Scot McKnight: May 2009 Archives

Mark Noll, professor at Notre Dame and America's foremost church historian (or at least close), has a new book called The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith and I want to begin a series on it next Monday, June 8th.

Here are two tastes of what Noll's new book will argue:

"But today -- when active Christian adherence has become stronger in Africa than in Europe, when the number of practicing Christians in China may be approaching the number in the United States, when live bodies in church are far more numerous in Kenya than in Canada, when more believers worship together in church Sunday by Sunday in Nagaland than in Norway, when India is now home to the world's largest chapter of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order, and when Catholic mass is being said in more languages each Sunday in the United States than ever before in American history -- with such realities defining the present situation, there is a pressing need for new historical perspectives that explore the new world situation" (10; my italics).

"The book's major argument is that Christianity in its American form has indeed become very important for the world. But it has become important, not primarily because of direct influence. Rather, the key is how American Christianity was itself transformed when Europeans carried their faith across the Atlantic. The American model rather than American manipulation is the key. ... I am suggesting that how Americans have come to practice the Christian faith is just as important globally as what Americans have done" (11-12).

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We missed reading our favorite blogs, so I'm way behind ... here are some highlights for me this week:

YSMarko comes to its end -- we enjoyed Marko's blog over the years and will miss his regular communications with us. The family myth ... and some family wisdom. Karen is either story-telling or preaching ... or both. John is too.  iMonk's got it going again. Ed's crossing boundaries. And LL Barkat is pondering ... and so is Tamara.

But The Origins Project is just beginning, and Eric Bryant is a core leader who is asking an old, but still relevant, question. So is Dan Kimball. The beginning of cell phones to the completion of cell phones. Is this the sign of the end of atheism?

True truth is under scrutiny.  A San Diego Bible study group is under scrutiny. Your unhappiness is under scrutiny. Thin places under scrutiny.

How do you discern a healthy theology from an unhealthy one? Check this post by Cobus.

The new discussion about how to conceptualize the doctrine of Scripture, which has been played out some on this blog, revolves around not if the Bible is authoritative, but how that authority is to be understood and how that authority relates to our growing knowledge about texts, about history, about science, and about how the Bible as God's Word works. Alex McManus tells his own story in the issue of Scripture.

Good ideas about coming up with blog posts.

1. Best jobs during difficult financial times.
2. Judge Sotomayor: The NYTimes view and the National Review view.
3. The Mormons are coming!
4. Yes, indeed, bring back shop classes.
5. Faith healing -- is it a form at times of child abuse?
6. Texting has some serious issues -- I confess the only time I "text" is during Faculty Meetings.
7. Three quick points ... three goofy memories for me.
8. Good piece on happiness.
9. Kris and I both always read Thomas Sowell when we see his pieces.
10. Brooks-y's on a roll.

Sports:

Does anyone watch the NBA playoffs? (I call it 7 footers All Star Wrestling with a Ball.)

It is so hard these days being a Cubs fan. I talked with a friend and I said, "The Cubs! What's going on?" His response: "I can't even watch them right now."

Did you see this piece in The NY Times? Any thoughts?

Feminists and traditionalists should be able to agree, for instance, that the structures of American society don't make enough allowances for the particular challenges of motherhood. We can squabble forever about the choices that mothers ought to make, but the difficult work-parenthood juggle is here to stay. (Just ask Sarah and Todd Palin.) And there are all kinds of ways -- from a more family-friendly tax code to a more accommodating educational system -- that public policy can make that juggle easier. Conservatives and liberals won't agree on the means, but they ought to agree on the end: a nation where it's easier to balance work and child-rearing, however you think that balance should be struck.

They should also be able to agree that the steady advance of single motherhood threatens the interests and happiness of women. Here the public-policy options are limited; some kind of social stigma is a necessity. But a new-model stigma shouldn't (and couldn't) look like the old sexism. There's no necessary reason why feminists and cultural conservatives can't join forces -- in the same way that they made common cause during the pornography wars of the 1980s -- behind a social revolution that ostracizes serial baby-daddies and trophy-wife collectors as thoroughly as the "fallen women" of a more patriarchal age.

No reason, of course, save the fact that contemporary America doesn't seem willing to accept sexual stigma, period. We simply don't have the stomach for permanently ostracizing the sexually irresponsible -- be they a pregnant starlet, a thrice-divorced tycoon, or even a prostitute-hiring politician.

