Exegesis as Prayer

Exegesis as Prayer

I have long thought that ruminating on the Word of God to be an act of worship. For those who have read my book (with John Mark Hicks) Kingdom Come they will recall an emphasis on Lectio Divina which is a form of prayer using Scripture. Since I have also come to believe that the glorification of God and the sanctification of life constitute the ultimate reason for biblical interpretation I have come to the conclusion that exegesis itself is an expression of prayer.

I recently read an article by Clifton Black titled "Exegesis as Prayer" in The Princeton Seminary Review (vol 33.2 [2002], 131-145). This is not the typical article for a scholarly journal but it was extremely refreshing. Some of the reflection of this post grew in response to that piece I read a month or so ago. Black makes the startling observation that while previous generations were afraid of appearing to "loose" ours is afraid of appearing to "pious." This is especially true, amazingly, of biblical scholars. Yet if exegesis is prayer, and I believe it is, there are three prayerful dispositions for the exegete, these dispositions prepare the interpreter to both hear and be shaped by God.

A Disposition For Holiness

"Who is like You, O LORD, majestic in holiness?" (Exodus 15.11). To interpret Scripture with a disposition for holiness means to release our narcissistic grip on magistry and to reclaim the opposite which is a vocation for ministry. Humility is not self-degradation but surrender of one's self before God's word becoming like the soil from which we were created that is fertile and needs mulching. There is something starkly ironic with the sight of one who is full of knowledge but has no sign of Christian hygiene. To quote Black, "Few spectacles are more ridiculous, or more pathetic, than a seminar whose members beat the hell into one another over differing interpretations of the love command in John."

We come in awe of the holy. We do not quantify that holiness rather it is a mystery. We risk consumption by the holy Love that is a Tiger, not a teddy bear (cf. Hebrews 4.11-13).

A Disposition for Realignment

"For you have died , and your life has been hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3.3). "For the LORD is your life" (Deut. 30.20). Exegesis in the shadow of the Crucified One remembers the People of God, from and for who Scripture was created. Cruciform exegesis resembles petitionary prayer in this respect: if serious, its practitioner is inextricably bound up with its fulfillment (cf. Matt 25.31-46). Life is linked to interpretation. We do not know or understand the text until it realigns our lives. We come to the text with the prayerful attitude that the Lord is our life.

A Disposition for Praise

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD" (Luke 1.46). Exegesis is hard to justify if it does not culminate in gratitude and adoration. Anthony Bloom once wrote that "All the food of this world is divine love made edible" (School for Prayer, p. 41). The same is true for knowledge that feeds the mind and spirit. Merely admiring the skill of Psalmist or rhetoric of the Hebrew's Preacher simply engages aesthetic faculties. Prayerful exegesis takes place when the beauty of Scripture seizes our soul; when "My God!" is the only thing worth saying. The beauty of Scripture is that it reveals the greatest and most loving of Fathers in the Universe. Interpretation finds its goal in our burst in joyful praise. God's word has then penetrated our hearts.

Just some random thoughts from the Stoned-Campbell Disciple.

Soli Deo gloria,
Bobby Valentine

Milwaukee: Land of Beer and Cheese

Milwaukee: Land of Beer and Cheese

People often ask me why I send greetings from "the land of beer and cheese" in my letters. And I tell them because that is a humorous and affectionate way of describing what is unique about where I live. Unfortunately some folks do not always have a sense of humor.

A news story came across the wire today on Yahoo News titled "Milwaukee is Named 'Drunkest City.'" Here is a link to the headline: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_fe_st/drinking_ranking_1
A more detailed article can be found in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the following address http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=487336

Now, I have "scientific" evidence to support my greetings (which is always tongue in cheek btw). I have heard it boasted that they spill more beer at Miller than they drink in Canada. We have more bars per capita than any city in the USA and a large number of labels are made here or were in the past (Pabst, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, Miller, Old Style). Most of your better restaurants have their own microbrews.

Milwaukee certainly has more going for it than beer. We have magnificent parks, great libraries, a world class art museum and a baseball team named "Brewers." Though I live in the land of beer and cheese Milwaukee is not the party town like New Orleans.

As a preacher I do not quite know what to do with our latest honor as the beer capital of the world. I am sure I can work it into a sermon somewhere.

Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple

What Does 'the Perfect' Mean?

What Does "the Perfect" Mean?

From time to time I am asked my opinion on a "controversial" passage of scripture. First Corinthians 13.10 is such a passage. After reflecting on the passage I am offering these observations. What follows are not to be seen as dogmatic axioms but explorations into the deep wells of God's unfathomable wisdom. I also attempt to connect this to RM history by noting how "we" have interpreted 1 Corinthians 13.10.

There are four basic interpretations of to teleion in 1 Cor. 13.10. Not all are equally weighty or persuasive but I offer them nonetheless.

#1) Probably the most familiar view among Churches of Christ is that "the perfect" as the King James Version reads, refers to the completed canon of New Testament scripture. This particular interpretation seems to have arisen historically as a reaction to Pentecostalism. B. B. Warfield is said to have taken this position but I have been unable to document this. But I have checked into the history of the interpretation of this verse and it is true that this view did not exist prior to the 19th century. Usually James 1.25 and Romans 12.2 are appealed to in support of this position. But as J. W. Roberts, of blessed memory, wrote these verses are not discussing the canon (see J. W. Roberts, "That Which is Perfect? Firm Foundation [July 25, 1972], 468). This particular interpretation has been shown to be both exegetically, and historically, wrong by such conservative scholars as Richard Oster, Carl Holladay, J.W. Roberts, Gordon Fee and Donald Carson. In fact I have not found any standard commentary which has adopted this interpretation. The context of the verse and history of interpretation pretty much eliminate this as the proper understanding of the text.

#2) The second interpretation that is usually given of to teleion is that the phrase refers to agape (love). This particular view has much more going for it that the one just reviewed. Indeed, this is the view that I once held myself and still find it to be very persuasive. More specifically this view holds that to teleion does not refer so much to "perfection" but to the "totality" or "maturity" of the Corinthian Christians in terms of agape love. Carroll Osburn has probably presented the best case that can be made for this interpretation . . . and as I stated before it is a strong case (cf. 1978 Abilene Christian College Lectures, pp. 138-171; Jim McGuiggan presents a summary of Osburn in his commentary on 1 Corinthians). Osburn has done an amazing amount of research into how the Church Fathers interpreted this text. In fact some of his research has moved me to embrace a position different from him.

#3) The third interpretation is a nuanced view of #2, in that the church no longer needs gifts. The weakness of this position is that it is not built upon 1 Corinthians but upon Ephesians 4.7-16. This interpretation breaks, what I believe to be an iron clad rule of exegesis, a passage must first be understood in its own context and then seen in light of others. John McRay has written the presentation of this view: "To Teleion in 1 Corinthians 13:10? in Restoration Quarterly (1971): 168-183.4.

#4) The fourth position is the one I have come to believe as the best interpretation of the verse. This interpretation understands to teleion to refer to the Eschaton or the return of the resurrected Lord at the End of Time. In summary fashion let me share why I have come to this position:

A) As Osburn's research shows, this is basically the position in the history of the church until around 1600. I do not know of a writer who understood "to teleion" to refer to the Bible. But the Fathers almost unanimously agree the "perfection" refers to the End of Time or heaven (eschaton). Origen for example writes in his controversy with Celsus that we cannot know the eternal things here but only in the highest heavens (pros akrois tois ouranouis) and then he says, "we shall ever be engaged in the contemplation of the invisible things of God, which are no longer understood by us through the things which he has made from the creation of the world . . . then face to face [a reference to 13.12] when that which is perfection comes then we that know inpart will be done away? (Contra Celsum, VI, xx). Basil, Gregory, Eusebius and Chrysostom all understand the text to refer to the Eschaton. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and John Calvin (see his Commentary on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, I, p.428) take the same position. I am not merely parading names here but showing that there is pretty much universal consensus on the meaning of this text stretching across both centuries but even the Catholic and Protestant divide.

B) However, my reasons for accepting this position are not wholly historical but rather exegetical. It is the exegetical reasons that carried such weight with the names above and I find them convincing. The Apostle frames a great deal of what he writes in the context of eschatology. Throughout First Corinthians his advice is repeatedly framed within this forward looking perspective (cf. 1.8f; 2.6; 3.13, 15, 17, 22; 4.4f; 4.8f; 4.19; 5.5; 6.2f; 6.9f; 6.14; 7.17-24, 26, 29, 31; 9.24f; 10.11; 11.26, 29, 32; 15.12ff; 16.22).

