Scot McKnight: April 2009 Archives

What do you think these words mean from James 2:13?

"judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"

I think it sounds like Jesus in Matt 6:14-15: "14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

James doesn't let up: those who will be finally approved by God will be people who do God's will, who live out the law of love, and who have works.

We will begin this Friday and then next week two new conversations. One will be about Andrew Marin's new book about homosexuality and the Church, called Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community .

And the second will be about Tom Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision . Last week's post about the New Perspective sets some of the context of Tom Wright's debate with John Piper, who has been interviewed about it here. Here is how John Piper defines justification in that interview: "In the New Testament, justification is the moment or the event when you put your faith in Jesus Christ and at that moment God is no longer against you--he's for you, and he counts you as acceptable, forgiven, righteous, obedient because of your union with Christ. You are perfectly acceptable to God and he is totally on your side."

James 2:12-13 reads: "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"

Sailors, so I'm told, use stars to guide them. The North Star has become the symbol of finding and being guided by an ultimate reference point.

James urges the messianists to use -- as their North Star -- the reality of judgment on the basis of the law that gives freedom.

The law that gives freedom -- the Torah as understood by Jesus through the lens of loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself -- is the final criterion that God will use in judging humans.

Therefore, live in light of a judgment that will exact judgment on the basis of that law.

Over at the CT site called Her.meneutics, Kay Warren stirred some folks up about the distinction between humans and animals. Here is her decisive paragraph (and what do you think?):Please don't misunderstand me: God put animals under the care of...

I got this set of questions from a reader at the end of our series on "Our Collective Faith," a series that discussed a book about heresies and how to avoid them. Here is the set of questions, and I've...

If I were a pastor or a youth pastor, if I were a small group in Texas, and if I lived within 500 miles of Laity Lodge -- I'd do everything I could to get folks to spend a weekend...

To love your neighbor as yourself is the foundation of the Torah.To show favortism toward the rich and against the poor, you are not acting in love.Not to love is to break the law.Therefore, those who break the law (of...

The final chp of  Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe is an odd one, but all the better for its oddity. The chp is written by Janet Martin Soskice, a Roman Catholic and...

Do you know about Robert Gelinas and his new book Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith ? There are very few books like this one -- in fact, there is none. I really liked this book, and I will...

The next passage we deal with in James is 2:8-13, and it reveals that James -- like his brother and then also like Paul and John -- made direct use of the Shema + Lev 19:18, which I call the...

One topic of conversation in our ministry household has been the subject of sermon illustrations and where they come from. Both my spouse and I find that people love it when you use real situations from your life to connect...

I've mentioned on this blog the word "anabaptist" and that I consider myself an anabaptist in theological orientation. Usually someone writes me and asks this question: What's an anabaptist? Well, I say, they are the third wave of the Reformation...

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the...

Chicago is for Spring Bikers:David Opderbeck weighs in on faith and missional theology. Erika's suggestive post is worth your reading. And Jason Clark announces a new missional D.Min. effort he will direct. David Dunbar's new piece in Missional Journal is...

song by James Taylor?  I have a story to tell. When Luke was 13 we were playing a baseball tournament in St Louis. On one of our many trips in the elevator we got out on our floor and a...

Our friend Chris Folmsbee, a leader in youth ministry, offers us one more reflection on youth ministry today, and his topic -- youth ministry and church -- is as timely as it gets. Let's think together today about the issue...

This week's Friday is for Friends comes from Derek Leman, a messianic rabbi (or a messianic pastor for some of us). I am finding that his questions are haunting more and more of us these days, and I hope we...

Every now and then, but not very often, someone writes a book that is a once-in-a-lifetime publication. Wow! Everett Ferguson has just given us an exhaustive study of baptism in the first five centuries: Baptism in the Early Church: History,...

May God be in our sleep; may Christ be in our dreams. May the Spirit be in our repose, in our thoughts, in our heart. In our soul always may the Sacred Three dwell....

