MULTICULTURALISM SPLUTTERS: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT THE CROSSROAD (original) (raw)
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EMPIRE AT WORK: Christchurch Mosque Massacre As The Symptom Of The Dwindling Global Capitalism
Insight Council of World Mission Magazine , 2019
The insight of Easter is the good news that neither the Roman empire nor its colluders had the final word on the cruel death of Jesus of Nazareth. The power-hungry religious leaders of Jesus' day joined forces with the power-controlling politicians of Rome to destroy Jesus on the cruel cross of Calvary. They saw him as a threat to their thrones of privilege and they set out to destroy him with a vengeance. They thought they had succeeded but God brought naught to their plans; and the disciples' spirits were restored as they received the life-transforming news from their colleagues, the women, "afraid yet filled with joy" (Matthew 28: 1-10).
Apocalypse Recalled: The Book of Revelation After Christendom [review] / Harry O. Maier
Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS), 2003
fundamental principle of a loving relationship-ask, seek, and knock" (1 11). The final chapter presents suggestions for becoming an effective Christian, crosscultural teacher. Important among these are those that indicate ways of creating a place for oneself in the community, finding fellowship with locals, and coping with culture shock. The book is a readable combination of scholarship (in-text references and bibliography) and story (the authors7 own and that of others). Each chapter closes with research and reflection questions. Useful figures help to visualize information presented. From my perspective of years of international teaching, the Lingenfelters are right on target. Those planning to teach cross-culturally-especially those who wish to do so from a Christian perspective-would do well to caremy study this delightful and useful volume.
2012
In reflecting on James Davison Hunter's thesis To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, I must admit experiencing rising tension as to whether this book is to be a harbinger of hope, or another postmodern harbinger of doubt regarding the possibility of Christianity in our current environment. In unpacking such deliberations, I begin by outlining the form, content, and intent of Hunter as to his purpose, his theology for faithful presence and shalom, and my final musings. As with any review, the hope is to have the reader read the book him/herself. Instead of writing a review on this book from its obvious theological perspective, as an educator, I will comment on its equipping aspects of inspiring a faithful presence.
The Apocalypse in The Light of The Temple - A new approach to the Book of Revelation
An apocalypse (Ancient Greek: ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis, from off: ἀπό and cover: καλύπτω, literally meaning "an uncovering") is a disclosure or revelation of great knowledge. In religious concepts an apocalypse usually discloses something very important that was hidden or provides what Bart Ehrman has termed, "A vision of heavenly secrets that can make sense of earthly realities".[1] Historically, the term has a heavy religious connotation as commonly seen in the prophetic revelations of eschatology obtained through dreams or spiritual visions. It is believed by many Christians that the biblical Book of Revelation depicts as an "apocalypse", the complete destruction of the world, preceding the establishment of a new world and heaven. However, there is also another interpretation of the Book of Revelation in which the events predicted are said to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Roman armies of Titus. This second view is known as the Preterist view of eschatology. Christian understanding of the messianic age heavily depends on Jewish Scriptures, especially the Prophets. The characteristic of the messianic age, as shown in the Scriptures, was to be an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit on all people. It should bring them special gifts and charisms. Most eminent prophecies are found in the Book of Zechariah 4:6b; 6:8 and the Book of Joel 3:1-2 (cf. Nb 11:29). Acts of the Apostles refer to them proclaiming that the word of the prophets was made flesh in Jesus on the day of Pentecost. Now, "he has received from the Father the Holy spirit, who was promised." (Acts 2:16-21.17.33) According to Isaiah, the messianic age was to have its anointed leader, the Messiah, who would be filled with the gifts of the spirit to be able to accomplish his saving work. (Is 11:1-3; 42:1; 61:1; see also Mt 3:16)[15] Jesus used miracles to convince people that he was inaugurating the messianic age. (cf. Mt 12:28). Scholars have described Jesus' miracles as establishing the kingdom during his lifetime.