With a Book ... Communion across the Page

For those out there that are Civil War buffs as well as disciples of the prince of peace I want to call attention to Mark Noll's The Civil War as a Theological Crisis. Noll is one of the foremost historians of religion in its North American contexts and has done us all a huge service in this small (200 pages) and very insightful work. The Civil War was for all intents and purposes a religious war in many ways akin to those in Europe. The religious...

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Jonah #10: God's Heart & Struggle with Israel & Us (Can the Church Be Saved?)

"Victory is the LORD's!" (Jonah 2.9, REB)"Deliverance belongs to the LORD." (Jonah 2.9, The Bible: An American Translation)Jonah 4.4-11: Can the Church Be Saved?"But Yahweh said:Is it right for you to be angry?"For Jonah had left the city and had sat down east of the city. There he had built himself a shack/tabernacle and had sat down in its shade until he would see what might happen in the city. Then Yahweh-God appointed a goad to grow. It grew...

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Jonah #9: God's Heart & His Struggle with Israel & Us (The Wrath of the Theologian)

The Wrath of the Theologian: 4.1-6 "Deliverance belongs to the LORD" (Jonah 2.9, NRSV)Most Shocking Chapter in the BibleIf truth is to be confessed then we admit Jonah chapter four is one of the most shocking chapters in the entire canon of Scripture! Here in this chapter the blindness, arrogance, and possibly even the blackness of Jonah's heart is finally revealed. At the same time we have to confess that Jonah 4 is truly one of the most comforting...

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Crystal Ball Tell Me ...

Crystal Ball Tell Me What I want to know ... what is coming up on Stoned Campbell Disciple Blog. I have not been busy this week with a few future blogs. I don't think I have ever actually done this before but I would like to offer my readers a sort of "preview" of what is coming down the road for my blog. So lets look into the Crystal Ball and see what it reveals ...First. I have two more Jonah posts (with a possible third) in the next couple days. One is called "The Wrath of the Theologian" and the other "Jonah's Self-Defense." Second. I have...

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Jonah #8: The Reading Report ... Studying Jonah

Greetings from the land of Saguaros and Scorpions. Jonah is such a richly textured work and only grows more profound with meditation. I have had several off line requests for good resources for reflecting on the book therefore I have decided to offer a short list of helpful works ... which in turn will lead to other resources. I do not offer these in alphabetical order ...James Limburg has authored two commentaries on Jonah: one in the Interpretation...

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Jonah #7: God's Heart & His Struggle with Israel (Symmetry & Irony )

"Salvation comes from and belongs to the LORD" (Jonah 2.9, BV)Frequently in this series of essays on Jonah, I have stressed that it is a work of exquisite art. And it is. The artistic nature of the book not only makes it such an enjoyable read but also serves the interest of the kingdom of God. The book of Jonah has four chapters with a total of forty-eight verses. These four chapters divide themselves into two parallel sections ... each mirroring...

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Jonah #6: God's Heart & His Struggle with Israel and Us (Fugitive Reports to Duty)

Jonah 3: The Fugitive Reports for Duty"Deliverance belongs to the LORD!" (Jonah 2.9, NRSV)The Text"Then the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying:“Rise and go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I am now giving to you!”Then Jonah rose up and went to Nineveh, according to Yahweh’s word.At that time Nineveh was a great city to God – a three days journey was required. And Jonah set about to enter the city, walking...

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Jonah #5: God's Heart & His Struggle with Israel and Us (Jonah and His Bible)

Jonah and His "Bible""Salvation is at the LORD's discretion" (Jonah 2.9)When it comes to the book of Jonah we are encountering a work of deep divine art and exquisite mastery of irony. The person of Jonah was a real historical person who preached in northern Israel. Yet the word "Jonah" means "dove" in Hebrew which is also a word that is used to describe Israel (Hos 7.11 & 11.11). But the word yonah has powerful overtones ..."my yonah is in the...

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