting to know people--what they struggle with, what they hope for, how the live. The holy sights were incredible, but the best part of the trip was the human aspect. We got to see many different perspectives on life in Egypt and Israel and became more aware of the enormous complexity these cultures, complexity that is not often shown to us in the media. If you go to these places and see the tourist sights, you'll have a great time, but if you don't interact with people beyond the surface level, something important will be lost.

Winding Things Up

2011-01-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

Great day in Galilee yesterday: worship on the Sea of Galilee, then over to Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the traditional site of Peter's house, and the River Jordan. Late in the day we made our way down to the Dead Sea because a couple of people wanted to float.

Today we're going to Tent of Nations and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. We have a meeting with a Zionist this evening, and after a quick few hours' sleep we'll be leave the hotel at 3:00 a.m.

It's been a great trip, but it's time to get back home.

North to Galilee

2011-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

We left Bethlehem this morning and went to Qumran. After seeing the sights there for a little while we had lunch in Jericho. Jericho is the lowest city on earth, and perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. And they make good falafel.

After lunch we made our way up into Galilee and finally into Nazareth. We went to the Church of the Annunciation and were given a special tour of the museum there. This church is perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen. It is an incredible blend of ancient and modern. Within that church is the site at which the incarnation is said to have taken place. There is an altar table there with the inscription "Verbum caro hic factum est," or "Here the word became flesh."

Tomorrow we go out the Sea of Galilee first thing in the morning. Everyone is feeling a bit tired, but the trip has been a great experience.

An Israeli Settlement and a Palestinian Refugee Camp

2011-01-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went to an Israeli settlement where we met with two rabbis who spoke with us about Zionism and the function of settlements within it. Their presentations were rather different, as one seemed much more militant than the other.

From the settlement we went immediately to a Palestinian refugee camp in Hebron. We spoke with people who have lived their entire lives there and visited a women's center in the camp.

Needless to say, we heard very different perspectives on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the involvement of the United States. The issues here are exceedingly complex. There are not just two sides to the conflict. There are many different voices and ideas among both Israelis and Palestinians. In the United States we often don't see this. Our media tends to oversimplify things, perhaps in the interest of creating a manageable story, perhaps in some other interest. When you come here, though, if you take the time to talk to people, you can begin to realize the vast complexity of the issues, and it can be very difficult to envision any type of feasible solution. It became clear to me that if citizens of the United States want to help to work for peace in this region, we have to start by educating ourselves and moving beyond the popular ideas that come to us via the mainstream media.

Out of Egypt, Into Israel

2011-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

I couldn't blog for a while because there was not easy internet access at St. Catherine's monastery. (Go figure.) Regardless, St. Catherine's was incredible. Many of us climbed Sinai, attended the Greek Orthodox service, and took a brief tour of the monastery sanctuary.

We made our way into Israel yesterday and spent the night in Bethlehem. Today we went to the old city of Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethesemane, and the Church of the Nativity! Needless to say, we didn't tarry in any one place.

Everyone is pretty tired but in good spirits. We're dealing more with Palestinian/Israeli relations tomorrow. So, more to come....

Ministry to the Deaf in Cairo

2011-01-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great meeting today with Jesus the Light of the World Church deaf unit in Cairo, a ministry of the Anglican Church (technically, the Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North African and the Horn of Africa).

About 10% of the population of Cairo is hearling impaired. This church ministers to Christians from all over Egypt, some of whom travel over twelve hours by train, who have serious hearing impairments. This ministry, run by Clair G. Malik and Rev. Faraj Hanna, teaches basic school subjects including reading in Arabic and English, and offers speech therapy to the children. Egyptian sign lanugage is a big part of the curriculum, as is Christian religious education.

There are also sign language courses for parents. Getting the parents educated is almost as important as educating the children. There is considerable discrimination against the deaf in Egypt, and many people consider deafness a punishment from God. The vast majority of deaf children in Egypt have no support network at home.
Apparently (and I don't understand all of the ins and outs of this) it is illegal for Muslim children to enroll in a Christian program. Therefore all of the children in the program are Christians.

