Praying through Romans
I promised yesterday to make a post of selected texts, one from each chapter of Romans, for the purpose of lectio divina for the next sixteen days. If you choose to pray along with me that is wonderful. Perhaps as you are reading you will locate other texts the Spirit will lead you to for the purpose of prayer.
Day 1: Romans 1.16-17
Day 2: Romans 2.17-24, esp. v.24 . . . Seek the honor of God in prayer and life.
Day 3: Romans 3.27
Day 4: Romans 4.18 . . . against all hope seek faith
Day 5: Romans 5.1, 6-8
Day 6: Romans 6.1-4, 11-12 . . . Seek insight into our death and resurrection with Christ
Day 7: Romans 7.14-20
Day 8: Romans 8.26-28 . . . seek spiritual aid in prayer
Day 9: Romans 9.19-21
Day 10: Romans 10 10.14-15 . . . Develop beautiful feet
Day 11: Romans 11.33-36
Day 12: Romans 12.9-15 . . . love and harmony
Day 13: Romans 13. 10
Day 14: Romans 14.22 . . . Seek the blessing
Day 15: Romans 15.7
Day 16: Romans 16.20 . . . praise the Lord.
Remember lectio divina is not to be rushed. It is to be savored. Take your time. Enjoy a retreat with Paul as you seek God's Presence through Romans.
Two works may help in appropiating Romans through prayerful meditation:
Joseph A. Fitzmyer's Spiritual Exercises Based on Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Paulist Press, 1995)
Gary Holloway's Romans & Galatians: The Spirit of Jesus in the Meditative Commentary Series (Leafwood, 2006)
Hesed & Shalom,Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Wrestliing with Romans
Wrestling With Romans
Over the past six months I have been wrestling with Romans in preparation for a sermon series that began on May 28. I started off simply by reading the letter repeatedly. On Tuesday mornings I blocked out an hour and a half and read the entire letter in one sitting using the NRSV one week, the NIV the next, the Message the next and once in Alexander Campbell's The Living Oracles and the TEV. I have tried to maintain this schedule until the present. Each day I would pick out a section and spend a little more time digging into that particular section of the book.
In February, I began to read through a few articles on the occasion of Romans. The collection of essays in The Romans Debate, Revised and Expanded edited by Karl P. Donfried is rich with points and counter points. Among the very stimulating essays in this volume are Peter Lampe's "The Roman Christians of Romans 16," Jervell's "Letter to Jerusalem," and the essay by Wiefel "The Jewish Community in Ancient Rome and the Origins of Roman Christianity." Other articles I have found stimulating are Richard Oster's "Congregations of the Gentiles" (Romans 16:4): A Culture-Based Ecclesiology in the Letters of Paul," and Paul Sampley's "Romans and Galatians Compared and Contrasted." N.T. Wright's "Romans and Pauline Theology has also been very stimulating
Among my favorite books is K. C. Moser's The Gist of Romans. While certainly not conversant with the "new perspective" this is still a stimulating work. I am keeping as dialogue partners the following commentaries: John Calvin's commentary, Cranfield's Shorter Commentary on Romans, N. T. Wright's Paul for Everyone and Paul Achtemeier in the Interpretation series.
I have also found to be stimulating Joseph Shulam's A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans. Shulam is a Messianic Jew living in Israel and brings a different persepective to the text. His knowledge of Jewish literature is incredible and uses it to illuminate Paul's thought world. There are a number of places that I find him very insightful but also places where, in my view, he and I simply disagree. But for those who forget that Paul was first a Jew (and never uses the word "Christian" in his writings) this is a great book.
A number of N.T. Wright's works are proving to be very helpful and insightful. His What Saint Paul Really Said and his new Paul: In Fresh Perspective are good books. One book I have learned a great deal from is one that offers a critique and evaluation of the "new perspective" on Paul (including James Dunn and N.T. Wright), Simon J. Gathercole's Where is Boasting: Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5.
Finally since a sermon is hardly a lecture on the first century I must mention the very well done book called Preaching Romans edited by David Fleer and Dave Bland. This book is about half and half in the form of essays on theology, ethics and eschatology and the second half is sermons modeling how to move from the exegesis to homily.
I am currently involved in new exercise with regard to Romans. I am not reading the book as much as I am praying my way through the book. Using the techniques mentioned in previous blogs of lectio divina (see http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com/2006/05/spiritual-reading-with-bede-about.html) I am, for the next 16 days, taking what appear to be the most significant portions of each chapter and praying with the text.
In fact, if you are looking for a specific direction for your prayer life over the next two weeks then I invite you to wrestle with the text through prayer with me. What better way to let God speak to us in community than through praying the book of Romans together. Tomorrow I will post the texts that are serving as the basis of my devotions and if you are so moved to join with me that would be wonderful.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Over the past six months I have been wrestling with Romans in preparation for a sermon series that began on May 28. I started off simply by reading the letter repeatedly. On Tuesday mornings I blocked out an hour and a half and read the entire letter in one sitting using the NRSV one week, the NIV the next, the Message the next and once in Alexander Campbell's The Living Oracles and the TEV. I have tried to maintain this schedule until the present. Each day I would pick out a section and spend a little more time digging into that particular section of the book.
