The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 2 (“Gifts”; “Calling”)

abraham god calling himThe meaning of “calling” in Paul’s writings

The Vatican committee’s position paper bases it claim that Jews who do not believe in Jesus are nonetheless saved almost entirely on Rom 11:29, which is even quoted above the caption of the document.

(Rom. 11:29 ESV)  29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Now, obviously, if by “gifts” and “calling” Paul means “personal salvation,” the Catholic interpretation might carry some weight. So how does Paul really use these words? Continue reading

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Christopher J. H. Wright: On Living God’s Story

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The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 1 (“Mystery”; the Holocaust)

abraham god calling himA few weeks ago, a high-level Vatican committee released a statement declaring that Jews do not have to believe in Jesus to be saved, captioned,

“THE GIFTS AND THE CALLING OF GOD ARE IRREVOCABLE” (Rom 11:29)

A REFLECTION ON THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF “NOSTRA AETATE” (NO.4)

I responded to the committee’s position in an earlier post, largely based on the early efforts of Peter and Paul to convert Jews so they would be saved, as recorded in Acts.

There’s another subtle, but very important error in their reading of scripture, and one that is shared by many an evangelical. The report assumes that the fact that the Jews have been irrevocably called and elected by God means that they are each individually saved. Continue reading

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Christopher J. H. Wright on God’s Mission

I’ve occasionally mentioned my appreciation for the work of Christopher J. H. Wright (no kin to N. T. Wright). He’s an excellent writer and thinker. This video is a very accessible, listenable talk.

This was recommended to me by a reader at, I believe, Facebook. I wish I could find the comment to give due credit. (I love football, but can’t bear most of the commentary. I mean, why do I need someone to tell me what I just saw? So I’ve been listening to Wright during the Cincinnati game. (Go AJ!))

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Kaleo: “All the Pretty Girls”

Makes me think of Arlo Guthrie.

(Go AJ McCarron! Beat the Steelers!)

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Meandering thoughts on Nein Quarterly, hermeneutics, a little Kierkegaard, and leading change in a Church of Christ, Part 4

nein

From Nein. A Manifesto by Eric Jaronsinki, compiled from his Twitter feed of philosophy based humor: @neinquarterly

Kierkegaard

Jared Byas recently posted a Kierkegaard quotation at Peter Enns’ blog:

My listener, allow me to make a confession about myself here. I still do not dare to be utterly alone with God’s Word. I don’t have the honesty and courage for it . . . Being alone with God’s Word is a dangerous matter. Of course, you can always find ways to defend yourself against it: Take the Bible, lock your door – but then get out ten dictionaries and twenty-five commentaries. Then you can read it just as calmly and coolly as you read newspaper advertising.

Kierkegaard, the Nineteenth Century philosopher and theologian, was arguing against our use of scholarship to insulate ourselves from the demands of Jesus — a very valid point. We turn Jesus’ stories into laboratory specimens to study as disinterested Western scientists and scholars. And by turning them into puzzles to be solved rather than stories to be lived, we escape from the power of Jesus’ words. Continue reading

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Meandering thoughts on Nein Quarterly, hermeneutics, a little Kierkegaard, and leading change in a Church of Christ, Part 3

nein

From Nein. A Manifesto by Eric Jaronsinki, compiled from his Twitter feed of philosophy based humor: @neinquarterly

Our story

I’ve written several times about the story in which we live — and yet I’m sure it remains a foreign concept to most. The idea is that, whether we realize it or not, we all have a certain worldview (metanarrative, framing story) that defines the culture in which we live. For Americans, this worldview is about personal freedom, individual autonomy, the good life defined in terms of family and consumer goods — having a good job and being able to buy vacations and stuff, patriotism to our nation, the inevitability of economic and scientific progress, etc.

For most people, these ideas are never considered because they are too obvious to question. Thus, when Islamic nations begin to revolt against their rulers, we assume that they revolt to gain civil freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. After all, that’s why we fought the Revolutionary War against England. It doesn’t occur to us that they may be rebelling to gain power to impose their understanding of Islam on their nation. We would never do that. Nor do we consider that it may about vengeance of one tribe for atrocities committed by the tribe in power years, even centuries, in the past. Again, we would never do that — and we assume that everyone is like us. And they’re just not. Continue reading

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Seth Timbs: “New Personal Record”

Catchy tunes. And who could resist an album beginning with “Give Up on Your Dreams.” I mean, irony and melody is a powerful combination. Think Randy Newman.

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Meandering thoughts on Nein Quarterly, hermeneutics, a little Kierkegaard, and leading change in a Church of Christ, Part 2

nein

From Nein. A Manifesto by Eric Jaronsinki, compiled from his Twitter feed of philosophy based humor: @neinquarterly

Solutions

Family, our denominational identity, the story we live, and hermeneutics. It’s a tall order to expect any church leadership to successfully lead their congregation through so many barriers to change. The solution, I think, is to tackle these issues long before the church deals with such issues as female deacons or … well, you know the list.

If the leaders are talking about family resistance to change in the context of female deacons, then the members will weigh their Thanksgivings against the benefits of female deacons. And no matter how strongly you feel about female equality, your life is likely far more impacted by how your family treats you on Thanksgiving. Continue reading

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Regarding the Proper Role for the Pulpit Minister

preacherFrom the comments:

Mark:

Jay is very good about allowing the comments to go wherever they go. Perhaps we need to have a discussion of just what preachers are supposed to do vs what they actually do vs what people wished they would do. Isaiah said in 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. This must have been important because it’s said twice, according to commentary of the rabbis. Jesus told Peter written by John in 21:17 feed my sheep. Many people wish the preacher were more of pastor or spiritual leader. The elders want the preacher doing everything including their bidding. The people want/need a shepherd. Something needs to change.

Wish granted. Discuss away.

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