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Category: Theology

Who Are You God…Really? The Training Begins!

Published by mhelbert on October 21, 2018

It’s been awhile since I last visited my question,
Who Are You God…Really?
Most of my available time has gone to studying rather than writing.
But, this journey is long.
If I don’t stop and get my thoughts out they may get lost along the way.
Previously, I’ve been here, here, and here.

I’ve discovered that God enjoys being with and in the Cosmos.
God seems to have fun getting dirt under the Divine fingernails and
making stuff.
And, God likes to make stuff with others.
I found that Jesus called some others to follow him so that he could make them
into something that they were not.
They were fisher-people. Not, People-Fishers.
Those are what Jesus wanted them to become.
How did Jesus think that he would do this?
The writer of Matthew wrote down his ideas about that.

Jesus gathered his disciples and, like Moses before him, went up to the Mountain.
What mountain? And, why there?
The answer to the first question has been asked and speculated about ever since
the Church began. And, for the sake of brevity I’ll just say that no one knows for sure.
It’s a question that will not be answered because it may not have an answer.
“Whoa, Mike! Are you saying that Matthew was just making up this mountain story?”
Well, yeah, maybe.
There could very well have been an actual event that took place where Jesus talked to
his disciples on some mountain. In fact, considering the terrain where they lived, it was probable.
But, that’s not important to Matthew or this particular story.
Mountains have been the location for divine interaction in many cultures over the ages.
Just considering the Hebrew Scriptures, mountains are the places where deities dwell.
They are considered closer to Heaven because of their height. Check out the story of Babel.
Why were people building a great tower? To get closer to Heaven.
How about Mount Olympus? Ziggurats and other tall places?
Mountains were places where the gods hung out. The place where divine proclamations were made.
What better place for Matthew to have Jesus go in order to begin training his disciples?
I’m not going to go into a detailed description of all that happens here. Unless you’re Biblical scholar I’m pretty sure that I would lose you, (if I haven’t already), within 2 sentences. Plus, that’s not my purpose.
I want to know who God is. And, in the 21st century who really cares.
I’ve already shown that the purpose of this hike was to begin training for Jesus’ followers.
If I was one of those guys with Jesus I think that I would have been expecting him to do what other Rabbis did.
We would sit at Jesus’ feet and Jesus would teach them how to follow Torah, the Law.
Jesus would show us all of the things that others had taught for at least the previous 400-500 years.

What Jesus actually did, though, was to turn everything upside down.
He began by telling them that they were to be happy when things went wrong!
When they mourned, they should be happy.
When they were hungry, they should be happy.
When they were merciful…happy!
When the found themselves persecuted, yep, happy again.
This wasn’t what all the other Rabbis taught.
They taught that when people were comfortable, rich, well-fed, etc. that was a sign of God’s blessing.
Then Jesus turned things up a notch. He began to tell them that the popular way of
understanding the Jewish Law was in need of some tweeking. He had the audacity
to change the words! He said, “You have heard it said…” and quoted something from
the Torah or the Rabbinic tradition. Then said, “Yeah, but I tell you…” and contradicted the earlier teaching.
Now, there is a lot to unpack in all of this.
Not gonna do it.
What I do want to see is what Jesus actually did that gives glimpse into God’s mind.

He reinterpreted the Torah in the light of his current time and need.

This is important for us today. Too many theologians, both professional and armchair,
teach that the only correct way to understand the Scriptures and our theology is to
reiterate over and over what someone said 200 or 300 or 500 years ago.
They say that God’s Word never changes. Whatever Calvin or Luther or Wesley or
any of those guys says about it MUST BE CORRECT!
Well, if we’re to take Jesus, (and Paul), as exemplars in Biblical interpretation, then I have no choice but to
call Bullshit on that.

Jesus clearly believed that the Scriptures, (like the Sabbath), were made for us humans.
Not the other way around.
God, it seems, wants people…Us…You and Me to engage the text as we are today…in this culture…
with our own needs and desires in mind. We don’t need to bow our knees to the way that someone else has
interpreted the text.

Does that mean to each his/her own?
No. I don’t think so. The Biblical text still needs to be interpreted and lived in community.
But, what it does mean is that we, as a community, may travel the Way of Jesus
with a freedom that will Break the Chains that Bind.

Please feel free to share this post with your friends!
Also, please use the comments section to share your thoughts with me. Thanx!

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Break Out the Clay and Let’s Make Something!

Published by mhelbert on August 4, 2018

Sometime after his baptism, Jesus left his home in Nazareth and took up residence in a city called Capernaum that was on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. One day as he was strolling along the shore he saw a couple guys fishing. Jesus said to them, “Come here! Follow me! And, I will make you fishers of people!”

There has been a lot of ink spilled about these few words.
“They were fishermen fishing for fish, so Jesus called them to fish for people.”
The image of the fish, the Greek word Ichthus, has been used for followers of Jesus since the beginning.

But, that’s not what struck me. I mean, I don’t fish and don’t particularly enjoy it. And, that idea simply doesn’t enter into my quest for an answer to my question,

“God, who are You…Really?”

What did jump out was the word, Make.

So, when I read this verse, I stopped and spent quite some time chewing on it.
Jesus could have just as easily said, “Hey, guys! Come on! We’re goin’ fishin’ for people!”
But, he didn’t. He said that he would “make” them human netters.

What was it about that word that made me stop? Was there any significance beyond what is obvious?

The word as written in the Greek has a fairly wide range of meaning. Not unlike the English version. One source stated that in this verse we should understand the word to mean ‘appoint.’ As in, “I will make you CEO of this corporation.” That seems a little thin to me in this context.
“I’m going to appoint you ‘Fishers of People!’ You’ll get a raise and a corner office.”
Nah, doesn’t work for me. Besides, what, other that knowing how to cast a net, made Jesus think that these two guys were qualified for that?
Answer: He didn’t, and they weren’t.

