The brilliant mind of NT Wright

I was introduced to the debate on the New Perspectives on Paul (NPP) back in 2008 (my previous post on the subject here). Since then I had this view that NT Wright together with EP Sanders and James Dunn are on the "wrong" side, and the likes of John Piper on the "right" side.

But I was already aware at the same time that I need to be careful not to fully subscribe myself to anything wholesale without deeper study, thought and prayer but to keep an open mind with Scripture as my foundation and guide. And later in that period as well, I remember my lecturer Kar Yong saying we should not dismiss Wright altogether. Moreover, my seminary's principal was and still is Rev Ezra Kok, who studied under James Dunn.

So, I shelved the subject along with NT Wright to be tackled later at an opportune time. I have yet to return to the topic of NPP but time has come for me to discover the brilliance of NT Wright.

I have posted on my current line of thought back in December last year about Genesis and its theology when I spotted a very interesting title in the bookshop - Evil and the Justice of God. The book's author is NT Wright.

I purchased a copy and I was utterly impressed by his mind, his thought and line of argument. He does not answer the most pertinent question on the origin of evil, a question I have already put to rest as something that may not have an answer, at least until we meet God, but he tackles evil from our current perspective as well as from the OT and NT perspective.


Evil and the Justice of God
by NT Wright (SPCK, 2006)

I like his first chapter - "Evil is still a four-letter word: The new problem of evil". He summarized how we see evil these days into these three points:
1. We ignore evil except when it hits us in the face
2. We are surprised by evil when it hits us in the face
3. As a result, we react in immature and dangerous ways

One of the dangerous ways in which we react is to really delineate ourselves as good and the party who did wrong, evil. This has been so clearly portrayed in our society today. When things go wrong, we labelled the other party as evil and we become, albeit subconsciously, as good, true, right and pure. But that is certainly not what God said.

There is no one righteous, not even one.
~ Romans 3:10

After finishing the book, I have new respect for NT Wright. I ended up buying his published 3 volumes out of 6, of the Christian Origins and the Question of God series. These are huge tomes, it will be a huge challenge for me to finish reading them but I have started on the first volume. It is my prayer to complete them within 2013, God willing.

I may find myself not agreeing fully with him in these volumes, but it will be a delight to get into his mind and discover his thoughts on God.

pearlie

JSTOR Register and Read

I have not been so active checking my fellow bloggers contribution to the blogosphere, but good thing I did this morning. Reb posted this on the STM blog recently and I have just signed up:

"JSTOR, an online digital library filled with quality academic papers, journals, and books, is now offering free access to everyone through their newly announced " Click here for more details.

I have not been active at all in the academic side of my life lately. I graduated from the seminary in 2011 and somehow, that was it, for now at least. I had tried to kick start it again by attending classes end of last year - on Paul's Prison Letters - but I have not even thought about let alone started on the two assignments due in the next few weeks.

This points to the drift that I am done with studying for now. I'll see when my academic thirst will rise up again.

pearlie

2011 STM Graduates from the Methodist Church

Front row (left to right)
Rev Dr Philip Siew (Director of Advance Ministerial Studies)
Rev Dr Anthony Loke (Director of Communications & Promotions)
Rev Dr Ezra Kok (Principal)
Rev C. Jayaraj (President of the Tamil Annual Conference)
Rev Dr Hwa Yung (Bishop of the Methodist Church, Malaysia)
Rev Dr Ong Hwai Teik (President of the Trinity Annual Conference)
Dato’ Dr Alex Mathews (Council Member from the Trinity Annual Conference)
Rev Dr Wong Tik Wah (Dean of Students)
Rev Dr Joseph Komar (Tamil TEE Director)
Miss Ho Gaik Kim (Chapel Warden)

pearlie

One Down, One More to Go

I finally sat down to work on my assignment. I have been procrastinating it like there's no tomorrow. I am glad I got down to work on it today from 11am to 11pm and completed the one on the Gospel of Mark, with another one to go.

I should hit the iron while it is still hot, which means I must do this again tomorrow. Though I would need more than a 12-hour stretch to complete the second one on 1 Peter.

pearlie

Enjoy Your Assignments

I need to kickstart my assignment engine so badly. I have 2 more assignments to pass up before I could graduate.