In February, I began to read through a few articles on the occasion of Romans. The collection of essays in The Romans Debate, Revised and Expanded edited by Karl P. Donfried is rich with points and counter points. Among the very stimulating essays in this volume are Peter Lampe's "The Roman Christians of Romans 16," Jervell's "Letter to Jerusalem," and the essay by Wiefel "The Jewish Community in Ancient Rome and the Origins of Roman Christianity." Other articles I have found stimulating are Richard Oster's "Congregations of the Gentiles" (Romans 16:4): A Culture-Based Ecclesiology in the Letters of Paul," and Paul Sampley's "Romans and Galatians Compared and Contrasted." N.T. Wright's "Romans and Pauline Theology has also been very stimulating
Among my favorite books is K. C. Moser's The Gist of Romans. While certainly not conversant with the "new perspective" this is still a stimulating work. I am keeping as dialogue partners the following commentaries: John Calvin's commentary, Cranfield's Shorter Commentary on Romans, N. T. Wright's Paul for Everyone and Paul Achtemeier in the Interpretation series.
I have also found to be stimulating Joseph Shulam's A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans. Shulam is a Messianic Jew living in Israel and brings a different persepective to the text. His knowledge of Jewish literature is incredible and uses it to illuminate Paul's thought world. There are a number of places that I find him very insightful but also places where, in my view, he and I simply disagree. But for those who forget that Paul was first a Jew (and never uses the word "Christian" in his writings) this is a great book.
A number of N.T. Wright's works are proving to be very helpful and insightful. His What Saint Paul Really Said and his new Paul: In Fresh Perspective are good books. One book I have learned a great deal from is one that offers a critique and evaluation of the "new perspective" on Paul (including James Dunn and N.T. Wright), Simon J. Gathercole's Where is Boasting: Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5.
Finally since a sermon is hardly a lecture on the first century I must mention the very well done book called Preaching Romans edited by David Fleer and Dave Bland. This book is about half and half in the form of essays on theology, ethics and eschatology and the second half is sermons modeling how to move from the exegesis to homily.
I am currently involved in new exercise with regard to Romans. I am not reading the book as much as I am praying my way through the book. Using the techniques mentioned in previous blogs of lectio divina (see http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com/2006/05/spiritual-reading-with-bede-about.html) I am, for the next 16 days, taking what appear to be the most significant portions of each chapter and praying with the text.
In fact, if you are looking for a specific direction for your prayer life over the next two weeks then I invite you to wrestle with the text through prayer with me. What better way to let God speak to us in community than through praying the book of Romans together. Tomorrow I will post the texts that are serving as the basis of my devotions and if you are so moved to join with me that would be wonderful.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Pepperdine Lecture Now Online
Hans Rollmann, operator of the website "Restoration Movement" has taken the power point presentation of myself and John Mark Hicks and converted it to HTML. The lecture can be viewed in its entirety under the heading "RM Resources."
The audio is not present from our lecture but the 39 slides with some great quotes from David Lipscomb, James A. Harding, J. N. Armstrong and R. H. Boll . . . and some wonderful photographs . . . are available.
If you are interested here is a link:
http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/kingdom/Kingdom_files/Kingdom_files/frame.htm
Blessings,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Hans Rollmann, operator of the website "Restoration Movement" has taken the power point presentation of myself and John Mark Hicks and converted it to HTML. The lecture can be viewed in its entirety under the heading "RM Resources."
The audio is not present from our lecture but the 39 slides with some great quotes from David Lipscomb, James A. Harding, J. N. Armstrong and R. H. Boll . . . and some wonderful photographs . . . are available.
If you are interested here is a link:
http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/kingdom/Kingdom_files/Kingdom_files/frame.htm
Blessings,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Tenses of Salvation
We have reflected on the word "salvation" here on Stoned-Campbell Disciple previously. It is such a deep and marvelous theme that I decided to return to it once again.
Salvation is one of those words that carries many meanings, even in Scripture. It means deliverance from sickness, death or enemies frequently in the Psalms. It means liberation from slavery and oppression in the Exodus. It carries notions of forgiveness in Leviticus. Salvation is broad in the Bible and we embrace all of these meanings. In all of these meanings, however, salvation always carries the idea of blessing from God.
Scripture is clear and unequivical on this salvation "idea" -- it is God alone who saves. Listen to what the Prophet of old had to say,
"But now, this is what the LORD says - he created you, O Jacob, he formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine . . . For I
am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . (Isaiah 43.1-3; cf. Ex 14.30; Psalm 136).
God saves. We get saved by God. Salvation is the work of God.
But salvation is spoken of in three tenses in Scripture: Past, Present and Future. When we look at redemptive history it might look something like this:
Words --- Past --- Present --- Future
Righteousness --- Justified (Rom 5.1) --- process/growing --- perfection
Salvation --- saved (Eph 2.8) --- being saved -- - will be saved
Sanctification --- Sanctified (1 Cor 6.11) --- seek sanct (1 Th 4.3) --- presented holy
Glorification --- glorified (1 Pt 4.14) --- being transformed (2 C 3.18) --- glorified
Renewal --- born again (Tit 3.5) --- renewal --- regeneration
The Past action of accomplishing salvation is God's work alone at the cross. Paul seems to summarize this in 1 Cor 1.30 where he declares that Christ is our righteous, our holiness, and our redemption. This is God's work alone. We might even say, biblically I believe, that salvation is by grace alone in this tense.