I then discovered that the same verb was used in the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures to describe God’s activity in the creation story in Genesis.
God ‘made’ stuff. The image that comes to mind in this story is of someone molding and fashioning something. Much like a sculptor or potter. The artist uses some kind or raw material, stone or clay, and pinches here and pulls there. Here a chip, there a chip.
Was this a little closer to what Jesus was saying? “Hey you, guys! Come! Follow me and I will mold and form you into people who may cast a wide net in order to bring many people together into God’s Kingdom!”
This, I think, gets to the heart of Jesus’ call. He wasn’t merely asking for company on the road. Nor, was he auditioning people to see who might best fit into his plans. He desired to train people, apprentice them, so they could ultimately follow in His footsteps.

Another thing of interest here is the manner in which Jesus called these men to follow him. In first century Judaism prospective disciples sought out a Rabbi, or Teacher, that they wanted to learn from. The Rabbi would then discern whether or not it was a good fit. But, the point was that the would-be learner took the initiative. In Matthew’s account, it was Jesus, the Teacher, who went in search of disciples. He didn’t sit on a high seat somewhere and wait for people to come to him. He sought them. This was quite contrary to the cultural status quo of his day. What self-respecting Rabbi would ‘sell’ himself like that? Well, apparently Jesus would. And, he didn’t ‘sell’ himself. He gave himself.

I know this seems like quite a simple overview of what is a large, involved subject. And, it is. There is a lot that can be gleaned from these few words. And, perhaps, just as many questions.

What about the negative side of fishing? An unsuspecting fish is suddenly snared by a net, snatched out of its world, and taken to a place where it will ultimately die. Doesn’t sound very good for the fish. Nor, would it seem good for people who would be captured by some intrusive person who decided that the other looked like a good target. Maybe there’s a thought there for those who say they are just ‘evangelizing’ to consider.

There’s also the larger question that Jesus’ calling begs for an answer. How? What was the method that Jesus intended to use in order to mold and fashion these men? And, how would the negative aspect of fishing be turned into a positive? Especially, for the ‘fish’?

Maybe I’ll come across some answers to these questions as I continue to seek an answer to my question. Maybe not.

But, I did learn a couple things about God from this portion of the text.
I found that God isn’t content to wait for the Cosmos, and we who live in it, to come to the Divine throne. No, God actively seeks to create! God desires to get the Divine fingers into the mud and the clay so that new things can be made and fashioned. And, it appears that God desires human assistance. God goes out of God’s way in order to call people to join in the work of building a new World.

Right here. Right now.

Nowhere in this passage is it written that Jesus said, “Hey, follow me and I’ll show you how you can eventually make your way into the Celestial Palace where we’ll sing and dance and be happy forever!”

NO!

He called these people to come and be transformed into people who could live in God’s Kingdom…now.

That, I think, is Good News.

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Thanx!

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Let It Be So, Now

Published by mhelbert on July 31, 2018

The first time that the writer of Matthew noted the actual words of Jesus was when Jesus traveled to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin, John. Why this time and this event I’m not sure. Why didn’t the writer have anything to say about Jesus’ younger days? But, except for Luke and his record of Jesus as a 12 year old, the Canon is silent.

John had been baptizing people who came from all over Palestine. He was apparently a simple man. His clothing was common and the food he ate was what he could gather from nature. Even the message that he preached to those seeking baptism was simple, “Repent! For the Kingdom of God has come near!” He freely baptized anyone who came and confessed whatever sins they may have committed. And, John was not afraid to get right up in the face of people who thought that they were oh so pure. He was more than happy to help them ‘discover’ the error of their ways.

Into this strolled Jesus.

He walked down to be baptized. John tried to deflect him by saying, “Whoa! I’m the one who should be baptized by You! Yet, you came to me?” John recognized something about Jesus that apparently no one else did. To John, Jesus was the master and he the student. Masters didn’t do things like this. So, naturally, John “tried to hold him back.”
It’s kind of ironic that John, acting as the lesser of the two, made a presumption about Jesus and tried to enforce it. He recognized Jesus as Master, and then told him, “No! You can’t do that!” Imagine saying No to your boss!

Jesus didn’t respond by saying, “John, John…you simple man. You have no clue what you’re saying. Don’t you realize who I am? Now, stop talking nonsense and do your job.”

Instead, Jesus simply said, “Let it be so now. For this way is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness”.

I can see a smile on Jesus’ face when he said this. In a way he said, “Yeah, I know. But, there’s something going on here that’s bigger than both of us. So, John, please do this.” He did not simply dismiss John and his concerns.  In fact, he honored John’s inclusion, “For this way is proper for US…” Jesus, Son of God and all, demurred and humbly asked his cousin to render this service to him.

So, I learned that God has a streak of humility. God doesn’t seem to need to strut into a situation and throw the Divine reputation around. “Hi. I’m God. And, you’re not.”

No, Jesus showed that he needed others in order to fulfill his calling.

What about the rest of what Jesus said? What’s all that about ‘fulfilling all righteousness?

I found at least EIGHT different ways to understand this statement. The text itself only contains 8 Greek words. Yet we have at least that many ways to explain them! (For those who think that a ‘simple’ reading of the Bible is the best way? It’s not!)

One of the reasons states that this baptism was an act that needed to be performed. Jesus was, in effect, checking an item off of his Messiah ‘To Do’ list. But, there’s not a lot of evidence to back that up.

Another was that, like the folks over at the Qumran community, he was performing a ritual cleansing. But, if Jesus was Divine, this was an unnecessary formality. The early Church recognized the doctrine of Jesus’ sinless nature. So, what was he being cleansed of?

There was only one reason out of all the ones I found that seems to fit. It fits Jesus’ humility shown to John as well as his humility to God the Father. It also fits what we may assume was Jesus’ perception of his role as Son.

He was somehow aware of what the Father desired and knew that this was simply the right thing to do.

Jesus acted on a gut feeling that God desired him to go to his cousin, yeah the weird one, and allow his cousin to baptize him.

How much of this act did in fact have some basis in Jewish custom and ritual? Don’t know; don’t care. It’s not important.

What is important, and I think the point here, was that Jesus desired to please God.

So, Mike’s paraphrase of this verse would be something like, “Please, John, do this for me. It’s the right thing for me to do to please God at this time.”

What does any of this have to do with my question, “Who are you God…Really?”

I think that there are a few things here that I can learn.