We now have a website for The Origins Project and we are keeping the name "The Origins Project." Tool around our site and, if so moved, sign up for participation in what we believe can be a significant movement of...

We come to the last argument James uses with the messianic community. It is wrong to exploit the poor because it is against Jesus' teaching, because it is contrary to election, because it is stupid, and finally because there is...

The 11th chp of  Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe introduced me to a heresy I had never heard of: the heresy of the Free Spirit. The author of the chp is Denys...

A book we've been discussing about heresies brings to the surface how Christians have debated heresies and heretics. There is a subtle theme in this book that heresies can be discussed rationally, even when one believes deeply that a given...

James has now argued from Jesus and from theology. He now argues from sheer pragmatics that despising the poor is stupid:Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?...

This is from a colleague of mine, Bradley Nassif, who teaches theology at North Park University. Brad is an Eastern Orthodox theologian.My mother, Lydia, only had an 8th grade education and waited tables for a living.  She was poor and...

Some books don't get to the top shelf or to the front of the table because they're not very good. Other books don't get to the top or the front for no good reasons, and I've recently been through a...

Snobbery is a major problem at work among the messianists. Notice these words from James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to...

The two most common heretical slurs tossed around today are "Pelagianism" (or is little friend, semi-Pelagian, which is more slur than substance) and Gnosticism (or neo-Gnosticism). The most formidable early threat to orthodox Christian faith was Genosticism, and the...

"love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven"? "And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?"I don't know the ins and outs...

Last Saturday I got up early and drove down to Naperville to speak at a Young Life event. I had prepared myself for a variety of talks since I wasn't quite sure how Young Life leaders would respond to a...

For James, who once again sounds like his older brother, kow-towing to the rich is not what they learned from Jesus, it is not theologically sound, and furthermore it simply doesn't make sense. 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God...

By PW: It's that time of year when we as a family usually realize we haven't made a plan for vacation yet this year! Sometimes we make vacation plans at the last minute due to the lack of discretionary funds,...

I get asked this about once a week, often in an e-mail: "What is the New Perspective on Paul?" Let me answer that question with three brief lines, but first I provide what inspired me to think through the NPP...

When the priest and Levite saw the body on the ground, they chose to pass him by. When the Samaritan saw the body, he took the pains to help the man.If your goal is being right, you can wash your...

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;...

Check this out. Now our questions: What have you learned that balances your busy schedule with kids? What are the mistakes to avoid? What are the best things about the flourish of activities when the kids are on the go...

Tim Soerens, a missional follower of Christ in Seattle, stopped by recently and we shared lunch. To my delight, he gave me a batch of Caffe Vita coffee, an exquisite coffee from Seattle. We're drinking Organic Peru Chaupe, and this...

Chicago's own!Does NYC have this? Does LA? Chicago does! (HT: PK-C)Blog by one of our students. Worth your reading. A story about another of our students.A very good reminder: know before you tweet. Tweet humor with Tamara.On resurrection: check out...

Pizza?...

There was a time, and not that long ago, that more than one good commentary on Acts was hard to find. There were some old ones, and FF Bruce's two (very different) commentaries were consulted, but it ended there. But...

We finish off the sketch of how the messianic community was kow-towing to the rich and despising the shabbily-dressed. In this letter, the rich are the oppressors and the poor are the oppressed. As we will see next week, the...

We want more attention to be given to youth ministry, and so Chris Folmsbee joins us weekly to offer a post. Today's post is about mentoring. We welcome, as always, your feedback and conversation. This post today deserves responses from...

Here is another in our series of guest bloggers who send stuff in to us. We always welcome your ideas or your own posts. Our first wave of submissions is now about complete, so we are hoping for another batch....

To prepare for his ordination examination, Philip Fithian (1746-1776) was asked to prepare a sermon on the "Nature of Regeneration" and an exegetical study "that shall prove by plain & full Arguments that the Torments of the Damned will be...

What is fasting? Try defining it, and I'll make a suggestion. Go ahead -- in your mind define it.Here's my suggestion: If, in defining fasting, we are tempted to define fasting as something we do "in order to" get something,...