In this sense, ours is a kinder, gentler, more forgiving country than it was 40 years ago. But for half the public, it's an unhappier country as well.

If I Were To Do It Again

I was a youth pastor for 13 years.  Today, I am active in youth ministry as a volunteer at The Church of the Resurrection near my home in Kansas City but most of my contribution to youth ministry these days is through training, writing, speaking and consulting.
 
Recently, I was sharing some thoughts regarding the future of youth ministry with a  group of local lead and executive pastors.  I was asked, "If you were to go back and do youth ministry again, as you once did, how would what you know now change how you would lead a youth ministry?"  I had a few items off the top of my head (some are listed below) but I pointed them all to this post for a more robust list of things I might do differently.  So, if I were to go back and lead a youth ministry again I would...

You fill in this sentence ... and let's see if we can help youth pastors... what have you learned?

This two-part series on Intelligent Design, in part a response to our ongoing discussions about evolution, is by Logan Paul Gage, a policy analyst at the Discovery Institute and who has written extensively on evolution.Intelligent Design and the Artist's Soul,...

The issue in the debate about the new perspective is how best to read the apostle Paul's theology in its historical context, and one of the more important debates is how to read Galatians ... and we finish the...

Galatians was the first book I studied when, as a high schooler, a claim on my life was experienced. I tell more of this story in the opening to my own commentary on Galatians (Galatians (The NIV Application Commentary) ),...

James 3:17-18 can be said to define Jesus. Notice these words: But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in...

Richard Stearns is the President of World Vision. When the President of World Vision speaks, people listen. When the same person writes, people read. On our trip to South Africa I saw a man sitting in the middle of the...

Andrew Marin's life is devoted to ministry with and to the GLBT community, and his approach to them is one of love, and his hope is to elevate the conversation. In the 7th chp of Love Is an Orientation:...

Americans of my vintage read Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country in our school days. That book's protest was particularly important during the 1960s and 70s in the days of the civil rights movement. At the heart of Paton's novel...

Wisdom does not hang out with divisiveness. Wisdom can find its way into disagreements, but it will pursue the way of peace so it avoids being schismatic and divisive in style.Notice how James puts this in James 3:14-16:But if...

In the 5th chp of NT Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision , Wright explains the significance of Abraham in the middle of Galatians. Three issues emerge in chps three and four, and it gets to...

We were invited to Stellenbosch, South Africa, through the offices of Coenie Burger and Communitas, and the primary event was a conference on the Book of Acts and the Missional Church. Most of the speaking events I had while there,...

Genuine wisdom manifests itself in living. Wisdom is not the same as "knowledge," with the second term more tied to "information" and "mastery of facts." Wisdom transcends knowledge as worship transcends music.Notice how James shows the importance of living for...

I hope the title to this post didn't scare you off because I want to address a serious topic: how we face death. But we can address this from a variety of angles -- like Christian hope or the medical,...

Where do we begin if we believe in the power of "with," the power of loving gays and lesbians? This is perhaps the central issue addressed in Andrew Marin's new book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With...

I thought I'd write a few posts this week about our trip to South Africa, and today I want to talk about the good, hospitable, hard-working folks we enjoyed. We flew into Johannesburg and spent most of the first week...

We turn now to James 3:13-18, one of the favorite sections in James for many Christians. I want to quote the whole passage today so you can read it in context:Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show...

NT Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision , has a very interesting format (in the American version I'm using -- I had an English copy but gave it to my colleague): the first four chps are...

Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquillity your dominion may increase until the earth is filled...

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to...

I'm willing to hear your arguments: How is European soccer better than American baseball?...

A post from Jeremy Berg for our Friday is (from and) for Friends: I'm typing this blog from my laptop while text messaging, checking my email, listening to my Ipod, updating my Twitter and sipping an iced mocha. I'm totally...

Here is a recognized youth ministry leader who is asking us for some help. Let's pool our ideas and see what we can say...Since I began posting here several months ago I have received a dozen or so requests for...

Kris and I leave South Africa today and ask for your prayers for our trip home -- a long one through Paris. But, the blog goes on!  We are working our way through Tom Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan...

Ah, Second Corinthians. One of the most formative classes I had in seminary was Murray Harris' class on 2 Corinthians, and I've paid attention to the commentaries ever since. I begin with C.K. Barrett because I learned so much...