In the Present we are both passive and active. In the present we submit to God's working within us through his Spirit. We respond to the good news of God's work in the cross through trusting faith. In other words it might be said "we play a part" in this tense. We gain no merit. We get no credit. But we do submit to being molded and shaped through the power of God.
In the Future we again are totally in the realm of God's work alone. Our future righteousness, glorification, and salvation await the work of God. God will accomplish these things.
In the present we struggle with salvation even though we are declared by God to be saved. But our bodies share in the fallen state of the creation itself. Thus we await and grown for the redemption of our bodies to become not something we believe and hope for but something that will be realized (Romans 8).
The tenses of salvation really help explain the Christian life it seems to me. We really are "between the times." We are between Good Friday and Easter.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
On the Lighter Side
On the Lighter Side: The Evolution of Dance
If you have not seen this video you need to do it? How many of these dance moves have we done? How many do we really want to admit too? This video takes about six minutes but it is very funny. It brings back lots of memories . . .
The evolution of dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
If you have not seen this video you need to do it? How many of these dance moves have we done? How many do we really want to admit too? This video takes about six minutes but it is very funny. It brings back lots of memories . . .
The evolution of dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Monday, May 22, 2006
Exodus: The Brain Drain in Churches of Christ
Though unknown there has also been a steady stream of folks who have left the Churches of Christ for one reason or another. These "exoduses" from our fellowship were often quiet and unrecognized. Ironically some of the first to leave were those who thought we were not sectarian enough. John Thomas first brought the "rebaptism" heresy into the Stone-Campbell Movement in the mid-1830's but was vigourously opposed by Alexander Campbell. Thomas ended up leaving and founding the Christadelphians (perhaps the slippery slope is true after all!!)
The Churches of Christ received a rude wake up call in 1966 when a book called Voices of Concern: Critical Studies in Church of Christism was published. Many of the essays from this book can be read here: http://www.unc.edu/~elliott/VofC/ This book revealed that for a generation many of the brightest and best known of the Churches of Christ had in fact left or were in the process of leaving. So troubling was this book that James D. Bales was invited by Leroy Garrett to respond for an entire year in Restoration Review to this book. Names like Logan Fox, Norman Parks, J. P. Sanders and Roy Key were widely recognized and their departure (among many others) was a blow to our sense of identity.
In 1973 Dr. Tom Olbricht wrote a short article in Mission Journal reflecting on this exodus by especially the (then) younger people. He writes "It is no secret that a whole generation born between 1930 and 1950 has become Church of Christ drop-outs. Visit churches in St. Louis, in Houston, in Nashville and you won't see them" ("Is there a Message? Mission [June 1973], 357).
In the 60s and 70s many young people were disillusioned over the seeming disinterest of brotherhood leaders in issues of biblical justice. They believed many were simply mirroring the racial prejudice and lost in a maze of irrelevancies (institutional controversy, premillennial controversy, etc) but with no word on how a Christian should handle segregation, the raging war questions, how to address poverty. So they left. Most did not leave Christianity as such but they did leave Churches of Christ because they felt there was no place for them here.
Have things changed? There is still a brain drain in Churches of Christ. I know many preachers, extremely gifted men of God who have simply given up. From appearances it would almost look as if there is greater exodus now than before. Young people are more interested in spiritual matters than ever before and yet many leave. Is it because they don't love God? Is it because they simply have no respect for "biblical authority?" Is it because they have, possibly, discovered that Jesus may not be in our assemblies? I am just asking the questions not proposing answers.
These are musings . . . only musings. I am interested in your input. I believe we have a message even in our heritage. One that is relevant and vibrant. How can we connect with these Postmoderns before its too late?
I think we need to emphasize the cross of Christ afresh.
I think we need to emphasize the life of the Spirit.
I think we need to model prayer in our lives and assemblies.
I think we need to model compassion to the disinherited. Our churches need to be concerned about the sound doctrine of ministering to the poor.
I think we need to refocus the marks of the church on the marks of the cross . . . specifically in discipleship.
On the flip side (briefly) there are those who never left even though they had "a lover's quarrel" with "us." Some of these brothers and sisters others would have preferred for them to leave . . . but they never have. Leroy Garrett speaks of his trials and tribulations along his pilgrimage in his recent autobiography called A Lover's Quarrel. Rather than leave he vowed to be an instrument of God to bring about healthy change . . . as he sees it. Carl Ketcherside calls his life through the Church of Christ as a Pilgrimage of Joy despite his often critical observations on the life and teachings of the CofC. These make for interesting contrasts with those who leave.
What say you?
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Welcome to Milwaukee
Welcome to MilwaukeeSpring in Milwaukee is interesting. Saturday was a beautiful day getting into the low 60's. Yesterday our high was 48. This morning, May 22, we had frost! It was light frost mind you . . . but frost nonetheless. We are currently pushing about 55 and it is a nice day.