They're running this ministry on a shoestring budget but doing incredible work. They ask for your prayers. If you have any interest in finding out more about this ministry or offering financial support, email Rev Hanna at farajhanna at yahoo.co.uk, or Ms. Malik at deafunit at gmail.com.

I took a lot of video footage, but the editing and whatnot will take a lot of time.

Bent Pyramid, Red Pyramid

2011-01-07T11:50:00.001-08:00

We went to Saqqara today outside of Cairo. We saw the Step Pyramid, which is very impressive, and later we went to Dashur and saw the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. You can go into the Red Pyramid, which was interesting, though it had its challenges. For lunch I had flatbread and considerable amount of something called halawa, which our guide told me was extremely fattening after the fact. Later in the afternoon we had devotions and debriefing, and Peter gave a talk about the origins of Islam.

Tomorrow we are working on issues directly related to Muslims and their relationship to Christians.

Cairo, Day 2

2011-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Cairo, Day 2

2011-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Morning came really, really early today, but it was worth it to see the pyramids and sphinx at Giza. These are massive structures that demonstrate incredible skill in engineering.

After leaving Giza we went to Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies and met with Dr. Dina Shehata. Dr. Shehata discussed with us some of the pressing issues today in Egyptian culture and politics, from the recent elections to Muslim-Copt relations to Egypt’s relationships with Israel and the United States. She is extremely knowledgeable and it was a very informative and enlightening discussion.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the Nile. No further comment on this restaurant.

After lunch we went to the Egyptian Museum. The museum holds a massive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts such as statues and figurines, elaborately decorated coffins and sarcophagi, pharonic masks, tools, and weapons. There were a few portrait paintings that were ca. first century. There were quite a few artistic works on papyri and a few literary papyri written in Greek, Coptic, hieroglyphics, Arabic, and a script that looked like hieratic or demotic (I can’t tell the difference by looking). I suspect that they have many more papyri that were not on display. Many of the pieces had no label or explanation, however, which made them more difficult to appreciate. The museum itself is in a state of significant disrepair. One gets the impression that there is a considerable amount of deferred maintenance.

A note on driving in Cairo: don’t do it. It amazes me how every few feet people seem to walk out in front of our bus with no apparent regard for the oncoming vehicle. Lanes are sometimes painted on the streets but as far as I can tell no one uses them. Cars and mopeds weave here and there missing one another by inches.

Tomorrow’s another big day, so it’s time to get some sleep.

Cairo!

2011-01-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

We arrived safely at our hotel in Cairo today. We're all pretty tired after a long day of travel, and we have to be up in about five hours for breakfast and the next day's activities.

Cairo is an incredible city of about 20 million people (including the surrounding area). It is massive and an incredible place to be, but the air pollution is intense.

More to come. We have a full day planned tomorrow so there should be much to blog about.

Off to Egypt

2011-01-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

I'm having a wonderfully exciting time sitting in DFW airport right now. I'll fly to D.C., then to JFK, then to Amman, Jordan, and then to Cairo. The flight to Amman is overnight, so hopefully I'll be able to sleep a bit. At least I can get some good reading time in.

I'm going to try to blog this trip, although internet access maybe limited at times. Regardless, for anyone who's interested I'll post updates on this blog as I'm able.

Please pray for smooth and safe travel.

Christmas, Palestinian Style

2010-12-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

I was in Bethlehem a couple of years ago just after Christmas. Although it's the city of our Lord's birth, Bethlehem is a tense place, situated as it is in the West Bank, so close to Jerusalem, in the midst of seemingly unresolvable religious and political conflict. Two students and I were walking to the Church of the Nativity and a Palestinian police officer had some fun at our expense. It was nothing serious, just annoying, and we went on our way. As it turned out, the church was temporarily closed for the evening. We were pretty disappointed, as our time in Bethlehem was limited. As we stood outside the church milling around, another police officer began calling to us. He and yet another office were at the bottom of a long stone staircase leading down to the street. They were both holding automatic weapons and he was motioning to us to come down. I have to say I was getting pretty nervous. So, we got down to the bottom of the steps, not really knowing what to expect, but still having a bad taste in our mouth from our last encounter with local law enforcement. What did this police officer want? He wanted to share with us a small fire that he had built beside the sidewalk. It was really cold outside, we couldn't get into the church, and we were just standing there. So he invited us down for some conversation and warmth.

