Course website for students in FPU's LA 42 Cohort to find extra resources for their (favorite) Summer 2010 "BIB 436: Biblical Perspectives" class...
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-Jesus give the rules for First Christian Church, and chews you out for going to a football game:
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jesus tells all his friends all they've done wrong, and reminds them how evil and hopeless they are:
He deals with the roots of group-ism, and also addresses the fascinating inclusio/chiasm of Jesus' sayings:
Luke 9:50: "Whoever is not against you is for you."
Luke 11:23: " Whoever is not with me is against me."
And if you keep watching, he'll suggest that the God's Kingdom image is male/female, while some nations tend to incarnate (only) a male or female image. Can you guess which gender he assigns your country?
Thanks for making this such an enjoyable class! I hope at least a few of you were pleasantly surprised how rewarding studying the "three worlds" can be.
I thought I would post here the refrerences on a some items we covered last time, and also introduce you a bit moreto your guest speaker for the last class session.
A slideshow with much of the content of the "Living Water" video we watched is here.
The "TNIV Books of the Bible" that I mentioned is described in more detail here.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary is largely readable online at Google Books..helpful on Philemon. Just click here, then click "preview."
"Messianic" in this context means they are among the minority of Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah.
I think you will love his heart and insight. As you may have heard, he has a holy sense of humor (he appears in some videos here, as he is the "radio rabbi" at KRDU), was Anne Harrah's karaoke coach.........and may just win "Biggest Loser" next season! His congregation is behind his weight loss goals, and has established "The Amazing Shrinking Rabbi Fund". ("
If, for your paper, you want to consider chiasm in Philemon, after searching out any such structures yourselves (which you are getting good at!) consider:
I am actually sad this class is drawing to a close...... .................I know you all are, too (Yeah, right! But I can hope). Look forward to seeing you tomorrow, as a special surprise is in store.
This week, as you may have noticed, the theme is "Worshipping in Community," and the symbol is here: What words to fill in for each circle? We;ll do that in class?
------------------------ For posterity...Here are some of the clips and links that we will be utlilizing in class this week: --------------------------- PSALMS:
You may still be having trouble forgiving Walter Brueggemann for writing that book you had to read for last class (:.. But the same guy suggests a helpful way to categorize the Psalms. Click here.
When we talk about the psalms of lament, psalms of imprecation, and psalms of disorientation being just as integral a part of biblical "worship" as the more "obvious," upbeat and "worshipful" psalms, these comments from Bono of U2 comes to mind. He makes a good point:
Why are we often so afraid of/threatened by the "honest and full truth," when the Scripture, and the biblical "historical world," is not?
Bonus video below, also U2 related. This is audio recording of Bono introducing Pastor Jack Heaslip (U2's chaplain/pastor) to offer a prayer/blessing on the opening night of a U2 tour, is insightful on several levels.
I love how in the introduction Bono offers all the band's staff, roadies, etc. opportunity to participate in the blessing, without apology, but without coercion or exclusion. He's bounded and centered set. I also enjoy Bono's casual, almost apologetic, self-effacing (!) remark at the end about feeding the hungry "apparently" on the band that night.
-- On that topic of BOTH bounded and centered set, I came across a post by Len Hjalmarson (FPU seminary grad) which introduces us to such a grid. This concept might be a really helpful model for your Philemon paper: How do you see one set or the other, or both, or both at the same time in Philemon?
Read Len's post here, featuring Stuart Murray's diagram at right.
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Here's a sermon I once did on Psalm 22, which is another amazing psalm to use in a worship setting...How often have you heard "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?" in a church song?:
------------------------------ Shane Claiborne (whose material on the crucifixion narrative we looked at last week, here.. my audio interview with him also at that link) wrote a "Letter to Non-Believers" in Esquire (here) which came to mind, as I promised to post my "Confessions from a Christian Pastor" column in The Fresno Bee ( found here). -------------------------------------------------------
Rob Bell (remember his sermon from last week?) on "Everything is Spiritual": part 1:
part 2:
part 3:
part 4:
part 5:
----------- What does this "Council of Elrond" scene from "Lord of the Rings" have to do with the "worshipping in community" theme? Well, for one, "you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission....quest....thing.":
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The Ray Vander Lann clips we'll show for this session are episodes 4 and 5 from Volume 8 of the "Faith Lessons" series, new and not excerpted online yet, but available herem
Finally (Phinally?) , on Philemon. Kurt Willems (FPU Seminary student ) has posted a helpful series on Philemon that challenges us to apply the Three Worlds theory. I'll bet he took this class, and this is based on his Philemon paper!:
If you prefer audio, part 1 audio is here. ---------- Blessings!What's for dinner tomorrow, anyway?You'll need a big one to celebrate acing the quiz.-dave
As you can see by the David Lee photo here,
and as you have been experiencing in class,
traveling the bridge can be a foggy and frustrating affair.
Or to mix the metaphor, the bridge can be
"all wet" (photo below and story here).
To play with the bridge image one more time:
Here 's a pic of the New Choluteca Bridge, which, thanks to a hurricane, effectively links "nothing to nowhere":
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On the "hermeneutical bridge" (Don't forget, that "h" word is on the quiz next week) image for interpreting/bridging literary/historical worlds to the contemporary worlds:
here (scroll down to page 19-21) is the section from Brian Dodd's book that inspired the image/diagram.
After test-driving on the bridge in tonight's class with three scriptures, I would guess that...
1)After tonight's video and discussion on the "literary world" and "historical world" of the Caeserea Phillipi/Gates of Hell you'll probably never be able to look at Matthew 16 the same way again. You'll probably always see this image < ............. which will speak volumes about "contemporary world" implications.
