Jesus Creed: Kingdom of God series
You have to scroll half way down this archive to get to Scot's series on the Kingdom of God. I think that because I got to them so late, Scot isn't interested in helping me understand his approach. So I thought I'd post my comments to him here in case anyone has elucidation for me.
In his second post discussing Luke 4:16-30 I say, "...i'm trying hard to understand the KoG from this perspective that isn't mine. i've been vacationing and looked forward to reading your series on the KoG upon my return. So this is what i don't get. From the magnificat...it is the Lord who brings down the proud and the mighty rulers. It's the Lord who lifts up the humble. He fills the hungry but sends the rich away empty. (How is this not metaphorical-it hasn't literally happened except incidentally). And its the Lord who helps Israel. So it says nothing of his means. If it is us are we to bring down rulers and turn away the rich?
Also, I'm having a hard time seeing the literal fulfillment of Isaiah 61. Is the gospel not for the rich? Are we to release violent criminals from their incarceration? Are we to put more effort in eye surgery and eye medicine and pray for more gifts of eye healing for the world's blind? Does the implausability of literal application leave this gang of four better understood in spiritual terms?..."
At his 3rd post on the Lukan Beatitudes I comment, "I just don't know Scot. these are such relative terms. Relative to the rest of the world, we Americans are in the "woe" category. Relative to my work community i may be blessed but to my inner city neighborhood i'm in the woes again. i think physical situations can lend themselves to different spiritual states, e.g. it is ahrd for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven Mt. 19:23, but spirtual poverty and hunger and mourning are scattered across groups."
and at his 4th post on Matt 11:2-6 I ponder, "These things that Jesus tick off are so extraordinary that they seem to be ordination events. Even in charismatic circles these don't happen every service or that often. This is the stuff John Wimber called Power Evangelism. They awaken society and force an acknowledgment of the supernatural. The result is rejection by some and greed for more gifts by others and love for the giver by a few. As a church elder I pray for healing frequently but see it rarely. My friend wasn't healed of brain cancer last night.
"As far as enlarging the acts to a principle of "restoring the marginalized to society," it sounds so baby boomer. We see only a little psychological ministry by Jesus, listening to the whole story of the bleeding woman after her healing, and fellowshipping with the despised. I'm not sure if the application is fairly made from here. I don't think it is an incorrect ethic, just not sure if it is found here."
and i guess the rest of the series didn't compel me to reply any further.
In his second post discussing Luke 4:16-30 I say, "...i'm trying hard to understand the KoG from this perspective that isn't mine. i've been vacationing and looked forward to reading your series on the KoG upon my return. So this is what i don't get. From the magnificat...it is the Lord who brings down the proud and the mighty rulers. It's the Lord who lifts up the humble. He fills the hungry but sends the rich away empty. (How is this not metaphorical-it hasn't literally happened except incidentally). And its the Lord who helps Israel. So it says nothing of his means. If it is us are we to bring down rulers and turn away the rich?
Also, I'm having a hard time seeing the literal fulfillment of Isaiah 61. Is the gospel not for the rich? Are we to release violent criminals from their incarceration? Are we to put more effort in eye surgery and eye medicine and pray for more gifts of eye healing for the world's blind? Does the implausability of literal application leave this gang of four better understood in spiritual terms?..."
At his 3rd post on the Lukan Beatitudes I comment, "I just don't know Scot. these are such relative terms. Relative to the rest of the world, we Americans are in the "woe" category. Relative to my work community i may be blessed but to my inner city neighborhood i'm in the woes again. i think physical situations can lend themselves to different spiritual states, e.g. it is ahrd for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven Mt. 19:23, but spirtual poverty and hunger and mourning are scattered across groups."
and at his 4th post on Matt 11:2-6 I ponder, "These things that Jesus tick off are so extraordinary that they seem to be ordination events. Even in charismatic circles these don't happen every service or that often. This is the stuff John Wimber called Power Evangelism. They awaken society and force an acknowledgment of the supernatural. The result is rejection by some and greed for more gifts by others and love for the giver by a few. As a church elder I pray for healing frequently but see it rarely. My friend wasn't healed of brain cancer last night.
"As far as enlarging the acts to a principle of "restoring the marginalized to society," it sounds so baby boomer. We see only a little psychological ministry by Jesus, listening to the whole story of the bleeding woman after her healing, and fellowshipping with the despised. I'm not sure if the application is fairly made from here. I don't think it is an incorrect ethic, just not sure if it is found here."
and i guess the rest of the series didn't compel me to reply any further.
Comments
I'm sorry if I didn't respond to your comments, and even sorrier that no one picked you up at your site.
Besides the blog comments, I get about 50 e-mails a day and that series on the Kingdom was too energetic for me to keep up.
I'm happy to engage with you on this. I don't have a trackback, so do e-mail me at smcknight@northpark.edu if you'd like to pick this conversation back up.