My wife, Pamella, grew up in Florida. She is one of these folks who loves the sun and plenty of heat. 80 is on the cool side for her. Yesterday she said, after a nice chilly bike ride, . . . "welcome to spring in Milwaukee." She is ready to go to the beach but Lake Michigan is quite cold (at its warmest it gets in the mid-50s in lat August).
On the other hand for me it is not to hot nor to cold. You need a jacket in the evening (and like yesterday all day). But the sky is a magnificent blue, the sun is brilliant and the air is refreshing. There are all kinds of things to do outside . . . and there are lots of people outside to enjoy it. For example walks along the Milwaukee River at dusk (in the photo) are wonderful for even Pam.
These are useless musings . . . but I was struck by the fact that we had (light) frost on May 22. This is not New Orleans where I used to live.
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Book Note
BOOK NOTE: What Does It Mean to Be Saved?
Several years ago (2002) I happened upon an interesting title. It was a volume edited by John Stackhouse, Jr a prof at Regent College in Canada. The title was What Does it Mean to Be Saved?: Broadening Evangelical Horizons of Salvation (Baker Academic 2002). Seeing a number of scholars whose work I had come to value (especially Rikk Watts and Jonathan Wilson) I picked it up.
The title also intrigued me because I had grown increasingly unsatisfied with how most Restorations and Evangelicals were basically "salvation minimalists." That is the only dimension that they either understood or perhaps believed was what might be called "personal" salvation. Indeed for many years I had done this as well.
I am convinced that this minimalist approach to salvation has also had profound effects on the contemporary discipleship of Christians. I believe that one reason why Christians both look like and act like unredeemed humanity is directly related to this individualistic transactional approach to salvation.
Thus this book is a welcome and needed exploration of the contours of the biblical dimensions of salvation. Rikk Watts (whose book Isaiah's New Exodus in Mark is incredibly rich) explores the theology of salvation as a new exodus and restoration of creation; Vincent Bacote argues that salvation has important implications for "This Life," and other outstanding essays.
As a chastened Restorationist it has been to my delight that key figures in the Stone-Campbell Movement essentially bought into this type of theology. Alexander Campbell's essay on "Regeneration" is eye opening for those who are hypercritical of him. Robert Milligan in his classic Scheme of Redemption has a satisfyingly biblical approach to salvation as wholness and restoration of God's creation. David Lipscomb and James A. Harding both held to a deeper and more biblical new creationist eschatology which is explored to some extent in my new book with John Mark Hicks, Kingdom Come.
For those interested in exploring the wider dimensions of the biblical doctrine of salvation this may be a good book to digest. I believe it will be worth the effort.
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Friday, May 19, 2006
What Do we mean by "Salvation"?
What Do We Mean By "Salvation?"
If the question "What does Salvation mean?" were asked in most Evangelical churches today the most common response would be "forgiveness of sins" or "going to heaven." There is wonderful truth in this answer. Humans are full of sin and Jesus did die on the cross as an atonement for the sins of the world. Likewise, we long for the consummation of eternal life in the presence of God.
This answer, however, falls short of the Biblical vision. It suffers from a subtle neo-Platonism that argues that Christianity is concerned with only the "spiritual." By spiritual is usually meant the non-material and non-physical. When pushed to an extreme this view turns the Christian life lived now into a waiting game. Waiting for either our inevitable death or the return of Jesus. It almost makes the present life unimportant.
The Bible, in both Testaments, understands salvation in a much broader way. The Bible understands God's work in Christ in terms that grant meaning to creation and the life we live now. David Lipscomb had a keen grasp on the wider biblical theology of the mission of Christ. He writes
The object of God's dealing with man, and especially the mission of Christ to the earth, was to rescue the world from the rule and dominion of the evil one, from the ruin into which it had fallen through sin, and to rehabilitate it with the dignity and the glory it had when it came from the hand of God; to restore man--spiritually, mentally and physically--to the likeness of his maker. (David Lipscomb, Salvation from Sin, p. 114)
If this understanding of the mission of Jesus is accurate then it means "salvation" is God's great restoration project. The Gospel of Luke indicates this is indeed an accurate understanding of the mission of God in Jesus. Luke, reaching back to the Hebrew Bible, paints the ministry of Jesus on the canvas of the great Jubilee motif.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news
to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor [Jubilee]."
(Luke 4.18-19, NRSV)
The use of the word "save" in the Gospels is instructive. Fully one fourth of the term "save/d" in the Gospels refer to Jesus' miracles. Among those "saved" by Jesus include the blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10.52) and the man with the withered hand (Mk 3.4-5). Luke uses the term "salvation" to describe the healing of the Centurion's servant (7.3), the sinful woman (7.50), the restoration of the demoniac (8.36) and the resurrection of a dead girl (8.50).
The story of Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus is demonstrative of the wider view Luke incorporates into the doctrine of salvation. Luke 19 narrates the story. This zealous tax collector had piled up riches through not so ethical means of collecting. But when he encountered Jesus he was radically changed. He returned four times the amount he had taken. He gave half of his goods to the poor. Luke quotes Jesus as saying "Today salvation has come to this house" (19.9). Salvation is painted with distinctive Jubilee colors and hues. Through healing the sick, feeding the poor and releasing the oppressed Jesus proclaims the good news. The good news of salvation which Luke describes as new life, wholeness, forgiveness and healing.
