Book review: Process Theology: Embracing Adventure with God
by Bruce Epperly
★★★★★
Process Theology looks at God as not immutable and eternal, but as temporal and affect-able. It describes a God who is personal, who we can share a relationship with, and who cares about all living things. These are my own words, gleaned from the feelings Epperly’s work left me with.
I confess to feeling ungrounded through half of the book. I had not heard of Process Theology before, and it was ambiguous and difficult for me to pin down. Epperly’s approach is to prance around it in circles, poking it open here and there with a stick. Consequently, though I developed a sense for Process Theology, I could never nail down a definition … and when I went in search of a definition through Google, I felt just as discombobulated. Had I trusted Epperly and let him continue his dance around the outside, I would have been better off. I would have slowly begun to grasp the point: that God is a partner with us in healing the world. God and the world are profoundly interdependent.
The result of this way of interacting with God is a vibrant, living faith that never turns stale. Process theology affirms that God still speaks to us today, that our understanding and growth continues with new revelation. Christians are not alone in sharing in the Divine. Wherever truth and healing are present, God is its source, and through respect for other religions, we can grow in spiritual wisdom. Epperly finds no contradiction here with John 14:6, which states that “no one comes to the father except through [Jesus].” Epperly’s revelation of “Christ” as a life-giving reality permeating multiple belief systems is refreshing, affirming pluralism and goodness.
I really enjoyed this book, and was left hungering for more. This is another Topical Line Drive booklet by Energion Publications, short and sweet–just 40 pages. I noted on the back cover that Epperly had previously authored a book titled Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed. If I can get my hands on a copy, I’ll let you all know what I learn.
Bruce Epperly is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA.
Energion Publications, © 2014, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-1-63199-002-1
Judges 11:34, Human Sacrifice to Yahweh
When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
//One of the more troubling, and thus passionate, debates among scholars is whether or not Israelites at one time sacrificed children to their god, Yahweh. The practice is roundly condemned by the prophet Jeremiah, and the book of Numbers indicates that a person guilty of human sacrifice is to be stoned. Yet verses in the Bible seem to indicate it was an acceptable practice at one time. I addressed this in a two-part series some time ago:
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2013/08/micah-67-did-god-command-child-sacrifice-part-ii-of-ii.html
However, outside the story of Abraham and Isaac, we find no examples of it happening, except this one in today’s verse. Jephthah, victorious in battle, vows to give God the first thing that meets him as he returns home. It turns out to be his only daughter.
This story is significant because Jephthah knows God expects him to complete his vow. He knows that his daughter is an acceptable sacrifice to God, though he wishes dearly it were not the case (see v. 35). Even his daughter recognizes that God expects her to be sacrificed (v. 36).
So in verse 39, Jephthah carries out his vow, and offers his daughter as a burnt offering to God.
Deuteronomy 21:15-17, God Breaks the Law
If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
//This interesting law was apparently established to protect the true firstborn’s inheritance. The firstborn was to receive a double portion in his inheritance. Even if a man’s first son comes from a wife that he hates, he must give that son preference.
But doesn’t this precisely describe the situation with Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael? God tells Abraham to send the first-born Ishmael and his mother away into the desert, with nothing but a skin of water, and to give everything to Isaac instead.
In fact, how many more pairs of brothers can you think of where the firstborn is snubbed for a later child, with the favor of God? Here are some more non-firstborns who won God’s approval: Abel, Jacob, Gideon.
Indeed, both the priesthood (Eleazar, Ithamar, Levi) and the kingship of Israel (David, Solomon, Judah) are founded on non-firstborns.
Where did this law come from, if not even God pays it any mind?
Genesis 7:5, Ready for the Noah Movie? Part II of II
And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
//Noah was a pretty special guy in scripture. He’s listed by Ezekiel as one of the three most righteous men ever (see Ezekiel 14:11). But the story of Noah does contain some oddities. Here is a look back at some questions I’ve tackled before:
What’s with that raven who just flew in circles?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2013/12/genesis-87-why-the-raven-failed.html
Is the rainbow a miracle?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2013/12/genesis-913-god-gives-us-the-rainbow.html
Do we all descend from Noah?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/08/genesis-77-noahs-studly-sons.html
How did Noah navigate?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/05/genesis-83-4-the-ark-runs-aground.html
Where does Methuselah fit in?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/07/genesis-527-how-did-methuselah-die.html
Genesis 7:7, Ready for the Noah Movie? Part I of II
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
//The story of Noah and the flood has inspired more than a few of my posts in the past. Want to catch up a little in anticipation of the upcoming Noah movie? Here are a few of the theological puzzles this story presents. Tomorrow, we’ll look back at a few oddities in the story.
Did the flood kill everybody on earth?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/02/genesis-723-did-the-flood-destroy-all-life.html
Where is Noah’s ark now?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/11/genesis-85-where-is-noahs-ark.html
Who wrote the story of the flood?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/01/genesis-619-20-two-of-every-kind.html
Did anyone besides the Hebrews remember the flood?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/03/genesis-86-9-the-epic-of-gilgamesh.html
How long did Noah live?
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/05/genesis-929-noahs-death.html
Book review: How Do We Know? An Introduction to Epistemology
by James K. Dew Jr. and Mark W. Foreman
★★★★★
How do we know what we think we know? Dare we claim to know anything at all about God, or can we speak only about what we believe? Is it time to throw up in our hands and give in to postmodernism?
