The sub-title of my blog is “Telling the Story of the Story-Bound God”. This reflects my conviction that the identity of the God of the Bible is unknown without the story and peoples of the Bible. His identity is wrapped up with his people’s story–a dangerous proposition. In the “Song of the Vineyard” in Isaiah [...]
“…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isa 1:18). These words have been hymned countless times as beautiful depictions of the cleansing work of Christ. But are they a promise or an ultimatum? In this middle section of ch. 1, [...]
Just a quick little “hmmm…” observation today. A recurring theme in the OT (I’m thinking especially of psalms, with a little shake of Jonah thrown in for good measure) is “I called to you and…” Typically, this is followed by, “You answered me.” Sometimes it’s a bit more dire: “Out of the depths I cried [...]
In the first forays we took in to 1st Isaiah’s expectations of return from exile, I suggested that Isaiah proclaims an expectation that the exile itself will be purifying and atoning for the people’s sins. Moreover, I advocated reading 2d and 3d Isaiah as responses, at least in part, to the failure of these prophecies. [...]
Last week we started looking at the question of how to read Isaiah’s failed anticipations of restoration from exile as Christian scripture (part 1, part 2). At this point in my life I remain skeptical of the value of creedal “narratives” to help us find our way, or of Trinitarian hermeneutics to do much better. [...]
True confessions: I’m a theological reader of the scripture. [A stunned silence grips the crowd.] Ok, that comes as no surprise to anyone. But if you’re not in the biblical studies world, where “theological interpretation” is a movement gathering a full head of steam, you might be surprised to learn that I’m more than a [...]
