Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Update to site

A friend recommended I read another blog site and after perusing it, I decided to link it here. It is in the side bar section titled "Blogs to Consider". It is called Jesus Creed. While I do not necessarily agree with with some of the views presented by Scot McNight, he does present some interesting ideas worth considering, if even to hone your own faith. His background is emergent, but he seems to be a little more conservative in his views than some of the other emergent folk out there.

I should mention that some of the sites linked in the sidebar are not ones that I necessarily agree with all the time, but they are ones that cause me to think, just as I ask all of us to do. The goal is zeal for the faith with a knowledge to support that zeal.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

It's All About Context

Last night I was able to watch Reverend Jeremiah Wright speak at the National Press Club on CSPAN. In his answers regarding the controversial video clips released of some of his sermons, he responded asking if the questioner knew the context of those statements. Is it safe to say Wright is concerned about context?

At one point the questioner asked; Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me." Do you believe this and do you think Islam is a way to salvation. Wright's response? Jesus also said "other sheep have I who are not of this fold." He then backed away from the podium with a smirk on his face as the audience cheered. But let us consider the context of the verse he quoted. The reference is John 10:16. First, let me quote the context of this verse.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ~John 10:14-16 (ESV)

The overall context of this passage is that Jesus is talking with a group of Jews (cf. vs 19). In the Jews mind, they would immediately understand that Jesus was talking about those who were not a part of Israel, namely the Gentiles. This is a religious issue, but notice that even the Jews rejected him. His point was that he was seeking to gather all those who would follow him. Allow me to quote further from the same chapter.

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." ~John 10:25-27 (ESV)

So what governs being a part of the flock is belief in the teachings of Jesus. Part of his teaching involved following him and his teachings, something the Muslims do not do. If Muslims were part of the sheep who were not of the fold in verse 16, then why do they not follow Christ? Apparently context is not as important to Wright as he desires. So he has a problem when it is his words that are taken out of context, but has no problem taking Jesus' words out of context? Where is the disconnect?

At another point in the interview he discussed America's alleged feeding of Terrorism and then experiencing terrorists attacks. In his response he quotes a portion Galatians 6:7; what a man sows, that will he also reap. It seems, with the media attacks on his sermons, that this principle is coming back to haunt him.

This serves as a prime example of the importance of context and why we must be careful to study the context of anything that is put in front of us.