Perspectives on Israel and the Church

A topic that seems to be hanging out on the edges of our discussion right now is what is the role of Israel. What was God's relationship with the nation? What is the relationship between Israel/Jews and the Church/Christians? How do we describe God's relationship with Israel in current times? One resource for exploring these questions is John Parson's article at Hebrew For Christians, Israel and the Church. Please be advised that this article is lengthy and academic, and Parsons is certainly making a case for his position on the issue.

Sermon Series - Glimpses of Truth

Joanna just sent this out in email, but I wanted to share it here:

Here is the link to the sermon series Greg Boyd did on this topic if you want to supplement your reading.

Glimpses-Of-Truth, Woodland Hills Sermon Series

There is an extended sermon summary for each of Greg's sermon's in this series written by a teaching intern at Woodland Hills. These summaries are filled with good questions to ponder and a sermon recap that helps outline the topic. If you click on and open a specific sermon, midway down on the page, after the sermon description is a link to an extended summary (example: https://whchurch.org/sermon/is-god-angry/#!)

Joanna

Violence Against Women in the Torah

As we begin our study of Cross Vision, we are faced immediately with the "elephant" in the Christian living room. Violence is ubiquitous in the Old Testament stories, and, even more alarming, much of the violence is sanctioned or even perpetrated by God. Our Old Testament scriptures were part of the Jewish tradition long before they became a part of ours. So, it seems prudent to also keep our eyes and ears out for Jewish interpretations of the same texts. With that in mind, this article seems relevant: Violence Against Women by Judith Plaskow from The Torah: A Women's Commentary. Of note:

It is striking that throughout the portion, God is implicated in the violence in the text. Except in the case of Lot’s willingness to sacrifice his daughters, God carries out or commands the violence (Sodom and Gomorrah; Isaac) or supports it (Abraham and Sarah; Sarah and Hagar). The representations of violence that the text holds up to us are ones on which the human and divine levels mirror each other. There is no cosmic relief, so to speak, from the reality of violence.

"There is no cosmic relief..." It's hard not to feel the weight of that after reading the first chapter of Boyd's book. We are faced with a very real question, one that has caused honest and educated theologians to lose their faith.  It takes both humility and courage to face this issue. Let us hold one another in prayer as we read and study and discuss.

Cross Vision: Guiding Questions

Because we do not have a participant or leader guide for our study of Cross Vision, Joanna developed a list of guiding questions for us to use as we read through each chapter. We are going to become very familiar with these questions! I suggest writing them in the front of a notebook or binder (or even in the front cover of the book) and journaling your answers each week. As we take turns facilitating the discussion, these will also be the guiding questions. Here they are:

Cross Vision: Study Questions

How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence

Greg Boyd

• What was the main point or ideas of this chapter? What stood out to you? What do you have questions about?
• How does this chapter build on “la idea grande” of the whole book?
• Is there a scripture from this chapter that you want to highlight?
• What questions, concerns or comments do you have about about God’s role in the Old Testament narrative?
• What is your current image of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and does this chapter challenge, clarify, or confuse this image?
• Is your understanding of Jesus and the purpose/role of his crucifixion changing?
•  What is your current view of scripture and does this chapter challenge, clarify, or confuse that view?

Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence

What's brewing at Morning Blend? 

Starting January 10th, 2018 we will begin reading Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence by Greg Boyd. We'll be taking this book at the slow pace of one chapter a week until the end of our study year in June. 

From the Fortress Press website:

Renowned pastor-theologian Gregory A. Boyd tackles the Bible’s biggest dilemma.
The Old Testament God of wrath and violence versus the New Testament God of love and peace—it’s a difference that has troubled Christians since the first century. Now, with the sensitivity of a pastor and the intellect of a theologian, Gregory A. Boyd proposes the “cruciform hermeneutic,” a way to read the Old Testament portraits of God through the lens of Jesus’s crucifixion.

In Cross Vision, Boyd follows up on his epic and groundbreaking study, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. He shows how the death and resurrection of Jesus reframes the troubling violence of the Old Testament, how all of Scripture reveals God’s self-sacrificial love, and, most importantly, how we can follow Jesus’s example of peace.