Wright on the Atonement

I am under no illusions that, even if I were to write a thousand pages on the subject, I would ever exhaust it. In any case, I am one of those who think it good that the church has never formally defined 'the atonement', partly because I firmly believe that when Jesus himself wanted to explain to his disciples what his forthcoming death was all about, he didn't give them a theory, he gave them a meal.

N.T Wright The Cross and the Caricatures - a response to Robert Jenson, Jeffrey John, and a new volume entitled Pierced for Our Transgressions.

The full extract can be found here

Paul's Relationship with Jerusalem

Nevertheless, to understand what he says about himself in Galatians 1, it is important to notice that he never makes the fact that he was one of those who saw the risen Christ the basis of a justification of his apostolic work with the Gentiles. Whenever he bears his Easter testimony, he ranges himself with all the apostles and in so doing endorses the gospel common to all. "Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed" (1Cor. 15:11)

Paul - Gunter Bornkamm (pg. 21)

Teachers Rights Law

Teachers' rights law takes effect

Teachers will be able to discipline pupils outside of school. New legal powers for teachers and schools in England to restrain and discipline unruly pupils, even outside school, have come into effect. The law sets out teachers' right to break up fights and to confiscate items like mobile phones if misused.

The changes are intended to put an end to what teachers' unions call the "You can't tell me what to do" culture. It is also hoped the legislation will also help tackle cyber-bullying via mobiles and the internet.... (full story)

In September 1999 fresh from my PGCE I entered my first job at a school as teacher of religious education. Little did I know what was in store. My first teaching post was in Croydon. It was diverse in every possible conceivable way. Over 50 different languages spoken, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, 'middle class', 'working class', a range of abilities from those who would go to a top 20 university to those who struggled to write a simple sentence by the age of 16.

It was a typical 'inner London' school. 85% of students got 9 A-G passes. Only 17% got 5 A*-C. In 1997 it was named and shamed as part of the Labour governments league table initiative and mentioned in the house of commons. The Sun newspaper headlined "Not even the SAS can sort out this school". Media attention flooded the school, journalists outside the gate taking photos pf this 'failing school'.

I spent three years there. The first year felt like experiencing a war zone. The students didn't listen. They swore and verbally threatened you. It was more like crowd control rather than learning. However, as my first year finished and my second year started and my pupil- teacher relationships developed, my classroom management improved and learning started.

I experienced a range of fights. During lunch in the playground, when all the students disappeared you knew something was up. I have been in the middle of large hairy pupils thumping the hell out of one another. I have been in the middle of a large group of 200 pupils shouting "Fight, Fight" as I try to separate the culprits. Being in the centre of such situations I have been kicked in the shin, hit in the face and knocked to the ground. I have had shards of glass shattered in my face, removed hammers from pupils bags and evacuated a classroom as a student 'kicked off' threatening others with a brick.

In spite of all this pupils respond to relationship and clear boundaries. After a while, as you gain a reputation of being 'alright' and 'safe' and pupils begin to trust you, behaviour improves. As they begin to see you care for them and respect them they begin to respect you. The stories of the family backgrounds of these pupils are upsetting. From neglect to physical abuse (one child I taught spent the first 10 years of his life locked in a cupboard under the stairs). Child refugees from Afghanistan to Kosovo witnessing the most horrific human rights abuses. I began to learn that the school and me as a teacher provided to only safe and consistent place.

So back to the above story. As teachers we now have the right to restrain pupils who are unruly. But does this mean we are obligated to do so? Could a parent of a child who has been beaten up in a fight sue the school for not intervening? Am I personally liable for not taking action in a fight? Isn't improving pupil-teacher ratios and giving teachers time to do their job a better way? And what about parents. As staff we deal with a growing problem of a lack of parenting skills. It isn't just about impowering staff, it is about dealing with difficult parents and supporting those parent who are struggling.

Another bargain book...

