Brueggemann: Prophetic Ministry

The introduction deals with the ideas of authority and perspective, and how they function properly in the process of Biblical interpretation. A key idea is that reading is a dialogue between the text and the reader. Both sides have a role to play. If we acknowledge this, then we must also acknowledge that the perspective of the reader has some significance in how the Bible is interpreted and exercises authority. This dialogical reading transcends the categories of ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’, and

Albert Einstein once said “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” This is an extremely powerful quote, and I will seek to convey its strength, as applied to our lives as Christians, upon the careful review of Sandra L. Richter’s The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. Richter designed this text as merely a tool by which we might further our understanding of the Old Testament narrative. With one minor glitch in her system, Richter handled the task as that of an expert in the field would - with patience, attention to central detail, and arresting

The mission of ministry should be “that we exist to know Christ, and to make Christ known.” This primarily is accomplished and becomes reality through creating healthy churches that also plant new churches and revitalize existing churches. As the Apostles were united together in ministry, so should God’s people be united in one purpose, vision, and mission! I believe in the essential function of Ministry Action Teams in the church, given that, a key element is found in the word “action.” The church exists so that something might be accomplished.

The grieving that individuals experience with death is unique, but the main stages are universal across cultures (Axelrod, 2017). There are five stages of grief. Nicolas Wolterstorff’s story, Lament for a Son, addresses these five stages as he tries to find joy after the loss of his son. The meaning and significance of death in light of the Christian narrative is also addressed in the story. Having a hope of the resurrection can help comfort individuals in situations similar to Wolterstorff (Wolterstorff, 1978).

Reflect on several ways in which the contemporary nation state of Israel may be viewed by various Christian communities.

Brown and published by Westminster John Know Press is a book that provides basic information

I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to

Marcus J. Borg is a Professor of Region and Culture at Oregon State University. Including Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, he has written the following books: The God We Never Knew, and Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Borg has been studying and teaching for 35 years at various universities. His specialty is Jesus and the Gospels, but expresses an interest in the Hebrew Bible. Borg has taught both subjects, and much of his book comes from teaching undergraduates. He describes himself as a “nonliteralistic and nonexclusivistic” Christian who lives “within the Christian tradition”. Many of his ideas flow out of life experience. For example, when he was studying the prophet, Amos, in college, Borg says that

Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *

The book, Lament For a Son, written by Nicholas Wolterstorff talks about his pain and grief after losing his 25-year-old son (Joy, 2009). His son died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Dr. Wolterstorff has several books published during his career as a philosophical theology professor in Yale Divinity. However, he wrote Lament for a Son with a different journal style since it is a personal thing for him. The book is similar to a journal as he narrates the events that happened before and after his son’s death. The emotions expressed in the book are common among people who lose close relatives. What matters is how a person handles the issue. Kubler-Ross invented the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptancethat explain the escalation of grief when stricken by bad news (Axelrod, 2004). The paper looks into the book and its relation to the five stages of grief.

Dr. Brettler's lecture on "A Jewish Perspective on the New Testament: Reflections on the 2nd Edition of the Jewish Annotated New Testament" was very well attended, the entire ZSR Library room 404 was full. Dr. Brettler was a clear speaker, and he was engaging in his delivery of his speech. The talk was well thought out and captivated the audience. As for the contend of the lecture, the professor focused on the relationship between Jewish adherents and the New Testament. He gave several reasons for why Jewish adherents should be interested in the New Testament, including the idea that the New Testament came into existence in the Jewish community, since early Christians were not really Christians but "Christ believing Jews." One of the reasons

The word of God or human word? Given that the ancient canonization of the sacred Scriptures was compiled by human beings (editors) and of course, not without human elements and limitations, would that imply then, that one needs scientific, literary and critical methods to determine what these ancient authors meant when they expressed for example, that the word of God came to them? In this context, this study will explore the literary/narrative/rhetorical meanings of the expression ‘the word of God came to me as narrated in some prophetic books. First, the principle tenet of this study will focus on the connotation of the phrase ‘the word of God’, secondly it will reference how some prophets such as: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos received these words and its concepts and implications for them. Thirdly, in this search for the meaning how could these sacred words be incorporated into our thinking and our everyday experiences. Finally, this study will buttress that critical biblical analysis will not only enhance our knowledge of the sacred Scriptures but that biblical scholarship is indispensable for a faith seeking understanding, in other words, it can be understood better with the tool of human reason to explain our faith.

To begin with, it would be beneficial to establish that the viewpoint I am undertaking is one in agreement with the author, David Lose. Frequently, I have pondered the accuracy of not just Biblical texts but also historical accounts on all levels. Can one be assured what they are told is truthful to the fullest extent, enough so to wholeheartedly belief the concept? The answer is no. Nonetheless, if one is not to take this information as the truth then what will they hold to such tremendous standards? Therefore, one can conclude that it is necessary to allocate for the truth to be built and understood by personal interpretation of the world through another’s perspective. Hence, as a whole we can piece together an image and recantation that

The Christ of the Covenants demonstrates the relationship between five covenants God instigated with Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, and how they are reflected in Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection in the New Testament. In answering four basic questions, I discovered this main idea to be true time and time again. Robertson exhibits his vast knowledge of the subject with a concisely structured index outlining one clear point for the entire novel.

John H. Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible is broken up into fourteen chapters. Those fourteen chapters are each part of one of five sections. This book also contains over twenty historical images. Before the introduction, the author gives readers a full appendix of all images used in this published work. The author then gives his acknowledgements followed by a list of abbreviations.