I don't know if they were Christians or Muslims, but that night, outside the Church of the Nativity, two Palestinian police officers, in spite of the fact that they were holding automatic rifles, managed to embody the hospitality, kindness, and gentleness that followers of Christ should emulate. I don't know anything else about them except for the few basic facts we were able to exchange across our language barrier, but that night it was Christmas.

In the Incarnation....

2010-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

God took on human weakness. This is a crucial aspect, though an oft-neglected one, of Christian theology. Consider the kenosis hymn of Philippians 2:5-11. Christ had the form of God, but did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped for his own gain. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. He humbled himself to the point of death... even death on a cross. He is exalted by God because he humbled himself. I encourage you as you prepare your messages in this Advent and Christmas season to think about the ways in which God's voluntarily self-emptying can shape the ways in which we think about ourselves in relationship to God and other people. Christmas is not just about a virginal birth and a child in a manger, though it is also about these things. It is about the Incarnation.

Are Classical Liberalism and Postmodernity Both Oppressive?

2010-12-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Rebecca Raphael's very fine book, Biblical Corpora: Representations of Disability in Hebrew Biblical Literature (T & T Clark, 2008). In this work, she makes a very interesting observation: “[T]he classical liberal emphasis on autonomy assumed a standard, able, adult body and said virtually nothing about the presence of disabled persons in the body politic; and postmodernism has reveled in a representational body subject to infinite choice and pleasure, as if the choices of real bodies were not constrained.” It's interesting how we assume that our efforts toward individual autonomy and liberation actually accomplish what they envision, when in fact, there are always gaps in our perspective.

A New Book on the Gospel of Mark

2010-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Fortress Press publishes the Texts @ Contexts series, the goal of which is to bring voices outside of the North American and Western European contexts more fully into conversation with biblical scholarship. The volume on Mark has come out recently, edited by Nicole Wilkinson Duran, Teresa Okure, and Daniel M. Patte. I'm not going to review the book here. I'll just offer a few thoughts and questions that I had after reading it.

One aspect that I found interesting was the book's treatment of healing and exorcism. There are three essays on these topics. People who live in non-Western contexts often understand healing and exorcism quite differently than we who live in North America and Western Europe. I found this the most interesting part of the book. I only wish there had been more on this issue and that the essays had pushed a bit harder on these points.

There's quite a bit of post-colonial scholarship in the book. This is an important part of engagement with the two-thirds world. Yet I wonder if the degree to which the concerns of post-colonial criticism are represented in this book is proportionately represented in the religious lives and experiences of Christians in these contexts. I don't know the answer... just wondering.

Christianity is spreading rapidly through the global south, a fact which represents an evangelistic, proselytizing concern on the part of these Christians. I didn't see that perspective represented in the book, though, despite the fact that there is ample material in Mark that could lead one to reflect on issues related to evangelism.

All in all, despite the fact that I have some concerns, this is a helpful read. If you want think through the ways in which our cultural contexts shape our readings of the biblical texts, this book will prove a helpful resource.

Post SBL thoughts

2010-11-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't find any good bbq in downtown Atlanta (though I can't say that I tried very hard). I ran into a lot of old friends, though, which was nice.

The only program unit sessions that I went to were the three sessions of the Disability Studies and Healthcare in the Bible and Near East unit. There were some very fine papers presented in this session and I took a lot of notes, trying to nail down as many references as possible. The work being done in this unit is really innovative and interesting. It relates to many other areas of biblical scholarship. I can only see interest growing in the topics addressed by this group in coming years.

