 |
|
|
It's that time of year -- the beginning, to be exact -- when most of us resolve to do better than last year. I don't know about you, but if I had a nickel for every broken New Year's resolution, I'd have -- well, a whole lot of nickels. So, naturally, I am making some new resolutions. (I am nothing if not an optimist.) Here's a partial list:
Oops, almost forgot the last one:
Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael's blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: A Post-Secular Society; Jobs Americans Will Do To be sure each issue of PreachingNow makes it direct to your inbox (without a detour to the spam folder), be sure to add preachingnow@preaching.com to your address book and/or safe file.
Preaching the Old Testament Canonically In an article on the 9Marks website (adapted from the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology), Thomas Schreiner writes on the issue of "Preaching and Biblical Theology." He notes, "If we preach the scriptures canonically, using biblical theology, then we will proclaim Christ from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We must avoid the danger, of course, of simplistic allegorizing or forced connections between the testaments. We will not fall prey to such errors if we have properly done the work of biblical theology and followed the hermeneutic of the apostolic writers themselves. The apostolic writers, after all, believed that the Old Testament itself pointed to Christ and was fulfilled in him. And they were taught their hermeneutic by Jesus Christ himself, just as he opened the scriptures to Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). "In this regard, some have claimed that the hermeneutic of the apostles was inspired but should not be imitated today. Such a view is flawed because it suggests that the fulfillment the apostles saw in the Old Testament does not accord with what the texts truly mean. If this is the case, the connections drawn between the testaments are arbitrary, and the apostles (and Christ himself!) do not serve as models for interpreting the Old Testament today. "If we believe, however, that the apostles were inspired and wise readers of the Old Testament, then we have a pattern for reading all of the Old Testament in light of the fulfillment accomplished in Jesus Christ. The storyline and structures of the Old Testament all point towards him and are completed in him. When we read about the promise of Abraham in the Old Testament, we realize that it is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. The shadows of Old Testament sacrifices find their substance in Christ. . . . "If we do not preach the Old Testament in terms of the whole canon, we will either restrict ourselves to moral lessons from the Old Testament, or, what is just as likely, we will rarely preach from the Old Testament. As Christians we know that much of the Old Testament no longer speaks directly to our situation today. For example, God has not promised to liberate us from political bondage as he freed Israel from Egypt. The land of Israel is politically volatile today, but Christians do not believe that their joy will come from living in Israel, nor do they think that worship consists in going to the temple to offer sacrifice. However, if we do not preach the Old Testament canonically, in light of biblical theology, it will too often be passed over in Christian preaching. In doing so, we not only rob ourselves of wonderful treasures from the word of God, but we also fail to see the depth and multifaceted character of biblical revelation. We put ourselves in a position where we do not read the Old Testament as Jesus and the apostles did, and hence we do not see that the God's promises are "yes" and "amen" in Jesus Christ." (Click here to read the full article.) http://www.9marks.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID314526|CHID598014|CIID2277968,00.html
New Year's Resolution: Avoid Clichés In a recent issue of the Business Common Sense newsletter, Deny Hatch writes: To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Plain English Campaign surveyed 5,000 supporters in 70 countries. They voted on the most irritating phrase in the language. The results:
From the Plain English press release: Spokesman John Lister said over-used phrases were a barrier to communication. "When readers or listeners come across these tired expressions, they start tuning out and completely miss the message -- assuming there is one! Using these terms in daily business is about as professional as wearing a novelty tie or having a wacky ring tone on your phone. "George Orwell's advice from 1946 is still worth following: 'Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.'" Other over-used phrase nominations from the Plain English survey:
(Business Common Sense, 12/14/06)
