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Resource Day Theme: Living Bible, Living Faith

Resource Day Theme: Living Bible, Living Faith. Rev. Dr. Cheryl B. Anderson Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Question How do you “update” an ancient Scripture to meet the needs o f contemporary faith communities?. “And I believe that in 1978 God changed

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Resource Day Theme: Living Bible, Living Faith

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  1. Resource Day Theme: Living Bible, Living Faith Rev. Dr. Cheryl B. Anderson Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

  2. Question How do you “update” an ancient Scripture to meet the needs of contemporary faith communities?

  3. “And I believe that in 1978 God changed his mind about black people”

  4. Biblical Contrasts 1 Living in the midst of other communities (small group work) Deuteronomy 7:1-2 and Deuteronomy 20:10-14 Esther 2:15-20 and Daniel 1:8-14

  5. Biblical Contrasts 2 Creating community Deuteronomy 23:3-6 and Ezra 9:1-4, 10:1-5 Ruth 1:1-10, 4:13-17

  6. Biblical Contrasts 3 Male and female relationships Genesis 3:13-19 Song of Songs 4:9-16

  7. Topic Jesus on Divorce Question Is divorce permissible? Gospel of Mark: No Gospel of Matthew: Yes, if the wife is guilty of sexual immorality Gospel of Luke: No, but separation is acceptable Question Is remarriage permissible? Gospel of Mark: No, remarriage is adultery Gospel of Matthew: No, remarriage is adultery Gospel of Luke: No, remarriage is adultery

  8. Textual Variations in Jesus’ Sayings on Divorce (small group work)

  9. Questions on Interpretive Principles • What have you learned about • how the Bible was written? • What are your thoughts now about • how the Bible should be • interpreted today?

  10. Applying Interpretive Principles Retribution Theology as found in the Deuteronomistic History (Dtr H) The Blessings and Curses Formula If you are faithful, you will be blessed; if you are not faithful, you will be cursed

  11. Retribution Theology Judges The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. The hand of Midianprevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding-places in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 6:1-2

  12. Retribution Theology Judges For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianitesand the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up against them. . . . Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help. 6:3, 6

  13. Retribution Theology Natural Disaster “It happened because . . .”

  14. “It happened because . . .”

  15. Biblical Responses Part 1 Job 42:7-9 ‘Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done.’ Job 42:8

  16. Biblical Responses Part 1 John 9:1-5 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” John 9:3

  17. An Example of the “Why?” Question Answered Tragic Death

  18. Biblical Responses Part 2 Psalm LamentsNearly 1/3 of the 150 Psalms are laments ExamplePsalm 42 Invocation Lament Expression of Confidence or Trust Petition or Supplication Expression of Praise or Vow to Praise But, remember, there is Psalm 88 . . .

  19. Praying a Psalm of Lament Write a Psalm of Lament for M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias (small group work)

  20. Remember that there are Communal Laments • Example Psalm 44 • Address to God • Lament • Remembering God’s Past Actions • Questioning of God • Words of Affirmation • Petition • Expressions of Praise • (only 3 of the Community Lament Psalms • include an expression of Praise at the end)

  21. Biblical ResponsesPart 3 Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

  22. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

  23. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted . . .

  24. Ecclesiastes Updated TTT: Somewhere Maybe 37, 555 TTSBMR: JR Rozko 1940 “Turn TurnTurn” (The Byrds 1965) “This Too Shall Be Made Right” (Derek Webb, The Ringing Bell, 2007)

  25. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Jesus and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation Jesus considers the impact of an interpretation on the marginalized Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God*)—then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on.And you do many things like this.’ Mark 7:9-13

  26. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Jesus and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation Jesus’ new interpretation is grounded in the biblical tradition Example Matthew 23:23-28 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness..