A regularly go to my local Oxfam bookshop to see if there are any bargains. On occasion, due to the death (or maybe loss of faith! Who knows!) of a local priest, the shop gets a number of interesting titles. Along with the book on Paul by Bornkamm, I managed to pick up Gerd Theissen - The Shadow of the Galilean for £1.49. I am now debating whether to pick up the three John Hick titles.

Paul's Eschatology and Ethics

"That which Jewish and primitive Christian apocalyptic awaited in the future and describe in a great variety of pictures (c.f Rev 21:5), Paul, because of God's reconciling the world to himself in Christ, proclaimed as established fact (pg. 198)."

"...Pauls conception of still-continuing temporality was not primarily dictated by a deficiency, but positively by the Christian Gospel; it was not an awkward relic of earth which believers had to endure, but the condition of salvation to which the crucified and risen Jesus gave meaning and content. Time and history are the field in which faith exercises and verifies itself. (pg. 200)"

Paul - Gunther Bornkamm

Bargain of the day...

50p from my local Oxfam bookshop

Creationist Museum

I keep on forgeting that some Christians actually believe this stuff.

Welcome, instead, to the Creation Museum. Here, dozens of exhibits attempt to show the Bible as the literal truth and the theory of evolution as unsupportable by science. Creationists believe that the Garden of Eden did exist, that the world is 6,000 years old, that God created man and
animals simultaneously, and that the flood wiped out every living creature that wasn’t inside Noah’s Ark....

...Some creationists believe that dinosaurs could have been
alive as recently as a few centuries ago, and that European dragon legends were likely a result of dinosaurs living among the populace.

Ham often asks of evolutionists: “How do you gain knowledge
about the past when you weren’t there?” But what of the argument that the same question could be asked of creationists who believe—also without having been there—that the Bible was written by men who reflected the word of God? “Man by himself could not have written such a consistent, non-contradictory book,” says Ham. But how does he know man wrote it with divine inspiration? “Because of
what the Bible itself claims of itself,” he says

Full article in Newsweek

Mandate to Difference

I am a recent convert to the work of Walter Brueggemann. A friend has just given me one of his latest books Mandate to Difference: An invitation to the contemporary church.

What role should the church play in the world today? This is the question esteemed theologian Walter Brueggeman strives to answer in his work Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church. His most recent collection of essays calls the church to "set itself in tension with the rest of the world." Instead of drawing inward, Brueggemann asks the church to publicly choose a different way---to "courageously defy political polarization, consumerism, and militarism." By demonstrating a different way, the church can lead the world forward "and adversaries can be turned to allies and to friends."

Some early reviews are commenting on the disjointed nature of the chapters (which are really stand alone essays), however reading the first two chapters has already got me challenged and wanting to read more. See here for some excerpts of the book.

Chris Tilling: The SHOCKING Truth

Since Chris has posted an “interview” with me (even though I saw no questions nor gave any answers!) I thought I’d write a brief expose of this up-and-coming scholar residing in Tubingen. I have known Chris for over 15 years. I know his long dark history. I was there when he was at school! I know the cess pit from which he has come and the true twisted motivations of his life. In fact Dr Jim West is surprisingly accurate in his revealing assessment of this scholar "without qualification".

Origins
Chris was born into a normal middle class household. Hardworking Father. Generous and loving mother. However this stable and nurturing family could not prevent the beast erupting from within causing untold damage and destruction on random animals (magnifying glass and ants), old innocent grannies (knocking on doors and running away) and teachers (shouting out random swear words in lessons).

His Early Years
The evil nature within Chris (which I hold to actually BE Chris) began to show a diabolical intellect. Initially it was with physics. Chris would speak into the long hours of the night about atoms, electron, particles, positive and negative charges (the list goes on and on). During this period many of his friends died by committing suicide due to severe boredom. But it didn’t stop there. Oh no! He continued into the realm of Chess. Endless strategies, moves, openings and Chess on the Commodore 64 killed the last of his friends off.

