Threads from Henry's Web

Category: Uncategorized

  • Christian Carnival CLIII Posted

    Christian Carnival CLIII has been posted at Lux Venit. It looks good, but I may not have time to look at much this week. Thanks to Leslie for a good job!

  • Christian Carnival CLII Posted

    It’s at Buzz Blog and looks like some good stuff. Go read and stir up the blogosphere!

  • Christian Carnival #CLI Posted

    I almost forgot my link to the Christian Carnival #CLI, so that’s it. Thanks to Nerd Family for hosting an excellent carnival.

  • Reflecting on the Flood

    In a previous post I commented on the two flood stories, so instead of covering each and every point of the flood story again here, I’d like to reflect just a bit on the story of the flood. I’ll resume my verse by verse commentary toward the end of Genesis 8.

    The flood story is a very troubling story to many people. Those who regard it as a historical account have to deal with the complete absence of evidence that any such event ever happened though see below on just what the flood involved. I comment on the various views on the meaning of Genesis 1-11 here.

    But it’s not merely as a historical event that the flood story troubles many people. If one is to take the story seriously in any sense, it presents us with the picture of God deciding to wipe out everyone alive. God is sorry that he created humanity, and so will wipe them all out at once. Noah and his family will be the sole survivors. This one is almost more troubling as a myth than as history.

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  • Christian Carnival CL

    Christian Carnival CL has been posted at Brain Cramps for God. It’s well organized and there is some good stuff there as always.

    I’ve already commented on one good post over at Threads from Henry’s Web.

    Go, read, enjoy!

  • Exceptionally Good Testimony on Women in Ministry

    Scot McKnight has posted the testimony of Stan Gundry and his journey from complementarianism to egalitarianism and some of the thinking that marked it. I think this is one of the best pieces of writing on the topic I have read.

    I note that he also faced the challenge of the difference between the testimony of the story of scripture–the things women actually did–and the interpretation given to certain passages.

    It’s great stuff, not only for the issue of women in ministry, but also as an example of a scriptural approach to understanding an issue.

  • Christian Carnival CXLVIII Posted

    Christian Carnival CXLVIII is now available at Crossroads for your reading pleasure.

    I will again try to post some links to some of the posts that catch my attention. I rarely get time to link to all of them.

  • Hebrews 7:1-3: Reuniting Priesthood and Kingship

    1Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham when he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. 2Abraham apportioned a tenth of everything to him. He is first “King of Righteousness” and then King of Salem which is “King of Peace.” 3He is without father, without mother, without genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but, in a way similar to the Son of God he remains forever. — Hebrews 7:1-3

    There is a critical element to the Melchizedek priesthood which is often neglected. It’s mentioned in the first verse of chapter 7: Melchizedek is both king and priest.

    In reading the Bible story we are accustomed to a substantial separation between royal authority and priestly activity. Though we have a brief hint at something different in the time of David (2 Samuel 8:18), there is a strong them of separation between the civil authority and the priesthood. This is emphasized by the experience of Uzziah, who tried to usurp priestly functions and became a leper for his efforts (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).

    But it’s easy to miss the significance of this element in the theology of the book of Hebrews. In Biblical history, this separation begins with Exodus 19 when the Isralites are afraid of hearing the voice of God from Mt. Sinai. They are invited to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests, but they prefer to have a safer distance. In the New Testament, this theme is picked up in 1 Peter 2:9 in which Christians are referenced in the same terms. To someone acquainted with the Hebrew scriptures, this was a not so subtle way of suggesting that we have entered into the Messianic age.

    In Hebrews, the Melchizedek priesthood serves to make the same point. While civil power was separated from the priesthood from the time when the tabernacle was being built in the wilderness forward, the Melchizedek priesthood was also a royal priesthood. Thus besides being eternal, which is of great importance to our author, authority and priestly intercession are combined in one person, Jesus who is both king and priest.

    This connection is emphasized by the use of Psalm 110. In its original setting, Psalm 110 is an accession psalm, a poem or hymn celebrating the accession of the king to the throne, and thus YHWH says to “my lord” (the poet is speaking), sit at my right hand, vesting the king with divine authority and promising him victory.

    While by modern standards of exegesis, our author uses the wording of Psalm 110 in a substantially different way (I think he’s allowed that as an inspired writer), he still manages to pull in a great deal of meaning by using that precise reference.

    In the incarnation, God becomes human, experiences humanity, and at the same time royal authority (lawgiving, enforcement, sovereignty) with the priesthood (intercession, communication, connection) and God-become-man thus reaches us directly. As Jesus said, “On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;  for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:26-27).

    Asking the Father himself, and knowing that the Father himself loves us, is one of the great gifts of the incarnation. Priestly and royal power have come together again.

  • Hebrews: Exercising Confidence

    I’ve been blogging about the book of Hebrews for some time, and I’ve also read and intended to link to some posts from Chasing the Wind that I found through the Christian Carnival, but as the book of Hebrews would tell you, you’ve got to follow through! 🙂

    But this week’s carnival brought us a post from Michael that I think is exceptionally good, and I hope anyone who has been following my series will go read it (and even some who aren’t following mine). It goes point by point into exercising confidence, and is very practical, and well in tune with the overall theme of Hebrews.

    Go read and enjoy!

  • Christian Carnival CXLVII

    Rev-Ed has recovered from election day activities and posted the Christian Carnival CXLVII. Hopefully my schedule this week will allow me to link back to a few of these posts.

    Thanks to Rev-Ed for a nice carnival.