1) God can be pleased. Or, better, we can do things that make God smile.
2) Jesus revealed sensitivity to both God and John. God must also be sensitive to what we think and say.
3) Jesus was humble. He chose to honor his cousin. He didn’t use the “God card.” He chose to John in this simple act of pleasing the Father.
4) Some things may not be morally or theologically right or wrong. Would Jesus have been less than divine if he hadn’t gone to John? No, I don’t think so. But, for him, doing the right thing was, well, the right thing to do.

One thing that was not mentioned here was that God somehow “led” Jesus to be baptized. I just finished a book by Richard Stearns who has been the CEO of World Vision for the last several years. In this book Stearns wrote again and again how God led him to become CEO. He shared examples of what he understood to be supernatural interventions that guided him from a lucrative position in business to become the head of an international aid agency. But, behind all of that, he wrote about his and his wife’s own passion to be involved in cross cultural missions. They had been involved in various missions’ conferences and had read literature about missionaries and the work that they did. But, his education and vocation didn’t seem to fit. Eventually, he said that he could no longer ignore the ‘signs.’ God was, in effect, forcing his hand. I don’t believe that God’s in that kind of business. Yes, I think that we are each capable of seeing various routes to take and what the various outcomes may be. That is where we discern what may be the best path for us. We may know what would be pleasing to God. But, ultimately it’s up to us to make the choice. Or not. God doesn’t coerce a decision one way or another. God doesn’t stack the deck for us to make one decision over another. We are co-workers with God in redemption. There’s a big world out there with lots of need. God simply asks us what we are going to do. The decision is ultimately ours. Just as Jesus’ decision to be baptized by John was his own.

And, it pleased the Father.

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Who Are You, God…Really?

Published by mhelbert on July 25, 2018

“Don’t worry! We’ll pray that God heals you!”
How many times have people said that? People who truly believe that.

Then, the other dies.

“Well, God always answers prayer. Sometimes the answer is “No”.
Or, “You must not have had enough faith”.
Or some other rationalization that lets God off the hook.

The Christian Bible is full of stories about genocide and rape; murder, lying, and cheating.
Unbelievably, these things are not only allowed, but in many cases commanded by God!
“Well, you know that God’s ways are not our ways. And, God’s thoughts are way beyond ours.
Only God can see the whole picture.”

Yet, that same Bible contains some of the most tender and intimate love stories ever penned.
And, not just The Song of Solomon.
God is portrayed as a loving parent, lover, and friend.
God defends and encourages.

My own observations are, however, a bit, er, different.

I look around and I see a world in which God is not a leading actor.
God doesn’t answer prayer. At least not in any physical way that can be analyzed and proven
to be a supernatural event.
People are afflicted and they die from causes that are entirely natural.
It really annoys me that a tornado can sweep a city off of the map and a survivor can thank God
that she was spared.
But, her next door neighbor was killed.
Where was God for that person?

There have recently been several cases in the U.S. and Canada where parents allowed a child
to die because their religion states that ‘Prayer alone will heal!’
To that… I call ‘bullshit’.

So what?

My mind has wandered.
A single question has been forming like an image on a piece of film swimming in developer:

Who are You, God…Really?

I ask this because it has become abundantly clear to me that the God I have been taught
about is NOT the God of the ‘real’ world.
The God that I learned about in Sunday school and Communicants’ class and innumerable sermons simply
does not exist. He’s a fake; a phantom.
That God is not omnipotent and is certainly NOT omniscient. That God does not answer the prayer of the sick and needy because that God cannot answer the prayer of the sick and needy.

So, Who are You, God…Really?

Please don’t think that I’m trying to stick it to anyone or their beliefs.

This is a real and honest question that I’m asking.

I truly want to find an answer.

If God truly is God, then there should be no problem with asking.

Questions should be no threat.

I talked to my Spiritual Director about these things.
We both saw the path that I should take.
Jesus told his disciples, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
So, we decided that searching the Gospels would be a good place to start
looking for an answer to my question.
Now, I’ve pretty much lived in the Gospels for the last 5+ years.
But, even after all of that time, this question still vexes me.

With that in mind, I have embarked on a new journey.
My path lies through the words written by ancient men who created stories
about the one person in history who claims to have seen God. (”I only do the things that I see the Father doing.”)

At the end, if there is one, I hope to have at least an inkling of who this God that I worship really is.

 

 

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White Evangelicals, Why??

Published by mhelbert on June 3, 2018

Recently, I’ve begun to reevaluate what I’m doing with this blog thing. What I considered thought provoking proved to be less than sparkly. Some of the more poetic ‘ditties’ have garnered a slightly better response. Overall, I’m discouraged.

But, Hey! That’s never stopped me from forging ahead. So, it won’t now. Maybe.

Anyway, I have decided that the coverage of religious things from a scholarly point of view is not a happening thing. That will slowly fall away.

However…

When religious issues cloud common decency, I may need to write something.

Ok, religious issues ALWAYS cloud common decency. And, most of the time common sense as well. I promise to try to be selective about which issues I choose to wrangle.

Today is one of those days.

Pew Research did a survey that asked how people in the U.S. feel about admitting refugees to this country. Politically, the results were predictable. Twenty-six percent of Republicans think that the U.S. bears a responsibility to admit foreign refugees. Dems; 74%.

No surprise.

The Pew people also asked the question to various folks based on religious/non-religious affiliation.

This is the response that I want to focus on.

White Evangelical Protestants responded in lockstep with the Republican Party. Twenty-six percent of these respondents said that the U.S. has no responsibility to offer help to refugees. Another way to view it, 68% of Bible-believing, Hallelujah-ing, self-proclaimed followers of Jesus Christ Almighty say that refugees from foreign countries shall have NO succor here!

None! Nada! Nyet!

While I am disheartened by this, I am not surprised. In the late 1970’s, early 1980’s, White evangelicals climbed into the Republican bed when Jerry Falwell, Sr. decided that the government could, and should, legislate morality. And they’ve been rolling around under the sheets ever since. So, the fact that the poll results are pretty much identical between the two demographics is predictable.

