Harold Bloom on the Gospel of Thomas

 

“The popularity of the Gospel of Thomas among Americans is another indication that there is indeed ‘the American religion’:  creed-less, Orphic, enthusiastic, proto-gnostic, post-Christian.  Unlike the canonical gospels, that of Judas Thomas the Twin spares us the crucifixion, makes the resurrection unnecessary, and does not present us with a God named Jesus.  No dogmas could be founded upon this sequence (if it is a sequence) of apothegms.  If you turn to the Gospel of Thomas, you encounter a Jesus who is unsponsored and free.  No one could be burned or even scorned in the name of this Jesus, and no one has been hurt in any way, except perhaps for those bigots, high church or low, who may have glanced at so permanently surprising a work.”

Bloom captures why the Jesus of Thomas is so alluring to post-moderns:  ”The Jesus of the Gospel of Thomas calls us to knowledge and not to belief, for faith need not lead to wisdom; and this Jesus is a wisdom teacher, gnomic and wandering, rather than a proclaimer of finalities.  You cannot be a minister of this gospel, nor found a church upon it.  The Jesus who urges his followers to be passerby is a remarkably Whitmanian Jesus, and there is little in the Gospel of Thomas that would not have been accepted by Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman” (The Gospel of Thomas, 111-112).

 

Dual Tradition in Islam

Interestingly, the tension between authoritative text and tradition is not unique to Christianity.  It also seems to exist in Islam.  In a review of Islam without Extremes:  A Muslim Case for Liberty, Philip Johnson relates an interesting dynamic:

“When coercive Muslims want to justify their ways by referring to some Muslim precept, they usually find the desired text in the Hadiths rather than in the Qur’ran.

“It is strange that some Muslims seem to prefer the Hadiths to the Qur’ran, because only the latter records the revelation by God (Allah) to Muhammed.  Muhammed himself always distinguished between teachings that he had received by revelation and statements that came only from his own wisdom.  Muhammed is revered by Muslims as the faithful messenger of the divine revelation, but when he spoke from his own ordinary human wisdom, he was as capable of error as other men.

“Despite this distinction, some Muslims will even say that a line from the Hadiths can supersede a teaching of the Qur’an itself.  Mustafa [the author of the book, and a personal friend of Johnson] has told me that he admires the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura.  Perhaps a similar doctrine might be of benefit to Islamic teaching.[1]

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[1] Philip Johnson, “Peace-Seeking Muslims” in Touchstone, March/April 2012, 10-11.

 

Top Ten Myths of the Resurrection (Mike Licona)

Here are some links to videos from Dr. Mike Licona (which I promised my Greek 1 & Greek 2 students):

Top Ten Myths of the Resurrection (Myths 1-3)

The other videos can be found by scrolling through the Parchment & Pen blog from Credo House Ministries.

 

Review – Has God Spoken?

Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hanegraaf has produced yet another quality apologetic resource. While Hanegraaf is undoubtedly polemical, this comes with the territory of being the “Bible Answer Man.” Readers will find a large range of questions addressed, ranging from textual criticism, to archaeology, to fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Hanegraaff closes with a helpful overview of hermeneutics (the study of how to interpret the Bible), illustrating how many liberal critics (as well as prophetic fundamentalists) go off the rails in their understanding of Scriptural texts.

As one sympathetic to preterism, I found Hanegraaff’s preterist reading of prophecy refreshing, which helps us to navigate the “last days madness” which has plagued the church.

Some might dismiss Hanegraaff as being too much of a fundamentalist himself, but I found his argumentation persuasive, and backed up by an appropriate number of scholarly sources. Hanegraaff is not a lightweight, though he is in the business of making complicated problems understandable to the average reader.

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(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

 

King Jesus Gospel – Review

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scot McKnight’s new book, The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited, is a keeper. In fact, I would say it’s one of the best theological books I’ve ever read. Part of what makes it exciting is that McKnight is excited himself! You can sense his energy and his joy in his subject, as he leads us step-by-step through his own theological development. It takes some work to read Jesus in his own context, and McKnight is patient with us.

