Posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Permalink
I just received my copy of the new Logos product (http://www.logos.com) The Cotton Patch Gospel. There are times when I wish that I could say to Logos, “just put me on the list for all of the new products.” Alas some are better than others and having to make a choice is good for the soul. This book is one that I have been waiting for. It is an unusual version of the New Testament, quite unlike any that you have read before. This paraphrase of the New Testament is a work of contextualization done in the 1970s by Clarence Jordan. Here is an example of the story of the ten lepers from the Cotton Patch standpoint:
Luke 11. While he was on his way to Atlanta, he went through the ghetto of Griffin, where he was met by ten winos who stood at a distance and yelled, “Mister Jesus, have mercy on us!” When he saw them he said, “Okay, go show yourselves to the doctor.” And as they were going, they were cured. Now one of them, realizing that he was cured, turned around and shouted at the top of his voice, “Praise God! Praise God!” Then he got down before Jesus and thanked him. This particular one was a black man. So Jesus said, “Weren’t there ten of you that got healed? Where are the other nine? Well, well. So didn’t any of them come back here to praise and thank God except this black man, huh?”
He said to the man, “Get up and go. Your trustful action has been the making of you.”
As you can see, this is a version that was meant to be read on the street by those that were not in the towers of academia, but were dealing with the realities of life. Here is the parable of the good Samaritan in Cotton Patch style:
Luke 10:25. One day a teacher of an adult Bible class got up and tested him with this question: “Doctor, what does one do to be saved?”
Jesus replied, “What does the Bible say? How do you interpret it?”
The teacher answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your physical strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“That is correct,” answered Jesus. “Make a habit of this and you’ll be saved.”
But the Sunday school teacher, trying to save face, asked, “But … er … but … just who is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus laid into him and said, “A man was going from Atlanta to Albany and some gangsters held him up. When they had robbed him of his wallet and brand-new suit, they beat him up and drove off in his car, leaving him unconscious on the shoulder of the highway.
“Now it just so happened that a white preacher was going down that same highway. When he saw the fellow, he stepped on the gas and went scooting by.
“Shortly afterwards a white Gospel song leader came down the road, and when he saw what had happened, he too stepped on the gas.
“Then a black man traveling that way came upon the fellow, and what he saw moved him to tears. He stopped and bound up his wounds as best he could, drew some water from his water-jug to wipe away the blood and then laid him on the back seat. He drove on into Albany and took him to the hospital and said to the nurse, ‘You all take good care of this white man I found on the highway. Here’s the only two dollars I got, but you all keep account of what he owes, and if he can’t pay it, I’ll settle up with you when I make a pay-day.’
“Now if you had been the man held up by the gangsters, which of these three—the white preacher, the white song leader, or the black man—would you consider to have been your neighbor?”
The teacher of the adult Bible class said, “Why, of course, the nig—I mean, er … well, er … the one who treated me kindly.”
Jesus said, “Well, then, you get going and start living like that!”
This raises a question for us all. When does translation turn into commentary? In the most recent issue of Christianity Today there is an ad with a quotation from New Testament scholar Scott Hafemann in which he says that “every Bible translation is a commentary in disguise.” While I certainly know what Dr. Hafemann meant, and have often said similar things to my own Greek students, we must never forget that the reason that scholars learn the languages is to make the Word accessible to the public. While it is true that all translation does carry with it something from the translator, even in translation the Word of God is sharp and powerful (albeit not as sharp as in the original languages). It seems to me that what Mr. Jordan has done here is exactly that, however one must always be careful about the difference between making the Word accessible, and changing the text’s original meaning. I have written a paper on this called Contextualizing the Parables for a Post-Modern Generation. Do a google search on Lamerson and parables and you should find it, if not let me know and I will find and post the paper.
For now, always remember that God gave us his word not to keep to ourselves, but to share with other people. You may have to change your vocabulary a little, depending on to whom you are talking, but never take that as a license to change the word. The Word is strong, just let it out to do its work.
All Cotton Patch quotations are from the electronic version of Jordan, C. (2004). The cotton patch gospel. Originally published separately in 4 vols.: The cotton patch version of Matthew and John, 1970; The cotton patch version of Luke and Acts, 1969; The cotton patch version of Paul’s Epistles, 1968; The cotton patch version of Hebrews and the general Epistles, 1973. (Lk 10:25). Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys Pub.