Many people, (and when I say many, I mean MANY), have tried to analyze this. The question; Why do so many people who claim to follow Jesus Christ, friend to the outcast, turn their backs on outcasts? How can people who hold up their sacred text as inerrant and infallible suddenly forget about the hundreds of references to caring for widows, orphans, and foreigners?

I’m not going to rehash what these people conclude. You can Google it yourselves.

What I want to do is look at this from a slightly different angle.

White evangelicals in the U.S. feel that this country was founded on some non-existent ‘Judeo-Christian ideal. From the Puritans’ “City on a Hill” to the founding fathers’ so-called Christian bias, the U.S. is God’s country! It belongs to White Jesus come hell or high water! Just ask pseudo-historian David Barton. On second thought, don’t ask him. He’s a lying moron. But, you get the picture.

With that foundational belief it’s entirely understandable that White evangelicals would want to do whatever they possibly can to keep the country ‘pure.’ Can’t have any of those Muslim infidels dirtying up the pool now, can we. Oh, and those brown people from south of the border? No, no! Unclean! Put bells on them to warn everyone that their ‘uncleanness’ is coming. Ewwww!

I can understand this. People in general want to protect themselves and their loved ones from perceived threats. It’s human nature. Quarantine the people with measles. I get it.

But, what can we learn from their sacred text about this? Is there something written that can shed some light on what Jesus, himself, might think?

I think that there is.

In the Gospel according to Mark there is a passage that gets little attention except for those who want to keep wayward children in check. The passage is in chapter 7. I’m providing a link rather than inserting the entire passage. Mark 7:1-15.

To set the stage, Jesus’ disciples were having a quick bite to eat. They apparently just picked up food and started scarfing it. Jewish tradition, however, required that people take time to ceremonially wash their hands and the utensils before eating. The Pharisees and other religious folks were appalled. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Jesus, what are your disciples doing?!?! Why, they’re breaking our taboo! They are putting unclean food into their mouths! Oh, the shame!”

Jesus took this opportunity to teach an important lesson.

First, he called out their hypocrisy. “Oh, yeah! Y’all want to call this out? This is simply a tradition that has been handed down by people. What about how you flaunt what Moses actually handed to us from God Almighty? You have taught people to break the Law of Moses when it comes to honoring their parents. Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.”

I want to focus on that word, “Corban.” It is a carry-over word from the Hebrew Scripture. In its simplest form it refers to an offering or gift made to God. However, as time moved forward, the idea began to develop that Corban could be claimed over anything that represented a sacrifice. In this way a person could be called Corban. They would then, for all practical purposes, be dedicated to God. Their lives would move from the secular to the sectarian. Other objects, including money, could also be Corban. This would exclude the item from ANY secular use. It was wholly dedicated to God. So, when the Pharisees taught that money that could be used for the secular purpose of helping parents was declared Corban, that money became unusable for that help. It went into the Temple coffers, period, end of discussion.

Jesus in effect told them that they were guilty of transgressing the Law of Moses by insisting that their own man-made traditions took precedence over that Law.

In a similar way, the tradition of washing had been elevated to a binding activity. The Pharisees taught that anything that was eaten by unwashed hands from unwashed bowls actually made the person who ate “unwashed,” or unclean.

To you, White evangelicals…

It’s nice the way that you set aside the commandment of God for your own hypocritical traditions. You say, “This land was given to us by God. It is Corban! How can we offer it to these ‘others’?

Yet the commandment of God is clear. “Care for those who are lost and hurting. Love them as you love yourself. Is this not the greatest commandment after love of God?”

Pull your heads out of your collective backsides and see the Light! What you call ‘Corban’ causes destruction and death!

Is this how your god behaves? It’s no wonder people are walking, no, running from your pews!

 

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Un-Raptured

Published by mhelbert on April 13, 2018

(The Cross of lorraine)

Well! We made it!

I must give you credit for staying with me through all nine previous posts. I hope that I didn’t ramble too much. I have strong feelings about this topic. I wanted to make a case for an alternative interpretation of the Biblical text. A case that is based on gleaning from the text what the original writers may have intended within the social and religious context of their own time. Not what someone in the nineteenth century may have wanted the text to say. And, especially not what folks in the present day want it to say. Words that were written to encourage people in the early days of the Christian church have been turned into weapons to inspire fear in people, and thereby, control them.

The name of this blog is Breaking the Chains that Bind. This false doctrine of a so-called ‘Rapture’ is a chain that needs to be broken.

If people are going to be truly free, they must be free from fear. I have heard countless stories of people who now suffer from forms of PTSD because of how the rapture has been presented to them.

How is that even a thing?!?

Where is the love of Christ in this?

Didn’t one writer say that there is no fear in Christ? In fact, love in this context casts out all fear!!!

The whole of Rapture theology does NOT pass the smell test. It is foul! It is hateful! IT IS WRONG!

We as a species have always tried to figure out who is a member of our tribe and who isn’t. Perhaps that need is hard coded into our DNA. Perhaps somewhere in our distant past that particular knowledge was necessary for our survival. Our ancient ancestors may have only survived by putting up defenses against some ‘other’ that could destroy them. I don’t know. But, it is plausible.

Somehow over the millenia, as the outside dangers were tamed or defeated, that need diminished. However, the code was still operating. It wasn’t somehow ‘commented out.’ Without the threats from outside, we developed and perceived threats from the inside. Those who didn’t look exactly like us. Or, who didn’t speak like us. Or, who didn’t believe in the same gods as we did. These became the ‘others’ that we excluded and tried to destroy.

For the last two millenia the Christian Church has allowed that code to run unchecked. In fact, I think that the Church has tweeked the code to near perfection. She has built walls. “But, we must protect the faith from the faithless!” she cries. In reality, she has hoarded the goodness of the Divine and built walls to keep all others away from it. She has become, in many ways, faithless herself.

The doctrine of the rapture is one part of that wall. It has no other purpose than to define who is ‘In’ over against who is ‘out.’ It manipulates people by grabbing them by the emotions and driving them like cattle using the prod of fear to achieve their own end. And, that end is control. The proponents of rapture theology coerce and control by fear. Fear of being ‘left behind.’ Fear of all ‘others.’ Fear of an angry and vengeful god.