Chris’ pursuit for knowledge didn’t end there. At the age of 17, through the lust of a relationship with a young innocent Christian girl (she felt pity for him and hoped to redeem him) Chris went to church. There he was struck by the “intellectual coherence and undeniable logic” (1) of Ken Ham. Chris became a convinced creationist - a position he still holds in the depths of his heart today. I asked him a range of questions yet his simple “logical proofs” (2) just kept coming:

Me: What about the dinosaurs?
Chris: Leviathan, Behemoth. Have you noticed that there are many Chinese legends of Dragons? That’s the dinosaurs. They lived alongside man.
Me: But how did Noah get all the animals on the Ark?
Chris: You idiot. They all hibernated. And the dinosaurs mostly died in the flood.
Me: What about the fossils?
Chris: Stupid prat. The devil put them there.

He had an answer for everything.

In a “Muslim uprising” at school, Chris bound and rebuked the devil to great effect (3). Chris was truly sanctified from his friends (4). His impact was so great he was invited to speak to secular school pupils where he uncompromisingly and powerfully preached the gospel to 15-16 year olds. “They sat in silence totally mesmerised by my preaching” (5) he recounted to me. He loves to talk about this story. Do e-mail/ IM/ Skype him about it.

Influences and into adulthood
Chris cites Benny Hinn as one of the greatest influences of his Christian life. “Just watching Benny preach the Word of God with fire and passion - listening to his secure and deep understanding of the scriptures inspired me to follow in his footsteps. This is a man ALL should follow”. He still lives by this creed today.

With a new Benny haircut in tow (“It‘s the secret of his anointing” he once told me), Chris went to study at St Andrews university. On the streets of this town Chris preached with fire asking the local population to turn from their sin. Once he shouted out “You all stink of sin - I can smell its stench on you!”. As was expected, the towns heart was hard however trading dipped by 75% over those four years of study which "brought much rejoicing".

Academia and study
Apart from the obvious (Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonnke and Morris Cerullo) Chris says the greatest impact on his academic work is Josh McDowell. “Without his clear and detailed exegesis my current work on Pauline Christology would simply crumble”. In addition Chris is also completely taken with Benny Hinn’s “seminal work” on the Holy Spirit. “The Trinity is three persons; the Holy Spirit is triune - it makes so much sense. The trinity is nine - it’s undeniable” (6).

Chris Tilling: A man of contradiction
So who is this Chris Tilling? Physicist, friend, blogger, scholar - or just deceived and a deceiver? Let the evidence speak for itself.

footnotes:
(1) and (2). As referenced by a recent phone conversation with Chris. He credits Ken Ham (ironically a contender for the missing link) as the most important Christian intellectual of the last 500 years.
(3) This "Muslim uprising" consisted of the only Muslim in the Sixth form who happened to be one of our good friends. He brought in a Islamic tract going through all the contradictions in the bible. Chris defeated him by praying at home.
(4) Taking "sanctified" to mean "set apart" - he had no friends.
(5) One of Chris' crowning achievements in ministry. He loves to talk about this experience. The word "mesmerised" here is uncertain. It might be better understood as shocked, dumbfounded, laughed at or mocked.
(6) Chris loves "Good Morning Holy Spirit". He once said, "along with the Bible (KJV) every Christian should own this book for salvation"

Resurrection

If you believe in resurrection, you believe that the living God will put his world to rights and that if God wants to do that in the future, it is right to try to anticipate that by whatever means in the present. It is your job as a Christian, in the power of the Spirit, to anticipate that glorious final state as much as you possibly can in the present. Live now by the power that is coming to you from the future, by the Spirit. And in the same way, live socially and politically because God is going to put the world to rights. That's the great theme of justice in new creation. It is up to us to produce signs of resurrection in the present social, cultural, and political world.

N. T. Wright - from christianitytoday.com/ct

He is Risen!

According to Mark

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Prayer:

God of glory, by the raising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope;for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Taking postmodernism to Church (pt 2)

(Part Two of Two)

Critical Reflections on Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?

Before I write my rambling thoughts on James K. A. Smith’s Who’s afraid of postmodernism? I have to confess a complete lack of knowledge of this subject. I am therefore only writing thoughts that came into my head as I read and contemplated his work.