Top 10 Religion Stories of 2006 Members of the Religion Newswriters Association -- who cover religion for the mainstream media -- voted on their choices for the top religion stories of 2006. Here are the results: 1. Muslims in a number of countries react violently to publication of Muhammad cartoons in Denmark and other European nations. Scores of both Christians and Muslims are killed in riots in Nigeria. 2. Pope Benedict XVI angers Muslims by including in a speech a centuries-old quote linking Islam and violence. He apologizes and later smooths the waters on a trip to Turkey. Earlier, he begins to downsize the curia and emphasizes God's love in his first encyclical. 3. The Episcopal Church riles conservatives when the General Convention elects a presiding bishop who supported the consecration of a U.S. gay bishop, which conservatives oppose as unbiblical. Seven Episcopal dioceses refuse to recognize the leadership of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who is also the first woman elected to the top post. Later, the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin becomes the first diocese to adopt measures that set the stage for it to secede from the denomination. 4. Charismatic leader Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and is dismissed as pastor of the huge New Life Church in Colorado Springs after allegations surface of gay sex and methamphetamine use. 5. Candidates backed by the Religious Right suffer a series of defeats in the fall elections, with many voters citing morality as one of the strongest motivators in the way they cast their ballot. 6. Religious voices grow louder for peace in Iraq, but by year's end experts fear the spread of sectarian tensions throughout the Middle East Conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Muslims increase, and the Israeli incursion in Lebanon aimed at curbing attacks by Hezbollah touches off major strife within Lebanon. Christian churches also reconsider efforts to pressure Israel on the Palestinian question. 7. The schoolhouse shooting deaths of five Amish girls in Bart Township, PA, draw international attention on the Amish community's ethic of forgiveness after some Amish attend the killer's funeral. 8. (tie) The release of the film The Da Vinci Code adds to the previous buzz about Dan Brown's novel. Religious critics, who say the book portrays traditional Christianity as a fraud, are divided over whether to boycott the film or hold discussion groups. Controversial plot lines include Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene and conceiving a child. 8. (tie) Same sex marriage bans pass in seven of eight states that hold referendums on the issue during mid-term elections; Arizona becomes the first state in which voters defeat a same-sex marriage ban. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples are entitled to the same benefits as married couples. 10. President Bush casts his first veto to defeat a bill calling for expanded stem-cell research, to the delight of religious conservatives and the disappointment of more liberal ones. The issue is later credited with playing a deciding role in the key Missouri Senate race. Meanwhile, progress is reported in efforts to create stem-cell lines without destroying embryos.
ILLUSTRATION: Marriage, Vision Bill Bouknight tells the story of a certain isolated Pacific island where it was the custom that when a young man proposed marriage, he would announce his intention to the entire village. Then he and the whole community would go to the young woman's home. Her father would come outside and then -- in front of the community -- the father and suitor would barter. Obviously, there was no feminist movement on the island. The main item of value on the island was the cow. Therefore, a suitor would offer the father a certain number of cows for his daughter. The average bride was worth two cows, perhaps three if she was unusually bright or attractive. The all-time record was four cows. The most eligible bachelor on the island was Johnny Lingo. He was handsome and wealthy. Imagine all the excitement among the women of the island when Johnny announced one day that he had selected a wife. But then he shocked everyone by announcing that his choice was a girl named Lisa. Lisa was not even in the top ten. She was regarded as rather plain and frightfully shy. Some of the jokers in the crowd even suggested that Lisa's father might pay Johnny a cow or two. The community gathered at Lisa's house for the bartering. Then came an even greater shock. Johnny's opening bid for Lisa was eight cows! Her father almost fainted, but he managed to say yes. That very evening Johnny and Lisa were married. They departed for their home on an adjacent island. For a full year no one saw Johnny and Lisa. Then on their first anniversary they returned to visit their parents. From the moment they arrived at the dock, the grapevine went ballistic with gossip. Everybody said, "Come and see Johnny and Lisa! You won't believe it!" Everybody came, but nobody noticed Johnny. All eyes were on Lisa. She had been transformed! She was a vision of loveliness. She was poised, warm, friendly, and confident. At the end of the day as Johnny and Lisa were preparing to return to their home, one of Johnny's long-time friends pulled him aside and said, "I want to know the secret of this amazing transformation in Lisa. How did it happen?" Johnny said, "I will tell you. From the time Lisa was born, she had been treated as though she was not worth very much. She had begun to believe that about herself. But I announced to the community that she was an 8-cow wife, and I have treated her just that way. She has become that vision of herself that she sees every day in my eyes." If you want an 8-cow wife or husband, you have to catch that vision first and then treat him or her that way. And God, the master change agent, may produce that 8-cow wife or husband that you envision!