Rapture thought also paints the world and the cosmos as an enemy. All things that are not aligned to make people believe in the small, vindictive god of these people must by necessity be evil. They must run their evil course to its evil end where their evilness will be finally put to the evil end that only evil deserves. The earth, society, cultures…these are all part of that evil world. So, they look at all things that are not part of their small pitiful faith with uncaring disdain. “Climate change? If it’s real, (and, we doubt that), so what? The rapture is coming, then the end of the world. Who cares about it? Or, who cares about war or famine or natural disasters? These are all simply precursors of the end of this evil world. We’re gonna fly home to heaven! To hell with everything and everyone else!”

Folks, there will be no rapture. The ‘elect,’ (whatever that means), are not going to fly away to some heavenly bliss. The earth is not going to be thrown into chaos and turmoil controlled by some person called Anti-Christ. This earth is has been around for about 4 billion years. It’s going to be around for quite a few more.

Ok, so what?

If the dispensationalists have it all wrong, (they do), what is an alternative? If we don’t live with our eye on the end of this age, how should we live?

The apostle Paul spoke about keeping our ‘eyes on the prize.’ That prize was eternal life, salvation, a life well-lived caring for others. It was a life that bore fruit. Fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This life. Right here. Right now. We only get this one chance to make a positive difference. We can only offer comfort to the homeless, the poor, the sick and infirm, the immigrant, the indigenous, the Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist for as long as we have the gift of breath and life. After that? Our days of making a difference will be past.

Jesus taught his friends that the Kingdom of God was at hand. It was breaking into present reality. This kingdom was not some far off place that could only be found in some heavenly, non-corporeal reality. This kingdom was NOW! The imperative for people to live in that kingdom has not diminished over time. If we are going to follow Jesus, who has become King, then we’ve got to live like it. And that does NOT mean ignoring the present. It cannot mean ignoring the needs of ALL others. It does NOT mean destroying our planet.

It does mean that we must be ALL inclusive of others. We must care for our home. We absolutely must be grounded in the here and now.

We don’t get a free pass. There’s no ‘get out of jail free’ card. Jesus didn’t come to ‘rescue’ us from the reality of this life. He came so that we could HAVE life! And, so that we may, like Jesus, give our life away so that others may have life.

Rapture theology kills. It ends love. It excludes others. It has no care for the world that God gave His only Begotten Son for. It is actively authoritarian and controlling. It seeks to amass power. It is in all ways corrupt and evil.

We are better than that. God is better than that.

Shalom.

If you have any questions or comments, please use the comments section to share them!

Please share this and other posts that I’ve written with family, friends, your dog!

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A Thief in the Night

Published by mhelbert on March 30, 2018

O thief!
Come to take my own!
Stealth’ly by darkness come,
Enriched, by silence gone.

One of the lasting metaphors that has been used by those who support some sort of rapture theology is that of the “Thief in the Night.” The idea for this comes from the Christian Bible. There are a couple passages where this is found. One is in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

Verse 2: For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

The other is from the Gospel according to Matthew 24:43:

But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

This metaphor became so popular in the early 1970’s that in 1972 a really bad movie entitled, you guessed it, “A Thief in the Night” was produced. It attempted to show the life of a young woman who was ‘left behind’ by showing the audience all of the opportunities that she had to make a decision to follow Christ as Lord and Savior. She didn’t. So, consequently, she wasn’t ready when the call came. The movie even used Larry Norman’s song for it’s theme song.

Now, to be clear, I think the metaphor as written in the scriptures is a good one. It projects the idea that the day of the Lord will come without warning. It will come as a surprise. Both Jesus and Paul wanted those to whom they were communicating to know that there will be nothing that will show them that a storm is coming.

So, be prepared!

“Ok, I get it already! This big whatever thing is gonna happen. And, I’ve got to somehow prepare for it. But How?”

I’m glad you asked!

First, let’s look at how not to prepare. It’s not about going out and buying ADT or some other alarm system to protect your home. There’s no system available to protect against the Day of the Lord. A device that alerts a third party will not be sufficient. Bottom line: no one else can prepare for you.

Both of the passages do, however, contain instructions for preparation if we look.

In Thessalonians Paul emphasized the fact that the thief strikes in darkness. But, he considered the folks he wrote to be ‘children of light and the day.’ His encouragement to them was, in order to be prepared for that day they should live like children of light. All of the activities that took place after sundown, like sleeping and drunkenness should be avoided. They, in order to be prepared, must be sober and awake. The important takeaway from this is that those who follow Christ are destined for life and salvation, not death and destruction. (Yeah, Paul mixed metaphors and wrote in circles sometimes. But, he meant well.)

Jesus, on the other hand, followed the warning about the Day of the Lord with parables that described what it meant to be prepared. These are found in at the end of Chapter 24 and all of Chapter 25.

I’m not going to go into detail with these parables. That would require an entire volume on its own. I simply want to show a distinction between thinking and doing.

The first is basically a warning to be vigilant. Jesus used the image of a faithful servant performing the tasks that his master, who has gone away on a long trip, left for him to do. The servant has no idea when the master will return. So, he must be faithful to his duties.

The second parable is about ten virgins who were waiting for the arrival of a certain bridegroom. Part of their responsibilities was to carry some kind of lamp or torch. Five of them brought extra oil for the lamps; five did not. The bridegroom eventually showed up to the party. The five who were ‘prepared’ with extra oil went into the party. The other five had to find a Walmart where they could buy some more oil. By the time they got back, the party had started and they were locked out. Because they were NOT prepared, they were not selected. The point  being, to live wisely means be prepared for God’s reign.1

The third is about a man who went on a journey. He called his servants and gave each of them a certain amount of money. While he was away, two of the servants invested the money in some way. Through their work they were able to double their investments. The third servant chose to simply bury the money in order to keep it safe.

When the master returned he called the servants to give an account of his money. The two who had good return on their investments were praised and rewarded. The one who hid the money was scolded and punished.

This parable is NOT about money! It in no way supports any kind of so-called prosperity gospel. Where the first parable encourages folks to be prepared, this one shows one way that may be expressed.

