Bringing Romans Back to Life

Scot,
A much needed type of book. Thanks for highlighting this.

Great question for today. I like von Balthazar's notion, more recently picked up by Vanhoozer, of viewing and participating in the Bible as theodrama - script and performance - having a role as an actor on God's grand stage. Somehow there is a tendency to fall into an obsever mode, which deprivilges us of the theodiversity in the Bible and of finding our place in the story.

This is where I appreciate N.T. Wright so much. On one hand, you have the massive "New Testament and The People of God" for all the bible-heads out there (read: Seminarians like myself). And then on the other hand, he takes off the "Nicholas" and becomes Tom Wright, pastor and fellow Bible reader with this "...For Everyone" series. I think that set is good at "putting the bible back into our hands." What do you think?

Also, Vanhoozer's stuff is really good. If pastors would pick up the scholar's new emphasis on bring speech-act theory into their everyday bible study and preaching, I think the Church would really benefit!

Change in behavior creates change in thinking and values and priorities. Jesus transformed the 12 by plunging them into the radical and risky social and religious changes he incarnated. By Reta giving assignments, the readers/ participants can "live into" the great realities of Romans.

From L'viv, Ukraine,
John

What have you done to help bring the Bible to life...
I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but...

A few years ago a class assignment was to "creatively" present the message of the book of Jonah. I felt like most of my classmates were being unnecessarily hard on ol' Jonah, so I did a last minute rewrite. I chose "prophets" out of the class to deliver my prophecies against the US.

Initially they were kind of general and moralistic -- e.g., "You will be removed from your lofty place." The class received these prophecies with enthusiasm. As the prophecies progressed, they become more specific, darker, and more personally relevant, and the class got much less enthusiastic.

After ten or so prophecies that Iran would destroy the US, I asked for a volunteer to take a message of God's justice and mercy to Iran. Oddly enough, no one wanted to go. They did get into Jonah's head a bit, though.

Scot asks "What have you done to help bring the Bible to life ... to awaken to the social and historical conditions at work in a passage or in a book?"

Two very suggestive books in this area are "The Mystery of Romans" by Mark Nanos, and "Final Account" by Krister Stendahl. One of the themes of these books is the relationship of the church to the Jews (Romans 9-11). Understanding this relationship differently can have implications for how one understands the church, and perhaps Christology as well.

MatthewS,

Thanks for the comment.

Do we know what it really means to live under the grace of God and not under any written codes, creeds, but totally under grace. Romans 6-8 is my favorite part because it tells me I have been set free from the Spirit of the law and am now under the grace of Jesus Christ. I'm living under the Jesus Creed. His word. His life. His rules. I am a disciple of grace (Eph.2). It is wonderful to be so free. Rom 6:1-ff. has taught me to cherish the gift of grace. It has taught me that it is not cheap and and being consumed by the life of Jesus I cherish it because of the love I have for Christ. Scot, I think your blog says it all. Jesus Creed. If we take the words of Jesus and live by them aren't we consumed by Him. Aren't we going be following his will. Cherishing the grace. Loving Him. After all love is the center of Christianitiy. For God so Loved... God is Love... Right? I love being consumed. When your consumed your never the same again. Being consumed means you totally surrender. Surrender your life over to the will of God. Everything over to Him. Yourself. Your family. Your ministry. Your money and posessions. When you are consumed you understand that God is going to provide. When you are consumed your life is all about loving God and following His will for your life. The good pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

Back when I was an associate pastor, I was asked to preach...which didn't happen that often, with 9 associates! It's challenging to only get one shot every once in a while, so I struggled with what to do. But I am a storyteller at heart...and a lover of reading God's Word...so I decided to read Ephesians--yup, the whole book--and do it as if I was Priscilla being asked to bring it to them from Paul. I asked them to close their Bibles and listen...and I read from a different version then they are used to hearing (but not The Message).

There were basically three responses. The first one was the normal one...no response from the majority--same old same old. The third one I also expected, because I had joked to a colleague: well, if they don't like that message, they'll have to take it up with Paul. Well, they didn't take it up with Paul, but they did make sure to comment to the senior pastor on his return that they didn't appreciate the unusual experience.

The second one was exactly what I was hoping for: many came up afterward and commented that they almost felt compelled to leave their seats and sit down on the floor in front of the auditorium...like gathering around a campfire to listen...that they had never heard the Word in that way before--addressed TO them--and had never heard Ephesians read all the way through.

The whole thing only took 25 minutes!

Brad,

Thanks! The one thing I would say: do a dry run with someone like your wife first. It is so easy for us to get excited about the details and not realize we are starting to pile too much on. That is one thing I always have to watch out for, and it usually results in me having to leave something or another back on the cutting room floor. Not like you don't know that already.

Scot and Matthew,

Thanks! This is just what I needed. The creative juices are starting to flow....

I'm thinking ancient Roman bread (or just sourdough) with honey, grapes, and water. (The olives are a great idea but I'm afraid that they might give some people heartburn just looking at them at 8:45am!) ;)

I'll have "Phoebe" deliver the letter at the beginning of class and pass it around the class rolled up and labeled in Greek letters (perhaps APO PAULOS).

I'll sit on a wooden bench at the front in period dress.....

Well, I've got some other ideas but I don't have time tonight to type them all up.

Anyways....Thanks!

Scott #21,

I was thinking (maybe just imagining) that church's had designated readers who would read the letters. I'll have to check into that. But since I'm not into crossdressing, we'll have to do it that way anyways. ;)