In the immediate context of 13.12 we have a clear eschatological frame of reference. "Perfection" thus entails a "state of affairs where my knowledge is in some ways comparable with God's present knowledge of me" (D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit, pp. 70-71). Gordon Fee has some insight that the reference is not so much the end itself but what will happen at the end . . . that is the goal of the End: "At the coming of Christ the final purpose of God?s saving work in Christ will have been reached? (Gordon Fee, God's Empowering Presence, p. 208). Richard Oster in his commentary takes this same position, along with an extended discussion of why this does not force one into accepting Pentecostalism. Another good resource for reading is Klein's article "Perfection, Mature" in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, p. 700.

This interpretation has context on its side, it has the history of interpretation on its side and the consensus of modern scholars. I believe it is the correct interpretation of what Paul meant in this text. Again I think only interpretation 2 is a serious challenger for this view but I feel that context weighs against it.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Milwaukee, WI
Ut omnes unum sint (John 17.21, Vulgate, that they may all be one')

I've Been Tagged by Jim Martin

I've Been Tagged by Jim Martin, A former Professor of Mine (though he may not want to claim me!)

1. One book that changed your life? Keep the list short, excluding the Bible: The Gist of Romans by K.C. Moser; and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider. I have a more complete list in a post called "Ten Paradigm Shifting Books" at http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com/2006/04/ten-paradigm-shifting-books-for-stoned.html

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Finally Comes the Poet by Walter Brueggemann and The Suffering of God by Terence Frietheim.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: This is tough but might take one of the following, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a’Kempis, Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis or Cur Deus Homo by Anselm

4. One book that made you laugh: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

5. One book that made you cry: Night by Elie Wiesel and The Wind that Destroys and Heals by another professor of mine, Stephen Broyles

6. One book you wish had been written: The Opinions and Views of Jesus on Instrumental Music and Patternism

7. One book you wish had never been written: Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ by Leroy Brownlow.

8. One book you’re currently reading: A Home for the Homeless: A Sociological Exegesis of 1 Peter by John H. Eliott and Mapping and Naming the Moon: A History of Lunar Cartography and Nomenclature by Ewen A. Whitaker.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Eyes Wide Open: Looking for GOD in Poplar Culture by William D. Romanowski and Whos Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Loytard, and Foucault to Church by James K. A. Smith

10. Tag 5 others: Alan Lewis, Cheryl Pettus, Nick, Les, and ZZPuck, MommyHam you are welcome too.. I don’t know if I’m supposed to e-mail you or just hope you read this. So, I’m counting on you reading this and posting your answers.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Stoned-Campbell Disciple

Wal-Mart, Dresses & Hermeneutics

Wal-Mart, Dresses and Hermeneutics

I am sorry for my gap in posting on Stoned-Campbell but this past week we have had many other matters going on: Weekend guests, Lake Geneva Family Encampment, and band camp that kept me busy with my daughter, Rachael. I hope to make it up to you.

Since it is time for back to school (it felt like Fall here in Milwaukee last night!) I thought I would offer a post in that spirit, a reflection on dresses and biblical interpretation.

We in the Churches of Christ have always claimed that "We do things in Bible ways and call things by Bible names." A worthy and holy goal too I might add. What this statement means, however, is that we want to worship according to the "New Testament Pattern." This is code language for organizing ourselves as we think the NT congregations did, we want to do everything by the "pattern." But the question is rarely asked and even less frequently critically reflected upon: "What do we mean by pattern?"

I have learned something about patterns by watching Pamella make dresses for Rachael and Talya. We went to Wal-Mart, looked through seemingly hundreds of catalogs, picked a "pattern," bought material (all while I waited patiently!). When we got home I soon discovered that several different dresses could be made from the same pattern. You can have long sleeves, short sleeves or no sleeves. You could use several different types of fabric and colors. The hemline and the shape of the neckline could differ radically. I was amazed because I had been programmed to believe that the term pattern meant "identical!" I would have thought it impossible those dresses could come from the very same pattern. There was nothing wrong with the pattern, only my idea and definition of pattern was wrong.