I used this book in my classes at a Christian school, to help bolster my case that Christians should read the Old Testament more. My students were honest in their admission that they don’t read the Old Testament much, and don’t see the point. McKnight argues that, unless we understand the story of Israel, we cannot really understand Jesus.

I appreciated his critique of the Reformation, his insistence that we learn about the early church, and his endorsement of prayer-books and creeds. If you don’t see how those are connected with Jesus in first-century context, you’ll just have to buy the book and find out for yourself!

My only real question concerns the “contextualization” question. McKnight presents a solid case that Apostolic preaching looked like thus-and-such. Basically, the preaching of Peter and Paul was dramatically different than our “four spiritual laws” presentations and arm-twisting methods of “gospel” persuasion. Granted. But, Peter and Paul were preaching to a largely Jewish culture. Even when Paul is writing to sort out problems between Jews and Gentiles, he’s still working within Jewish categories. When we take the Gospel to Africa, do we still stress every aspect of Old Testament history as much as the Apostles did? Stephen’s speech in Acts wouldn’t seem to work so well in remote jungles. I hope McKnight will take this up in another book.

Overall, this is a splendid book, and I hope it will help to shake up the anemic and shallow American church!

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Zondervan book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.)

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The Heresy of Orthodoxy

The Heresy of Orthodoxy by Andreas J. Kostenberger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really helpful, and scholarly, treatment of the claims made by radical skeptics like Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels about the reliability of the New Testament text, and the formation of the canon. I might be a little prejudiced (since I took a class from Dr. Kruger at RTS-Charlotte), but I hope this book finds a wide readership. Unfortunately, it will probably be ignored by the liberal gate-keepers of the media.  But, for those who are serious about pursuing truth and good scholarship, this is essential reading!

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A.N. Wilson’s Slow Conversion FROM Atheism

British writer A.N. Wilson wrote a great little piece on why he is no longer an atheist.

Good quotes: “But a life like Gandhi’s, which was focused on God so deeply, reminded me of all the human qualities that have to be denied if you embrace the bleak, muddled creed of a materialist atheist. It is a bit like trying to assert that music is an aberration, and that although Bach and Beethoven are very impressive, one is better off without a musical sense. Attractive and amusing as David Hume was, did he confront the complexities of human existence as deeply as his contemporary Samuel Johnson, and did I really find him as interesting?”

“No, the existence of language is one of the many phenomena – of which love and music are the two strongest – which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat. They convince me that we are spiritual beings, and that the religion of the incarnation, asserting that God made humanity in His image, and continually restores humanity in His image, is simply true. As a working blueprint for life, as a template against which to measure experience, it fits.”

 

Homosexuality in the Church

Turning Controversy into Church Ministry by William Campbell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Considering the fact homosexuality is evident in all aspects of American life, we shouldn’t be surprised at the number of Christians who deal with it as well. What is surprising is the lack of assistance available to such Christians, in spite of the growth experienced by the few ministries that do offer help.” (Joe Dallas, Desires in Conflict: Hope for Men Who Struggle with Sexual Identity, 24).

W.P. Campbell’s new book, Turning Controversy in Church Ministry, will help fill the gap Joe Dallas describes. Campbell is a pastor in the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church, USA), which has become more and more liberal in its acceptance of gays. (This is the denomination I spent my teen years in, and I remember hearing about the first heated debates about this in the 90s.) Campbell has been an active participant in these growing pains, and I respect his attempt to really understand what pro-gay theologians and activists have said.

Since he has obviously put in time researching this issue, and since he actually ministers to homosexuals, it lends enormous credibility to his position. He disagrees with the conclusions of pro-gay theology, and he believes that homosexuality behavior is a sin. But, that does not stop him from exhorting all churches to welcome, and minister to, the sexually broken.

I found his treatment of “sexual brokenness” to be especially helpful. We are all sexually broken, or messed up. Some of us are broken heterosexually, and some of us are broken homosexually. Christ came to heal our brokenness, not condemn us as hopeless perverts. Campbell makes the interesting point that the gay community is often called “the family.” It’s no coincidence that many people turn to homosexuality because they find a love there they never had in their own families. Sadly, they probably never felt this love in their churches, either. We need to focus on really, truly, loving others in our churches. We need to be honest about our own sexual struggles. Hopefully, that will create a culture of transparency, where those struggling with same-sex attraction will feel safe to open up and talk about their struggles.

Campbell has lots of wisdom and practical advice to offer in this book. I highly recommend it for all pastors, leaders in churches, teachers in Christian schools, and anyone who knows someone who is gay. Given the way our culture is deteriorating, you may be surprised at how many gay people you know, or how many people might be secretly struggling with same-sex attraction in your church, school, or family.

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Questions on Homosexuality

Here are some questions a former student (now in college) sent me, to help him write a paper.

1. What do you think about the homosexual lifestyle in general?

As Christians, we must always submit our views to Scripture, as interpreted by the Church throughout history.  I’m sure you don’t need me to quote Bible verses, but here are some for quick references which clearly show that homosexuality is not God’s plan (Lev. 18:22; Gen. 18-19; Jude 6-7; Rom. 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-10). 

2. As a teacher at a very conservative and traditional Christian school, what do you think about Liberal education(teaching complexity, diversity, and change)?

We’d have to more clearly define “liberal” if I were to give a complete answer.   But, here’s an imprecise answer, anyway.  Christians believe in “complexity, diversity, and change”–God is complex, His Word is complex, we are complex.  God is One God in Three Persons (Diversity!).  God “changes” us through Christ.  We are continually changing to be more and more like Him.  Christians can accept all the good things that liberalism is striving for (provided it is really “good”!) 

What’s more, I can’t help pointing out that liberalism can’t live up to its own ideals.  The central belief of liberalism (I’m using the term quite loosely here, I know), as opposed to conservatism is TOLERANCE.  But, liberals have a double standard here.  They preach tolerance, they enforce tolerance, and they punish anyone who doesn’t agree with their version of truth.  Because conservatives do not coform to the liberals’ view of what truth is, liberals do not tolerate conservatives.  Liberals are really quite intolerant people, if you look at it from the other side.  So, we’re all going to be intolerant of some things.  It’s not a question of whether we will be intolerant, but of which things/behaviors/actions we are not going to tolerate! 

But, I also don’t like most conservatives either–they’re just trying to “conserve” things (like “traditional morality” or “traditional marriage”) without any firm foundation to base it on.  So I think both liberals and conservatives have missed important truths, that only truly Biblical Christianity can provide a basis for.

3. Where do you see homosexuality in the future? Legalized marriage? Adoption rights etc.

I actually think homosexuality will become more and more common.  I think this because (1) the factors which tend to cause homosexuality are increasing (like broken families, child abuse, and unhealthy parenting), (2) the militant liberals of our country are pushing (and suceeding) in implementing educational curricula that teach the acceptabilty of homosexuality from the earliest ages (I’m sure you can find all sorts of juicy material on Obama’s “education czar,” and other evidence of the agenda which is being pushed in the public school system.

Yes, I think gay marriage will become legalized eventually in our country (unless our country changes dramatically!).  But, I have a somewhat radical view on this–I don’t think the government should be this involved in marriage in the first place.  God defines what marriage is.  Marriage is a covenantal reality which is solmenized by the Church.  Perhaps a representative of the government should be at a wedding, but I’m more of a libertarian on the role of the government–scale it way, way back!!!

4. What is your response when or if you have seen a gay couple holding hands or kissing etc.?

When I first saw this sort of thing in public, I was a bit shocked, just like when I first saw really gory death scenes in movies.  Now, after knowing people who struggle with same-sex attraction, I feel more pity and sadness than anything (though I admit when I first saw these behaviors, I was a bit repulsed by it.)  But, now that I realize what tragic histories many homosexuals have, I hope I have more of the compassion of Christ, rather than the self-righteous indignation of the Pharisee.

