What Did Jesus Do? Videos from the Atonement Symposium.

Brian LePort at NearEmmaus has pointed me to these four videos of The Atonement Symposium at Fuller Theological Seminary.  These four individuals are renowned Bible scholars in both conservative and liberal circles, and the content of their writings and lectures has been and will continue to be incredibly influential among developing leaders in the Christian Church.  Scot McKnight, the speaker in the first video, authors one of the most visited blogs in the Christian "blogosphere," sometimes seeing over 100,000 hits per month.  His ideas are powerful.


Gospel and Atonement from Fuller Seminary on Vimeo.

Scot McKnight
Gospel and Atonement

Synopsis: Atonement theory emerges from a theology and for some it shapes the whole of theology. I propose that we learn to rethink “atonement” in the context of the Bible’s Story and not simply in terms of one theme — soteriology– of that Story. What happens to atonement theory when the driving Story is a Christology?


Cosmic Reconciliation from Fuller Seminary on Vimeo.

Cosmic Reconciliation
Daniel Kirk

Synopsis: Any viable theory of the atonement must indicate not only how Jesus takes care of the problem of a world in rebellion against God, but also how he enables the story of the world to arrive at its God-intended purpose. While drawing on the best of the Christus victor, penal substitution, and moral influence views, Cosmic Atonement draws unique attention to what each of them lack: the absolute necessity of Jesus’ humanity not merely to overcome human lack, but to fulfill the purposes for which God created people.


The Gospel in Seven Words from Fuller Seminary on Vimeo.

The Gospel In Seven Words
Leanne Van Dyk

Synopsis: Scripture gives us succinct summaries of the gospel, including this seven word summary from II Cor. 5:18, “God reconciled us to himself through Christ.” Short summaries have a wonderful way of focusing the mind and clarifying the central claims of the Christian faith. This lecture will examine some short gospel summaries, using a recent exchange of views in The Christian Century as a resource. The lecture will make the central claim that atonement theologies, even short ones of seven words, are, at their very core, stories of God and God’s world.


The Atonement and the Possibilities for Our Life from Fuller Seminary on Vimeo.

The Atonement and the Possibilities for Our Life
Vincent Bacote

Synopsis: After considering how we might “reconcile” competing atonement theories, I will consider how the atonement is good news not only in terms of what Christians believe but also in terms of the journey the Christians may take in living out the implications of God’s great reconciling work. What does reconciliation mean for our personal and public lives? What trajectories of reconciliation can we consider and begin to model for others, especially in light of the lingering challenges of racial/ethnic tension?

Old-Covenant Marriage Chart; A Perplexing Guide for the Perplexed

I thought this was pretty funny.  And fitting!

The Authority of the Kingdom of God.

I'm reading Jack Davis' Meditation and Communion with God: Contemplating Scripture in an Age of Distraction, and have begun practicing a few of his recommended disciplines.  This morning I was meditating through the second half of the first chapter of Ephesians and had an interesting thought, which I want to share.



The author of the letter to the Ephesians writes that he is giving thanks to God on account of their faith and love, and that he is praying for them.  He is praying that they will know, among other things,

what is the immeasurable greatness of his [God's] power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(Ephesians 1:19-23; italics added for emphasis)

I connected this passage to Matthew 28 when, immediately after his resurrection, Jesus tells his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20; italics added for emphasis).  The primary mission of the Church is to relate to people, through both honest word and deed, the message of the gospel: that Jesus is Lord and wants us for his kingdom purposes (which includes teaching those kingdom purposes--"all that I have commanded you").

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Urbana 2012 Streaming Live! And recorded for later viewing.

This conference only happens once every three years.  This year there are over 16,000 college students and missionaries from around the world in attendance.  Urbana 2012, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship's world missions conference, can be seen streaming live @ https://urbana.org/live.  Also,the videos from earlier in the conference can be found below the "live" monitor.

These are great videos to watch if you're curious about Christian service in the world.

Please Rate Your Satisfaction.

Consumers rate third-party retailers on Amazon based on shipping speed and product quality.  Outdoor enthusiasts rate the weight and adjustability of the latest trekking poles.  Coffee addicts rate the latest local roast, the newest espresso machine and their favorite drug dealer.

People today--in this tech-savvy, consumer oriented postmodern world--want something that works.  We want the best product, and rightly so.  Who can blame their neighbor, who is about to backpack the alps, for checking the reviews on trekking poles?  Seems like wisdom to me.  And why not with their choice of World-View?  Don't people want the view of the world that will provide the greatest satisfaction and contentment with life?  Amazon asks, "Were you satisfied with your product?"  and the evangelist asks, "Are you satisfied with your worldview?"

I bought a Contigo coffee mug at Costco recently.  It doesn't leak, it keeps my coffee toasty hot, and it doesn't affect the flavor of my favorite roast.  You should buy one.


We, as humans, naturally tell people about the things we're satisfied with.  We want to share our blessings.  That's why I write this blog.  I'm trying--like I did with the Contigo mug just now--to tell people about the best view of the world, the best, most beautifully satisfying, life.  My primary purpose on this planet is to love its inhabitants in the best possible way and to seek justice for the oppressed.  God is most revealed and honored in my life when I am most satisfied in who He is, and in who he's created me to be.  I have no regrets.  At all.

And you?  Can you rate your view of the world on a 1-10 scale?  Are you content?  Would you recommend your worldview to your friends because of how unceasingly satisfied you are with your life?  If not, why not do some research?  We do it with running shoes, why not with that which decides our internal--and external--peace?

Think about it.

Is the New Testament historically reliable?

With all of the ideas floating around in Newsweek articles, Times Square Billboards, and conspiracy books under the guise of historical scholarship, people are confused about the identity of Jesus and the historical accuracy of the New Testament.  This is an interview with Craig Evans, one of the foremost New Testament scholars in the academic world, who's ideas influence the both the secular and confessional.  He comes to clear away the sludge.

pondering evil

In 1999 guns were just as accessible as they are now. In the last thirteen years there have been 31 school shootings. There were no school massacres before that.

Why?
I don’t know why.
Gun laws have actually tightened up in that thirteen years.

I suppose it's because there are more broken, forgotten people with no sense of community or family. More people for whom Christmas means a time of remembered hurt and abuse, effected by those closest to them. More people who, due to the current lack of any viable ethic, wonder why they shouldn't kill, if they're going to commit suicide anyway.

At least that way, if they massacre a bunch of children, somebody will notice them; just this once, they will be remembered.  People who kill are often people in pain.  Children are just collections of slimy cells and synapses and chemical responses to environments.  Right?  That's what we learn in BIO101.

What do you think?  Is it the guns?  Is it the breakdown of community?  Is it the lack of real communal communication due to the rapid rise of texting, emailing, facebooking?  It must be something.  There have been 31 school shootings in thirteen years, and before that there weren't any.  Why?