We get a glimpse of servants behaving like, well, servants. Two of them execute their duties faithfully. One does not. That’s the point! This parable is “concerned that disciples may fail to be disciples.2” In order to be prepared for the Coming of the Son of Man, Jesus told his disciples that they must continue to be faithful in all things. Even if it takes a long, long time.

The last parable is long and chock full of stuff. It pictures something that has become known as the Final Judgment. The scene shows the Son of Man returning in power. All the nations of the world come to him. The text states that he will separate the nations in the same way a shepherd may separate sheep from goats. The criteria that he uses to separate appears to be based on how each group treated others. The “goats” did not show compassion to people who were hungry or thirsty; sick or in prison. They did not welcome strangers nor clothe those who were naked. The others, the “sheep,” did those things. Both groups were said to have actually done these, or not, to the Son of Man himself.

Those in the first group were not selected to remain and live with the Son of Man. They were summarily ‘cast out.’

The second group, however, were commended and welcomed.

Like I said, there are a lot of things packed into this one story. I’m not going to go into detail here. This parable’s place within the CONTEXT of the larger passage is what I want to get at.

The focus of this story is NOT judgment. Although, judgment cannot be wholly dismissed. Snodgrass wrote, “We cannot avoid the focus on judgment in Jesus’ teaching, but our concern must be with the function of the language to arrest, warn, and force consideration, not to give a description of the judgment.3”

This parable, while set on a stage with props that indicate a courtroom, is not a judicial story. It’s emphasis is first and foremost on compassion. Secondly, it alludes to the idea that there will be consequences for the way that disciples of Jesus treat the oppressed. The images that Jesus uses are aimed at motivating the disciples to compassion and good works to alleviate suffering. As Snodgrass aptly put it, “A person cannot be a follower of Jesus and be void of compassion, which is at the heart of his gospel.4”

Take a minute and let that sink in. It’s a powerful statement that deserves our time to consider it.

Ok, let’s summarize.

Yes, there will be hard times.
Yes, the Son of Man will return.
No, He will not ‘snatch’ some chosen few to fly away into some heavenly bliss.
Yes, some will be ‘selected’; other will not.
How can we know if we’re ‘selected?’

BE PREPARED!

How can we be prepared?
By BEING faithful and compassionate.

I will, hopefully, pull all of this together in the next, (last?), post in this series.

As always, please use the comments to share your questions or other thoughts on this post.

And, please share this with your friends!

1 Snodgrass, Klyne R., Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parapbles of Jesus, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2008, p. 518.

2 Snodgrass, Klyne R., Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parapbles of Jesus, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2008, p. 536.

3 Snodgrass, Klyne R., Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parapbles of Jesus, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2008, p. 536.

4 Snodgrass, Klyne R., Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parapbles of Jesus, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2008, p. 561.

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As It Was In The Days of Noah

Published by mhelbert on March 24, 2018

Hey! Sorry it’’s been awhile since I visited here. I got sidetracked by some light reading, ”God’s Ecstasy: The Creation of a Self-Creating World” by Beatrice Bruteau. It’s a short book about what a Trinitarian philosophy of cosmology might look like. Pretty good stuff!

Anyway, back to our tale!

So far we’ve looked at a couple of passages from the Christian Bible that have been twisted out of context in order to build a dispensational house of cards. These passages, however, when read in their own historical, cultural, and literary contexts reveal meanings that are actually consistent with the whole of the canon. They show Paul as a caring pastor concerned for frightened and confused sisters and brothers at Thessalonica. I explained how folks in the first century Roman world would have received honored guests into their city. We also read how Jesus explained to his followers that he believed the magnificent Temple of the Jews in Jerusalem would ultimately be destroyed.

There are just a couple other points that I want to touch on before I call this series complete. (At least for now. Perhaps, I’ll work on it and polish it up a bit in order to publish a short e-book. That is, if there is any interest in one. Thoughts, anyone?)

In the passage from the Gospel according to Matthew that I cited in a previous post Jesus talked about the days of Noah and how two people together would suddenly become only one person. What in the world was he talking about?

Some commentators read this literally and say,” Well, the days of Noah must mean that sin and evil is everywhere. So, God has no choice but to get the righteous folks to safety so that God can destroy all of those other mean nasty people.” That’s one way to look at it. The Hebrew scriptures do tell a rather dire tale about Sons of God and daughters of men and evil and violence and all sorts of stuff not suitable for children.

But, is that the point that Jesus wanted to make here?

Other commentators pick up on the bit about eating and drinking; marrying and being given in marriage. They emphasize the fact that life was going on as usual. Folks were engaged in the everyday activities of life. They had no idea what was going to happen. They had no idea that life as they knew it was about to end. Considering the context of this passage, I think this interpretation is a good place to start.

So, it appears that Jesus is doing a couple of things. One, he’s letting the guys know that something big is going to happen. The Temple will be destroyed, there will be wars, and their whole way of life was going to be turned upside down. The second thing is, no one except God the Father knows when this will happen. (There may also be an underlying message that says, “So, since you can’t know when, don’t waste time and energy trying to figure it out.”)

Immediately after bringing Noah into the picture, Jesus added the bit about 2 people doing stuff together. One of these was “taken” while the other was “left behind.” This picture has been used by Darbyists to somehow ‘prove’ that their idea of a rapture is accurate. “Look!,” they say. “Even Jesus talked about the rapture!”

Well, no. He didn’t.

If they understood how translations of ancient texts actually worked, they may have come to different conclusions. But, alas, they seem to think that Jesus and Paul and Peter and all of the other Biblical writers spoke and wrote in English. Many of them even think they all used King James English! Hey folks! I’ll let you all in on a secret. They didn’t. They spoke in various languages from Hebrew and Aramaic to Greek and Latin. No English! Surprise!

Because of this we need to translate those ancient texts into words and sentences using rules of syntax and grammar that we understand. These translations must provide us with an accurate understanding of what the writer was trying to communicate to his/her original audience. That is a tough job. Not least because the words that the writers used do not necessarily correspond to an exact word that we use today. Nor, does a word that we do use have the same meaning that it did thousands of years ago. Fortunately, there are scholars who are able to make these linguistic leaps over time and space. Most of the translations that we have today are pretty good. They can’t, however, get all of the nuance and cultural shades of meaning 100% of the time. I believe that this passage is one where we may be able to mine a bit more meaning.