James now brings his teachings about the impact of the tongue to a close in chapter three:With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of...

Luke wrote two books and so he asks Jesus, who is approvingly nodding his head at the table, for an extended time to go overtime. After describing for us that this Messiah did create a new kind of Passover meal...

I learned as a child this little ditty:"Sticks and stones may break my bones,but names will never hurt me."The intent was good -- to deflect unkind words. The truthfulness of the ditty, however, questionable. What is said can have potent,...

We are working our way through Tom Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision. The book purports to be a response to John Piper's The Future of Justification, but it is far more than that: it is...

So far so good: kingdom means community formation through commitment to Jesus. That community brings justice and it ends every form of oppression. Jesus' kingdom vision will mean a total spiritual and social make-over for Israel. With everything now in...

So important is the tongue to teaching that James can say this in James 3:2:We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole...

Attentive readings of this account reveal that Jesus had the same solution and saw the same problems seen by Mary, Zechariah, and John the Baptist: injustices everywhere. And he had the same solution: repent and start living together as God's...

James 3:1 begins a new section. There are a variety of proposals of where the section ends in James, but our view is that it ends at 4:12. Some see the entire section to be a mixed bag of exhortations...

We are working our way through Tom Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision, and how the new perspective (Tom Wright's version of it anyway) is playing out today.What about the Law then? How does Wright understand...

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises,...

Throw out the health issue for a minute and think aloud about the best fast-food restaurant. What's your favorite? Will it be burgers, tacos, fried chicken, fish, or a prosciutto on panini? I could go on. What's your favorite?(Kris and...

Where do we begin if we believe in the power of "with," the power of loving gays and lesbians? This is perhaps the central issue addressed in Andrew Marin's new book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With...

We are working our way through Tom Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision , and discussing the new perspective. Wright's a book is an apologetic for his views, and a response to the critique of his...

It is hard to estimate the significance and impact of Dallas Willard in the church today. It is also hard to describe his newest book: Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge .This is a good book, and...

Here are John the Baptist's words to those who asked what they needed to do to enter into the kingdom of God: John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who...

No one knows for sure why James moves to Rahab as his second example, though some suggestions are clever. Hospitality seems the best explanation: the messanists for not showing it to the poor, Abraham for entertaining strangers, and Rahab for...

Henry David Thoreau, in Walden (Everyman's Library), speaks to a serious issue more of us might need to ponder in our hurried days:"To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school,...

I grew up in the gospel I sketched Monday, so when I contend that I think it is right but not right enough, you can take it as friendly fire from one who learned the hard way. Three experiences led...

1 Corinthians doesn't have as many good commentaries as does 2 Corinthians, but these are my top four picks:I begin with Gordon Fee: The First Epistle to the Corinthians . Then I back up in time and read C.K. Barrett,...

We better quote the text from James 2:20-24 again:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the...

Tom Wright made a fascinating suggestion in chp two of his book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision , that I did not mention in our previous summary. He suggested that Ephesians may have begun the new perspective.Until you know...

Andrew Marin's new and ground-breaking book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community , proposes -- the terms are mine -- the power of "with" vs. the power of the battle between "for" or "against."What...

We can't possibly trot through the whole of Luke's Gospel so I want to focus on one element of Luke' Story because it opens up the entire Gospel. Luke's Gospel, like the rest of the Bible, focuses on the covenant...

The next seven verses are some of the most fought-over verses in the Bible. These verses led Luther to his famous "right strawy epistle." It led him to put James further back in the German New Testament. Calvin wrestled these...

We are discussing Tom Wright's new book , a book that responds to John Piper's criticism of Wright and the New Perspective (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision ). The 2d chp of this book deals with the rules of...

If "kingdom" is the solution, what is the problem? Jesus' gospel message of the kingdom of God is itself a blue parakeet for many today. In fact, many have tamed Jesus' blue parakeet message of the kingdom and this chapter...

These two verses are considered by some to be the most difficult verses in the whole Bible to interpret. Questions abound for all. Here's the NIV translation of James 2:18-19:18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show...

This was posted last week at Out of Ur blog but I'd like to re-post it here.A peculiar development occurred in the medieval age about love. Behind closed doors and in the rush of brief encounters there developed what has...