Tolle Lege,
DrSamLam
Posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Permalink
Here is the Powerpoint on the Indicative Verb. If you like this you should check out Robert Wermuth’s Greek book. http://www.wermuthsgreekbook.com
It is well worth taking a look at if you want charts of a large variety that are not usually included in most textbooks.
03Greek INDICATIVE VERBS Chart.ppt
Posted on Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Permalink
My dear friend, mentor, and loving professor went to be with the Lord early this morning. Dr. Weeber has been a part of Knox for many years and was loved by everyone who knew him. I will write more when I have had time to think a little, but for now please pray for Shirley (his wife) as well as his daughter and grandchildren.
Posted on Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Permalink
This article on using time wisely comes from the Church Leader’s Intelligence Report which can be found at http://www.churchleaders.com
Wise Steward of Time
Time is more valuable than money, because time is irreplaceable. “You don’t really pay for things with money,” says author Charles Spezzano in What to Do Between Birth and Death. “You pay for them with time.” We exchange our time for dollars when we go to work and then trade our dollars for everything we purchase and accumulate. In essence, all we possess can be traced back to an investment of time. Time stewardship is perhaps a leader’s greatest responsibility. In the words of Peter Drucker, “Nothing else distinguishes effective church leaders as much as their tender loving care of time.”
Five Characteristics of a Wise Steward of Time
Purposeful- People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life. By consistently channeling time and energy toward an overarching purpose, a person most fully realizes their potential. We cannot reach peak performance without a peak purpose. Purpose enlivens all that we do. Uncovering purpose helps to refine passion, focus efforts, and sharpen commitments. The cumulative result is to amplify the achievements of the wise steward of time.
Committed to Values- People who use time correctly underscore their values with the time they spend. By acting in accordance with their beliefs, they find fulfillment. Failure to identify values leads to a rudderless existence in which a person drifts through life, uncertain as to what they hold dear. Clarity of values is like a beacon guiding the way through life’s twists and turns. In an organization, if vision is the head and mission is the heart, then values are the soul. Values endow day-to-day operations and transactions with meaning.
Attuned to Strengths- People who use time correctly play to their strengths. By doing so, they are most effective. People don’t pay for average. If your skill level is a two, don’t waste substantial time trying to improve since you’ll likely never grow beyond a four. However, if you’re a seven in an area, hone that skill, because when you become a nine, you’ve reached a rare level of expertise. You are blessed with a unique set of skills and talents. Find them, refine them, and let them carry you toward success.
Choosers of Happiness- People who use time correctly choose happiness by prioritizing relationships and recreation. While choosing happiness may seem simple and obvious, far too many leaders are trying to prove themselves and validate their worth. These leaders chase after power and prestige, and along the way, their friendships wither, their family is ignored, and they skip vacation after vacation. In the end, any success they earn is a hollow and lonely achievement. Next to faith, family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness. Prioritizing time to cultivate relationships is a hallmark of a healthy leader. Likewise, scheduling leisure combats stress and allows us to delight in the hobbies that bring us joy. However, in the end, happiness is an inside job. We are wise to surround ourselves with family, friends, and fun, but ultimately we determine our internal response to the people and circumstances in our lives.
Equippers- People who use time correctly equip others in order to compound their productivity. They realize the limitations of individual attainment, and they build teams to expand their impact. By developing an inner circle of leaders and investing in them, wise time-users multiply their influence. Equippers recognize that legacies are carried on by people, not trophies. They pour themselves into the lives of others and watch the ripple effect of their leadership spread through those they have taught and mentored. Equippers seek significance over the long term, which causes them to have a vested interest in the success of their successors.
As much as we would like, we can’t find more time-it’s a finite and constantly diminishing resource. However, we can learn to spend time wisely.