Here is VanDer Laan's own summary of his video, and here is another outline of it.
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2)The same is likely true of Jesus crucifixion scene in Mark. Here is a summarybelow from Shane Claiborne's book, "Jesus For President":
Coronation and Procession (8 steps)
1. Caesar: The Praetorian guard (six thousand soldiers) gathered in the Praetorium. The would-be Caesar was brought into the middle of the gathering.
1. Jesus: Jesus was brought to the Praetorium in Jerusalem. And the whole company of soldiers (at least two hundred) gathered there.
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2. Caesar: A purple robe was placed on the candidate. They were also given an olive-leaf wreath made of gold and a sceptre for the authority of Rome.
2. Jesus: Soldiers brought Jesus a wreath (of thorns), a sceptre (an old stick), and a purple robe.
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3. Caesar: Caesar was loudly acclaimed as triumphant by the Praetorian Guard.
3. Jesus: Sarcastically, the soldiers acclaimed, mocked, and paid homage to Jesus.
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4. Caesar: A procession through the streets began. Caesar walked with a sacrificial bull and a slave with an axe to kill the bull behind him.
4. Jesus: The procession began. But instead of a bull the would-be king and god became the sacrifice and Simon of Cyrene was to carry the cross.
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5. Caesar: The procession moved to the highest hill in Rome, the Capitolene hill (‘head hill’).
5. Jesus: Jesus was led up to Golgotha (in Aramaic ‘head hill’).
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6. Caesar: The candidate stood before the temple altar and was offered a bowl of wine mixed with myrrh, which he was to refuse. The wine was then poured onto the bull and the bull was then killed.
6. Jesus: He was offered wine, and he refused. Right after, it is written, “And they crucified him.”
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7. Caesar: The Caesar-to-be gathered his second in command on his right hand and his third on his left.
7. Jesus: Next came the account of those being crucified on his right and left.
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8. Caesar: The crowd acclaimed the inaugurated emperor. And for the divine seal of approval, the gods would send signs, such as a flock of doves or a solar eclipse.
8. Jesus: He was again acclaimed (mocked) and a divine sign confirmed God’s presence (the temple curtain ripped in two). Finally, the Roman guard, who undoubtedly pledged allegiance to Caesar, the other ‘Son of God’, was converted and acclaimed this man as the Son of God.
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This extraordinary symbolism would have been unmistakable to the first readers of the Gospel. The crown of thorns, the purple robe, the royal staff; the whole section leading up to the crucifixion reads like the coronation of Jesus! At the apex of this passage is the Roman Centurion’s exclamation that “Surely this man was the Son of God!” He saw how Jesus died and became the first evangelist. His realisation tears apart his whole view of the world and reveals the fallacy of earthly empire and the nature of the true King.
Mark is trying to show us where our allegiance should lie. At the foot of the cross, when even those that Jesus loved must have been bewildered (only failed Messiahs hung on crosses), a Roman Centurion proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God! The journey to the cross was the final coronation of the Son of God, the rightful King, who in the cross defeated sin and death.
3)The same is also likely true for the Rob Bell message (below) on Revelation..Is there room for subversion/satire/spoof of "Empire" in your view of Scripture?:
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Finally:
Remember the story of the bridge built from both sides, where workers met in the middle?
Here's a picture (source). See yourself on it? That's where you live...at least for the rest of this class(:
Keep up the great work, class...More pics on the cohort facebook page.
Don't forget the quiz next week, study guide posted at this click.
Look forward to seeing you all for week 4 class in a few days! Hope you had a good vacation week.
I sure appreciate the "above and beyond" work you have been doing.
We especially look forward to seeing Christina, who is working hard even as she recovers from her accident!
As promised, here are the quiz (mix and match)terms and definitions (from you text) to study for quiz on Week 5..
Just for fun..There are really only 15 terms on the quiz, so one of the items below is a joke.. No, you don't get extra credit it for spotting it..but anyone who posts the correct answer in the "comments" section below this post will get a prize in class Tues night (:
Assyria: a major near-Eastern empire located in Mesopotamia, which dominated Israel and the entire region through the 7th century BCE
Babylonia:ancient near-Eastern empire, located in southern Mesopotamia, which dominated Judah in the later 7th and 6th centuries BCE
Canaan: Name for the region and inhabitants of Palestine, prior to becoming "Israel"
Canon: From the Greek term for "rule" or "standard." Any list of writings deemed authoritative.
Covenant: A formal, sacred treaty or agreement between two parties with each party assuming obligation.
Elohim: Hebrew for "gods" or "God"
Epistle: From Greek "epistole," letter.
Exile: the period during the 6th Century BCE when part of the population of Judah was taken into captivity in Babylon
Hermenuetics: An area of study dealing with principles and process of interpretation of the Bible or other literature.
Messiah: Hebrew for "anointed one"
Palestine: From the Greek name for the area along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Prophet: One who serves as an instrument of communication between God and humans
Rabbi: Hebrew title that came to mean "my master" or "teacher." A title denoting respect for Jewish teachers.
Tad Tadich: respected and charming young mascot of a 21st Century Fresno Pacific University cohort. Moonlights as a stand-up comedian. Also a great chef (as we found out a couple weeks ago).
Tanak: An acronym created from the Hebrew words for the three canonical sections of the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Neviim and Kethium.
Righteousness: The state of being right, or being in right relationship
Video of the servant-leader shepherd(ette) below; what do we learn about Bible definition definition of "greatness," "leader," pastor"/"shepherd"?(leading from behind/among...see also Isaiah 30:21):
