Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I Confess ...

In keeping with the "Confessions" meme doing the rounds (staring with Peter Leithart), I thought I would offer my own Confessions:

I confess that sometimes my academic work has caused my faith to feel purely cerebral and my learning sometimes puffs up into pride. Thus, I am grateful for the Anglican Prayer book, the Word of God, my local church, my colleagues, my students, and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit for making sure I finish the race set before me.

I confess that I really, really don't like Rudolf Bultmann. I find his brand of existential Deism nauseating and I think his scholarship oscillates between brilliant and banal.

I confess that I'm learning to love Karl Barth (shhh, don't tell Ben Myers).

I confess that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is Lord of all. This is the gospel and the testimony of the early church - all else is commentary.

I confess that N.T. Wright woke me from my dogmatic slumbers and showed me a world that I had never seen before, whatever his failings, I am most grateful for this.

I confess that only two good things came out of the seventies - Me and the musical Evita!

I confess that the greatest lessons in grace, love, sin, and forgivness that I have learned came from no text book, but from marriage and parenthood.

I confess that Calvin was (pretty much) right.

I confess that I spend far too much time writing and reading about the Bible rather than reading the Bible itself and obeying what it says.

I confess that I am weary of those who define the faith so narrowly and then try to tell lay persons that they themselves are the true gatekeepers of orthodoxy. I confess that I am equally weary of those who treat Scripture as if it were a cook book where one can pick and choose recipes as one likes.

I confess that when Richard Bauckham leaves St. Andrews, I will be the shortest New Testament scholar in Scotland (sigh!)

I confess that Ben Myers and Joel Willitts are two of the people that I have the closest academic comaraderie with.

I confess that New Testament scholarship must strive for historical accuracy, theological acumen, and be placed in service of the Church.

4 comments:

geoffhudson.blogspot.com said...

Is that all? St. Peter will be at the pearly gates to welcome you.

Ben Myers said...

Nice post, comrade!

michael jensen said...

Way to go! Nice to have some not-so-I-am-more-left-leaning-than-you versions of this meme.

Anonymous said...

Marvelous!