Redactors or Reactors? November 25, 2009
Posted by bdennert in School, Spirituality, Theology and Ministry.add a comment
Something that has fascinated me for years is the “Synoptic Problem,” i.e. why Matthew, Mark, and Luke look so similar–but also so different. Scholars usually posit a dependence on Mark by Matthew and Luke, with their use of another source (either each other or a lost text). This leads to redaction criticism–how each author edited the texts and crafted the stories; if you will, how each evangelist “preached the truth of the story.” One of my professors has brought in the question, “Why did they change it so much?” That is, did they simply want to do something a little different or did they react to what was previously said? While I do not buy as much of the conflict in Early Christianity as others (including him), believing more of the Bible as “One gospel, many witnesses”–different writers as different “denominations” of the same Christian truth if you will–it is an interesting idea. Did Matthew seek to fix/make Mark’s teaching more correct? Did he did this with Luke or Q? We seem to know why he did this in regard to grammar, but what about bigger theological issues? As an evangelical, I believe that this would have happened under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, perhaps the Spirit seeking to correct misunderstandings that might arise, and that this is still the apostolic deposit of truth for the church, so I am not losing my faith as I talk about human agency, but this is some of the things that I am considering as I interact more and more with the gospels.
Crosswalk Righteousness November 21, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Humor, Spirituality.1 comment so far
My self-righteous side has been acting up lately (or at least I have been catching it). Beyond the self-righteousness that I can have for using public transportation most days, I have found myself feeling very self-righteous at crosswalks. Here are the samples of my self-righteous thoughts: Many people will bolt out when the “don’t walk” hand is flashing, and then find themselves still in the middle of the intersection. I never do that–if I get in the crosswalk when it is flashing, I get out of it before it turns red. And then there are the people who will cross even if the light is red because they have checked and no cars are coming. They must think that they are so important, have some place important to go, so these lights only partially apply to them; they are really just indications of how safe it is cross and you can cross whenever you would like to. I would only do this if there is absolutely no one coming and it is at night when there are less people around because…well, because I am a better person than them. And don’t even get me started about the people who walk so slow but in a group so you can’t get around them….don’t they recognize that there are other people in the world.
Look at me–aren’t I something? Yeah, a self-righteous sinner who thinks himself in the right almost all the time. And this is just a partial glimpse into my self-righteous heart. Of course, I go to church and confess my sins….may I learn to overcome my sin during the week as well.
Walking in the city November 13, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Random.add a comment
I have enjoyed walking in the city the past few months–and the sights I see (rivers, towers, and cabs…oh my!). Highlights have included Hostess giving away cupcakes at Union, seeing a street saxophone player smoking between sets, and the day the Tribune guy asked for change from the Sun-Times guy. I get uncomfortable passing homeless beggars (should I give them money? buy them food?) and street preachers (should I be ashamed? encouraging? take them aside and help them think through how people are viewing their “ministry” –I am more judgmental of them than the homeless but that might be a future post). There is one guy I like passing on the street, though; he is the “good morning, have a great day” guy. That’s all he says in a nice voice. It seems like he is begging, probably homeless. But he doesn’t overtly ask for money, all he does (at least to me) is encourage me to have a good day, to be thankful in the morning that I have made it safely. I wish I was more like that guy, who might have nothing and many problems but still says good morning. I am sad when I cross the other side or he is not there, as I don’t get that reminder.
Good morning, have a great day!
The world of academia November 5, 2009
Posted by bdennert in School, Spirituality.add a comment
So, I am knee deep into the academic grind (hence the lack of posts) and I am trying to sort through all sorts of questions (my classes have raised some good ones-maybe I will address some later) but something that I keep coming back to is, “Where my place is in the academic world?” and “What it does for my soul?” It is interesting being in the theology department at an academic school (not seminary) in general, as being a “Bible scholar” has the pretensions of spirituality without any of the substance. That is, we engage in discussion of the text (kind of, as often it is more of what I would call “behind the text”….but that’s not the point of what I am saying here right now) but we don’t really engage in discussion of the subject, which is the spiritual life. We don’t pray. We trust our own understandings and pride ourselves on our knowledge and credentials. We look at what texts say as opposed to what texts mean; we seek to deconstruct texts to get at the original form or meaning, discuss them, discuss how they might have been shifted, but then make no consideration on whether this is right or wrong for us today (history with no implications). And being in at a Catholic school, we can talk about our differences (I am the token Protestant) and laugh and talk about how it affects the questions that we ask and not whether the differences are ones of substance or style (I just coined that….I like it, I might keep it in my expression inventory). In many ways, we end up putting ourselves over the text (or at least our methodologies) without what I would really say is listening to the text (the message of it). And the question I continually ask (myself) is, “Can we even read the Bible this way? Can it be read in a context outside of the context of faith (not discounting “Bible as literature” classes but maybe nuancing them, as in you can only understand the Bible when you consider its place of faith)?” This divide didn’t really happen until the 20th century (and even then not complete) as pastors were the ones who were the scholars (isn’t it interesting that now pastors are more inclined to be “businessmen” when they used to be teachers and professors, including some of the best Greek scholars while now pastors almost pride themselves on not being Greek scholars and then trusting the authority of others on the subject…but now I once again move into a different issue, discussions of the church and the anti-intellectualism or divide that comes between church and the mind.)
Not sure if all that makes sense, but those are the sort of questions with which I struggle right now, as well as the constant wondering if I have to sell my soul to the liberals in order to succeed in scholarship (and what exactly constitutes selling my soul and leaving my convictions and ideas). I have been growing and considering new ideas, challenging old paradigms of thinking, considering new ways and methods on their own, and getting a better grasp on much of the Synoptic Gospel literature (particularly John the Baptist). So on many levels, it is worth it, but sometimes I wonder what has happened to me, to the study of the Bible, and to the church.