Firstly, I have to admit I am quite taken with the critique of modernity as given by the postmodern philosophers. The Enlightenment project built on the foundations of the scientific method and Cartesian objectivity have given the world much in terms of technological advancement, however it’s claims of untainted objectivism without cultural influence have proved to be problematic.

I write this in light of reading recent applications of postmodern theory to the Christianity. Work from authors such as Andrew Perriman at open source theology, Peter Rollins author of ‘How (not) to speak of God’ and Walsh and Keesmaat in the extremely stimulating and thought provoking book Colossians Remixed, have challenged and inspired my thinking. The search for objective knowledge is misguided. We have to give up our claims to absolute certainty and knowledge. We need to admit Cartesian certainty has attached itself to religious expression resulting in dangerous fundamentalism. The way forward is to acknowledge this foundationalist project as bankrupt confessing ‘knowledge without certainty, truth without objectivity’ (Smith pg. 121). Knowledge of God rests on the gift of revelation as ‘..the Judeo-Christian view of truth is concerned with having a relationship with the Real (God) that results in a transforming reality’ (Rollins pg. 56). Truth is therefore transformative rather than descriptive.

All this reading has been enlightening however some concerns still remain. Modern Christianity, and particularly evangelicalism of which I am apart, seems to have been birthed in and entangled in modernism. This I appreciate. However could we adopt postmodernism in the same way? Smith argues he is attempting to find resources within non-Christian thought to throw light on our current cultural and epistemological situation and ‘make off with postmodern loot for the sake of the kingdom’ (pg. 23). The tools of Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault are used to help the church discover her true calling and message. These tools are not to be used uncritically and to be fair to Smith, he critiques the ‘unholy three’ with the message and narrative of the gospel, clipping their relativistic wings.

I found Smith’s appeal to radical orthodoxy compelling. I remember discussing my university courses with my pastor a few years back. At that time I was studying both Reformation and Patristic thought. Being an evangelical free church pastor he commented that his understanding of Christian life and thought was firmly rooted in the tradition of the Reformers. This was in contrast to my growing interest and appreciation of the Patristic thinkers. It was here I found my roots and formed my foundations. Smith’s recovery of pre-Cartesian theology and epistemology has much to merit it. Using Augustine and Aquinas to outline the differences between ‘comprehending’ God (which is impossible) and ‘knowing’ God (which is possible though the medium of revelation) calling it an ‘ancient-medieval-properly-postmodern model’ was compelling.

Finally, and this is my major concern, contemporary philosophy has been announcing the death of postmodernism for the last ten years or so. If this is the case, then why are theologians so concerned with interacting with it? Why are theological thinkers in America so enamoured by it? Students finishing their philosophy degrees have no time for the continental thinkers. Derrida et al are nothing but a footnote, an embarrassing blemish, a minor diversion on the journey to a coherent epistemology. Philosophers have been announcing either the return to the enlightenment method, or the advent of critical realism. Scientists such as Denis Alexander have edited books arguing against the postmodern critique of science whilst presenting a robust Christian epistemology. Even N.T. Wright describes himself as a critical realist in spite of Christians who are part of the emerging conversation (such as Andrew Perriman) using his work.

So postmodernism, critical realism, hyper-modernity or pseudo-modernity? Where are we going and how does it affect our understanding of the Christian tradition?

Good Friday

According to Mark

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the
ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"


According to John

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said,

"It is finished."

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Links

Later on I will post my critical reflections to Who's afraid of Postmodernism? by James K A Smith but in the meantime here are few links that have caught my eye:

I discovered an article written by Richard Bauckham in the late '70s called "Universalism: A historical survey" which is well worth the read.

Kim Fabricius at Ben Myers Faith and Theology offers another thought provoking Ten propositions, this time on being a theologian.

Jason Clarke writes a guest post at Church and Postmodern Culture on The will to act, including the question: Why is the Emerging Church drawn to deconstructive theology?". The term epistemic humility particularly resonated with me.