  27. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Jesus and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation I hate, I despise your festivals,   and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings,   I will not accept them;and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals   I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs;   I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters,   and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:21-24 The Biblical Tradition

  28. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Jesus and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation Jesus identifies the absolute requirement of GodExample Matthew 22:34-40 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

  29. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Jesus and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation Jesus includes the excluded (against traditional practices)Sinners and tax collectors…………….Mark 2:16Samaritan woman…………………….John 4:7-26Poor, crippled, blind, lame…..Luke 14:16-24; contrasted with Leviticus 21:16-20Bent-over woman healed on the SabbathLuke 13:10-17

  30. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Paul and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation • Paul considers the impact of an interpretation or practice on the marginalized • Paul identifies the absolute requirement of God • Paul includes the excluded and bases the inclusion on the biblical tradition

  31. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited: Paul and Inclusive Biblical InterpretationGalatians 3:16-18 16Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. 17My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

  32. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Paul and Inclusive Biblical Interpretation I Corinthians 11:20-22 20When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 21For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 22What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

  33. Applying Interpretive Principles Revisited:Paul and Inclusive Biblical InterpretationRomans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

  34. Cheryl B. Anderson, Ancient Laws & Contemporary Controversies (Oxford University Press, 2009) Based on how Jesus and Paul interpreted Scripture, we learn that . . . A law can be modified, amended, or rejected if it negatively impacts the marginalized and if the new approach is grounded in the biblical tradition, is consistent with the absolute requirement of God (the law of love), and works to include the excluded

  35. Question How do you “update” an ancient Scripture to meet the needs of contemporary faith communities? (small group work) Question Can domestic violence be a rationale for divorce?

  36. Living Faith: The Protestant Reformers Contest the Received Faith Tradition Martin Luther (1483-1546) John Calvin (1509-1564) John Wesley (1703-1791)

  37. Practice Roman Catholic indulgences (good works) = payment for a sure way to heaven Martin Luther Luther’s response: We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. We do not do good works in order to become acceptable to God; rather, because God accepts us we do good works Context: Plagues, massive death, and insecurity about one’s relationship to God. Luther conveys a message of God’s love when that message was sorely needed

  38. Practice From the Lutheran tradition, good works and salvation are no longer connected, resulting in anxiety John Calvin Calvin’s response: The Calvinist saint is saved by faith undergirded and strengthened by works that attest divine presence and grace. He may not say that he is saved by these works, yet regular good works are clear signs of present divine favor and assure him that he is on the path to glory. Religious confidence is thus “formed” by the fruits of self-discipline as well as by the promises of God; in actual practice, good works are presumptive evidence that one is among the elect Context: Since God’s people needed to remain assured of God’s love, a different context prompted a different theology

  39. PracticeCalvinists accept predestination-- God’s election of some, not all John Wesley Wesley’s response: Salvation is available to all, providing an Important sense of worth to middle and lower classes Context: The Industrial Revolution was beginning and there were growing disparities between the rich and the poor

  40. Summary-- Communicating God’s love Each of the major Protestant reformers provided new insights about God to their faith community, and those insights met the community’s spiritual needs. In other words, each of the reformers was aware of the everyday realities of Christian believers and their corresponding experiences and doubts. Clearly, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley did not write their theologies in a vacuum, unaware of the cultural conditions around them. To the contrary, through them and their awareness, God’s voice arose in a new way that was suited to each particular context. In other words, the awareness that the reformers had of their contexts as well as the corresponding plight of believers allowed God’s tailored communication to emerge, just as God is using those who articulate contextual theologies today

  41. Living Faith: Biblical Authority Statement 1 The Bible is literally the Word of GodScripture consists of the writings that were inspired by God, if not actually dictated by God to the biblical writersThe community of faith is to submit to biblical authorityBiblical interpretation is divine, expressing the will of God, not of human beings

  42. Living Faith: Biblical Authority Statement 2 -- Creating Scripture is a human activity that takes place within communities of faith.-- Inspiration applies not only “to the origin of the text but to its transmission and interpretation among us.” -- The Bible is “inherently the live Word of God,” which recognizes that it is divine communication that has been “refracted” through many different authors who spoke from their own circumstances. -- Biblical authority is exercised in community rather than over it, and the community of faith’s participation is called for rather than its submission. -- Biblical interpretation is contextual and necessarily influenced by the human beings who do it

  43. Living Faith: Biblical Authority Authority as dominance vs. Authority as partnership • Human input in Scripture is • recognized • Emphasis on contextual • aspects • Interdependence/mutuality • Participation • Human input in Scripture is • denied • Emphasis on eternal/ • unchanging aspects • Hierarchical • Submission

  44. Living Bible and Living Faith Romans 8 updated For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come nor height, nor depth, nor male nor female, nor gay nor straight, nor being HIV positive, nor being HIV negative, nor being high class, or having no class at all, nor powers, nor anything else in all creation,will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (updated by Cheryl B. Anderson

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