Fantastic Apocalyptic Monograh

I am presently working through a fantastic monogragh: Benjamin E. Reynolds, The Apocalyptic Son of Man in the Gospel of John (WUNT 249; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008). I highly comment this for your reading pleasure and will soon post a review.

Obama, Metanarratives, and the flight from reality…

There is an exceptional article on Politico today that gets at what I have previously commented on, which has relevance to both imperial-critical studies generally and the present American political landscape. John Harris wrote about Obama and his campaign’s narrative and how stories that he might not be able to control could undermine him. See here.

My New Theme Song….

Sources for Roman Imperial Theology

Calling all sources. Please, please, assist me in compiling a list of sources that relate to Roman Imperial Theology, this includes inscriptions, Roman historians, architectural, social, and other sources for the period prior to and during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.

You clicked on What?

Someone found this blog by searching for “jesus chia pet.” I have arrived, West take note, I should be soon ascending the biblioblogger hierarchy.

Funniest Video Ever!

 

 

Real Grace and Real People

The following was forwarded to me in an email, it is a “weekly devotional” thought sent out by Saint Andrew Christian Church in Kansas City. I was so impressed and resonated so deeply with the individual telling the story, that I felt it worthy to share. You will note, I have given proper attribution. You can find the church’s website and information below. I for one, really like Eric, although I don’t know him personally. (Also, note this is a Disciples of Christ church and I presently attend a Disciples divinity school

“Grace Found Here” by Eric Atcheson

I am pretty sure that people often hold me to slightly different expectations after they learn that I am a seminarian and a student associate minister at a local congregation. People are occasionally surprised to learn that I swear, consume alcohol, watch Family Guy, and that my politics veer somewhat left of center. One of the expectations I have come across that it is now somehow obligatory that I appreciate every sermon I listen to or preach, as if there was a special God chip that the seminary plants in my brain which makes such reliable joy possible. But honestly? I often gauge how engaged I am with a preacher based on how complete my grocery shopping list is by the time the sermon is over. If I haven’t even begun to think about food, chances are I was able to stay interested the whole time, but if I am reconsidering for the fourth time my decision to buy parmesan instead of provolone, well, better luck next week.
A few weeks ago, the lectionary text for that Sunday was Mark 10:2-16, where Jesus teaches about marriage and divorce. Russ, my field education pastor and mentor, told me multiple times in the days leading up to that Sunday just how difficult it would be for him to preach the sermon he was writing-he himself had been divorced five years ago, and his memories of it were as vivid as ever.

He did not want at all to preach on Mark 10, but still did. And yet, against either of our expectations, something happened. After a heartfelt sermon that spanned over half an hour and included powerful testimony and soul-sharing from Russ, our worship pianist got up, slowly made his way to Russ, and wrapped him up in a hug. And even though the church is fairly proper in how they follow their liturgy, almost the entire congregation followed suit, wrapping one another up, person by person, for several moments. I am not sure if I saw God on that morning, but I have to think that at a bare minimum, I had witnessed the wonder of a people seeing God. In that sermon, Russ spoke of a church in the South, near where he used to live, that placed a sign outside its doors that simply said, “Grace spoken here.” We might think of grace as some abstract, lofty theological term to lift up in sermon and prayer, hymn and song. And we may well be right in doing so. But sometimes, all a young minister can do is give thanks that he did not get too distracted by the mundane chores of living, for it was not merely that grace was spoken in that moment…for me, grace was found.
“From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” -John 1:16
(Eric has been a member of Saint Andrew since 1992, when he joined at the ripe old age of six with his mother and sister. He is currently a full-time graduate student at the Pacific School of Religion and a part- time student at the University of California-Berkeley. He intends to enter ordained ministry and is very active in the Disciples community in the San Francisco Bay Area.)

Saint Andrew Christian Church

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email: office@sacchome.org

phone: 913.764.5888

web: http://www.sacchome.org

 

Evil Bible…an interesting website

In my journeys across the vast network we call the “web,” I found a rather amusing site, albeit bearing some worthy criticism. I really like the webdomain title EvilBible.com. While I am not necessarily endorsing it, though it is late, and frankly my mind has become numb from writing… I did find it amusing and you might as well. Let me know what you think.

P.S. I find it ironic that in decrying the Bible and Christians in general, the author found no problems offering a “retard of the month” award….yeah, very politically correct. Although, in my quick glance, perhaps the author’s judgment of the individual may well be correct, you however will have to make that determination.

Presently Writing….

Just by way of checking in… I am currently working on a paper entitled: “Reading Between the Lines: An Imperial-Critical and Postcolonial Rereading of Ezra as Neo-Colonial Jewish Propaganda.”

Here is a brief outline (apologies for the formatting, I couldn’t get it to show up correctly):

1. Introduction
2. Methodology:
   1. Imperial-critical (Historical-Ideological)
      1. Foreground socio-political-religious construct of empire.

a)    Power and Domination

b)   Influence and Persuasion

c)    Dominance and Subjugation

d)   Inclination towards self-interested socio-political policies

1. 1. Postcolonial (Literary-Ideological)
      1. Ambivalence
      2. Hybridity
      3. Mimicry
2. A Critical Reconstruction of Persian Yehud ca. 538-322 B.C.E.
3. Rereading Ezra as Neo-Colonial Jewish Propaganda
   1. Exegesis: Ezra 1.1–2; 2.1, 70; 3.7; 4.1–24; 7.1–8, 11–27; 8.21; 9.3–15; 10.1–15
   2. Imperial-Critical Analysis
   3. Postcolonial Analysis
4. Conclusion

John W. Wyckoff Festschrift “Trajectories in the Book of Acts”

I would like to point your attention to a forthcoming Festschrift honoring my former professor, John W. Wyckoff. I had the honor of both contributing a chapter, “Spirit-Empowerment as Resistance Discourse: An Imperial-Critical Reading of Acts 2″ and serving as a co-editor of the volume along with both my former professor Paul Alexander and friend Jordan D. May. I believe this volume to be a helpful resource on the book of Acts in general and certainly offer a collective of Pentecostal perspectives on various issues arising from the book of Acts. The volume Trajectories in the Book of Acts: Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff will be published in late 2009 or early 2010 by Wipf and Stock.

Contributors to the Festschrift include Paul Alexander, Craig S. Keener, Robert P. Menzies, Jordan Daniel May, Byron D. Klaus, Bruce E. Rosdahl, James Shelton, Rob Starner, LeRoy R. Bartel, Roger Cotton, Mario Escobedo, Janet Myer Everts, James D. Hernando, Roger Stronstad, and myself.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University did a short piece about the Festschrift here.