During my early graduate years in seminary I began to use the Loeb edition of the apostolic fathers, and then when Bart Ehrman brought out a whole new Loeb edition of the apostolic fathers, I bought that one. I enjoy...

Pelagianism is the favorite term thrown around by many today when the intent is to label a theologian as heretical. In the 9th chp of  Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe we are...

AN Wilson, known to many as a religious skeptic and critic of the Christian faith, tells his story of faith in public. I hadn't heard this before, and maybe I'm woefully outdated, but here it is.A week ago, there were...

How we treat the poor is a barometer of our faith in the Glorious Jesus Christ. That's what James says in James 2:1 and then he sketches a scene before our eyes:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a...

Here is a question from a reader...Scot (and the Jesus Creed Blog),What happens to our view of hell if we shift our understanding of "heaven" to the "new heavens and new earth" to the transformed earth?There's been a stream of...

When it comes to pastoral theology, and to the local church kind of spiritual leadership, I look to others. Perhaps every denomination has its own favorite pastor-mentors, but a wise mentor and pastor who transcends denominations is Lynn Anderson. His...

We get asked about books often, and it is not always easy to know where to begin. I once was asked about books on spiritual formation, and I just couldn't keep it to one and before long I had mentioned...

Faith in Jesus Christ implicates a person in his way of life. Here is a sketch, a caricature that delves at the same time in the depths of the ordinary:James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold...

I find Donatism to be one of the most unknown and yet most pervasive of heresies at work in the church today, and yet we need to be careful once again. Why? In dismissing Donatism we may fall into...

At Messiah College last week I was asked three different times this question: "How do you manage to get all the teaching, speaking and writing done?" OK, I've talked about this before, but I'd like to have a conversation about...

We enter into a self-contained new section of James (James 2:1-13). This passage prompts James to to speak of the relationship of faith and works, and that section (2:14-26) is James' most cited passage in the history of theological debates....

Some days a pastor's spouse is given privileged access to the faith of God's people. I take seriously the mystery of walking among God's people. One Easter, during the commotion of people entering and leaving the church, picking up their children,...

Last week I was invited to Messiah College to speak to the 1st Year students at chapel time, and I was asked to do deal with The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others . While there is only so much...

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came...

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may...

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day,...

Summer time... what are these geese fighting about? Steve Mook's update on his time in Fiji. Thanks Mooker. Dan Kimball's thoughts on the Newsweek article. On resurrection weekend, Russell Moore reflects some on resurrection from the empty grave and the...

We continue our series of commentaries on the New Testament: today we look at the Fourth Gospel.I always look to RE Brown first; it's getting old, but I've learned so much from him I start with his 2-volume commentary: The...

Jeremy Berg is a pastor in Burnsville MN and this post is one that has crossed my own mind a number of times.Do you pick up hitchhikers?  Why or why not?  I passed one by again today as I drove...

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and...

James' words from James 1:27 continue to ring in our ears:Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the...

I've been twittering a little while and my own jury is still out. Here's some thoughts, and I'd be glad to hear yours (but don't be a curmudgeon about it unless you've given a shot):1. The best twitter-er I follow...

When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not...

Here is a pressing issue -- something Christianity Today recently discussed: the level of familiarity with the Bible's story. Chris Folmsbee is asking us today to weigh in on what's going on in our churches and homes. Help us out...

The next heresy in B. Quash and M. Ward, Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe  concerns Marcion and asks this question: Can Christians dispense with the God of the Old Testament?I hear this...

Have you seen the new series from Christianity Today International? There are a number of volumes in this series, and I'm privileged to be in two of them. These books take CT articles and turn them into study sessions for...

Clearly some of the most memorable words James ever uttered are in 1:26-27:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our...

Charles Murray famously spends time deconstructing the myths of public education. He's not always right, he's usually politically incorrect, but he's always worth listening to -- especially if you are a public educator. With civility, what do you think (honestly)...