Some Christians believe that the "pattern" requires cookie cutter churches (but my experience with dresses show how diverse a pattern can be). You see what is at issue is a definition of "pattern." If by pattern I mean architectural blueprint, then nothing can possibly vary. But no one, and I mean no one, is consistent with this view (we do not eat the Lord's Supper in upper rooms and only at night, we don't use one cup, don't wash feet, don't practice holy kisses, don't enroll widows, etc). But "pattern" also means model, example or guideline all of which carry significantly different connotations than blueprint.

I am convinced the scriptural pattern functions far more like Pamella's dress pattern. In fact I believe the blueprint notion is simply false and contrary to the diversity that is plainly revealed in the New Testament itself.

In conclusion not every congregation that is cut from the New Testament pattern will look exactly the same in all its details any more than every dress made from the same pattern will look the same. But they are the result of the same pattern.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

To Be Like Jesus

To Be Like Jesus

This post is grounded in my reading of Paul's letter to Titus this morning. Christians need to know they are secure in the grace of our loving Abba. You and I as children bought by the blood of the Lamb are in a state of grace. Grace does not fluctuate up and down like a thermometer. Rather grace is steady and sure for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8.1)

Grace, however, does not mock God. The person who claims to love grace seeks to be like Jesus. You see the very reason God has granted us grace is so we can live with him, to have fellowship with him. The goal of grace is not merely the removal of guilt though. The goal of grace is to transform us into the image of his dear Son (2 Cor. 3.18).

Christian life, a grace filled life, aims to reproduce the character of Jesus himself. Christians love and honor their Father. We seek to make him proud. Christians never seek to take advantage of God's grace. No! If we do, we only reveal how little the we appreciate the cost of grace: the death of God's Son and our Brother!

Paul, the apostle of grace, tells us it is grace that is the foundation of all life that looks like Jesus. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions . . ." (Titus 2.11-12).

The Christian realizes she is saved by God's grace alone. She realizes she will never be good enough, go to church enough, witness enough to deserve God's grace. In fact only sinners receive God's amazing grace. Yet the Christian also has a burning desire to be like Jesus. We want to be holy. We want to live a life of mercy in service to the poor. We want to be sexually pure. We want to honor our Father for the gift he has given us.

To truly understand grace requires transformation in our hearts. The heart that only obeys God because it "has to" has not yet been penetrated by the leaven of grace. We seek to be like Jesus because we are thankful for the grace we have received at his expense.

Musings,
Bobby Valentine

The Gospel, Prayer & World Peace

The Gospel, Prayer and World Peace

In 1 Timothy 2 the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, urges his son in the faith to be devoted to prayer. He urges Timothy to be on his knees before he does anything else. There is good reason for this, perhaps several. First, by urging Timothy to devote himself to prayer he is constantly reminded that he needs the power of God to live in this age. The very act of prayer sends a powerful message that we are not sufficient for the task. The very act of prayer proclaims we are dependent upon the ever-present grace of God for even the mundane things of life.

Prayer, as Paul presents it in 1 Timothy 2, is also other centered. Paul urges Timothy to lift up "intercession and thanksgiving for everyone." Prayer forces us to be aware of our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and our world. The focus of prayer, here, is going to God on behalf of others and not myself. Prayer becomes a great act of loving our neighbor as ourselves when we bring their concerns to God before we give him a list of our own wants and desires.

Prayer is also important, says Paul, because through it we can impact the global scene. Christians in Africa, Asia and North America can affect Osama bin Laden by praying for him. We can affect George W. Bush by going to the Lord on his behalf. We can impact the crime in our land by praying that hearts be changed.

For Paul this is not simply a pragmatic concern however. For him it is a matter of the Gosepl. If the world is in turmoil and Christians would rather fight over biblical trivial pursuit then the message that Christ gave himself as a ransom for all people (2.5) is eclipsed! That for Paul is unthinkable; thus, the urging of prayer by Paul. Christians are to lift up hand in prayer "without anger or disputing" (2.8).

Instead of obscuring the Gospel we are called to pray. By doing so we are reminded of our need of God, we show our love for others . . . and we impact the world. That is how we open a door for the Gospel. So the question is: Are we praying?

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine