The Bible and Revelation

I've started re-reading Eugene H Peterson's Eat This Book. I always enjoy Peterson's writing it is so rich and sumptuous.

In this second volume in his spiritual theology series Peterson writes about bible reading.

The challenge - never negligible - regarding the Christian Scriptures is getting them read, but read on their own terms, as God's revelation. (page xi)

... in order to read the Scriptures adequately and accurately, it is necessary at the same time to live them. Not to live them as a prerequisite to reading them, and not to live them in consequence of reading them, but to live them as we read them, the living and reading reciprocal, body language and spoken words, the back-and-forthness assimilating the reading to the living, the living to the reading. Reading the Scriptures is not an activity discrete from living the gospel but one integral to it. It means letting Another have a say in everything we are saying and doing. It is as easy as that. And as hard. (page xii)

Revelation is a term that has dropped out of current discussions on Scripture. The text of Scripture is not a work of the imagination, even the creative imagination, of some human seeker after God. The text of Scripture is revelation, there is an objective reality to which the text of Scripture bears witness beyond itself. That reality is God. This aspect of the nature of Scripture constrains us in our reading and interpreting these words, because these words and no other words are this revelation which has been made known, displayed before us.

I really like Peterson's insistence upon our reading Scripture being intimately connected to our living Scripture - the two go together in ways that cannot be torn apart. Where there is no obedience or submission to Scripture there has not been an adequate or accurate reading of Scripture. Reading is more than recognising that the black marks make the words, this is true of every text. Reading a text which is a revelation of God by God must engage our lives, must change our lives if we have even begun to read this word.

HTC Newsletter

The Autumn/Winter edition of the Highland Theological College newsletter is on line here.

Take a moment to read the newsletter and pray for the staff and students at the College.

24-7 Prayer

I don't usually post on Sunday, but I've been reading Pete Greig's Red Moon Rising and found the 24-7 prayer web site and wanted to share it. I've added a link on my side bar or you can find it here.

It may be that the work God is calling us to in these day is prayer; not praying for other work, but prayer is the work.

Jesus and the Constraints of History

I've borrowed the title of A E Harvey's 1982 book for this post. I've been thinking about the play 'Jesus Queen of Heaven' which is causing a bit of a storm in Glasgow in which Jesus is presented as a transgender, or transsexual, depending upon which newspaper report you read.

Some comments:
1. This is offensive. However, we do not live, and I don't want to live, in a Christian state and so we cannot expect non-Christians to be at all sensitive or caring about offending our Christian faith.

2. Jesus is an historical figure. You can imagine Jesus however you like, but if you do you must know this is idolatry - making an image of God which is not real or true. Jesus was male, there is no evidence to suggest Jesus was ever sexually acitve in any way, these historical facts constrain our thinking about Jesus.

3. Jesus is at the centre of Christian theology. This only applies to Christian theology since Jesus is not at the centre of non-Christian theology. The Jesus who takes the central place in Christian theology is the same Jesus who is constrained by history. Christian theology depend upon history this because of the nature of revelation and the facts of the incarnation, the crucifixion and resurrection, the ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit, all of which are events in history. Any Christian theological reflection which is a-historical, or which denies historical fact is bad Christian theology.

4. I therefore conclude, whatever is being imagined, or presented in this play, it is not the Jesus of history and therefore not the Jesus of Christian theology. The path of faithful Christian discipleship is not to conform our image of Jesus to our ways of life but to transform our ways of life until they conform to the life of Christ, for the glory of God the Father.

Bible Fresh

Things are beginning to pick up on the Bible Fresh front.

We have a group meeting in Scotland to prepare events and resources for the Bible Fresh initiative in 2011. This year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the bible, and rather than simply celebrate an old book the plan is to encourage the church and many people to re-engage, or engage for the first time, with the bible for themselves.

There are to be four streams in this national initiative:
Bible reading
Bible experience
Bible training
Bible translation

Just now I'm working on some ideas for using blogs to help us engage with bible reading. Watch out for more news on this exciting project and please do pray for biblefresh: it could change your world.

Worship Central and Matt Redman

Before John went into hospital we were able to go to a Worship Central event in Dunfermline. It was a really good night, lots of loud worship music and Tim Hughes and Al Gordon spoke very powerfully on creativity in the life of the church and in worship.

If you haven't heard Tim Hughes check out the Happy Day cd and dvd which is very highly recommended, use the Amazon search box at the side > >

At the concert we bought the new Matt Redman cd We Shall Not Be Shaken. This really has helped keep me together over these days as the songs are very good.

My favourite just now is All That Really Matters:

Let our lives become a song for you,

Like a prayer that reaches high.

The glory of your name,

Our greatest cause.

All that really matters,

All that really counts is found in you.

What else would we live for?

You're the Way, the Life, the Truth,

And all that really matters is You.

Jesus, it's You.

Here's a you tube clip of Matt talking about the cd and a short clip of the title track, I hope you like it.

2 operations and no blogging

I noticed that my last post was on 21 Oct.

On that day my wife, Fiona, had an operation on her toe which has left her with a pin sticking out and crutches. (Check out her lovely new shoe here!)

Then on the 29th of Oct our eldest son and heir (due to inherit half a collection of books and cds) was taken suddenly to Dumfries Royal Infirmary where he had his appendix removed. It is 75 miles to Dumfries (150 there and back again, as Bilbo would say), so I did 600 miles before he came home on Sunday afternoon.

Rather than blogging I've been renewing my relationship with the dyson, the washing machine and yellow rubber gloves. I keep being told that things will get back to normal soon, but I'm not sure what normal is any more.