Two key words that were used are usually translated, as noted above; “taken” and “left behind.” The folks who are “taken” are presumably those who were mentioned in verse 31 as “chosen” and gathered from the four winds. The others were not.

However, as I just wrote, not all words translate one to one with our modern English. (To be accurate, however, there is definitely a choice being made. What the criteria for choosing, however, is not clear.)

The first word is paralambanō. The meaning carries the idea of “taking to oneself”; “taking into fellowship”; “to bring along with.” In a narrower sense it can mean “to select” or “choose.” In this case the verse can mean that two people were together and one was “selected to come along with.” It’s not necessarily a hard meaning of “chosen.” There are other words that would fit that meaning better. But, this is softer. It’s more like a ‘Well done! Now, come along with me’ kind of idea. It is not equivalent to ‘Snatched!’ in Thessalonians.

The second word is aphiēmi. This word has many uses in Greek. And, like any translation, context drives the meaning. In this case it carries a nuanced meaning of “to leave or to set aside.” For us this would indicate that for some reason the second person was not chosen. They were “set aside,” or “bypassed.”

The popular understanding of this whole section of Matthew is that those who believe in Jesus as Messiah and have made a conscious choice to follow him, those who have been “born again,” will be the people who are ‘chosen’ and, therefore, ‘taken’ away from the nasty stuff mentioned earlier in the chapter. They will subsequently live happily ever after in the great by and by sipping lemonade and playing harps.

This passage, however, doesn’t present that broad picture. It presents something that is much narrower in scope.

Let’s take a look at it using Mike’s Paraphrase, shall we?

Jesus told his disciples many things that would happen at the coming of the Son of Man. There would be wars and famines. Natural disasters would occur. “Keep an eye out for these things!” he said.

“This day will come just like that day in Noah’s time. People will be going about their own business. They’ll be living life as they always have. Then, like the sudden coming of the flood, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man.

There will be two people doing the same thing. There will be no apparent differences between them. Yet, one will be chosen and the other rejected. How will they be chosen or not? God only knows. But, You! You be prepared! Don’t be like those in Noah’s time who were caught off guard and surprised. Behold! You have been told!”

The whole idea of this passage is to warn the disciples of that day when the Son of Man would come. They were to be aware of what was going on around them and prepare themselves. Jesus did not want them to be caught off guard.

There is nothing in this passage that states any particular order of events. Nor, is there anything indicating that certain actual events were going to take place. It is Jesus telling his disciples to not become complacent. But, to always be fully awake and watchful.

Jesus, himself, states this quite clearly in the very next verse.

Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

The next several verses in Matt. 24 explain this a bit further. Then all of Matt. 25 explains how to live as awake and watchful people.

But, that’s a topic for a different post.

I have one more topic to touch on before I wrap this whole thing up.

In the next part we’ll take a quick look at thieves and how they relate to what we’ve discussed here.

As always, please share this with your friends! The more the merrier!

Please share any thoughts or comments in the Comments section.

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Not One Stone Will Be Left Upon Another

Published by mhelbert on March 7, 2018

That song by Larry Norman had a lot in it about wars and people disappearing. Back in the 70’s when we were singing it the world was still mired in war in Southeast Asia. The cold war looked more and more like it could become ‘hot’ at any moment. There were seismic shifts in Western culture. Young people rose up against the “establishment” while those in power doubled down on their resolve to maintain the status quo at any cost. Many of us listened to this song and read the stories that Jesus told and began to do the math. We were sure that the end of the world was imminent.

One of those stories that Norman used in his song was from the Gospel according to Matthew.

Matthew 24:36-41
36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,  
     nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking,
     marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
     that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all
     away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will
     be left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will
     be left.
(New American Standard Bible, 1995 update, LaHabra, CA, The Lockman
Foundation.)

Wow! There’s talk about wars. We have Noah and the flood. There’s a bunch of eating and drinking and marriages. Then there’s that bit about 2 people doing something when suddenly, one of them is ‘taken’!

A lot of folks look at these verses and see a graphic description of the ‘End Times’ and the rapture. “Look,” they say. “All that partying and debauchery and nasty stuff. Just like we said! Then ‘poof!’ The righteous one gets raptured! Oh, isn’t that just glorious?”

Well, maybe…maybe not. Just like the passage in Thessalonians, the context here is key to understanding what this writer was trying to say to the people who would read this account. We can’t just ‘snatch’ this passage out of its context and create a meaning that backs up our preconceived ideas of what this text should mean.

I think that there are some questions that need asking. And, yes, we are allowed to ask questions. There can never be too many questions.

The first question that jumps out at me is ‘Why did Jesus even say these things? What sparked this discourse in the first place? I’m sure that he and his disciples weren’t just walking down the street and Jesus said, “Oh, by the way, the Son of Man is gonna show up! And, there’s gonna be a whole lot of weird stuff happening!”

No, there had to be some context to this.

This all took place during what we now call Holy Week. The day before this, Jesus had come to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Yep! Palm Sunday! The events recorded here apparently took place on Monday.

Jesus returned to the Temple to talk with and teach the people gathered there. Some of the Jewish leaders came up to him and challenged him. According to Matthew they asked, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” In other words, “Dude! Who the hell do you think you are coming to OUR Temple and presuming to teach OUR people?”

As you’d expect, Jesus gave them a bit more than they asked for. In fact, the last half of chapter 21 and all of chapters 22 & 23 are devoted to Jesus’ response. And, it wasn’t exactly ‘uplifting’ for the leaders. Chapter 23 records what has become known as the Seven Woes. These are the verses where Jesus says, “Woe to you” Pharisees; scribes; hypocrites; blind guides; blind fools. At the end of this Jesus cried out a lament for Jerusalem itself. These chapters contain some of the most passionate speech by Jesus recorded anywhere in the Bible. He seems to have gotten very ‘worked up.’

So, of course, as they were leaving the Temple the disciples astutely changed the subject. “Hey, Jesus! Check out the magnificent stonework here! Pretty cool, huh?” When I read this I think about a group of guys walking down a street right after one of them went off on someone. They turn to their pal who’s still pretty hot and say, “Whoa! Check out that Corvette!” Totally clueless. But, trying to lighten the mood.