Don’t buy this book looking for an argument for the existence of God. That’s not the focus. This is a very good introduction to epistemology, with only a light Christian tint. Until the final pages, little is said about knowledge of God, and when we do get to the topic of divine revelation (for that is our primary means of knowing anything about God), the argument for why the Bible story of Jesus is reliable history is unfortunately too brief to be helpful.
Instead, the book hopes to introduce its readers to the philosophy of epistemology–that is, the study of the nature and limits of human knowledge. Dew and Foreman are both associate professors of Philosophy. They start out with the long-standing definition of knowledge as Justified True Belief (JTB), provide a few counter arguments to show the inadequacy of that definition, and then lead into some of the deeper issues. What is truth? Where does knowledge come from? Do we really need justification? How and why do we believe? Does “revelation” count as knowledge? (This may be the most important question in the book for Christians.) And how certain can we be?
These topics are deeper than they sound, but you don’t need any background in philosophy to follow the discussion. If the book sounds dry, it’s not. I confess an interest in this discipline, because it’s not uncommon at all for two people to claim to know contradictory facts, judging themselves to be 100% certain of their knowledge, which only highlights how fallible we humans are. When the topic turns to religion, we affirm our “knowledge” with even more certainty.
In the end, certainty is less attainable than we imagine, and not as necessary as we might think. Most of the really interesting things we believe are things that we could possibly be wrong about.
Strongly recommended especially if you are new to the topic.
IVP Academic, 2014, 174 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8308-4036-6
Galatians 4:28, Paul Steals the Inheritance
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
//In the Old Testament, Abraham had two children: Isaac, who became the father of the Jews, and Ishmael, who became the father of the Arabs. So we have the Jews, the “children of promise,” and we have the Gentiles, the son of a bondswoman (an illegitimate wife).
Abraham, according to God’s instruction, sends Ishmael and his mother off into the desert with nothing, and gave everything to Isaac.
Paul, writing to the Galatians, begins to tell the story like this:
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. –Galatians 4:22
But then Paul pulls a switcharoo. Speaking to the Galatian Christians, he says they are the children of promise; the “Isaac” of God. In contrast, the Jews are “Ishmael,” son of the bondwoman. See today’s verse above.
In this way Paul steals the inheritance from the Jews.
2 Kings 3:26-27, Does Human Sacrifice Work?
When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.
//This story in the Bible presents a theological puzzle. Moab is losing a war against Israel, so the king of Moab makes a strategic decision: he sacrifices his son on the city wall, in view of everyone. This turns the tide, and Moab routs Israel.
The question is, how did this work? How did the sacrifice of the King’s son turn the tide of battle?
The intended answer is probably hidden in the word “fury.” The “fury” against Israel was great. This translation stems from the Hebrew word qetseph which can imply the wrath of God … or of another god. For example, see this cry to God in Psalms 29:24:
Pour out your fury [qetseph] on them; consume them with your burning anger.
Thus the Bible story seems to be saying that the sacrifice was made to a god, and that that god responded to lead a military victory. This god is surely the Moabite national diety Chemosh, a nasty fellow who does fit the mold of one who would be stirred to action by human sacrifice.
So human sacrifice works, but only if you worship a god who likes that sort of thing.
Book review: Holistic Spirituality: Life Transforming Wisdom from the Letter of James
by Bruce G. Epperly
★★★★
“Faith without works is dead.” This may be the most notable phrase in the epistle of James. Bruce Epperly would agree, describing the practical teachings of James as “holistic,” grounded in God’s generous care for each of us.
We don’t know who James felt he was correcting with this epistle, but presumably there were some early followers of Jesus who were so “heavenly minded that they were no earthly good.” James sets them straight, reminding them of their responsibility in upholding the goodness of Christ. This is no epistle of straw, as Luther claimed, nor is it the work of a simple-minded follower. Epperly puts it like this: “James is a theologian, but his theology moves from the classroom and the study to the street corner and the soup kitchen.”
This is a short 40-page booklet in the Topical Line Drives series by Energion Publications, each of which is meant to zero in on a topic with simple precision. Epperly is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, and the author of over 30 books.
This is my first taste of Epperly’s work. I enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of his approach, and look forward to a couple more books of his that have been shared with me.
Energion Publications, © 2014, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-1-938434-76-1
Genesis 37:3-4, The Coat of Many Colors
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
//Here’s a confusing story. Why did this coat of many colors irritate Joseph’s brothers so much? They were so incensed about this coat that they could not even speak a friendly word to him.
One day Joseph came to his brothers out in the wilderness, wearing this offensive coat, and the first thing they did was strip him of it. Then they threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave.
What’s the big deal about a coat?
Here’s the deal. When Elijah was ready to leave this earth, he threw his mantle over Elisha to designate Elisha as his successor. When Aaron and his descendants were ready to step down from the high priesthood, they passed on their special apparel as a sort of ordination of the next guy in line. When Jacob in his old age made a special coat to give to Joseph, he may have been doing more than demonstrating concern or affection; he may have been designating Joseph as the primary beneficiary. If this is so, then he was pulling the birthright from all the older brethren and choosing a youngster.
No wonder his brothers hated him.
Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
|
|
| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)
A Top-100 Christian Blog
Named an Exceptional Website for Christian Theologians
Our Top Book Picks
Selected by The Dubious Disciple as Best Religion Books. Don't miss these!
Subscribers:
Twitter Followers
Facebook Fans
16806 Blog Members
354 Circles
603 Goodreads Friends & Fans
The God Show
Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
Contact me here.
About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
Connect With Me!