ILLUSTRATION: Bible, Scripture Xerox Corp. said it has found a way to create temporary images on paper that would self-erase in 24 hours or less. The special pages could theoretically be used again and again -- as much as 50 times. The idea started three or four years ago when its researchers discovered that 40% of printed pages are used for the day, then thrown away. With that in mind, Xerox decided there was clear demand for paper that could be reused, but not recycled, on a daily basis. The team designed paper covered with special chemicals. Once the paper goes through the printer, the chemicals are exposed to a light source that causes the text on the paper to gradually fade. It disappears completely in 16 to 24 hours, but can be quickly erased by running it through the printer again. Though documents are not yet printed on this paper, in reality, all printed material is temporary. Except, Christians have a more sure Word. The Word of God has been settled in heaven forever. (SermonNews.com newsletter)
ILLUSTRATION: Motivation, Strategy A grocer put up a sign that read: "Eggplants, 25¢ ea. Three for a dollar." All day long, customers came in exclaiming: "Don't be ridiculous! I should get four for a dollar!" Meekly the grocer capitulated and packaged four eggplants. The tailor next door had been watching these antics and finally asked the grocer, "Aren't you going to fix the mistake on your sign?" "What mistake?" the grocer asked. "Before I put up that sign no one ever bought more than one eggplant." (Cybersalt Digest)
ILLUSTRATION: Sharing, Generosity Mom was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan,3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives . . . not looking for flaws, but for potential." (Ellen Goodman)
Top
ten reasons to be part of the The third International Congress on Preaching will be April 17-19, 2007, in Cambridge, England. Among the many reasons for you to plan now to attend, here are just ten:
N.T.
Wright and
many more! What other reasons do you need? Registration is now available at an earlybird discount -- register today and save $55 off the normal rate. To learn more visit the website at www.preaching.com/icop or call (800) 288-9673 (outside the US, call 615-312-4245.)
"Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average. Which means you've met your New Year's resolution." (Jay Leno)
From the sponsor of this week's edition: Cambridge
Bibles When you are searching for a leather reference Bible, consider the best -- a goatskin (real Morocco) leather reference Bible. Cambridge University Press publishes goatskin (real Morocco) leather reference Bibles in the NIV, KJV, and NASB, including the new NIV Pitt Minion Reference Edition. www.cambridgebibles.com/NIVPittMinionReferenceEdition
ILLUSTRATION: Ten Commandments, Children A student was asked to list the Ten Commandments in any order. His answer: 3, 6, 1, 8, 4, 5, 9, 2, 10 and 7.
"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions." (Joey Adams)
Language Gap Here is text from some actual signs from hotels and businesses found around the world -- written in English by non-native English speakers: In
a Tokyo Hotel: In
a Bucharest hotel lobby: In
a Leipzig elevator: In
a Belgrade hotel elevator: In
a Bangkok dry cleaners: In
a Paris hotel elevator: In
an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: On
the menu of a Swiss restaurant: On
the menu of a Polish hotel: Outside
a Hong Kong tailor shop: Outside
a Paris dress shop:
And finally . . . A Chicago-area thief had to be disappointed when he opened the trailer and discovered what he had stolen: $50,000 worth of broccoli. According to a Dec. 28 Associated Press story, a 48-foot refrigerated trailer was stolen from its rented parking space in a Chicago suburb some time over the Christmas holiday. One detective suggested that the thief was likely after the trailer itself rather than the vegetables. That appears probable, since there have been no area reports of attempts to fence large amounts of broccoli.
Not a current subscriber to Preaching magazine? Why not share PreachingNow with a friend? Missing
an issue of PreachingNow? Problems
with links? Received
this by mistake? |
|
PreachingNow
is a publication of Salem Publishing. Editor: Dr. Michael Duduit.
|