I had initially decided to tackle the question on the differences and similarities of the portrayal of Jesus in Matthew and Luke - but I somehow could not get it started.

I tried. I read, I researched, I started on the assignment but it got nowhere.

So I thought I had better look for an option. I started thinking about this other question about looking for the themes of Mark in its prologue, and before I knew I was enjoying my assignment again. When I told Melissa that, she laughed at me commenting that people do not enjoy assignement - but I do! And when I don't, something is not right somewhere as it happened with the Matthew-Luke question.

I am now deciding on the 2nd assignment - should I take the one on apostasy in Hebrews or social discrimination in 1 Peter? The Hebrews one sounds more enjoyable.

pearlie

My Reading Frenzies

It will only takes one book, the right book, to spark me off into a reading frenzy. The last time it happened was back in 2003 when my good friend Noel gave me Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ that spearheaded me to plow into these books:

2003
1. Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (Apr)
2. Who Needs Theology? by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson (May)
3. What about other faiths? by Martin Goldsmith (May)
4. Scaling the Secular City by JP Moreland (May)
5. The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel (June)
6. The Trinity, by Christopher A. Hall and Roger E. Olson (June)
7. Surprised by Joy by CS Lewis (June)
8. Jesus and the Logic of History by Paul Barnett (June)
9. The Complete Worship Leader by Kevin J. Navarro (June)
10. The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis (July)
11. Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias (July)
12. The New Worship by Barry Liesch (Aug)
13. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (Sept)
14. When Skeptics Ask by Norman L. Geisler and Ronald M. Brooks (Dec)

2004
15. Love in the Hard Places by DA Carson (Jan)
16. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by DA Carson (Jan)

In 2004, the frenzy fizzled off because by then, my focus was diverted to pursuing my Masters in Christian Studies. And I have not had any such reading spree until May this year: My 50-Book Challenge 2011/12

My blog is a good indicator of my reading behaviour. The last time I reviewed a book was back in July 2009 - which means I have not been reading any for the past 2 years! Wow... Yes, I bought books, I skimmed books (for the purpose of my assignments), I referred to books, but I never read (meaning read and finished) any since July 2009. The reason is as mentioned: my master's degree. I completed the last marathon of submission of papers on Mar 26, and now I am back into a reading frenzy.

However, the choice of books this round are very different. My 2003/4 spree were all theological books, more or less. But this time, my choices of books are anything that strikes my fancy. I think it has to do with the book that sparked me of. Back in 2003, I found Case for Christ such an excellent read and with it came a list of recommended reading chapter by chapter - I went hunting for those books. But this round, the spark was Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, a medieval historical novel. After reading it I began looking for recommendations based on that book and the chain goes on, interspersed with more solid books here and there.

I did 16 in 10 months in 2003/4 and currently 8 so far in 2 months. I do not want to stop - it's a 50-book challenge - but I still have two Introduction to New Testament assignments to hand up...

pearlie

Woohoo!

I first posted this picture on October 22, 2006 with a Woohoo! on my "Exegesis on Ephesians" paper, and then posted it again on September 12, 2007 with a second Woohoo! on my "Christian Theology 1" paper.

This is my third Woohoo! And it has certainly been awhile.

This third Woohoo! comes in three: an A- in "Exegesis on 1 Corinthians", an A- in "Biblical Theology" and an A in "Major Religion in Malaysia (Islam)".

I am happy, I am dancing. And now, to get myself working on my last 2 assignments.

pearlie
Photo (c) 2006 Yi-Chen Lin

My 5-month TEE marathon

Today marks the end of my TEE marathon which begun in November 2010 until a moment ago when I sent off the last of the 6 assignments that I have to submit for 3 modules.

BUT I still have one more module to go! Ah, the last leg of a race is always the hardest. But I can at least rest for awhile until my final deadline for my last 2 New Testament assignments on 5th September 2011. I am sure I can give myself a break of at least 2-3 months before I dive back in.

However, you may agree that since I am on the roll, I should keep the momentum going and start working on the two papers. But 5 months is a long time. If I can manage 6 papers in the past 5 months, I am sure I can do better with 2 in the same time.

