Power in the New Testament - a talk delivered at a Men's Evening
I was recently asked to give a short talk to a large church men's meeting, on the subject of power in the New Testament. If you are interested in having a read, see below for a more-or-less accurate transcript of the 20 minute talk.
I originally hesitated to tackle some of what I consider to be the less theologically robust Christian mens' teaching floating around, but in the end I decided to go for the jugular, which made it fun. Of course, I don't pretend that it was a complete summary of all that could be said about power in the NT, but it was enough to chew on. And a good sign: I really enjoyed preparing and preaching it!
Power and the New Testament
posted by Chris Tilling @ 11:58 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Isn't there some in between notion that makes the best sense? Not the power of Rome, nor the power of a dead man crucified by Rome, but something more like Aristotle's middle way? Don't crush your enemies, nor love them, but use your head to make the most reasonable assessment on an individual basis?
Also, Christianity has the power to convince vain men that they are "preachers" and that they can get jobs telling people to obey commandments and believe such and such, and repeat such messages ad nauseum. Maybe this was the way to go during ages of higher illiteracy and less access to written information, but today anyone with a computer has access to the world's greatest literature, dramas, musics and philosophical writings, and that can find the best in each person and in each book. People are becoming their own accumulators and digestors of wisdom, including practical moral wisdom.
Hey this is great, thanks. With your permission I would like to copiously plagiarize it. :) It is a warm, approachable overview. I've railed against the problem, but you teach through it here, thanks.
Feel free, Erin! And thanks for your comment.
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