Let's say you want to know what the earliest churches and Christians were like. Is there a book that puts it all together? that sorts out all the scholarship? one that is up-to-date? When I was a student, we turned...

I'm wondering if anyone who reads memoirs or autobiographies has come across anything of late that is a "must read"? Kris and I are both memoir readers and are looking for good, new reads. (By the way, I've read Ben...

Some people think they are especially religious but don't control their tongue. Here's how James puts it in James 1:26:If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his...

The next heresy in B. Quash and M. Ward, Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe  concerns "theopaschitism." The chp is by Michael Ward, an Anglican priest and an expert on C.S. Lewis.What is...

Nope, forget Tim Horton's. The finest Canadian coffee I've had is Second Cup. We first tasted this coffee in Edmonton, we've got a bag or two of the beans, and I have to say that this stuff rivals some of...

I wonder how many Christians, especially since the Reformation, genuinely believe what James -- in powerful adaptation of his brother -- says in James 1:26-27.If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his...

Every discussion about homosexuality is fraught with a singular challenge. It is the challenge of civility. I believe civility is the Third Way in this moral debate. On this blog last week we published "A Letter" and then Andrew Marin,...

This is a series by a pastor's wife (spouse) who cares deeply about the particular struggle that many pastor's spouses feel and experience. His her reflection from a recent pastor's wives retreat.I was with a number of pastors wives on...

Goes to the British Royalty decorum management group that decides, somehow, that America's First Lady, Michelle Obama, acted outside the boundaries in warmly touching the Queen. For this, we give the first-ever "Big Lips" kiss award. The "Big Lips" kiss...

A critical statement made by our President, Barack Obama, is worth conversation today. Afghanistan under Karzai has recently made shifts toward more sharia law, and the implications for women are nothing short of enormous. I'm glad Obama speaks out here...

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find...

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great...

Saskatchewan is the home of the (big) living sky, and I saw it. Here's a picture of Briercrest where I gave lectures last weekend. Briercrest is a wonderful exhibition of generous evangelicalism with wonderful students and professors (and the big...

Here's one's that definitely a possiblility! (Gross.)What's your favorite?...

Christianity Today has a new women's blog: Her.meneutics. Check it out. A good list of potential authors....

This is a guest post from Jeremy Berg. You have heard the Christian slogan: "Christ is Lord of all or not at all."  Right?  National Public Radio had a featured story tonight on the Quiverfull movement.  If you're unfamiliar with...

This entry in our Friday is (for and from) Friends is by Michelle Van Loon who blogs at The Parable Life. Michelle's written two fine books on the parables, and I think you'll find this post of hers is worth...

The Torah, properly understood, leads to a life of freedom. So James 1:25:But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will...

We continue our series on serious commentaries on the New Testament. Today we look at the Gospel of Luke, but before I do that I must announce that volume two of Jimmy Dunn's magisterial work on the beginnigs of Christianity...

Once again, we welcome Chris Folmsbee to our blog to post about youth ministry (and transformative environments). I can't help but chime in: this is one of the soundest education strategies I've seen. Creating opportunities to learn is at the...

Andrew Marin is a friend; Andrew has spent the last decade in pastoral work among gays and lesbians. I asked Andrew how he'd respond to the letter I posted yesterday and here is his response.Allowing the student to rejoin the...

20 Things that have happened since the Cubs won the World Series (HT: JRB, JC)1. Radio was invented; Cub fans got to hear their team lose.2. TV was invented; Cub fans got to see their team lose.3. Baseball added 14...

James has a goal in mind when he begins this section: he wants his readers to be those who listen and do. What he wants them to listen to is what he mentions next, and it is a source of...

Here is a letter about a subject that we believe will become much more of an issue in evangelical churches in the next decade. I am soliciting your responses today (civility must obtain) and tomorrow I have a guest response...

The next heresy in B. Quash and M. Ward, Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe  concerns adoptionism: the view that believes in a double sonship for Christ. The chp is by Rachel Muers,...