Friday, July 13, 2018

Understanding the New Testament Historically: An Online Class

Do you ever struggle with understanding any of the content of the New Testament (NT) books? Do you ever wonder how their messages, now 2000 years old, apply to us today who obviously live in a vastly different world than the NT authors and their intended readers? Do you want to be able to read the NT books with more confidence, clarity and greater comprehension?

If you've answered "YES" to any of the above questions, then this online class is what you want. There are two parts to this online class: NTINTRO 101 (Aug.–Dec. 2018) and NTINTRO 102 (Jan.–Apr. 2019).

The 8 sessions of NTINTRO 101 – each consisting of 45 minutes of multi-media instruction, followed by 45 minutes of Q&A and discussion – will situate each of the 27 books of the NT in its historical and cultural context. Each student will receive an outline of each session, together with recommended readings, and will have access to each session's Power Point slides.

The 8 sessions of NTINTRO 102 will follow the same pattern, but will place the formation of the NT canon in its Ante Nicene and early Post Nicene context (ca. 100–400 CE), so that you will better understand why the 27 books of NT were chosen. As part of that context you will be introduced to many of the main early writings that were not included, along with exposure to the Ante Nicene Church Fathers.

COST of First Semester only:

  • $75 if you register by Aug. 15, 2018
  • $99 if you register between Aug. 16–Sept. 6, 2018
CLASS OUTLINE: Topic, Days, Time
  1. Context Matters...A Lot! (The Graeco-Roman World) – Thurs., Sept. 13 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  2. Context Matters...A Lot! (2nd Temple Judaisms & Jesus) – Thurs., Sept. 27 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  3. In the Beginning...Of the Jesus Movement (Paul & Jesus) – Thurs., Oct. 11 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  4. In the Beginning...Of the Jesus Movement (Paul & the Churches) – Thurs., Oct. 25 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  5. The Gospels of Jesus (The Question of Historicity) – Thurs., Nov. 8 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  6. The Gospels of Jesus (Compared & Contrasted) – Thurs., Nov. 22 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  7. Apostolic Christianity I (The Book of Acts) – Thurs., Dec. 6 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  8. Apostolic Christianity II (Later Letters & Revelation) – Thurs., Dec. 13 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time)

REGISTRATION for First Semester only:
  • Send me an email (Brian@init4life.ca) with your contact information BEFORE Aug. 16 and be prepared to send $75 upon approval.
  • Send me an email (Brian@init4life.ca) with your contact information BETWEEN Aug. 16 and Sept. 6 and be prepared to send $99 upon approval.
MORE QUESTIONS: Email me a.s.a.p. (Brian@init4life.ca)

My Personal "Pro-Truth Pledge"

""Post-truth" was the Oxford Dictionaries' international word of 2016...It describes a situation "in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief." Stated another way: "people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.""*

No, I did not post this quote to critique President Trump (or any other national leader) or Fox News (or any other media outlet for that matter) or, here in Canada, to make some kind of political statement with regard to any of the intense controversies currently prevalent in our normally agreeable Canadian culture.

Rather, I posted this quote because I believe we do live in a Post-Truth Era, and thus most of the appeals made for us to consider are based on emotions and already established personal beliefs.

"The result is post-truth discourse. In our new normal, experts are dismissed, alternative facts are offered, and public figures can offer opinions on pretty much anything. And thanks to social media, pretty much anyone can be a public figure. In much public discourse, identity outranks arguments, and we are seeing either a lack of interest in evidence, or worse, an erosion of trust in the fundamental norms around people's accountability for the things we say."*

So why did I post this? As Peter Enns writes, "...my field of study is the Bible and I think about it a lot." My experience tells me that people of faith are being impacted by post-truth discourse. Biblical experts (e.g., academics in the fields of biblical studies, Near Eastern studies, Egyptology, and Archaeology, to name a few) are dismissed as alternative facts are offered (e.g., academics don't believe the Bible and are trying to undermine our faith in it) and public figures (e.g., anyone who cares to post on FB, write a blog or create a podcast) offer opinions which often have nothing to do with what is true, but rather what feels right or makes us feel good.

So, I want to state clearly that my personal goal, for the remainder of my career in biblical studies, is to present experts' observations, opinions and conclusions to anyone in the faith community (and beyond) who cares to read/listen. Thus, I make the following 10 promises** to my readers/listeners...

  1. To fact-check information to confirm it is true before accepting and sharing it.
  2. To share the whole truth, even if some aspects do not support my opinions.
  3. To share my sources so that others can verify my information.
  4. To distinguish between my opinion and the facts.
  5. To acknowledge when others share true information, even when I disagree otherwise.
  6. To retract my information if it is challenged and I cannot verify what I wrote/said.
  7. To defend others when they come under attack for sharing true information, even when I disagree otherwise.
  8. To do my best to align my opinions and my actions with what I understand to be true information.
  9. To compassionately and respectfully inform others to stop using unreliable sources even if those sources support my opinion.
  10. To acknowledge the opinions of experts as more likely to be accurate when the facts are disputed.
I am requesting (with as much humility as I can muster) that my readers/listeners would compassionately hold me to these commitments, as I write and speak about how to understand all things biblical. Thank you.