5. What do you think the cause of homosexuality is in terms of Christian views and biblical teachings?

I believe the cause of all disorders is sin.  How’s that for a simplistic answer!   First, I think we need to approach the issue with love and humility.  We are all sinners.  We are all inclined to disobey God’s will, and turn away from his perfect plan.  God clearly created a Man for a Woman.  This is seen not only in Genesis, but also in the most basic design of our body parts.  When homosexuals turn away from God’s plan for sex, they still end up copying it in some respect (or they do bizarre and strange things, instead).

Back to the question about liberals and how they celebrate “change” and “diversity”–what’s diverse about homosexuality?  The Greek (had to bring that in!) behind the word means, “same sex”.  This isn’t diversity, this is boring sameness.  God’s original design is incredibly diverse and complex!  My wife is just plain different, not to mention complex!  I will spend the rest of my life trying to figure her out, and I look forward to this exciting journey. Homosexuals usually mimic this God-designed pattern (with one of the pair acting more “male” and one more “female”). 

The books I’m reading, point out obvious flaws with the studies that claim to have found a genetic cause for homosexuality.  They even quote from some of the scientists involved in these studies (as well as studies that claim to have found biological causes or traits–differences within the ears, longer fingers, etc.)  Even if science conclusively proves that all homosexuals have some gene which disposes them to same-sex attraction, what does this prove?  Alcoholics may be genetically predisposed to alcoholism!  Rapists might be genetically predisposed to rape!  What if they find a genetic cause for pedophilia???  My genes predispose me to lust after every hot babe I see–does this mean I should just do what my genes (or my hormones) are urging me to do?  Plenty of homosexuals have turned away from a homosexual lifestyle.  There are even secular therapists who will do what they call “reparative therapy” for homosexuals who don’t want to be homosexual. 

Some homosexuals themselves don’t like the gene theory.  Anne Paulk writes:  “Consider this recent [not so recent!] quote from Peter Tatchell of the gay rights organization Outrage!: ‘I’m amazed that it’s taken this long to destroy what is obviously a totally implausible theory.  It is a choice and we should be glad that it’s that way and celebrate it for ourselves.’” (the footnote cites, John Arlidge, “No Tears for Passing of ‘Gay Gene,’” The Observer [April 25, 1999].)

People are complex beings!  We will probably never know what “causes” homosexuality.  However, it is is interesting that (at least for lesbians) many of them have abusive backgrounds, parents who did not have a healthy marriage, or some trauma in their life (death in family, or adoption at a later age).  We are all broken by sin.  We all have an emptiness that only God can fill.  Some of us choose to try and fill it with Playboy Bunnies, lots of girlfriends, or lots of guyfriends.  Some of us try to fill it with drugs or alcohol.  But, this only numbs the pain.  Only when we turn to Christ, and repent of trying to replace Him with the things He has made, only then can we truly enjoy the good gifts He wants to give us (like alcohol or sex).  [Of course, someone could also try to replace Christ with an idolatrous love of their wife/husband, kids, car, or whatever.  But, that's another topic ...]

6. Anything else you would like to add or tell me about with this issue?

I’m glad you’re taking the time to think through these things, and I’m humbled that you think my opinion is worth asking   Here are the books I’ve been reading on this subject lately:

Exodus International - a good web-site

Joe Dallas (a former homosexual) – When Homosexuality Hits Home

Joe Dallas – Desires in Conflict

Anne Paulk (a former lesbian) – Restoring Sexual Identity

Janelle Hallman – The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction 

In Christ,

GS

 

Breaking The Da Vinci Code – Review

Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone’s Asking by Darrell L. Bock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Bock’s little book is an able response to The Da Vinci Code. I think studying The Da Vinci Code is valuable simply because it enables us to discuss what really happened. Too many Christians simply have no clue where the Bible came from. We need to have a response ready for when we talk to folks who have read the book or think it’s true just because Tom Hanks said it.

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