Archive
Old posts eg Bocks posts moved to here
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Contextualization, Part 2: Making Known the Unknown God
Part two in a series on contextualization from my former intern, Crystal. “You need more rice.” I watched my mentor scoop more of the starchy grain onto another student’s plate. We were dining at a Chinese restaurant, courtesy of the head of the research lab where I was interning. “Chinese people eat a lot of rice. It’s a staple in our culture. Like how Americans eat bread or potatoes.” Now, I can think of some American cuisines where the meat seems more indispensable. (Have you feasted at a Texas barbeque?) But my mentor’s analogy had served its purpose. My peer’s face lit up with understanding. Biblical Precedence for Contextualization My…
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Opportunity to Participate in a Study on Millennials and the Development of their Religious Ideas
Beth Matthews is heading up a study on Millennials and the way they developed their religious views. It is an interesting and important topic, so I am helping her recruit participants. Here is the information in case this interests you or you know someone who qualifies in the age range. The survey takes around 20 minutes to fill out. Study of the Development of Religious Views in Young Adults If you are an American between 18-30 years old, you are invited to participate in an online research study on the development of religious views among young adults. Identity protection is provided. Every 20th participant (up to 20 participants)…
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Responding to Newsweek’s Take on the Bible, Part 4 More Claims of Contradictions and Conclusion
We now come to the fourth and final part of my assessment of the Newsweek article on the Bible. It deals with more claims of contradictions, the role of women in Scripture, and homosexuality. Remaining Claims of Contradiction On Differing Creation stories and JE theory: Again we see here the general skeptical formula “difference equals contradiction” is applied. It is not the only option. Genesis 1 is an overview account as seen in its symmetry. Genesis 2 has more detail. This contention is an old one that prefers critical source theory to a sensitive literary reading and seeing distinct ways of summarizing dependent on the form being literarily applied. Only…
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Responding to Newsweek’s Take on the Bible, Part 3 On Three Kings and Claims about Differences and Contradictions
We now turn to the third section of the Newsweek article that makes various claims about contradictions in the New Testament. On Three Kings and Other Differences •On the Nativity: Yes, there are two stories of Jesus’ birth. These are not contradictions as is claimed but two perspectives on one event. Again sensitive literary reading helps. Matthew is told from Joseph’s angle, while Luke is told from Mary’s. If you ask almost any couple how they came together, each will have their own take on what took place and select their own details with some overlap and some difference in the selection. One can play the stories against each other…
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Responding to Newsweek’s Take on the Bible, Part 2 Translation Issues and Constantine
We now tackle the next section in Eichenwald's article on Translation Issues and Constantine's impact. •On translation differences: The reasons translations differ is not because Koine, as Eichenwald claims, can’t be expressed in English, but because (1) one has choices to make about some terms, (2) Greek order is more flexible than English (for NT), and (3) there are often a variety of ways to express the same idea (as translators often have good choices between synonyms). Beyond this sometimes there is a real question on (4) how to best translate a term to get the contextual meaning and (5) there can be differences in the manuscripts that make a…
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Responding To Newsweek’s Take on the Bible, Part 1 On the Base Biblical Text- Do We Really Know What We Have?
First of all, it has been a while. My travel and end of semester responsibilities kept me fairly busy the last few months, but I am back. Let me begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year and Blessed 2015. I let a week pass before deciding to write about Newsweek's latest take on the Bible, an article called THE BIBLE SO MISUNDERSTOOD IT'S A SIN, by Kurt Eichenwald, a former investigative reporter for the New York Times. I have been asked about it by email. I have decided to go one section at a time through the article, so this will start a series of responses coming over the…
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Ten Things (no, Eleven) on the Gospel
OnFaith asked me to note ten things I'd want everyone to know about the gospel. So I obliged with eleven! (I always liked the bonus question on an exam). They posted it today, so I am free to share it. Here is the link for the full piece and a sample. 1. The word gospel refers not to a kind of music; it meant “good news” in the Roman world. The word gospel was originally about a kind of public announcement that was seen as good news. When the church took up the term, they were declaring that the message of salvation in Jesus Christ was good news. They were calling on people to…
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The Good Lie is a GREAT Movie
I was honored to see The Good Lie last night at a screening preview. It is rare I recommend a movie without qualification. This is well worth seeing. It is about the Lost Boys of the Sudan. These boys (and girls) were orphaned in war in Africa, lived in refugee camps and were from the same tribe. The movie is told so well and powerfully. It deals with the ravages of war, the resultant orphanage, moving to a new country with nothing, and shows the hurdles of such an experience, so it gives insight into the process of immigrating to a new land. The cross cultural hurdles one faces are…
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Speaking about hell on Australian national radio
Last night I did a national radio show on hell in Australia. The radio show is quite popular in a country known for its secular character. I was part of a three person panel. The link runs for an hour. http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/stories/s4045096.htm It was interesting to discuss this topic with an Australian ethicist of Baptist background and a Catholic theologian. The host, John Cleary, said the hour flew by. He has won many journalistic awards in Australia. It was an enjoyable exchange.
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New Zealand Radio Intervew
This link contains my interview with Arthur Urquhart of Radio Rhema in Auckland, New Zealand. I have been doing a series of meetings on cultural engagement and theology here. That is what the interview focused on. It is divided into 4 parts on the web page. Here is the link: http://www.rhema.co.nz/shows-djs/mornings/item/176-dr-darrell-bock-in-the-studio