What is "salvation?" In the Bible salvation is the restoration of shalom to God's vandalized creation. Rather than only longing for heaven biblical salvation invests this life with profound meaning . . . our lives have meaning not just our "souls." God wishes to restore wholeness as we have witnessed in the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel is the story of the unerring love of the Creator seeking to reclaim his wonderful creation. So salvation is not just from sin but for the new creation.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
If the question "What does Salvation mean?" were asked in most Evangelical churches today the most common response would be "forgiveness of sins" or "going to heaven." There is wonderful truth in this answer. Humans are full of sin and Jesus did die on the cross as an atonement for the sins of the world. Likewise, we long for the consummation of eternal life in the presence of God.
This answer, however, falls short of the Biblical vision. It suffers from a subtle neo-Platonism that argues that Christianity is concerned with only the "spiritual." By spiritual is usually meant the non-material and non-physical. When pushed to an extreme this view turns the Christian life lived now into a waiting game. Waiting for either our inevitable death or the return of Jesus. It almost makes the present life unimportant.
The Bible, in both Testaments, understands salvation in a much broader way. The Bible understands God's work in Christ in terms that grant meaning to creation and the life we live now. David Lipscomb had a keen grasp on the wider biblical theology of the mission of Christ. He writes
The object of God's dealing with man, and especially the mission of Christ to the earth, was to rescue the world from the rule and dominion of the evil one, from the ruin into which it had fallen through sin, and to rehabilitate it with the dignity and the glory it had when it came from the hand of God; to restore man--spiritually, mentally and physically--to the likeness of his maker. (David Lipscomb, Salvation from Sin, p. 114)
If this understanding of the mission of Jesus is accurate then it means "salvation" is God's great restoration project. The Gospel of Luke indicates this is indeed an accurate understanding of the mission of God in Jesus. Luke, reaching back to the Hebrew Bible, paints the ministry of Jesus on the canvas of the great Jubilee motif.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news
to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor [Jubilee]."
(Luke 4.18-19, NRSV)
The use of the word "save" in the Gospels is instructive. Fully one fourth of the term "save/d" in the Gospels refer to Jesus' miracles. Among those "saved" by Jesus include the blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10.52) and the man with the withered hand (Mk 3.4-5). Luke uses the term "salvation" to describe the healing of the Centurion's servant (7.3), the sinful woman (7.50), the restoration of the demoniac (8.36) and the resurrection of a dead girl (8.50).
The story of Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus is demonstrative of the wider view Luke incorporates into the doctrine of salvation. Luke 19 narrates the story. This zealous tax collector had piled up riches through not so ethical means of collecting. But when he encountered Jesus he was radically changed. He returned four times the amount he had taken. He gave half of his goods to the poor. Luke quotes Jesus as saying "Today salvation has come to this house" (19.9). Salvation is painted with distinctive Jubilee colors and hues. Through healing the sick, feeding the poor and releasing the oppressed Jesus proclaims the good news. The good news of salvation which Luke describes as new life, wholeness, forgiveness and healing.
What is "salvation?" In the Bible salvation is the restoration of shalom to God's vandalized creation. Rather than only longing for heaven biblical salvation invests this life with profound meaning . . . our lives have meaning not just our "souls." God wishes to restore wholeness as we have witnessed in the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel is the story of the unerring love of the Creator seeking to reclaim his wonderful creation. So salvation is not just from sin but for the new creation.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Cubs and Redemptive Moments
The Cubs and Redemptive Moments
Cubs 3
Nats 0
Sunday afternoon I got an email from my friend John Mark Hicks. He was going to be in Chicago for a Cubs game on Tuesday. He had two tickets for me and wanted Pamella and I to meet down in Chicagoland.
I talked with my beloved baby doll but she was not going to be able to go. This was a real downer. But she (lovingly) gave me permission to get another companion. I called a number of folks and it seemed like no one wanted to go to the game (I know the Cubs are cursed but can it be really that bad??). I finally called a friend in Madison and asked him if he would like to go. He jumped at the chance.
Neither Lance nor I had ever been to Wrigley Field. So we left around 1 pm and got together with John Mark on the corner of Addison and Clark . . . then we went into the pub and grill called Cubby and ordered a burger and Coke (they did not have Dr. Pepper).
We had great seats. We were directly behind home plate and only about 15 or so rows from the net. The game was a fast paced game and the Cubs, I will let the cat out of the bag, won! They actually won 3 to nothing. Neither team played exceptionally well but the Cubs made fewer mistakes and the Nationals made a number that contributed to the score.
The highlight of the Nats performance was the pitcher made a play on a bunt. As he was about to toss the ball to third base for a forced out he got tripped up on his own feet and tumbled onto his rear. It looked like something Goofy would do. It was so horrendous that it was classic. I was waiting for a flash to appear on the jumbotron that read "Want to get away?" But there are no jumbotrons at Wrigley.
We had good fellowship. We walked around the stadium, saw the statue of Harry Carey and got a free Snoopy. I was pleased to share a redemptive moment in Cubs history with John Mark and Lance.