[16] According to the Book of Ezekiel, apart from bestowing special charismatic gifts, the Spirit would build the messianic age in the hearts of people by exercising their inward renewal resulting in exceptional adherence to the Law of God (cf. Ezk 11:19; 36:26-27; 37:14; Ps 51:12-15; Is 32:15-19; Zc 12:10). According to the Book of Jeremiah, messianic times would be sealed by the new covenant, final and eternal one, written ″on their hearts″ (Jr 31:31). Paul spoke about that new covenant in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians 3:6. Isaiah used the image of the life-giving water "poured out on the thirsty soil". People, "like willows on the banks of a stream" would have access to the Spirit which would enable them to bring fruits of integrity and holiness (Is 44:3) The Gospel of John would refer to that in the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob: "the water that I shall give will become a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life." (Jn 4:14) Ezekiel would say that the holiness of the people would in turn be met by special love, favour and protection from God: "I will make a covenant of peace" and "set up my sanctuary among them for ever." (Ezk 37:24; 39:29)[15] Christian eschatology points out to gradual character of the Messianic Age. According to realized eschatology, the Messianic Era, a time of universal peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty, to some extent, is already here. With the crucifixion of Jesus the Messianic Era had begun, but according to inaugurated eschatology it will completed and brought to perfection by the parousia of Christ.[17] In the past, the messianic age was sometimes interpreted in terms of Millenarianism. The Book of Revelation 20:2-3 gives an image of a 1000-year period in which Satan is to be bound so that he cannot influence those living on the Earth, and Jesus Christ will reign on the Earth with resurrected saints. After that Satan will be defeated once and for all, the Earth and heaven will pass away, and people will face judgment by Jesus Christ to determine whether or not they will enter the new heaven and earth that will be established. (Revelation 21) According to the Nicene Creed (381), professed by most Christians, after his ascension, enthronement at the Right hand of God, the time will come when Jesus will return to fully establish the Kingdom of God of the World to Come. INTRODUCTION This book proposes a new approach to the interpretation ofthe Apocalypse, or Revelation, of St. John, by applying the traditional method of interpreting Scripture by means of Scripture. The resulting interpretation differs from the one that is presented bythe majority of modern scholars, and is called ‘preterist’. Whilstthese scholars interpret the Apocalypse in the light of the history ofthe Early Church, the interpretation in this book has been developedin the light of religious traditions concerning the ancient Temple ofthe Jews in Jerusalem. Whereas the ‘preterist’ interpretation isfounded on the assumption that the greater part of the text isreferring to the historical struggles of the Early Church, interpretation proceeds from the hypothesis that the theme of theTemple is of such great importance in the Apocalypse, that it could be termed the ‘organizing principle’ of the text as a whole. This hypothesis is based on the following observations:1. The various parts, furnishings, objects and actions associatedspecifically with the ancient Temple in Jerusalem are recalledwith great frequency throughout the text. For example the central part of the Temple, the Sanctuary is mentioned 16 times - Ap 3,12; 7,15; 11,1.2.19; 14,15.17; 15,5.6.8; 16,1.17; 21,22).Also mentioned are the outer court (11,2) and altar (11,1), thealtar of incense (6,9; 8,3.5; 9,13; 14,18; 16,7), the goldenlampstand (1,12.13.20; 2,1.5; 11,4), as well as the harps (5,8;14,2; 15,2), trumpets(chs. 8+11) and libation bowls (chs. 15 16), which were all used in the liturgical activities of the formerTemple. Certain liturgical activities such as the offering ofincense, divine worship, thanksgiving and singing Psalms are -described with considerable emphasis in this sacred setting,whilst other liturgical actions are subtly alluded to. Despite this profusion of Temple imagery in St. John’s visions, it should benoted that the Greek word for the Temple complex as a whole does not appear in the text. Most of these elements of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem arerecalled in the visions of God’s Throne in heaven and itsimmediate surroundings, in a context that indicates the dominantand controlling role of this theme in the Apocalypse. In technicalterms, the theme of the Temple embraces both the spatial andtemporal aspects of St. John’s apocalyptic vision Given the importance of the theme of the Temple, theimmediate aim of this study has been to collect and reviewinformation on the subject and apply this knowledge methodically tothe relevant parts of the Apocalypse, with a view to understandingits sacred and liturgical setting in greater depth. The ultimate aim ofthe present study is to apply