What Are You Reading and Why?

        Barthal and Edling work with Peacemaker Ministries, immersing themselves with the conflict and distress of entire congregations, becoming channels of G-d’s reconciling grace. Their model for redeeming church conflict is based on Acts 15, a recounting of the conflict in the early church; the model articulates four core principles: perspective, discernment, leadership, biblical response (p 19).

        Getting help by involving others outside the immediate problem areas is not always done; conflict tends to isolate people; many times we need to ‘get help’ by involving ‘assisted peacemaking responses’ (mediation, arbitration, accountability); they present a suggested four-step process: glorify G-d, get the log out of your own eye, gently restore, be reconciled. Dealing with conflicts in the life of the congregation is not so much about resolving specific problems as about seeing conflict as a means by which G-d is growing us into true children of G-d.

        Key to dealing with conflict is to recognize that the presenting issue is seldom the real issue: understand not only what people want but why. The writers give helpful suggestions about how to determine the best/real question in the situation (p 92). Essential in dealing with conflict is the need for congregational leaders to model shepherd leadership (p 138) and developing a caring/serving community (p 158).

Reviewed by Vern Ratzlaff

        Brian McLaren identifies five themes in Hardin’s book: who is Jesus? What is the message of the bible? What is a relevant atonement theory? Is there an approach to violence and peacemaking? What kind of G-d do we believe in? (xiii) Hardin treats these themes, drawing especially on the work of Rene Girard (p 160); it is violence done to an innocent victim that is the key for interpreting the Bible!

        Hardin comments on the Emmaus bible study (Lk 24:13-33); it was the forgiveness expressed by G-d in this resurrected Jesus that collapsed all the previous theological ideas and assumptions. Their theologies dictated a violent or retributive response by G-d (p 28). We need to read the bible from the perspective of Jesus, Hardin pleads, and Jesus talks of a relational G-d, not a retributive G-d: relation to Abraham, to Israel, to Jesus.

        Corinthian Christians did not automatically abandon the culturally accepted ways of doing things in Corinth. Paul was in Corinth for about eighteen months; why didn’t he respond to many initial issues only after they were raised by letter or verbally, from Corinth?  He had shared instructions (‘traditions’, 11:23, 15:1-4, and commended the Corinthians for following them (11:2).  Yet the Corinthians found it necessary to write Paul about six matters on which they lacked clarity (7:1,25; 8:1; 14:1; 16:1,12).

        These are basic issues readily faced after conversion to Christianity. Winter’s book reflects his convictions that Paul did not deal with many of the issues reflected in 1 Corinthians because they had not risen during his time there, or they had done so in a way different from that in which they were now encountering them.

        As a Roman colony, Corinth was highly susceptible to changes or trends in Rome itself.  Three major changes took place in the CE 50’s that had consequences for the social life after Paul left Corinth:  the creation of a federal imperial cult, the Isthmian Games (with the temptation to join in the eating festivities in pagan settings), severe grain shortages.  These changes occurred after Paul left Corinth.

        This is an incredibly rich collection of perspectives of the church and its relation to society, the relationship of Christian faith to politics. For some, ‘America is the New Empire, an incarnation of the empire of the apocalypse, the whore that deceives. For others, especially for those who take a Constantinian approach, the American Empire is salvation (p 12).

        This book reaction will touch on a few of the insightful perspectives given by the 14 contributors. Constantinianism is the commitment to the conviction that the state appropriately holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, that Christians should work within the structures of their legitimately violent states, taking up arms when called upon to do so and that history is best read through the eyes of people in power.

        Craig Carter writes about liberalism in the new Constantinianism characterized by four central concepts (freedom but from, not for, as Bonhoeffer develops it in Creation and Fall), desire (the quest for more), consumption (work as a necessary evil), progress.

        Martin Luther claims both scripture and ‘clear reason’ as the foundation of Christian faith (LW 32:112-113). Hearing the Word is an attempt to foster healthy conversation as it comments on the meaning and authority of scripture for Christian life and discipleship.

        Scripture is the living word which seeks to bring together in conversation both past and present (perhaps future, too!); it is not only a historical record of personal beliefs, but a record of G-d’s intent that ‘circumscribes us’ (p 9). Scripture brings together the experience of the writer and of the reader; experience reflected on is both the content and intent.

        Luther’s concept of the orders embedded in creation (priest, civil body, church and marriage) called for legitimation of the sword (LW 48:261-262).  (This is an issue I don’t follow: his use of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 are not legitimation of the state but of the basis of civic order.  But this illustrates the need to clarify our concepts of hermeneutics.)

        Raised Lutheran, Borg has been a professor theology both at the university level and as an Episcopalian theologian. Convictions reflects on the convictions that have shaped him, encouraging us to become more deeply rooted in the spiritual conviction that leads both us and our world to transformation and renewal.

        Borg sketches the church’s story, shaped both by Paul’s radical social insights, as well as an acquiescent approach to the dominant culture (patriarchy, slavery). He mentions the great schism, that in 1054 separated east from west (Orthodox from Catholic), and the changes in the 1500’s (the Reformation). Today the differences are not between denominations but between world views:  conservative, conventional, uncertain, former, progressive (p 8-14), world views held by groups that cross denominational lines.