Oh, the Brewers won too . . .
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Cubs 3
Nats 0
Sunday afternoon I got an email from my friend John Mark Hicks. He was going to be in Chicago for a Cubs game on Tuesday. He had two tickets for me and wanted Pamella and I to meet down in Chicagoland.
I talked with my beloved baby doll but she was not going to be able to go. This was a real downer. But she (lovingly) gave me permission to get another companion. I called a number of folks and it seemed like no one wanted to go to the game (I know the Cubs are cursed but can it be really that bad??). I finally called a friend in Madison and asked him if he would like to go. He jumped at the chance.
Neither Lance nor I had ever been to Wrigley Field. So we left around 1 pm and got together with John Mark on the corner of Addison and Clark . . . then we went into the pub and grill called Cubby and ordered a burger and Coke (they did not have Dr. Pepper).
We had great seats. We were directly behind home plate and only about 15 or so rows from the net. The game was a fast paced game and the Cubs, I will let the cat out of the bag, won! They actually won 3 to nothing. Neither team played exceptionally well but the Cubs made fewer mistakes and the Nationals made a number that contributed to the score.
The highlight of the Nats performance was the pitcher made a play on a bunt. As he was about to toss the ball to third base for a forced out he got tripped up on his own feet and tumbled onto his rear. It looked like something Goofy would do. It was so horrendous that it was classic. I was waiting for a flash to appear on the jumbotron that read "Want to get away?" But there are no jumbotrons at Wrigley.
We had good fellowship. We walked around the stadium, saw the statue of Harry Carey and got a free Snoopy. I was pleased to share a redemptive moment in Cubs history with John Mark and Lance.
Oh, the Brewers won too . . .
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Friday, May 12, 2006
Spiritual Reading with Bede
Spiritual Reading with BedeAbout a month ago I "found" myself at one of my favorite spots: Half-Priced Books. I happen to be looking through their generally very good religion section and found a little gem. The book is called The Abbreviated Psalter of the Venerable Bede translated and edited by Gerald M. Brown (for 4 bucks!!).
Bede, probably most famous for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, lived and breathed the Psalms as the "stuff" of prayer. He was born around A.D. 672/3 and died in A.D. 735. As a monk he was a follower of the Opus Dei (Latin for the "work of God") which was a rigorous approach to spiritual formation. Following this path Bede would devote eight hours a day "munching" the Psalter, meditating on the Psalter, and praying the Psalter. Bede became a living book of Psalms.
Other disciples sought his guidance in praying through the Psalter and the Abbreviated Psalter (AP) was the result. The AP is sort of a cliff notes version of the Psalms. Bede has gone through all 150 Psalms and boiled them down to one prayer thought. Literally some of the Psalms are a single line, while others contain a significant portion of the text. For Bede this was a tool simply to get the mental juices flowing because you were already supposed to know the text. But as a prayer guide it helps bring the reader shoulder to shoulder not only with the ancient Israelite but with Christians in medieval England.
I have enjoyed this book on several levels. First, I like to see what the Bible looked like to folks in different ages. If you want to know what the Latin Psalter looked like in the eighth century this is a good place to read. Second, the AP is a good way to get at the heart of the Psalter for personal reading and devotion. It is good to munch on at that level. Third, it is a fine guide for focused prayer by helping my prayer from degenerating into a wish list.
There is another level that I have alluded to that I have enjoyed this book, that is lectio divina (divine reading or spiritual reading). Bede expected his monks to read at this level. Lectio divina has four levels (we discuss these in chapter 5 of our book Kingdom Come).
First, you take a small section (verse or small paragraph) and you read it over and over. You read it silently and then verbally. You "savor" the text or "taste to see that the Lord is good."
Second is meditation. Here we ask direct questions of the text, "how is God calling me in this text? what should my response be to the voice of the Lord?" What word or idea sticks out that seems to be calling for attention? Meditation is not about what the text meant per se but about encountering God in the present through the text.
Third is prayer. Whatever thoughts well up inside of you as a result of your meditation we turn them back to God in prayer.
The fourth step is contemplation. Here we simply try to quiet our soul and be silent before God. We might call it "resting" in his Presence.
Bede's AP is a delightful book in itself. It is also a blessing in aiding not just monks but modern disciples to slow down and enjoy God through spiritual reading (and praying) with him in the Psalms. Psalm 28 in the AP reads "Adore the Lord in holy majesty." That may not be such a bad thing for disciples to spend time doing. It is his invitation to simply adore the Father. When was the last time we spent any significant amount of time doing that? To ask the question is to answer it for many . . . and that is the value of Bede. He can help us. I am thankful for the treasure this saint has left for us today.
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Jesus: The Welcoming Friend of Sinners ... even Homosexual Sinners
From a personal standpoint it is ironic beyond belief that this "event" happened when it did and this discussion is taking place as it is. I say this because I just came back from the wonderful Pepperdine Bible Lectures. You see on my way to LA from Milwaukee the "couple" that sat next to me was homosexual. In fact they were on their way to Las Vegas (via LA by road trip). They were marking some milestone in their relationship.