*These quotes are taken from the Pro-Truth Pledge (https://www.protruthpledge.org/)
**These promises are my attempt to personalize the various pledges found at the above website.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Inspiration and Incarnation (2)

In 1988 Kellogg's came out with a new commercial for an old cereal. Many people thought they knew what Corn Flakes were really like, so the commercial showed different people tasting Corn Flakes for the first time.

  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kiKHg-ZNdU

I think many of us, who call ourselves Christians, think we know what the Bible is all about and thus we have lost our curiosity about, and thus our desire to dig into, the Bible. If you are in that place, you need to get a fresh perspective. I think Enns' book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament, will challenge your preconceived notions and your complacency and reawaken your excitement.

In Chapter 1, Enns' goal is to help set the stage. He acknowledges that many evangelicals are up to date on the manuscript, archaeological and historical evidence related to the biblical texts. Yet, he claims that evangelical biblical scholarship has not engaged many of the issues raised by modern biblical scholarship (1). There are doctrinal implications and "we must be willing to engage that evidence and adjust our doctrine accordingly" (2). What Enns does not want to see is further entrenchment of opposing positions (i.e., liberal vs. conservative, modernist vs. fundamentalist, mainline vs. evangelical or progressive vs. traditionalist), but that we that we move beyond trying to justify our position on scripture and instead embrace and discuss the evidence, and its doctrinal implications, as objectively as possible.

Enns focuses, by choice, on three issues that he says, "Have not been handled well within evangelicalism" (3). First, is how the Old Testament and other literature from the ancient world relate. Second, is dealing with discrepancies and contradictions internally within the collection of books we call the Old Testament. Third, is acknowledging how the New Testament writers use the Old Testament. As he states, "Each of these three points has its own chapter" in his book (4). Chapter 2 deals with the question of the Bible's uniqueness. Does the Bible have to be unique to be understood as God's word? Chapter 3 deals with the Bible's integrity. Does the Bible have to present a completely unified perspective if it is to judged as inspired by God? Chapter 4 deals with the Bible's interpretation. Why do the NT writers apparently quote OT passages often without concerns about the original context of those passages?

He then goes on to explain in brief, "The Incarnational Analogy," that just "as Christ is both God and human, so is the Bible" (5). Every book of the Bible (both OT and NT) was written in an ancient context and must be understood in that context because it was written in order to speak to people in its ancient context. If we accept the idea that the biblical texts are both human and divine, how does that impact what we expect these books to be or be able to tell us today?

Here's is one of the most important quotes from Enns, in my opinion, regarding the human, yet divine aspects of scripture: "When God reveals himself, he always does so to people, which means that he must speak and act in ways that they will understand...It is essential to the very nature of revelation that the Bible is not unique to its environment. The human dimension of Scripture is essential to its being Scripture" (8).

Here is one of the most insightful comments that Enns makes in his introduction: "It is somewhat ironic, it seems to me, that both liberals and conservatives make the same error. They both assume that something worthy of the title word of God would look different from what we actually have" (9). In Chapter 2, he concludes that the Bible is not completely unique. In Chapter 3, the human aspect of the Bible comes into full view, not just in terms of the errors of scribes and translators but in terms of the human aspect of authorship. In Chapter 4, Enns helps the reader see that the NT writers' hermeneutic is quite different from the modern conservative hermeneutic, since they interpreted OT passages in ways that pointed everything to Christ, even in OT contexts where it is obvious that the coming Messiah (Hebrew for Christ) is not under consideration.

He concludes in Chapter 5: The Big Picture.  He states, "We trust the Bible, not because we can show that there is no diversity, but because we believe, by the gift of faith, in the one who gave Scripture to us. We are to place our trust in God who gave us Scripture, not in our own conceptions of how Scripture ought to be" (159).  What we need to have, in light of the growing manuscript, archaeological and historical evidence which pertains to the construction and content of the Bible, is humility. Rather than trying to fit the Bible into our preconceived idea of what a text inspired by God should be like, we need to examine and strive to understand the Bible in terms of what it actually is. Such an approach would be "a breath of fresh air...a testimony to those around us" (162).

In light of my own research over the last few years, being in a position where my preconceived notion of what "inspired by God" had to mean was constantly challenged, I am refreshed by the "Incarnational Model" of inspiration. I no longer feel the need to defend God and his word, but I am free to explore it and see it for all its richness. I live in one of the most beautiful places on this planet, but sometimes when I go for a walk, in order to be active or even get some exercise, I totally miss all the beauty that surrounds me because I'm so focused on getting to where I am going as quickly as I can. I don't stop and just look around at the mountains, the ocean, the massive trees, the vegetation, and the wildlife. That's how I used to study the biblical texts. I went into the Bible with a specific goal and in order to achieve that goal I had to keep my eyes fixed and my gaze narrowed. Now I get into the Bible with a broader gaze and a more general goal. I stop in places to rest, to explore, to question, to theorize, to doubt, to praise and/or to acknowledge, whatever seems most appropriate. My curiosity about the Bible has been restored as it was in my early Christian days, after this atheist turned and committed his life to following Jesus.

I would encourage each of you regardless of where you are at spiritually to get Enns' book and read it with an open mind and heart and see if it doesn't lead you to a new or renewed desire to get into this most famous of books ever compiled.


Introducing My "Skeptics Believe" Website

Greetings: If you are one of the readers/subscribers to this blog, you've noted I've not published any posts here since early March....