Excerpted and adapted from Taming Time by John Maxwell, Christian Post 12/5/06
Posted on Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Permalink
Here is another comment by a friend of mine, who takes a different approach to the public school delima. Please understand that I have not written either for or against this issue yet and am interested in hearing from readers. Here is my friend’s comment:
A response to your blog and call for the opposite argument. While I agree with all of the points raised by these parents, I can not help but think about what the implications may be if “all” Christians were to withdraw all of their children from schools. The thought is overwhelming. Obviously parents who home-school are noble in their decision and often make it for pragmatic reasons such as ADD, Asthma, and childhood diseases. Schools are ill-equipped and under-funded to create personalized plans for each and every student. Therefore, for those students who have specialized needs perhaps are best to be withdrawn from the school. For this, I am in full support and applaud parents.
As a Christian and a graduate from “progressive education” I also understand the confusion that arises from being told in Sunday School 1 hour a week that I came from God and 10 hours a week in school that I came from nothing. However, this confusion was more intensely developed during my undergraduate years and my graduate years. As a young man, I struggled with the weight of “so-called” intellectuals who railed against Christianity and created what to me seemed insurmountable arguments resulting in the complete marginalization of my faith. The result was an intense dark period of time in my life.
What was my problem? Well, I don’t blame government education for this attack. Instead, I hold the church responsible for lack of true education. You see, I grew up in a fundamentalist environment that wanted to create walls separating me from the world. While I was behind the walls never experiencing challenges, I was fine. Yet, when I finally engaged the world, my lack of education, my own ignorance resulted in a truly difficult time. I think of Isaiah when he says, “My people suffer because of lack of knowledge”. I had suffered tremendously.
I’m not convinced that withdrawing “all” of Christianity is a wise step for Christianity. Neither am I convinced that Christianity will survive the onslaught in public schools unless the Church truly begins to educate its people on how to defend our faith properly. Even more, given my background, I am acutely aware of arguments presented by those opposed to Christianity and now find it quite easy to communicate with them. We need to realize that “public schools” are in our backyard which is our community. While I do not endorse sending our children into the schools as missionary’s, which was the only message I received from the church, I do endorse remaining in the community. “To be salt and light” means that we need to enter into the darkness. We have a luxury in this country of creating alternative institutions that allow for Christians to perpetuate Christian education. But far too often, only the well-to-do can afford this luxury. Even then some Christian schools produce students who are just as depraved as their progressive counterparts resulting in the same difficulties.
The Proverb that states “Raise up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it” is not a guarantee. For those of us who are reformed in our faith we must recognize that unless the Spirit of God is working inside the hearts of our children, they will be as spiritually dead as those who come from pagan backgrounds. Surely, they will be impacted by the salt and light of our faith but will otherwise fall as deeply as the rest.
Conclusion, we need to participate in school boards and listen to counter-Christian messages. We also need to be in the school teaching, engaging students within the community. There are some wonderful Christian public school teachers and they need all of the support they can get. Finally, we must reach out to those who can not afford “home-schooling” or “private education”. We must create ways to provide the education and formation for these people who strive to educate their children the best they know how but can not otherwise afford anything else. To be “salt and light” was our mandate from Christ, let us not hide the light in fear.
Posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Permalink
Those of you who know me know that I love baseball. I really wanted to be a good player when I was young, but apparently reading books about it just wasn’t enough. Well, my son Josiah is much better than I ever was and is playing for his high school team (Boca Christian School, we live in Boynton Beach which is a long way from WA). Here are a few pictures of Josiah playing. After thos pictures you will see me out on the softball field. Coral Ridge has twelve teams that play on Saturday night and I am a part of the “Sons of Thunder.” Josiah and I are having a great time playing, though I am a little bit of an embarrassment, both to myself and the team. I only fell down three times last week and I think that part of the problem was that I was wearing blue jeans. One young boy in the stands commented in the hearing of Cindy, “I sure do feel sorry for that man in the blue jeans.” We will be playing every Saturday night at 5:30 (not tomorrow though) for the next 8 weeks.
Our first game came down to extra innings in which the batter only gets one pitch to swing at. We were down by one run with two outs, a man on third, and I came to the plate. It was ugly, that is all I can say. We lost by one run due to my inability to drive in the tying runner on third base
Oh well, we had a lot of fun, and again Josiah is much better than I ever was. Maybe it’s because he practices instead of reads about it. Enjoy the photos.
Subscribe in RSS reader