Maundy Thursday

Reading: John 13: 1-17

Prayer

Almighty Father,whose Son Jesus Christ taught us that what we do for the least of our brethren, we do also for him; give us the will to be the servant of others as he was the servant of all, who gave up his life and died for us, yet is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

(from an Anglican Service)

Taking postmodernism to church (pt 1)

(Part One of Two)

A few weeks back I picked up Who’s afraid of post-modernism? by James K. A. Smith. This little tome has been a stimulating read and a valuable contribution to the continuing debate of how the church deals with postmodernism.

Through the book Smith deals with the major continental postmodern philosophers applying their particular critique of modernism to the church. He looks at the contributions of Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault under the premise of taking them to church.

Smith argues there is nothing to fear within postmodern philosophy. He suggests that the ‘unholy trinity of Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault might in fact push us to re-capture some truth about the nature of church that have been overshadowed by modernity and especially Christian appropriations of modernism’ (pg. 23).
He then spends the main body of the book looking at the Parisian three:

Taking Derrida to Church
Smith argues Derrida’s deconstructionist claim “there is nothing outside the text” is a radical translation of the Reformation principle “sola scriptura”. Therefore the Church should i) have scripture at the heart of its understanding of the world and ii) also be involved it’s interpretation.

Taking Lyotard to Church
Firstly, Smith suggests Lyotard’s “incredulity toward metanarratives” should be affirmed by the church allowing us to recover the narrative character of our Faith. Secondly, he argues the confessional aspect of the Christian narrative should be recovered in a world of competing narratives.

Taking Foucault to Church
Smith argues the claim “knowledge is power” allows us to see the cultural power of formation and therefore the need of the church to counteract this influence through counter disciplines. “By unveiling the cultural power of disciplinary formation, Foucault can be a catalyst for the scales falling from our eyes so that we can see what is happening” (pg. 105). Smith then goes on to critique aspects of globalisation and our pervasive consumer culture arguing for a recovery of the spiritual disciplines to shape, practice and recover who we are.

Smith then concludes his book with an appeal to Radical Orthodoxy as a way to do truly postmodern theology. A radical orthodoxy which is not haunted by Cartesian anxiety, but rather rooted in an epistemology grounded in the work of Augustine and Aquinas.

'One in 10' attends church weekly

One in 10 people in the UK attends church every week and one in seven goes once a month, according to research. Christian charity Tearfund's survey of 7,000 people puts the UK among Europe's four least observant countries.

Two-thirds of those polled had not been to church in the last year, except for baptisms, weddings or funerals - but 53% identified themselves as Christian.

Tearfund said nearly three million more people would attend regularly if given the "right invitation".

Read the rest here (source BBC)

The Bearded One Speaks

Archbishop Rowan Williams is presenting a series of Lent talks at Canterbury Cathedral over the next couple of days. His themes include: Baptism, Bible and Eucharist.

The first talk on baptism took place last night and as expected it was great:

He spoke about creation, chaos, and the waters. Then about the waters of baptism -baptised into Jesus, which means being in touch with our own inner chaos, and also being where Jesus is, in the chaos of humanity; being prophet, priest and king to both the church community and the wider community. Prophet, asking the right questions to help bring justice. Priest – being priestly even in our confrontational questioning, gentle, etc. He also talked briefly about adult and child baptism, and what he sees in both. (e-mail from Eileen Lander)

Theroux vs. Phelps

Fascinating documentary last night on BBC 2 by Weird Weekend film maker Louis Theroux. He spent two weeks with "The most hated family in America" - none other than the clan at Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas.

"God is your enemy." "You will eat your babies." "God hates fags." Just a selection of the extremist views aired.

Scary, offensive, funny and disturbing.

Insults!

My "good friend" Chris Tilling (actual picture) has posted a series of nasty, vile and offensive posts about me over at Chrisendom. He even has his blogging pals hurling insults at me.

I can take you TILLING.

YOU AND YOUR MATES.