parables of a prodigal world

As I near the end of Piper's book, I was tempted to call this post " Final Thoughts on Piper's...," but as I was thinking through what I would write here, I thought that there may be more to say later. Or maybe not. I'm not sure. Like Bishop Wright, I'm a big fan of trying to glean the "big picture" of any particular issue, and then to tackle the details within the matrix of that big picture. I find that doing so makes the job of tackling details easier, and it also gives you a good basis to assess the validity of the detailed analysis, inasmuch as if you find that analysis conflicting with the big picture, that's a good sign that you may be on the wrong path with regard to that particular detail. Or if that is the case enough times, maybe you've gotten the big picture wrong. And I think something like that is going on with Piper's book, in ways too subtle to analyze in a blog post. But one aspect that did strike me at the "big pict...

“Heaven is important, but its not the end of the world.” “The Biblical vision is not so much concerned with life after death but about life after life after death.” “Wherever St. Paul went, there was a riot. Wherever I go, they serve tea.” “The word ‘gospel,’ in Paul’s world, meant the accession of Caesar. And when Tiberius or Nero came to power, the imperial heralds did not go around saying, ‘There is this new experience you might like to try on for size, namely, you might like to give allegiance to Caesar if that suits you and if that’s where you are right now in your own personal journey.’ No, they said, ‘Tiberius is emperor! Get down on your knees!’” “God is not very concerned with the method by which rulers come to power; He is passionately and compassionately concerned with what they do once they attain power.” (In response to those who tell him, “I don’t believe in God”) “Really? Which god is it that you don’t believe in?” “My proposal is not that we understand what the word ‘g...

OK, sorry about the interruption yesterday. Well, not really; I do think that an evaluation of Piper's new book is an important ongoing discussion for those interested in Wright's theological vision. Speaking of Wright's theological vision, and continuing in line with the first post on the subject, the following video link is to a lecture that Wright gave on the most climactic event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where he sets forth the historical evaluation of the event. It's a must-see for anyone interested in providing an accounting for the hope that is within them but has found that the method of logical reasoning or scientific inquiry doesn't quite get you there. The Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus Grace and Peace, Raffi

I guess we interupt this series on Wright's theological vision to bring you yet another fascinating installment on my take of Piper's The Future of Justification. OK, so I've gotten up to Chapter 5 in Piper's book. I think Piper felt that this was one of the main thrusts of his argument, judging from the number of foreshadowings to it earlier on. The main argument in the chapter is this: Wright says that, for Paul, "the gospel" is the proclamation that Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah of Israel, is the one, true and only Lord of the world. Justification by faith, salvation, and all the rest, naturally and mysteriously results from hearing this gospel, but it is not "the gospel" itself. Piper's main problem with Wright's definition is this: "Why should a guilty sinner who has committed treason against Jesus consider it good news when he hears the announcement that this Jesus has been raised from the dead with absolute sovereign righ...

OK, since this blog, and my overall theological vision, is shaped so heavily by the theology of N.T. Wright, and since my hope is not just to communicate with those who are familiar with that theological vision but, more so, to open up the channels of discussion to those who are not, I thought it would be wise to present, in the next few posts, a broad picture of Bishop Wright's theology from his own lips. First (and foremost), how does Bishop Wright view the issue of who Jesus of Nazareth was and is? The following four-part lecture, I believe, is the best available source to understand where Wright is coming from vis-a-vis his understanding of the person of Jesus Christ. I pray that you find it illuminating. Jesus and the Kingdom : Understanding Jesus as prophet Jesus and the Cross : Understanding Jesus as Messiah Jesus and God : Understanding Jesus as God Jesus and the World's True Light : Understanding Jesus as the world's true light, yesterday, today and tomorrow Grace ...

As you may gather from the tenor of the discussion on this blog so far, I have a fond place in my heart for the recent movement that has been labeled the "Emerging Chruch" or "Emergent Church." The lifeline of this movement, coincidentally, has run parallel to that of post-postmodernity along the lines that I discussed in an earlier post . I think that that coincidence stems from the fact that both post-postmodernity and the Emerging Church are not definable as concrete states, but are both more experimental, hopeful, journeys away from something and toward something else. An excellent discussion on this theme can be found on Pastor Rick McKinley's blog . The following is a brief excerpt from that discussion. "The truth is we don’t know what exactly the emerging church will become. There is a great effort to try to divide it up into categories. I suppose I understand that desire from the vantage point of good people who simply are trying to understand what ...