these findings to the interpretation ofthe Apocalypse as a whole, in order to clarify the meaning of its prophecy.For the purposes of this work, the principle source ofinformation about the Temple is taken to be the Catholic Bible,which comprises the Old and New Testaments (these will be referredto as OT and NT respectively) as well as certain apocryphal books.For information that is not available in the Bible, reference is madeto other primary sources, such as the first Book of Enoch, theMishnah, the writings of Josephus, and also to some of thesecondary literature on ancient religious practices in Israel. Only afew studies have concentrated on the theme of the Temple in the New Testament, and most of these do not include a detailedexamination of their subject in the Apocalypse. There are even fewerinvestigations that specifically address the theme of the Temple inthe Apocalypse, and none of the major commentaries on this Book Below are some random page numbers so the reader may take a look ! The Sanctuary of God 172. The Spirit of God 203. The Priest 244. The Sacrificial Victim 285. The Blood of the Victim 306. The Day of Atonement in the Ancient Temple 337. The Daily Morning Service in the Ancient Temple 388. The Liturgy in the Sanctuary of God 409. Discussion 43i The beginning of the liturgy 43ii The servicing of the lampstands 44iii The Lamb taking the scroll 44iv The breaking of the first four seals of the scroll 46v The breaking of the fifth seal 46vi The breaking of the sixth seal 47vii The sealing of the 144,000 men 48viii The offering of incense 49ix Understanding the correct order 50x The kindling of the offerings 51xi The sounding of the seven trumpets 53xii Sorry for the spaces for some reason when editing every word and phrase in sentences kept getting cramped all together!
Post-Colonial Interpretation of the Book of Revelation
Oxford Handbook to the Book of Revelation
After a general orientation to post-colonial interpretation of the Book of Revelation, the discussion treats the term post-colonial as a chronological and hermeneutical description. The essay defines the terms postmillennialism and premillennialism, and then uses them to describe the uses of Revelation to celebrate the reach of imperial dominion in the Constantinian era, to chart uses of the Apocalypse in interpreting the discovery and settlement of America, and its deployment by Indigenous peoples in the South Pacific and North America to resist colonization. It identifies uses of imperial language in the Book of Revelation and describes the book’s relationship to the Roman Empire as one of entanglement rather than opposition. This leads to an exploration of Revelation using the post-colonial hermeneutical concepts catachresis, mimicry, and hybridity. The Apocalypse reflects a hybrid Roman colonial location that imitates imperial discourse in paradoxical ways in order to promote political resistance and to exhort its audience to faithfulness.
The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Pacifica, Vol 27 (3), 2014 by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. © [U-Wen Low] This paper examines and discusses Stephen D. Moore’s suggestion that that the use of Imperial themes and motifs in Revelation create a self-perpetuating cycle that lead to one Imperial power being replaced by another. This paper presents an alternative reading of the book of Revelation: firstly acknowledging as significant the text’s status as apocalyptic literature, written as a device of inspiration and subversion against reigning powers. Such literature is shown to deliberately employ imperial themes and motifs in order to subvert imperial rule; it serves as fantasy, exposing the ‘hidden structures of false power’ and suggesting an alternative. This leads to a reading of the text using Scott’s theories of hidden transcripts. As a hidden transcript, the text serves as an anti-authoritarian device that reflects popular feelings toward an oppressor through symbolism and codes. It represents a community’s secret longing for a day of victory over their oppressors; ultimately, the inversions and mimicry of the text serve to equalise and level class structures rather than reverse. In order to facilitate a reading that truly represents this and allows the text to speak for itself, this paper suggests an understanding of the book of Revelation as a dramatic work grounded in the performance art of the Roman Empire. This paper engages as an example Revelation 5 in the manner of a recitatio of the early Empire, highlighting the discontinuity between what is seen and heard, before further exploring the ramifications of such a reading. Though in its early stages, such a reading of Revelation returns an ambiguity and depth to the text that certain postcolonial methods are lacking, whilst acknowledging its impact as a complex literary work that seeks not to provide answers, but rather a vision of hope that stands as an alternative to the forces of empire surrounding it.