I think that an area that needs more attention has to do with intellectual disability and the Bible. I'm not sure how to get at this, though, because the category is so foreign to the biblical writers. Lots to think about....

Unfortunately, all the other program unit sessions that I wanted to go to (and there were several) were at the same time as the disability studies sessions, or they were on Monday or Tuesday (and I left Monday at lunchtime).

On Friday night of the conference I had the opportunity to hear N. T. Wright give a lecture called "The Kingdom and the Cross." It was typical N. T. Wright: eloquent, theologically interesting, and thought provoking. Yet the highlight of the evening, in my opinion, was the respondent, Michael Bird of Crossway College (Australia). Bird's response was not only pointed and well informed, but engaging, humorous, and well delivered. Though relatively young, Bird is certainly making a name for himself in the field.

On Sunday night, the Association of Theological Schools honored Dr. Kathleen O'Connor of Columbia Theological Seminary for her work in theological education. O'Connor gave an outstanding address on the vocation of the theological educator and the need to listen to voices speaking from a variety of contexts as we engage the Bible in the classroom.

Every time I attend SBL I'm more keenly aware of how much I have to learn. Then again, I suppose that's at least part of the point. Complacency is the enemy of good scholarship.

SBL!

2010-11-19T08:32:00.001-08:00

I'm off to the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta today. This is always a really beneficial conference. For me personally, the sections on the Bible and disability and social-scientific criticism of the NT are very important. Add in the lecture by N. T. Wright tonight, numerous receptions, and a chance to catch up with some old friends, and it should be an enjoyable weekend. Plus, there's nothing like southern barbeque!

Mark's Counterculture

2010-11-11T12:37:00.001-08:00

Last week I was reading through the proofs of an article that I've written and will come out later this year. The article compares the ancient novel The Life of Aesop and the Gospel of Mark. Coming back to this text, it struck me again just how deeply countercultural Mark is. Read through this text carefully. Spend time in it. And think through the challenges that Jesus offers in this story. I think of the words of Jesus' followers in John: "This teaching is hard." This especially the case Mark 8, 9, and 10. Hard stuff.

When Biblical Scholarship Gets Weird

2010-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Son of a Dead Sea Scrolls expert was convicted of fraud related to the supposed plagiarism of his father's work. Check out the New York Times article on the conviction.

A very interesting religious figure

2010-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is one of the more interesting figures in public religious discourse today. He'll be a Stillwater UMC near Dayton, Ohio, on December 1 at 7:00 p.m. to speak on the topic "Finding Faith Without Fanaticism." If you can make it, I'd love to see you there.

Honor Among Christians

2010-09-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Well, at long last, it's out. Honor Among Christians is my take on the so-called "messianic secret" in Mark. I'm trying to answer the question, "How would ancient Mediterranean people have heard these stories in Mark in which Jesus attempts to conceal his deeds and identity?"

In 1901 William Wrede wrote a book that we call in English The Messianic Secret. Since that time, the language of "secrecy" has done a lot of heavy lifting in Markan scholarship. Ancient people, however, understood secrecy rather differently than we do. They also understood issues such as fame, power, great deeds, and prestige differently than we do. More specifically, such issues were governed by the values of honor and shame. My goal in this book is to examine the passages associated with the messianic secret in light of these ancient Mediterranean values.

Buddy Walk

2010-09-26T05:56:00.001-07:00

My family and I participated in the Dayton area 2010 Buddy Walk yesterday. The Buddy Walk is an event that occurs all over the country to raise awareness and promote inclusion of people with Down Syndrome. There were several folks from the UTS community there who are not directly affected by DS but who came in support of the event and cause. It was a great event, and if you want to learn more about it, click here.

Video by Presbyterians for Disability Concerns

2010-09-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

This is a helpful video that might be of use in Christian education settings: http://oga.pcusa.org/ga219/home/offering-our-gifts/player.html

The Disabled God

2010-09-02T04:52:00.000-07:00

This work began as Nancy Eiesland's master's thesis, but eventually became a classic work in the area of theology and disability. At less than 120 pages of text, it functions essentially as a programmatic call to rethink assumptions, practices, and theological models that are harmful to persons with disabilities. The actual constructive theological proposal is very brief, but the issues that Eiesland raises continue to give rise to other important theological reflection and proposals.