        Borg identifies three kinds of changes (conversions) he has gone through (pp 31-35): intellectual, political and religious, and sketches the changes for him of different aspects of Christian faith: Easter (p 127), atonement (p 131), justice and violence (p 147), war (p 194).  A final chapter details what it means to love G-d (paying attention to G-d, loving what G-d loves, centering in G-d, compassion, freedom and courage, gratitude (p 209-231).

A popular writer of the early church dynamics, especially of the canonical process, Pagels focuses on Revelation, the apocalyptic vision of the end of the world.  She then introduces us to a wide range of other books of revolution written around the same time.  She attempts to show how these other ‘revelations’ were excluded from the canon while John’s book gained a prominent place in the bible.

Pagels sees Revelation as an account of how the Roman empire was seeking to destroy the early church; this is the first issue on which I would disagree with her.  There is little evidence of persecution in the early church’s story;  the conflict between Rome and the early church is a conflict of values and worship, life-style issues; Pagels sees the conflict between the state and the believers, and the conflict in the church between the attempts to produce orthodoxy and to combat Gnosticism.

Pagels sees the struggle between the empire and its coercive political pressure; the early church did not see this physical issue, but were very much aware of the pressures being put on them culturally.  Eg Pliny, governor in Asia, laments that the Asian economy is being seriously damaged by the Christians not being part of the economy (ie buying meat for temple sacrifices).  What I would see as the major confrontation is that of the economic and life-style variations creating serious tensions.  Other factors were soon to come, too (eg emperor worship), but the initial perspectives is one of economics, focused in theology.

Historians know almost nothing about the Jesus community of the two decades following the crucifixion, when Jesus’ followers regrouped and began to spread the story. During this time the apostle Paul joined the movement.  James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity, pointing out the disagreements between James, Peter and Paul, over issues such as the meaning of Jesus’ message and whether converts needed to become Jews first.  Tabor’s book shows how Paul separated himself from Peter and James to introduce his own version of Christianity.  James, brother of Jesus, was made head of the new community of faith in Jerusalem.  The epistle attributed to James has well developed parallels to the message of Jesus:  ethical teachings, anointing the sick with oil, forgiveness with G-d through repentance and prayer: the most direct possible link to the Jewish teaching of Jesus himself. 

In a very helpful section Tabor summarizes Greek and Hebrew perspectives on death resurrection.  Also helpful is his pointing to the Jesus images given in the gospels.  Eg Matthew and Mark, Jewish faithfulness; Mark, no history of Jesus; John, the pre-existent ‘logos’; Paul, Greek categories and philosophical perspectives (cosmic deliverer). (See Geza Vermes, The Changing Faces of Jesus).  Tabor’s book provides a careful look at early church history and the struggle in leadership reflected especially in Acts and in the Pauline writings.

A book that invites the reader to provide both framework and content of faith.

Here is a fascinating study of the canonical process as a hermeneutical exercise in which the early church collected, preserved and theologically shaped the material that served as scripture; primary attention is given to the Pauline documents. 

Childs points to differing perceptions of ‘canon’.  Some see canon as the closed list of books officially accepted as authoritative and binding for religious practice and doctrine.  He holds to a broader definition, that seeks to relate the function of the documents to the life of the church.  ‘Canon’ is not only a listing but a description of a process (p 253), ‘the experience of the church in arriving at a writing’s conformation to a rule of faith’ (p 9).

Criteria for canonicity are apostolicity (eg Paul’s letters, by an apostle, become the model by which all expressions of faith were to be tested); catholicity (the ‘critically proven test of Alexandria was balanced by the inclusion of the Byzantine text used by the widest range of the great church’ (p 23); orthodoxy (not an abstract norm but closely related to worship). Childs pursues key areas for clarification of the canonization process (eg Wayne Meeks’ social context of Pauline theology, the apocalyptic shape of Paul’s theology).

Some theologians interpret Luke’s writings as an apology for Christianity addressed to a Roman magistrate, that ‘Jesus and his followers seek accommodation to the empire, to minimize the political elements in Christianity in order to show that Christianity is politically harmless’ (p 3).  Some maintain that Luke-Acts is not an apology for the church but an apology to Rome directed at Luke’s own community; that Luke aims to persuade his readers that the institution of the church and empire are complementary’ (p 4)  Seo challenges these perspectives, pointing to the clash of authority, between Jesus, and Jewish and Roman leaders; contrasting the perspectives of ‘benefactor’ and ‘saviour’ between the empire and Jesus (Augustus as a pseudo-saviour).

Luke 22:24-27 emphasizes Luke’s perspective that the emperor is not a true benefactor, but neglects altruistic benefaction; Jesus is characterized by ‘service-oriented benefactor’.  The emperor makes use of his military authority to obtain peace and security, but Jesus rejects violence.  Jesus’ salvation focuses especially on forgiveness of sins of tax collectors; by showing that the emperor’s salvation does not reach those outcasts, the emperor is seen as a pseudo-saviour.  ‘Luke portrays Jesus as the one who successfully achieves victory and peace through his correction of their wrong doing, not through the emperor’s authority or military power.

A wonderfully clear book on the nature of Jesus and the state.