I accidentally sat in the wrong seat thinking "F" was next to the aisle, when in fact I was all the way in next to the window . . . sort of "trapped!" I had no idea they were a homosexual couple at first . . . it was the holding hands that kind of let the cat out of the bag. I had some deep emotional reactions. I did not make a scene but to say I was uncomfortable is an understatement. I suddenly did not want to be there . . . SO I opened my copy of The Gospel of Judas (edited by Kasser, Meyer, Wurst and Ehrman).
About 30 minutes into the flight my plan of simply ignoring them was defeated by the fellow next to me asking about Judas and what I thought of it. It dawned on me that God certainly wanted me to speak with these fellows even though I would rather read about religion than show the love of Christ (can I get a label for "Pharisee" here!! I was one. I became one rather quickly . . . and it was amazing just how "justified" I felt!!)
He was reading The DaVinci Code (illustrated version) and had an interest in "spiritual" things. He asked me what I did and where I was going, I felt the urge to lie. But I didn't. I said I was a minister (you should have seen his eyes role) and I was on my way to Pepperdine for talks about Jesus. His first words after he discovered I was a "pastor" (as he informed his "mate") was "I guess you really don't like me then because I'm gay." He nailed me to the wall so hard I almost found myself out on the wing. I gathered up all my courage and informed him that I most certainly had nothing against him.
He wanted me to share my take on the Gospel of Judas. So I told him I had serious theological problems with the text. I asked him "do you think your life, THIS life, is worth living?" He answered, "I do believe life is worth living." So I said . . . that is why I cannot be a gnostic: whether the Dan Brown variety or Judas'. I explained that Jesus (in Judas) teaches that this world, including you and I, are cosmic screw ups. The created universe is the result of a fool god named Saklas messing up the spiritual realm and here we are! Only those with that special spark of gnosis have any hope of returning to the other world. The entire point of life is to DIE, to flee the body and physical. We are trying to flee our created existence . . . at least if you have that special gift. The easiest solution to the conundrum of life Jesus tells Judas is to help him die. So I asked, "does that sound like 'good news' to you?'" I opened the volume to the appropriate passages and we read them together.
Then this young man, perhaps 30 years old, asked me a question that simply shocked me. I suddenly realized that the world I am living in is not Mayberry, nor is it Florence, AL the buckle of the Bible Belt. He asked, "Well Bobby [can you believe we got on a first name basis] HOW DOES THAT DIFFER FROM THE BIBLE?" This young man, from Milwaukee, not China or Afghanistan, did not have a clue about something so simple as the storyline of the Bible culminating with Jesus.
So I told him, in 10 minutes, the story of the Bible. I told him the God of the Bible created this world, it is a good world and that even though God may not love our sin (including my self-righteousness and his homosexual lifestyle) but he surely loves him AS HE IS! I told him this world has fallen and the evidence is everywhere . . . but unlike in Gnosticism, God wants to redeem you. Not just some of you, but all of you. You, as a created being are not a mistake but a precious treasure. God says your life, the one you live right now, is worth the universe to him. I told him how Jesus in the canonical Gospels was the fulfillment of God's plan to bring humanity back into a relationship with. A relationship marked by wholeness, belonging, truth, forgiveness, and love. I told him that is why Jesus died on the cross (and resurrection the gnostics want nothing to do with the resurrection) . . . to prove that God does love this world, not hate it like Gnostics teach!
When I finished my 10 minute summary this young man said "I don't think I have ever heard that before." Again I emphasize this because we are not talking about some one from Mongolia but from Milwaukee USA.
For the next two and a half hours we talked . . . and I almost forgot that he and his "lover" were holding hands almost the entire time! When it came time to disembark from our MD 88 he asked a question that is particularly relevant to us Christians: "If I came to your church do you think I would be welcome?"
You know what, I honestly do not know the answer to that question. But I pray to God they would be.
The nearly irrational reactions that have been made against ACU do not give me reason for hope. Over the last several days I have read through all four canonical Gospels and I am yet again simply amazed at how easily Jesus welcomes the pariahs of his day.
I read about a dinner party in which Jesus let a half naked prostitute fall all over him, and the righteous church folks were scandalized (Lk 7.36-50). He even pronounces the divine blessing of shalom upon this woman (v.50). One day the morality police found a woman in the middle of lewed activity and brazenly threw her to the ground in front of Jesus. The Teacher simply played with the dirt and the accuser's couldn't get away fast enough. The Lord said "neither do I condemn you" (Jn 8.1-11). I read in Luke 14 about the banquet table being open up for all the "riff-raff" and the in 15.1-2 of Jesus' own odious reputation as being to tight with sinners. I read the parable of the merciless servant (Mt 18.21-35) and the Vineyard (Mt 20.1-19) that are directed to people like me and not the person sitting next to me.
I have no doubt that Jesus did not approve of prostitution yet prostitutes loved him. I have no doubt that Jesus did not approve of immorality and the like but sinners loved him. Yet Jesus welcomed them. Which threw that question in bold relief "If I came to your church do you think I would be welcome?" Why did he even have to ask?? They never asked such a thing with the Friend of Sinners. Perhaps we are not very "sinner friendly" or perhaps it is only "certain" sinners we are not friendly to.
