A Serious Caveat Re: Christus Victor
A note of caution to those mad rushing the embrace of the Christus Victor motif of Jesus Christ’s atonement: There is a caveat, as concerns the classical view of atonement, aka Christus Victor, narrative (Weaver) or otherwise (Aulen). This caveat must be taken seriously, lest the motif be misinterpreted or misconstrued. Christus Victor presumes as reality the dualistic and cosmic battle between God’s good and Satan’s evil. Good and evil are realities of this world, visible in humanity, nature and the universe. This reality can be summarized as [S]in. We are inherently plagued by this [S]in. Yes, Jesus Christ’s atonement looses us to enjoy a real-time relationship with God, but what prevention were we bound to in the first place? In short: Sin, Death, and the Devil.¹ Christus Victor - and the New Testament - can not be taken seriously without an authentic acknowledgment of Sin, Death, and Devil, and the accompanying and cataclysmic battle between its evil power and Jesus’ holy good. So, do wrestle with the New Testament concept of Sin, Death and Devil before you start flying the Christus Victor image of atonement as a misguided appropriation of sorts. Read More »
BIC Fresh Ministry for a Changing Church
Brethren in Christ ministry staff and their spouses are invited to Pittsburgh, Pa., for the Ministry Enrichment Retreat. When: July 9-12, 2007. This year’s theme: “Fresh ministry for a changing church … The conference will explore effective ways to translate the timeless truths of Christianity into the language and culture of our day - making sure that our faith doesn’t get lost in the process.” Read More »
Never Mind the Bibles: The Gospel According to Punk
Never Mind the Bibles: The Gospel According to Punk Rock: A quick hit from the site: “Beneath punk rock’s scabrous exterior – from its garage-band beginnings in the ’60s and ’70s to the tongue-pierced fashion statement it has become – lies an amazing story of spiritual longing and redemption, a story that has been ignored until now. Never Mind the Bibles: The Gospel According to Punk Rock is the only book to examine punk rock’s spiritual roots and to find common links between that movement and the Christian faith.”
An Intentional Dissident is Here
I regularly receive e-mail comments, statements, and/or suggestions from my readers. I deeply appreciate them all. I sometimes receive a comment, statement, or suggestion that is seriously post worthy. This was the case with the following e-mail (posted in full, and with reader’s permission), sent to me from a wonderful teacher at a missionary training school. Read More »
Magdalene Checks Out of Talpiot Tomb
Mary Magdalene is Now Missing! See: A Corrected Reading of Rahmani Ossuary 701 by Stephen J. Pfann, Ph.D. Yes, the “Mary Magdalene is Now Missing!’ title is a bit of a misnomer, as is suggested by Marc Goodacre, if Magdalene was never in the tomb in the first place.
The Church as Picnic and So Much More
March 16 Christian Peace Witness for Iraq
(Washington, DC) – Christian Peace Witness for Iraq will begin with a worship service on Friday, March 16 at Washington National Cathedral to be attended by more than 3,500 people of faith from 48 states, followed by a candlelight procession through the center of our nation’s capital, where thousands will surround the White House bearing the light of peace, and 700 will risk arrest by remaining in prayer in front of the White House. The service begins at 7 p.m., and the White House vigil will begin at 10:30 p.m. It will be the largest Christian peace demonstration, as well as the largest single civil disobedience action at the White House, since the beginning of the Iraq war four years ago. Read More »
March 14th is Happy Pi(π) Day!
Did you realize today is Pi Day? No! Well, now you know! How are you celebrating? So, why is today tagged Pi Day (π), you ask? Well, here’s the explanation: “March 14 the approximation for Pi(π): 3.14.” Intuitive, no? Pi (π) is of course a Greek letter, but it is also the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Too, Pi (π) is an irrational number. Irrational numbers continue infinitely without repeating. So, Happy Pi (π) Day!
The Inspiration and Challenge of Helen B. Montgomery
Helen Barrett Montgomery is as inspirational and challenging as Dorothy Day and her Catholic Worker Movement. Montgomery wrote extensively for her denomination’s weekly news and comment journal – aka “The Baptist.” More importantly than the work she did, however, was the content of the work actually submitted. Montgomery’s work was characterized by an authority all its own and pointed toward something existing well beyond the very limited scope of her own day’s controversial Christian conversation. Read More »
Scot McKnight on Bell’s Sex God
A few great thoughts from Scot McKnight re: Rob Bell’s Sex God. So far, Scot has offered up a celebration of Bell’s latest work (Part One), and a pretty serious critique too (Part Two). Sex God is on my shelf, as are most of Bell’s works (I like them). I’ll be reading this book as soon as pressing seminary requirements are fulfilled.