Nancy Eiesland died at age 44 from cancer. One wonders how her work would have continued to evolve over another, say, thirty years of writing and reflection. Nevertheless, she has left us this very important work which has become essential reading for all who care about the relationship between people with disabilities, God, and the church.

New book on Bible and disability

2010-08-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I read Amos Yong's book, Theology and Down Syndrome. As noted in one of the posts below, I found this book extremely helpful. Recently, Prof. Yong was kind enough to send me a manuscript of his forthcoming book, The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision for the People of God. Eerdmans is the publisher, and it's projected for fall 2011. This is a very insightful book. I especially valued Yong's reflections on Paul's theological treatment of weakness and strength. While Theology and Down Syndrome is a fairly technical volume, this work is more accessible, and a bit less formal in style. If you have an interest in disability studies, especially as they relate to the Bible, keep an eye out for this book.

Should we preach on Mark's longer ending?

2010-08-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

After reading James Sanders' Torah and Canon, I made my way through its brief companion and sequel, Canon and Community. Sanders holds that historical critics, whether they meant to or not, have effectively "de-canonized" parts of the Bible. If some part of the Bible is deemed to be an interpolation, spurious, or somehow later than the larger literary unit in which it is contained, it is seen as having less authority, or perhaps simply less usefulness within the community of faith, than other parts of the Bible. Therefore, we might see letters of disputed Pauline authorship, such as Ephesians, as having less value or authority than those of undisputed authorship, such as 1 Corinthians. Or, to use a much smaller literary unit, we might question the value of Mark 16:9-20, which is almost universally believed to be a later addition to the original ending of Mark at 16:8. If vv. 9-2o weren't part of the original witness of the evangelist, should they have the same functions and value as those parts that are believed to be original (whatever "original" might mean in this context)? Sanders' answer is, basially, "Of course." Canon is always the product of a process, and the addition of these verses is simply a reflection of the church's process of canonization. It was not simply the original witness that was canonized, but a larger literary product that includes these additional verses. Insofar as they remain part of the life and witness of the community of faith, then they continue to function as canon. But when we remove them from our corporate life and witness, then we have functionally, if not formally, de-canonized them, and therefore we deprive ourselves of the full range of the church's scripture.

Very interesting stuff. Sanders' work has shown me that I have a lot to learn about these kinds of issues.

A Masterpiece

2010-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

I read James Sanders' Torah and Canon during my first year of PhD work, but I don't think I really appreciated it in the manner which it deserves. Recently, I reread it in my research on canon, and I'm very glad I did. Sanders demonstrates various ways in which Israel's scriptures functioned in the lives of its historic communities in a variety of periods. Put differently, we explore in this book the ways in which scripture formed a people, sustained them in exile, called them to repentance, and gave them a story by which to live. Sanders' control of the material is impressive, to say the least. There are, by the way, many ways in which Sanders' arguments apply to the life of the church today.

This book was originally published in 1972, and so some of the source-critical ideas he works with may be a bit dated. The style is accessible, not bogged down with jargon or encumbered with technical issues.

A classic in the field of canonical criticism, this work will benefit any who wish to think through the ways in which the Bible can function within our communities of faith, or those who simply wish to learn more about Israel's scriptures, which of course Christians later adopted.

The New Testament as Canon

2010-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

I've been reading in the field of canonical criticism lately. When one begins to research in this area, Brevard Childs and James Sanders are at the top of the reading list. There are a number of other fine scholars who have done work in this field, however. One fine book that I recommend is by Robert Wall and Eugene Lemcio. It is called "The New Testament as Canon: A Reader in Canonical Criticism." Wall and Lemcio are both New Testament professors at Seattle Pacific University, a school affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. Their work in canonical criticism takes the Bible as the book of living, breathing communities, communities that are trying to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Biblical interpretation has often been separated from the life of faith, but the approach in this book sees in the Bible myriad voices that often stand in tension with one another, informing communities of faith in a variety of ways. The tensions between these voices are resolved, they hold, not by creating a "canon within the canon" or simply rejecting one voice in favor of another, but by working through the implications of each within the life of a faithful community. For pastors who have academic interests, this would be a very useful book.

I think that canonical criticism could be a very fine method for working through issues related to the Bible and disability. We have in the Bible texts that one would not think of as helpful for people with disabilities. Likewise, there are texts that people of faith who have disabilities may find hopeful, liberating, and saving. There are tensions in the Bible around these topics, tensions that we need to work through not simply abstractly as scholars, but also as communities of faith who come to know God through scripture.

Upcoming lectures at UTS

2010-06-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

We have some very nice lectures coming up at United in spring 2011. On March 27-28 we will have the first of what is planned to be an ongoing church renewal conference called "Light the Fire!" and the keynote speaker will be Leonard Sweet. We'll also have Walter Brueggemann later that spring--May 11, to be exact--as our speaker for the Heck Lectures . This series generally involves two lectures and a panel discussion. (I would provide a link to a website on Brueggemann, but there are so many it's hard to choose one.) If you think you'll be in the Dayton area on these dates, I hope you'll take the opportunity to hear one or both of these very fine lecturers. Let us know you're coming, though, by registering in advance.

The Messianic Secret

2010-05-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

In 1901, William Wrede publish a book that we call in English The Messianic Secret. He called attention to passages, particularly in Mark, in which Jesus tried to conceal his deeds and identity, or in other ways tried to escape the public eye. Wrede's book was very controversial in its own time, and the passages to which he called attention continue to be the subject of debate even today. These passages, or some combination of them, are generally thought to represent a more or less unified theme in Mark called the "messianic secret."

I have a new book on the messianic secret coming out in October of this year. Actually, to say that the book is about the messianic secret is a bit misleading, because part of what I'm arguing is that the term "messianic secret" is not culturally appropriate for first-century Mediterranean people. The texts associated with this motif are really about honor and shame. It's been a fascinating topic to research and about which to write. If you want to check out the book, click on this link.

Theology and Down Syndrome

2010-05-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

I really benefitted from reading Amos Yong’s Theology and Down Syndrome: Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity (Baylor University Press, 2007, 425 pp.). Amos Yong is a very fine scholar who draws upon a wide range of theological traditions in this text. Much of the book is about disability theory and disability theology in a broad sense, rather than about DS specifically, though intellectual disability is the subject of a fair amount of the analysis. I did not find the discussion of disability in various world religions germane to the overall discussion, though other readers might find it more edifying. In Part 3 of the book Yong works through several theological loci—creation, providence, anthropology, ecclesiology, and soteriology. These discussions are rich and insightful. I found his work on soteriology fascinating. This is no light read. It is a fairly technical volume, though accessible to the non-specialist. I highly recommend this book for anyone who feels that the church should attend more fully to issues of disability.

N. T. Wright Retiring as Bishop of Durham

2010-04-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

This comes as quite a surprise, at least to me. N. T. Wright has decided to step down from one of the most influential posts in the Anglican Church. You can read the article here.

A Wesleyan Perspective on the Bible?

2010-03-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since the WTS meeting, the theme of which was "The Future of Scripture," I've been ruminating....

Is there a particularly Wesleyan take on the Bible? Wesley was, for the most part, what we would consider today a "biblical literalist." He called himself a "man of one book." Of course, there's nothing especially unique about that. He was, in that sense, a product of the Reformation.

Many would dispute, however, that Wesley was indeed a man of one book. Ever since Outler we've had this "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" that has been thought to reflect a Wesleyan use of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. In that sense, Wesley was a good Anglican in the tradition of Richard Hooker, although he seems to have added experience to the mix. That's not all that unique, either.

I think that, rather than seeking a Wesleyan understanding of scripture, it is more fruitful to identify ways in which scripture informs life lived with particular Wesleyan emphases, such as personal holiness and sanctification, social holiness, the work of the Holy Spirit, and assurance. This type of approach seems to be borne out in the Wesley Study Bible, which is a nice volume if you haven't picked one up.

Sometimes it's just too easy....

2010-03-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Glenn Beck has recently advised Christians that, if their churches preach "social justice," they should simply leave them, since "social justice" is a code word for Communism or Nazism.

(scratching my head....)

Apart from the obvious problems with his reading of the gospels, how can the same word refer to both Communism and Nazism?

I could go on, but, why?

You can check out the story here.

Wesleyan Theological Society

2010-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jason Vickers and I traveled to the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society at Azusa Pacific University. The theme was "The Future of Scripture," and the keynote speakers were William J. Abraham and Richard Hays. Abraham and Hays had a very fine dialogue about the nature and function of scripture. The conference was well worth going to.

At this conference, we talked a great deal about the viability of the principle of sola scriptura. In my own paper, I argued that sola scriptura does not reflect the use of scripture in in the first four centuries of the church when the New Testament canon was being formed. Rather, during this period the relationship between scripture and tradition was dialectical, each helping to shape the other. Scripture was never meant to do all of the theological "heavy lifting" for us. Further, sola scriptura unnecessarily limits the theological resources available to us through the Christian tradition.

I was surprised to find that many people agreed with this claim, though at least one person found it highly objectionable. I do think, though, that it's time for a renewed conversation about this issue.

Bible and Disability

2010-03-03T13:50:00.001-08:00

I had a good meeting with folks from the East Ohio Conference on the Bible and disability. There were a few people from the East Ohio Conference task force on disability in attendance. The discussion was rich and edifying, and it also impressed upon me the need for ongoing education and research on this topic. If you're interested in exploring this issue, a good place to start is with the book This Abled Body: Rethinking Disabilities in Biblical Studies, edited by Hector Avalos, Sarah J. Melcher, and Jeremy Schipper.

Sola Scriptura

2010-02-12T16:57:00.001-08:00

I'm delivering a paper at the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society in three weeks, and a good part of my paper involves the doctrine of sola scriptura. I am expanding on the idea developed in the book Canonical Theism that sola scriptura is an unreasonable conception of scripture. The problem that I'm runnign into as I learn about this doctrine is that sola scriptura is a very fluid term, meaning different things withing different communities. It can mean that scripture is the only proper source and norm for the formation of doctrine. Or it can mean that, while the creeds of the church are true, scripture, when read properly, leads us to understand the faith in the manner of these creeds. The creeds are therefore summaries of the proper reading of scripture. Or it can mean that scripture contains everything necessary for salvation. Or it can mean other things. This, gentle reader, is the problem. It's hard to argue about a concept with no stable definition.

Around the same time, I am also speaking at the East Ohio Conference UTS alum gathering on the topic of the Bible and disability. I have been learning about this topic for a while now, but I have not spoken on it before. Given this, you may be asking, "Why are you blogging right now, rather than working on these two projects, the deadlines of which are quickly approaching?" The answer is: I really don't know. Perhaps this is a form of avoidance behavior.

Bible Translations

2010-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what the differences are between various translations of the Bible? The Society of Biblical Literature has a web page that offers some info on these, along with articles about the topic of Bible translation. Click here to get to the site.

A Strong Message to our Denominational Leaders

2010-01-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Press Release from United Theological Seminary,
Dayton, Ohio, North America
January 27, 2010

Dr. Wendy Deichmann Edwards, a United Methodist elder currently serving as President of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, stated that she was shocked to learn that an agency of The United Methodist Church knowingly plans to release a seriously misleading, damaging statement regarding United Theological Seminary later today. The seminary president said the forthcoming statement is not supported by the findings of the independent financial consultant recently hired by the denomination’s own Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and it contradicts the solid affirmation of the fiscal management of the school by both regional (Higher Learning Commission) and international (Association of Theological Schools) accrediting bodies. “I find it unconscionable that brothers and sisters in Christ would knowingly promulgate inaccurate and damaging claims—this will hurt the Church and its witness as much as it will hurt the seminary,” she stated.

The agency reportedly held a meeting last week and discussed accusations concerning the seminary without inviting a representative of the seminary to be present or even informing the seminary it was a subject of debate. Then, after making this incredible decision, advised the seminary of the matter less than 48 hours before the scheduled announcement. There is no way to stop this unfortunate action once it has been approved by the denomination’s University Senate, Deichmann Edwards was told Tuesday by denominational officials. The best she or even a bishop can do is to submit a request for reconsideration within 90 days after the fact and the President confirmed her intention to file for a retraction and public apology to the seminary. More information will be provided in an Open Letter to be posted on the seminary’s website, http://www.united.edu/, later today.

When questioned why a church agency would ignore the findings of authoritative accrediting bodies and of a credible consultant of its own choosing, and act in ways that would undermine the wellbeing of the seminary and the Church, Deichmann Edwards said it is difficult not to wonder whether there is another agenda at work. In a similar way, she pointed out, for many years United was pressured by the denomination to merge with another school against the seminary’s own best judgment and against the advice of highly qualified, professional consultants hired by the Church itself. She admitted it would be hard to conclude there was no conflict of interest involved in the genesis of the harmful statement by a denominational Commission composed primarily of CEOs from institutions that stand to gain financially if United’s growing strength and good reputation is compromised. The seminary president hopes it is not too late to stem the tide of a culture of divisiveness, scarcity and decline within The United Methodist Church. “God isn’t finished with us yet,” she stated, “because the Holy Spirit is always working and there is a whole world out there waiting to hear Good News.”

United Theological Seminary, founded in 1871 by the United Brethren in Christ Church, is one of thirteen theological schools in the USA now affiliated with The United Methodist Church. In the past several years, the school has built a growing network of support among vibrant congregations both small and large, along with bishops and other church leaders who want to revitalize the Church, make disciples of Jesus Christ and change the world. Along these same lines, United has embraced an educational emphasis upon the work of the Holy Spirit in renewing the Church for the mission of Jesus Christ in the world. The school continues longstanding emphases in biblical and academic study, spiritual formation, personal and social holiness, and the use of technology in education and ministry, now most evident in the increasing number of online learning opportunities for students. United’s new enrollment and financial gift receipts have increased dramatically during the past two years, part of a remarkable institutional turnaround that offers hope for the Church and other institutions committed to spiritual growth and renewal, according to President Deichmann Edwards. “This is not about us or what we are doing,” she asserted, “it is about what God is doing to bring hope and new life to people and we are just blessed to be a part of it.”

Craig Evans at UTS

2010-01-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Noted New Testament scholar Craig A. Evans will speak at United on April 14th for the annual J. Arthur Heck Lectures. His topic is "Jesus Outside the Bible." He will discuss not only non-canonical texts, but sources such as Suetonius and Josephus that mention Jesus.

Dr. Evans is a prolific author and a highly respected scholar of the New Testament. I have heard him lecture, and he is very engaging. I strongly encourage all who are able to attend this event, which will conisist of two lectures and a panel discussion. To learn more about these lectures, click here.

A new Bible website

2010-01-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

The Society of Biblical Literature is planning to start a new website about the Bible, one intended not primarily for Bible scholars, but for the general public. They are seeking input about the kinds of things that would make such a website helpful and effective in accomplishing its goals. If you'd like to chime in, click here. I know the people putting this together would appreciate your input.

I've moved

2010-01-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

Well, something had to give. In fact, several things had to give, and one of them was my blogging. I was finishing up a book manuscript for Fortress Press. The book is called Honor Among Christians: The Cultural Key to the So-Called Messianic Secret. Hopefully it will be out later this year. If I can just sell as many copies as Rick Warren did with The Purpose-Driven Life, I'll be feeling pretty good.

So, I'm blogging again, much to the great relief of my millions of readers worldwide.