Henry David Thoreau, in Walden (Everyman's Library) , observed: "For the improvement of ages have had but little influence on the essential laws of [our] existence: as our skeletons, probably, are not to be distinguished from those of our ancestors"...

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads...

Kris and I fly to Paris and then down to South Africa today (and tomorrow!), where I will be giving some lectures in Pretoria and Stellenbosch about a variety of topics, including a conversation between professors and pastors about the...

Beatles song? Well, this one's hard, but my son Lukas got me into this song:...

On Fridays we often post material from our readers, and this is the last on my recent submissions. So, if you have something you think would fit on this blog, send it in ... This one is from Matt Edwards.From...

We are discussing Tom Wright's new book , a book that responds to John Piper's criticism of Wright and the New Perspective (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision ) and we want to dip today into chp one and...

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern West Virginia with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out...

The last lines in James 2:14-17 simply put forth what has been implicit all along:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or...

The most controversial conclusion Andrew Marin has come to, found in his new book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community , is the connection in the gay community between personal identity and sexual behavior.Before...

Let me define historical Jesus studies as the attempt to get behind the canonical Gospels to discover what the real Jesus was like. Inherent to the historical Jesus discipline is the belief that the canonical Gospels and the Church got...

'); //--> In college a professor of mine told me he realized he had 40+ commentaries on Romans and that he decided that 10 was enough -- so he unloaded 30. It is not hard to accumulate commentaries on...

James 2:14-17 probes deeply into those who see needs (or ignore needs) and do nothing to alleviate needs. James, in fact, says that kind of response indicates the lack of faith -- the lack of saving faith. Notice his words:14 What...

We are discussing Tom Wright's new book , a book that responds to John Piper's criticism of Wright and the New Perspective (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision ). In the prologue to the book, Wright sketches out what is...

I don't see Michael Gorman's outstanding work on Paul cited enough; and therefore not enough are interacting with him. I say this because Gorman has become one of the most fruitful, irenic, and astute theologians of Paul in the contemporary...

Our little grandson, Aksel, loves my fasting book -- and I know he reads because he's wearing a Powell's bookstore T-shirt....

For more than 30 years I have bought books, entered them onto a master list of books in my library, filled out 3x5 cards (which I quit doing a few years back), read them and shelved them. But all of...

What does "works" mean to James? James 2:14-17 shows the sorts of things he has in mind.14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a...

Andrew Marin has earned the right to be heard about gays and the Church. Why? His book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community , tells the story of what I am now calling the...

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There is nothing difficult to understand in some passages in James. The problem with James is that (1) he sometimes chafes against our theology and (2) he sometimes chafes even more against our theology. In other words, he says this...

We begin today a new series about the new perspective, and we will be discussing Tom Wright's new book , a book that responds to John Piper's criticism of Wright and the New Perspective (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision...

This is an ongoing series by a pastor's spouse about pastoral life from that angle. In this post we are asked to converse about the implications of pastoral geographical relocations.By PW: How have ministry relocations affected your ministry "home base"?...

A new piece in Time about tweeting sermons and services. What do you think? Anyone's church discussing this?There's a time and a place for technology, and most houses of worship still say it's not at morning Mass. But instead of...

I'm curious about our readers: What is your practice when it comes to the use of set prayers? Do you pray through a psalm or the Psalms? Do you pray with prayer books? Do you, as Kris and I do,...

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy...

Bart Ehrman has become the media's darling scholar. Bart is a respected New Testament scholar with both a story to tell and a desire to tell it -- even if he fails routinely to divulge that evangelical scholars do not...

Yo, Mayor Daley, how do you throw a slider? Moving reflections on grace by Derek Leman. Erika's post -- and JR Woodward continues his series on the meaning of gospel today -- I hope you can check it out. Jim...

Song by Fleetwood Mac? I like.... Dreams......

From CNN.com.The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey. More than half of people who attend services at least once a week -- 54...

Again, Chris Folmsbee joins us to discuss the significance of too many youth ministers leaving youth ministry. We need your responses to this today ...By Chris: I don't think I am an alarmist.  The word 'departing' in the title of...

Andrew Marin has earned the right to be heard about gays and the Church. Why? His book, Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community , tells the story. That subtitle is what is needed next, and...

This week's Friday is for (our and from our) Friends is from Michael Mercer. Read this post, think about it and give us your reflections because he's asking some probing questions about Christ ad culture.Reflections from the Bible Belt While...