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how to tell the biblical story in a way that makes a difference

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Questions about the death of Jesus

Andrew replied to peter wilkinson The Gentiles only benefit, as you have said in this post, through the resurrection. You sidestep the issue by saying that the gospel was political, and not about personal sins. The Gentiles are... (21 September, 2019 - 18:07)
Andrew replied to Josiah DeLorenzi History is messy, of course. But the task is to interpret Jesus’ forward-looking perspective. The precedent of the Babylonian invasion is important. The focus is on the destruction of Jerusalem and... (21 September, 2019 - 17:54)
Andrew replied to Josiah DeLorenzi I would still like to know your thoughts surrounding beliefs at the time of the final resurrection and the judgment. You want me to provide you with an account of the spectrum of Jewish beliefs on... (21 September, 2019 - 17:46)
peter wilkinson As ever, there’s more than one way of looking at this. There are plenty of suggestions in the synoptic gospels that what was happening through Jesus was including the non-Jewish world, was not... (21 September, 2019 - 16:23)
Samuel Conner replied to Josiah DeLorenzi re: ” He preached that message all around Galilee and Judea, “ One does not need to live near Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ prophetic warnings as a precondition for later sufferring wrath in... (21 September, 2019 - 14:39)
Josiah DeLorenzi replied to Josiah DeLorenzi And in addition, the Jewish wars continued well after the destruction of the temple. As you mention here: http://tinyurl.com/y359lv8o Christ is quite clear, the Jews must repent or they WILL perish.... (20 September, 2019 - 21:31)
Josiah DeLorenzi replied to Andrew Yes, the question is where to draw the lines! I would still like to know your thoughts surrounding beliefs at the time of the final resurrection and the judgment. Jesus’s discourse with... (20 September, 2019 - 21:23)
Andrew replied to Josiah DeLorenzi Thanks for following up.John is certainly canonical. “Canonical” simply means that the church fathers saw fit to include it in the canon. Samuel Conner is right to stress the historical dimension to... (20 September, 2019 - 18:11)
Samuel Conner replied to Josiah DeLorenzi I was surprised to notice that the 4th Gospel, that is customarily regarded to be later, more theological, more “universal” and to have a higher Christology than the Synoptics, presents what looks... (20 September, 2019 - 15:13)
Josiah DeLorenzi Hey Andrew! Thanks for the response. I read your post and started to type up a response, and then realized that nothing of what I was saying dealt with the “atoning death” of Jesus. Kind of... (20 September, 2019 - 02:59)

More on Michael Bird and the divine identity of Jesus in Mark

mr kebab replied to Andrew Hello Can you explain what does “seated at the right hand of power mean” ? is the person taking a seat himself or is he seated, i ask because some translations say “sit at…. (20 September, 2019 - 00:53)

Summarising Romans again: from individuals to groups to apocalyptic narrative

Andrew replied to Samuel Conner I would make that a corollary rather than the driving concern. YHWH has made his Son future judge and ruler of the nations. But first he must hold his own rebellious people accountable; they stand... (13 September, 2019 - 17:30)
Samuel Conner I got the distinct impression in reading NT Wright’s commentary on Romans that one could make the case that the letter is Paul’s defense of YHWH from the charge that He has been... (13 September, 2019 - 16:48)

Paul’s letter to the Romans in 24 tweet size pieces

Andrew replied to Geoff Leslie I forgot I’d already written on this, but here’s an updated take on it. (13 September, 2019 - 16:20)
Andrew replied to Samuel Conner I think you’re right to stress the political dimensions to the “right time”, but surely the “peace” of Romans 5:1 is too closely associated with the experience of the apostles, who “rejoice in hope... (12 September, 2019 - 10:35)
Andrew replied to Geoff Leslie Thanks, for this. I might try a similar compare-and-contrast on Enns’ ten points. Just briefly, though, on the relevance of Romans 15:14-33: he focuses on the unity of Jews and Gentiles but not the “... (12 September, 2019 - 10:18)
Geoff Leslie Pete Enns has an interesting list of 10 points he makes summarising Romans https://peteenns.com/romans-for-normal-people-with-pete-enns/ He seems to find the letter falling into place when you... (12 September, 2019 - 02:11)

The gospel for Jews and Gentiles according to Romans: a summary

peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. I understand your point of view, Phil. We just diverge over what Paul is actually saying, which for me, as I understand Romans, is that Paul is addressing both groups (Jews and Gentiles), on the... (12 September, 2019 - 19:14)
Phil L. replied to peter wilkinson Hi Peter, Correct, the argument is that both groups are under sin. But a Jewish reader already believes this about Gentiles. There is no reason to prove to a first century Jew that Gentiles... (12 September, 2019 - 18:03)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. My apologies, but in my chronologically previous response, the text indicating the law as a beacon to the whole world should have read 2:19-20, not 3:19-20, that is: “if you are convinced that you... (12 September, 2019 - 12:10)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. I love the logic of this Phil! However, the preceding argument, going back to 1:18, has placed both groups, Jews and Gentiles, under the accusation of sin. 3:9 - 20 is the verdict: both groups are... (12 September, 2019 - 10:26)
Phil L. replied to peter wilkinson If you were correct about the catena of verses in 3:10-18, it would be very strange for Paul to introduce it with: “We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As... (11 September, 2019 - 20:08)
peter wilkinson replied to Andrew If you were correct about the catena of verses in 3:10-18, it would be very strange for Paul to introduce it with: “We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As... (11 September, 2019 - 12:59)
Andrew replied to peter wilkinson Paul intended that we understand the list to cover sins of Jews and Gentiles, not Jews alone. The way I read it is this. Paul makes the point that “we (Jews)” are not better off, we do not have... (11 September, 2019 - 10:22)
Andrew replied to peter wilkinson Clearly not much can be said confidently regarding dating. Does Gunkel say that Psalms 10 and 14 were composed in Babylon or only that they date from the 6th century? It still seems to me that the... (11 September, 2019 - 10:09)
peter wilkinson replied to Andrew Thanks Andrew. It gets a bit technical, so I’ll keep it short (you’ll be relieved to hear). The main point is that context is a determining factor in understanding how the text we read... (11 September, 2019 - 09:20)
Andrew replied to peter wilkinson Psalm 14The commentators I have read seem to agree that the psalm is written from the perspective of someone who is in Israel, though there is uncertainty as to whether it is pre-exilic or post-... (10 September, 2019 - 19:19)
peter wilkinson replied to Andrew Every text that Paul cites has reference exclusively to the problem of injustice, lawlessness, and godlessness in Israel; none makes reference to Gentiles. In sequence: Psalm 14/53 (Eccles... (9 September, 2019 - 18:01)

Does God intend all people to be saved? The universalism of David Bentley Hart

James Mercer Andrew, thanks for this. I accept that “to be saved is not to escape eternal conscious torment in hell. It is to escape historical obsolescence”. Brilliant. However, ‘historical... (11 September, 2019 - 07:54)
Samuel Conner As a philosophical repudiation of infernalism, I find DBH’s work helpful. I especially like his brief essay on “the Moral Implications of Creatio ex Nihilo”. There is very little Scripture in that... (11 September, 2019 - 01:16)