We have folks we come in contact with every day who do not even know the basic outline of the Christian message. They are not in China, Japan, Mongolia but in Milwaukee, LA, Chicago, Nashville . . . and probably Florence, Alabama too. That story of Jesus is powerful and redemptive. In the few short hours on that Midwest flight it had a profound impact on not only me but the folks I sat with. I do not know what will ever come of that "couple." My prayer is that God works and pursues . . . and that they come to my congregation.
May God have mercy upon us and help us to be the aroma of Christ and not our sinful prejudice. May he help us crucify our own insecurities, bigotries and the like to see only beautiful human beings created in the image of God. Humans so loved, that Jesus not only welcomed them with open arms but died for them.
Hesed & Shalom,Stoned-Campbell Disciple
Monday, May 08, 2006
Pepperdine Musings
Pepperdine Musings
I am now back from Pepperdine. It has been an exciting, uplifting and tiring week. I arrived at Pepperdine on Tuesday morning around 10:30 am. I waited most of the day for the rest of my suite mates to arrive: John Mark Hicks, Johnny Melton (an old MS preaching friend) and a new friend from North Carolina named Dennis.
John Mark and I were not sure how our three 9 pm classes would go over. But Jerry Rushford must have felt guilty for assigning us that particular time slot because he announced our class and new book, Kingdom Come, after the Tuesday keynote . . . so we actually had an overflowing crowd. I got a little nervous when Richard Hughes decided to come to our class . . .
Our book, Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding, sold very well at the lectureship much to my surprise. I am not complaining, mind you, I was just surprised. The book sold out and I did not even get a copy. Well, actually, I had a copy but I gave mine away to a young man that came to our class on Thursday night who was unhappy with our presentation. When I tried to get another, none of the book dealers had one.
For me going to the lectures is about fellowship with my friends. I love hooking up with brothers and sisters I have not seen in a long time. So I renewed friendships with John Dobbs, Carla Calhoun, Danny Dodd, Johnny Melton, Tom Olbricht, Trevor Thompson, John Harrison (a friend from my New Orleans days), Roy Ratcliff, Lee Wilson, Gary Holloway, and a host of others.
The classes were simply icing on the cake. John Mark and I went to the LST and Kairos breakfasts. We took in Randy Harris' classes on the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world (which were outstanding btw). I took in Rick Marrs on Ecclesiastes, Ed Robinson on R. N. Hogan and Jimmy Lovell, one of Lee Wilson and Joe Beam's classes, Jeff Childers on clashing styles of spirituality (thanks Jeff for the plug for our book!) . . . we stayed up late and got up early (thus the tired aspect of the lectures).
I picked up four books while at the lectureship too. I read most of Roy Ratcliff's Dark Journey Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer's Story of Faith on the plane back from LA. I picked up Darryl Tippens Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life, Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and Joe Beam and Lee Wilson's The Real Heaven.
Pepperdine is such a blessing. My hat is off to Jerry Rushford and the support that Andy Benton gives for the lectures. It is a gathering of hope and encouragement may it go on until Jesus comes.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
I am now back from Pepperdine. It has been an exciting, uplifting and tiring week. I arrived at Pepperdine on Tuesday morning around 10:30 am. I waited most of the day for the rest of my suite mates to arrive: John Mark Hicks, Johnny Melton (an old MS preaching friend) and a new friend from North Carolina named Dennis.
John Mark and I were not sure how our three 9 pm classes would go over. But Jerry Rushford must have felt guilty for assigning us that particular time slot because he announced our class and new book, Kingdom Come, after the Tuesday keynote . . . so we actually had an overflowing crowd. I got a little nervous when Richard Hughes decided to come to our class . . .
Our book, Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding, sold very well at the lectureship much to my surprise. I am not complaining, mind you, I was just surprised. The book sold out and I did not even get a copy. Well, actually, I had a copy but I gave mine away to a young man that came to our class on Thursday night who was unhappy with our presentation. When I tried to get another, none of the book dealers had one.
For me going to the lectures is about fellowship with my friends. I love hooking up with brothers and sisters I have not seen in a long time. So I renewed friendships with John Dobbs, Carla Calhoun, Danny Dodd, Johnny Melton, Tom Olbricht, Trevor Thompson, John Harrison (a friend from my New Orleans days), Roy Ratcliff, Lee Wilson, Gary Holloway, and a host of others.
The classes were simply icing on the cake. John Mark and I went to the LST and Kairos breakfasts. We took in Randy Harris' classes on the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world (which were outstanding btw). I took in Rick Marrs on Ecclesiastes, Ed Robinson on R. N. Hogan and Jimmy Lovell, one of Lee Wilson and Joe Beam's classes, Jeff Childers on clashing styles of spirituality (thanks Jeff for the plug for our book!) . . . we stayed up late and got up early (thus the tired aspect of the lectures).
I picked up four books while at the lectureship too. I read most of Roy Ratcliff's Dark Journey Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer's Story of Faith on the plane back from LA. I picked up Darryl Tippens Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life, Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and Joe Beam and Lee Wilson's The Real Heaven.
Pepperdine is such a blessing. My hat is off to Jerry Rushford and the support that Andy Benton gives for the lectures. It is a gathering of hope and encouragement may it go on until Jesus comes.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