In that 5 months of churning out paper after paper, quality is the not prime in my mind as it was before. My goal is just to finish them in time for submission and if I think they are okay, off they go. Can't think too much, can't amend or change or add too much.

Phew! It has been a tiring 5 months. I thank God I am still in one piece, or at least I think so. I was struggling last week on the doctrine of monotheism. It is not a struggle of the doctrine in itself but something that is quite quirky but worrying to me.

Ah! I must stop thinking. Maybe 'tis time to hibernate.

Sigh ... I wish!

pearlie

The Fate of the Dead

I have several more assignments waiting to be completed and submitted before it is too late and the most immediate one is the Biblical Theology assignment on the topic, "The Fate of the Dead".

In our course of studying the bible, attention is usually on life and life eternal. I only realised not too long ago that the Old Testament has little interest about the fate of the dead and did not have much to say about it. Our belief in the resurrection is so ingrained in us that we would not have realised that in the Old Testament times, when you are dead, you are dead. Do you think that is the worldview of most people today, particularly the atheists? I have had conversations with friends who described life as a process, i.e. you live and then you die. My immediate thought was, where is hope but in Jesus?

I will work on the assignment beginning with the OT initial lack of interest in life after death; followed by the understanding of Sheol being the underworld in OT; with a mention of Enoch and Elijah being taken up with God; and the later Jewish thought about life after death. I will finish off with the New Testament's understanding about life after death, which became all the more clear at the resurrection of Jesus.

pearlie

Pastoral Leadership & Ministry

My Pastoral Leadership & Ministry assignment is due on 28th November 2010 and I have just passed it up! This is a record for me. I have never ever handed in any assignments until the very last week or even hour, if emailing is allowed.

Being an INFP, with an extremely strong P, I have this need to wait until the very last moment just to be satisfied that I have had access to whatever material I can get my hands on and that I have included whatever I deem valuable into the assignment. To me, early submission is an ineffective use of available resources.

But submitted it I have. I have no choice actually. Taking a TEE programme on a part time basis, we cannot have more than 3 modules pending on hand. Including this Pastoral module, I have 4. But STM is lenient for students who are about to graduate. Now that I have handed this one in, I have 3 more with assignments to work on: Exegesis of 1 Corinthians, Biblical Theology and Major Religion in Malaysia.

And I need one more to graduate and it happens to be Introduction to the New Testament, which is odd because anyone can see that this by no way should be anyone's last module! But things happen, and over the years I somehow could not manage to attend this module. I keep missing it and it has to end up being my last before I graduate. And what is amusing is that Introduction to the Old Testament was my very first module when I started TEE in Aug 2003.

pearlie

Poetry to God

I learnt a bit about the Sufi when I took Ministry in a Pluralistic Context last year and we touched on it again today. I was reminded of my life as a Christian as well - there is a lot to learn from them. For one, the Sufi put themselves under the tutelage and guidance of a shaik or spiritual leader - it will be hard to find any such person in our churches these days whom we can call our mentors. They are ascetic, simple and quiet in their way of life. They were not content with just an exterior life of being a Muslim - it must also be lived out in their inner life.

They are also well-known for the poetry they wrote:

So long as we do not die to ourselves,
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.

~ Farid ud Din Attar

The Jesus of your spirit is inside you now.
Ask that one for help, but don't ask for body-things...

Don't ask Moses for provisions
that you can get from Pharaoh.

Don't worry so much about livelihood.
Your livelihood will turn out as it should.
Be constantly occupied instead
with listening to God.

~ Rumi, Mathnawi II:450-454

Go sweep out the chamber of your heart.
Make it ready to be the dwelling place of the Beloved.
When you depart out, He will enter it.
In you, void of yourself, will He display His beauties.

~ Mahmud Shabistari - 'Rose Garden of Mystery'

My joy --
My Hunger --
My Shelter --
My Friend --
My Food for the journey --
My journey's End --
You are my breath,
My hope,
My companion,
My craving,
My abundant wealth.
Without You -- my Life, my Love --
I would never have wandered across these endless countries.
You have poured out so much grace for me,
Done me so many favors, given me so many gifts --
I look everywhere for Your love --
Then suddenly I am filled with it.
O Captain of my Heart
Radiant Eye of Yearning in my breast,
I will never be free from You
As long as I live.
Be satisfied with me, Love,
And I am satisfied.

~ Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya

And this has become my favourite:

O my Lord,
the stars glitter
and the eyes of men are closed.
Kings have locked their doors
and each lover is alone with his love.

Here, I am alone with you.

~ Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya

pearlie

Recitations

This is not new to me but I am learning to appreciate it. The Arabic language is regarded as a highly perfected language. I have yet to really take in what it means to have a "highly perfected language" but I think it means a language that is highly developed, one that is pure and not borrowed, one that is beautiful and that has captured every sound.

I have grown up hearing the azan or call-to-worship every now and then as I was driven past mosques or when I watched television in my childhood days. With satellite TV though, there is less of it these days. For old time's sake, I went to check it out in YouTube and found this. Doesn't it sound lovely?



I also found this - a recitation of Surah 36:1-12 of the Qur'an. This boy's voice is wonderful and his recitation incredibly well done.



pearlie

TEE on full throttle

I have been blogging about my TEE classes as I went about in the past 4 years (oh my, have I really been blogging that long?) but ever since I went reticent in 2010, I have not talked about them - wish I did.

I am back into being more hardworking this year as far as my theological study is concerned. After the Ministry in a Pluralistic Context module I took in July/August 2009, the following modules I attended were Pastoral Leadership & Ministry in May 2010, 1 Corinthians in June/July 2010 and Biblical Theology in August 2010. I am about to complete my Pastoral Leadership & Ministry assignment but I have not touched anything on the other two.

And today is the first day of the Major Religion in Malaysia module. We had the introductory session today and it was really very, very interesting to learn about Islam in Malaysia. For one, it is one of the fastest growing religion in the world right now and one very important realisation about the religion is that to the Muslims, the Qur'an is the very direct word from God -- and therefore it is infallible, it does not need any analysis (like we do our Scriptures), or any criticism (talk about our textual criticism, source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, socio-historical criticism, and what-more-have-you!). It made me realise how different it is when they talk about the Qur'an compared to when we talk about the Bible. We turn it upside-down-inside-out to discover its beauty and truth whilst they simply treat it as-is being the very pure word directly given by God. And that to me is really very, very profoundly interesting.

pearlie

Our image of the church

I'm trying really really hard to get on with my Pastoral Ministry assignment. I am reading Donald E. Messer's Contemporary Images of Christian Ministry (Abingdon, 1989) and find that it is an excellent book. I may actually find myself quoting him in every other sentence as I write my paper, which I am trying hard not to do if I want to pass this module.

This I must quote here:
One's image or vision of the church is indeed pivotal to one's image of ministry. History abounds with evidence to confirm this theory. If one's model of the church is primarily that of a visible institution, complete with constitution, rules, rights, an powers, then one's understanding of ministry is likely to be hierarchical, managerial and dogmatic. (Messer, 81-82)

He is spot on.

pearlie

My everlasting TEE

I have started taking my Masters in Christian Studies under STM's TEE since 2003 and this will be my 7th year, the last year given to complete it. But I am still short of 2 core modules and 3 electives. I will be applying for an extension and I will need to put in more effort so that I will complete it in time.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

By the way, I have just obtained the result of my last paper, where I have done a comparative study on Buddhist and Christian meditation. I have really enjoyed writing the paper, which include two interviews with practicing Buddhists on the topic of meditation. I found that Buddhists must meditate as much as Christians must worship. And I worked it in the paper how we as Christians can relate to Buddhists through this topic. I have begun to understand both Christian meditation and Buddhism a bit more, and that I feel, is a good thing.

pearlie

Buddhist Meditation

Ah! I have finally managed to complete my paper on Buddhism and submitted it this morning. I was so sure I was going to forgo this one again as I have given up on the last two, one on "Paul Perspective on Justification" and another on "History and Theology of the Exile". I didn't mind not completing the one on justification but I wished I stuck with the exile paper. But never mind ... it was tough going at that time.

I picked the topic on meditation, got some books and journal articles, did some reading, and interviewed two practising Buddhists, one from Mahayana Buddhism and the other from Theravada Buddhism - I have certainly learnt quite a bit about the subject and the religion. I started off wondering what Christian meditation is too! And ended off concluding that we are no where near them in terms of it being a discipline.