Jesus wasn’t quite ready to simmer down. He responded to them by saying, “You see these buildings? You like them? Well, listen up! There will not be one stone left on another. They will all be torn down!

Later that evening, after everyone had time to cool down a little, (Jesus), the disciples went to him and asked him to tell him when these things he talked about would happen.

Jesus then spent the remainder of chapter 24 and all of 25 explaining things to them. But, he didn’t come right out and give them a checklist of things that would happen. The writer of Matthew recorded a good share of this, including the passage that we’re looking at here using apocalyptic language. It is vital to understand this while reading this. If we don’t, if we read it like Darby & Assoc., we absolutely will come to a conclusion that Jesus never intended. We will wind up with a checklist that Larry Norman can use to write a song. And, we will completely miss the point.

And, that point will be the subject of the next post.

Please leave your thoughts and questions in the comments.
Let’s have a party! Share this with your friends!

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Rapture: The Return of the King

Published by mhelbert on March 1, 2018

Are you all still with me? I know that this is a lot of religious stuff. But, this particular topic has caused untold anxiety and real damage to people. So, let’s hang in there!

Up to this point we’ve seen how a small tributary called ‘dispensationalism’ flowed into the mainstream of Christian thought and practice a little over a century and a half ago. We’ve taken a quick look at what these folks think about future events based on a literal reading of the Bible. In the last post I began to unpack some of what the Apostle Paul was trying to communicate to the community of Christ followers in the ancient city of Thessalonica. We also saw ‘why’ Paul wrote those things. And, perhaps more importantly, we began to consider why he did not write other things.

The ancient culture of Rome was very different than today’s western culture. Dr. David A. deSilva wrote, “The culture of the first century world was built on the foundational social values of honor and dishonor.1” What others thought of you as a person, a citizen, your family, your occupation, how you acted with others, and how you esteemed those who were deemed worthy of honor were a part of everyday life. There was none of the rugged individualism that we, particularly in the U.S., aspire to.

This idea of honor and its opposite, shame, was the driving force for how every relationship was developed. There were some who were patrons. Those people who had the social where-with-all to offer benevolence toward others. They had social, economic, or political capital to ‘invest’ in those folks who did not have it. These others were the ‘clients’ who depended on the patrons’ good will. And, in order to tap into that good will, the client had to honor her/his patron. That could be by supporting the patron through speech, by ‘talking them up’ to others. It could be through advocacy or any number of other ways. The point is that reciprocity was expected. And, should the client not reciprocate, they were shamed. They could become social outcasts or pariahs. Their standing in the community would collapse and they would find themselves alone. In a society that held relationships in the highest regard, this shaming was the worst possible thing that could happen.

The greatest patron and most important benefactor in this world was a guy they called Caesar. There was no one more highly regarded than him. He was the one person that everyone desired to please in order to receive his good will and blessing. He was referred to as ‘Lord.’ He brought peace and security to the entire Roman world. And, he was worshiped as a god because of it.

Everyone in Thessalonica knew this. And, they knew all of the protocols that were necessary in order to honor this great man. One practice was how they were to show their fealty toward Caesar if he should happen to come and visit them.

The word that is translated “to meet” in this verse is apantesis. It was a technical term “for a civic custom of antiquity whereby a public welcome was accorded by a city to important visitors.2” Cicero, a Roman lawyer and politician who lived during the 1st century wrote about Julius Caesar, “”Just imagine what a royal welcome he is receiving from the towns, what honors are paid to him3.” He also wrote of Augustus, “the municipalities are showing the boy remarkable favor…Wonderful apantesis and encouragement.4” The fact is, no one at that time would have dishonored Caesar by making Caesar come to them. They would have gone out to meet him before Caesar entered the city. With this in mind F. F. Bruce observed, “These analogies suggest the possibility that the Lord is pictured here as escorted the remainder of the journey to earth by his people – both those newly raised from the dead and those remaining alive5.”

One more example to show that I’m not just being a putz simply in order to be difficult. The writer of the Book of Acts described Paul’s arrival at Rome using this same term. In chapter 28 the story goes, “And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.” The Christ followers in and around Rome came out to meet Paul and escort him into the city. Just as they would any important visitor.

I think that Paul, the pastor who cared deeply for these people, used all of these words for one reason only…to comfort them. He was not attempting to make them anxious about the ‘end times.’ He certainly wasn’t trying to manipulate them into conforming to his own beliefs through fear of some coming judgment. He was, in fact, trying to calm their fears.

Here’s my take on this.

The small community of faith at Thessalonica was afraid because some of its members had died and Jesus had not yet returned. They feared that these sisters and brothers who had passed were going to miss out on Jesus’ return.

Paul wrote and said, “No, that’s not how this works. You see when Jesus returns he will return as King. There will be a trumpet fanfare and a loud shout. Our sisters and brothers who are asleep will wake up at the sound! They will rise from their rest and, together with those of us who are living, will rise into the sky to meet our returning, victorious King! Then we will all return here as He begins his rightful reign over the Earth.”

That’s quite a different message than the one of fear and death that Darby & Pals came up with. This is a message of hope. And, not just for a select few. It is a message of hope for the entire Earth as her rightful King returns to ascend His throne.

“Ok, ok, Mike, I get it. No escape from a dying planet. Thanks for the explanation. But, what about that song? You know, about wars and two people doing stuff and one of them disappears or something. And, what about that whole thief in the night thing? You haven’t explained any of that.”

That’s very observant of you. And, I’m glad that you asked that question. We’ll begin to look at those things in the next post.

Stay tuned!

Please ask any questions in the comments.

Also, please feel free to share with your friends.

1 deSilva, David A., Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture, IVP Academic:Downers Grove, 2000, p. 23.
2 Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (1:380). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
3 Witherington III, Ben, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, William B. Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 2006.
4 Witherington III, Ben, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, William B. Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 2006.
5 Bruce F. F., 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Word:Waco, 1982, p. 103. Qtd. In Witherington III, Ben, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, William B. Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 2006.

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