scholarly journals The Uneasy Pulpit: Carl Henry, the Authority of the Bible, and Expositional Preaching

Perichoresis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Kevin King
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
1 Peter ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Natural Response ◽  
Twenty First Century

Abstract It has been asserted that preaching in the first half of the twenty-first century is in crisis by the authors of Engaging Preaching. This crisis has arisen, so say the authors, due in part to those who have been entrusted to preach the ‘oracles of God’ (1 Peter 4:11), having failed to faithfully proclaim the Word of the Lord. No longer do the words of ‘Thus saith the Lord’, regularly fill the halls of the sanctuary. Instead of a sure word from the Bible, those in attendance are just as likely to give tips on self-fulfillment or achieving one’s dreams. By this practice, it seems there are a significant number of pulpit practitioners who neither trust in the authority or the sufficiency of the Word of God. The situation seems bleak, but there is a remedy to be applied to this situation. Carl F. H. Henry has left us a wealth of theological writings that speak to this very problem. This paper will argue as Henry has masterfully argued for the authority of Scripture, the preacher finds a sure footing for a pulpit practice that displays the authority and the sufficiency of the Bible. It will be argued that expositional preaching is the most natural response to a robust view of the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God.

Review: The Bible in the Twenty-first Century

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-155
Author(s):  
William A. Smalley
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Twenty First Century

Television and the Bible in American Popular Culture

2020 ◽  
pp. 308-329
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
First Century ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Biblical Literacy ◽  
American Popular Culture ◽  
American Television ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Impact

This essay examines the Bible in American television, focusing in particular on the twenty-first century. It suggests that there are three broad categories which may helpfully illustrate and encompass the diverse ways in which the Bible appears and/or is utilized: (1) educating about the Bible (e.g., documentaries); (2) dramatizing the Bible (renditions of biblical stories); and (3) drawing on the Bible (the impact or use of the Bible in other television programs). Examining each of these in turn, this essay highlights the prevalence of the Bible on television and thus in American popular culture more generally, as well as considering some of the myriad ways in which it has been read, used, and interpreted. In particular, it endeavors to show how the medium can function as a tool for both reflecting and promoting levels of biblical literacy among its audience.

Violence in the Apocalypse of John

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Skaggs ◽  
Thomas Doyle
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Just Cause ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Violent Images ◽  
Apocalypse Of John

Over the years, scholars have wrestled with the apparent emphasis on violence in the Apocalypse, even to question whether it should be considered Christian at all. Certainly, much of the material in Revelation appears to be violent and vengeful. In fact, Gerd Lüdemann calls this the ‘dark side of the Bible’. As scholars of the Apocalypse, we are forced to ask, ‘What is the significance of the violent images in Revelation? Does it matter? Does God, in fact, have a dark side, one which perhaps negates his “loving side”? If this violence is significant, how can these images be understood as relevant to our world which is so focused on technology, empiricism and rationality? What are we, as biblical scholars, to say about this as we proceed into the twenty-first century, a century already marred by terrorism justified by its emphasis on jihad? Is violence ever justified, even when it is used to bring about a just cause?’ This article will review, without being comprehensive, what noteworthy scholars have suggested from their study of the Apocalypse. Possibly, an alternative to the extreme positions of violence and non-violence can be found within the text of Revelation. Hopefully, this review will advance a further consideration of this issue.

The Socio-Political Impact of the Bible in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 608-626
Author(s):  
Benoît Vermander
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Narratives ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
Twenty First Century

The China of today has been shaped partly by two centuries of Bible translations and by an even longer period of Christian propagation. This essay looks at the socio-political impact of the Bible on twentieth- and twenty-first-century China. Far beyond the religious sphere, China’s society and culture absorbed biblical narratives and teaching, spread through channels that have been circuitous, ambiguous, and controversial. This essay seeks to offer insights as to what extent the Bible has become part and parcel of Chinas’ socio-political references and controversies. The variety of social settings, political stances and hermeneutical strategies has characterized biblical readings from the time the Bible was introduced into China, and particularly since it became part of the general debate on national essence and modernity.

Revisiting the faith of our fathers … and reimagining its relevance in the context of twenty-first-century Ireland

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Fuller
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Irish Society ◽  
Religious Observance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Arena ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Church

Louise Fuller claims that there can be no doubt that Irish Catholicism is in serious decline. The decline itself is no huge surprise: it is the extent of the implosion and the consequences this has had on Irish society that require explanation. The ‘aggressive secularism’ that is now commonplace has led to a situation where it has become extremely difficult to express a Catholic viewpoint in the public arena, a situation that is as unhealthy in its own way as the theocracy that dominated for far too long in Ireland. Major changes in how it communicates the Word of God will be necessary if the Church is to have any hope of reengaging the minds and hearts of a population that is becoming theologically illiterate and indifferent to religious observance of any type.

David in Perspective—2 Samuel

2019 ◽  
pp. 185-197
Author(s):  
Ellen F. Davis
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The People ◽  
Fatal Flaw ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Book Of Samuel ◽  
2 Samuel

SAUL, AS REPRESENTED in the book of Samuel, is a complex and tragic figure, whose fatal flaw is his inability to emerge from self-absorption and refocus his attention on YHWH and his own commission from YHWH to govern the people (1 Sam 9:17). The corresponding portrait of David in the same book is even richer; no human narrative character in the Bible (not counting Jesus!) is drawn in such depth and detail, and at the same time so variously. The chiaroscuro portrait of David in Samuel is not easily reconciled with the pious portrayal in Chronicles, and there is yet a third “David,” the implied voice speaking through numerous psalms. All three Davids have profoundly touched the imagination of Jews and Christians and shaped religious understandings and practices over centuries and millennia. For twenty-first-century readers, the detailed and realistic account of David in Samuel raises questions that invite consideration of the story from several different perspectives—historical, literary, and theological....

Do not forsake the assembly: The importance of Christian community

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-411
Author(s):  
Peter Dibley
Keyword(s):  
Local Church ◽  
First Century ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Family ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Church ◽  
Critical Challenge

The Church in America (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant) is facing a critical challenge in the twenty-first century. That challenge is that more and more people are leaving Church. Research has found that of the 73% of Americans who call themselves Christian only 31% go to church at least once a month. Those who are leaving the Church fall into three groups: “those who love Jesus, but not the Church,” “Church refugees,” and “dones.” Each of these groups shares a few common bonds. They are discouraged and fed up with being hurt by other Christians and being stifled by Church bureaucracy. Most of all they are discouraged by what they feel to be a lack of community in the Church. Thus, they are finding community in other places outside the Church. The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of Christian community, and specifically the community of the Church. This article explores passages in both the First and Second Testaments that strongly encourage community and set forth the benefits of community, especially within the Church. The article also presents an example within a local church about the care, love, and support a family experienced during a time of crisis from the church. In addition, the article also emphasizes how important it is to give witness to how the Church rallies to form community. The family shared their story and their expression of gratitude to the church. This article tells their story to inspire and offer hope to those who have gone through tragedy and have given up on the Church.

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