I don't publish my paper online but if you would like to have a read, you could pm me.

pearlie

Meditation - the Christian's and the Buddhist's

The Foundations of Buddhism
Rupert Gethin

I finally managed to get a copy of this book. Apparently, it is the textbook for Buddhism, but a pretty small one at that. Now I can get back to reading and figuring out how to tackle my paper on this topic. I cannot even remember what the assignment question is! But I do know I wanted to so something on meditation.

I find the Buddhist meditation very interesting and quite unlike what I do in meditation as a Christian. I have only read the first thirty over pages of this book, but I remember Gethin saying that meditation is like attaining a state of altered existence - I may have gotten the words wrong ... but I think not. When I compare my meditation in practice with the Buddhist meditation, at least from what I read, I find that whilst I meditate on Scripture or on God, my aim is so that I can understand my God better. I desire to know Him more and enjoy His presence, and in turn know what I must and should do as His child.

For a Buddhist, it is the attainment of an altered state of the mind. It is a concentration on something or nothing, until the mind is free from externalities - that is what I think it is at this point of time. I have much more work to do to figure this out.

pearlie

Ministry in a Pluralistic Context - Day 6

We discussed about Islam today, its three major sects, the Sunni, Shi'ite and Sufi. The Sufi sect is quite interesting -- they are the mystics of the Islam religion. Their thoughts and activity as a result of their belief can be quite beautiful.

Ruth showed me this poem written by a 7th century Sufi:

If I worship you in fear of Hell, burn me in it
If I worship you in hope of Paradise, exclude me from it
But If I worship You for your own Being,
don't withhold from me your everlasting beauty
~ Rabiah Al-Adawiyah

Now, isn't that so beautiful?

pearlie

Ministry in a Pluralistic Context - Day 5

We did another case study today, which involves a true account of an American Christian missionary in Japan. She spent many years in Japan, living with the people there, learning their customs and language. She made close friends including a lady who soon passed away. The daughter of the Japanese lady invited her to attend the funeral service and requested her to speak at the service. This is where the problem begins -- the rites were carried out with incense and priests, and the people who speaks at the funeral speak to the picture of the deceased and not the people. What was she to do in order to preserve her close relations with the family and yet not compromise her beliefs?

This account is not strange to us in Malaysia. There are those of us whose families are not Christians and funeral rites are a challenge to us. What can we do and what can we not do? What kind of witness would we show to those around us, Christians and non-Christians alike?

In the case study, we concluded that the missionary must accept the invitation but she also must have a word with the deceased daughter, together with the priests, to explain to them her predicament, where whilst she is more than willing to be there because of their special friendship, there are some things she cannot do because of her faith in her God. And to ask if she can be allowed to do somethings different, for example, to give a eulogy addressing the people attending the service.

In our real lives, the same can be done - we can have a discussion with the head of the family and find out ways where we can be a part of the service and yet be faithful to God. For example, whilst the ceremonies are ongoing, we can stand at the side, i.e. being there and yet not actually participating.

Being a God-fearing Christian and a fervent witness for the Lord is not an easy thing but by faith and by grace, the Lord will provide us a way when we seek for His help.

pearlie

Ministry in a Pluralistic Context - Day 4

We were given an introduction about Buddhism and in the video clip we watched, I realised a few things about my encounters with the Buddhists.

It dawned on me that when we dialogue with a Buddhist, the way we talk about Christianity and its main tenets have no way of latching on to their train of thought.

For one, Buddhism teaches the value of all kinds of life and therefore it is not right from them to kill any living things. And here we go talking about sacrifices in the Old Testament and the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

The Buddhists have a thoroughly different concept of sin. They do not believe there is a God and therefore there is no judge. They do good and as long as they do not hurt anyone, they do not sin. So they do not have an understanding of falling short of the glory of God.

One of the main tenet of Buddhist beliefs is that salvation or Nirvana is the responsibility of one's own self. It does not make sense to them to have someone else do that on their behalf.

We have much to know about the other religions before we can even dialogue with them and share to them about Jesus.

pearlie