When it comes to answering the question “who was Jesus?” perhaps the most famous set of answers was proposed by C. S. Lewis in his classic Mere Christianity. Lewis’ answer is occasionally referred to as the “trilemma,” due to the three possibilities:

1. Liar
2. Lunatic
3. Lord

Lewis’ rationale behind these answers lies in his belief that there is no logical reason for accepting Jesus as a “great moral teacher.” Lewis writes:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. [1]

Lewis’ point is well-taken., and this three-fold designation has been the driving force behind many Christian apologists over the years (Wikipedia mentions Josh McDowell, Peter Kreeft, and Charles Colson). Yet in today’s society, we are obligated to offer a fourth answer:

4. Legend

Since the Enlightenment gave rise to “rationalistic” and “logical” thinking, Jesus as a historical figure has come under fire. Once you discount the miracles (as illogical, mythical, or make-believe) it becomes an easy move to discredit the Evangelists as “yes-men” to the early church’s wishes to fabricate a story about a man who never lived.

Like it or not, the Church cannot hide its head in the sand and refuse to engage with those who view the Gospels as unreliable (or worse, fictional). For many, “the Bible tells me so” is not good enough anymore.

 

     [1] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 52.

In February of 2008, I sat down at my computer and prepared to enter the world of blogging. Equipped with a few thoughts on the tip of my tongue (well… fingertips) and a heart wanting to communicate, I started typing. 16 months and 100 posts later, here I am. I suppose it’s taken me longer to get to 100 posts than most, but hey, I’m still here.

In this post, I’d like to do two things: (1) explain my reason for blogging, and (2) tease out a few upcoming ideas.

Let me attempt to paint a picture for you. Imagine a newlywed couple sitting down at dinner. The husband, so excited about what he’s learned at seminary during the day, begins to “dump” all his new-found information on his unsuspecting wife. His wife is brilliant, but the husband hasn’t thought through the material long enough, he hasn’t tried to package it in an easily understood format, he hasn’t taken the time to “translate” the words over four syllables into real English, and of course his wife wasn’t with him in class to hear the background.

Confusion ensues.

They say it takes the normal seminary student a while to “get over” their seminary education. The lingo, the expectations, and the intellectual distance between the “theologian” and the “parishioner” can be a bit hard to swallow. Well, it didn’t take too many confusion-erupting dinner conversations with my wife and too many words of encouragement from the “real people” of the world to help me realize I needed a place to process my thoughts before mass confusion (and before graduation).

And thus, Confessions of a Closet Academic was born. My goal is to “translate” what I’ve learned so that my wife (who is an excellent representative of all you out there) can understand. (Thanks Ben for the “translate” analogy.)

So that’s how I got here, how about where I’m going.

1. I still want to write a series on issues in Bible translation. It’s coming… I promise.

2. A friend of mine and I have started teaching an adult class at our church entitled “Jesus and the Gospels.” We’ve prepared a ton of material, and I’d like to share some of it.

3. I will also continue to write posts concerning my ongoing thesis research about the “Son of God” in Mark’s Gospel.

I hope you enjoy.

Occasionally, there are times in your life where God gives you a small glimpse of heaven. My wife and I were able to be a part of one of these moments on Saturday morning when we were invited to attend a small gathering of African refugees for their monthly small group meeting. I was invited to speak on the topic of “structure in the home.” My main idea was this: when your family pursues Christ, your family can operate in the way God designed it to operate. “Structure” is found by imitating Christ.

But the real treat of the morning was participating in the Swahili worship. The men and women were mostly soft-spoken, except for when they were singing! We met in an apartment building, and I have no doubt that if their neighbors were like my apartment neighbors we would have had received a noise violation! (The apartment complex is comprised mostly of refugees, so I’m guessing the volume was tolerated.)

Their worship was beautiful. They didn’t need a worship leader with a fancy guitar. They didn’t need any instruments period, except for their hands and feet. Someone just began singing and then everyone else chimed in.

In moments like these, I am reminded of the heavenly scene in Revelation: “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy [is the lamb] to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9 ESV). Because of Christ’s death, God has called together people who live in every country, whose skin is every color, and who speak every language.

Saturday morning, I tried to sing along as we proclaimed this old favorite hymn. The chorus sounds like this:

Roho yangu naikuimbie,
jinsi wewe ulivyo mkuu.
Roho yangu naikuimbie,
jinsi wewe ulivyo mkuu.

Although I struggled with the pronunciation, my heart was truly able to say:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!

If only my memory was perfect, I wouldn’t have to write anything down. But the curse of doing ample research is having to keep it all organized. To do this, I need to be able to take effective notes. But here I’m presented with an interesting challenge: how do I take notes and keep them all effectively organized and accessible?

Back in 5th grade, I did a research project on Stonehenge. I remember taking all my notes on 3×5 index cards and eventually organizing them by topic and then using the note cards to write my report. But 14 years later, I’ve graduated to a laptop computer. But how do I take notes electronically?

Here are three options I’ve brainstormed so far:

1. Take all my notes in one Word document, with each point, quote, paraphrase, etc. on its own bullet point. In the end, I have a bunch of bullet point lists arranged by topic. (This is the way I’ve taken notes in the past.)

2. Take all my notes on a single topic on a single Word document. I’d probably use bullet points to differentiate my thoughts on this topic.

3. Treat a Word document like a note card and only take one piece of information on a Word document.

Help! Anyone have any better ideas?

I’m always looking for ways to improve my writing (and as my reader, you might think I’ve got a long ways to go)! To begin my thesis work, I’ve been doing some reading in a form and style book entitled A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th edition first written by Kate L. Turabian (of the famed “Turabian” bibliographic form). [1]  This latest edition of Turabian (as it’s known) includes a section on writing style.

My reading this morning included several helpful thoughts on crafting meaningful sentences. Here are a few of the suggestions (from pp. 109–117):

1. Avoid introducing more than a few sentences with long phrases and clauses; get to the subject of your sentence quickly. I must admit, I am often err here. I tend to “cram” as much information into a sentence as possible by introducing sentences with lengthy relative or temporal clauses.

2. Make subjects short and concrete. The subject “an age-old imaginative story involving magical elements and make-believe creatures” is a bit harder to swallow than “a fairy-tale.”

3. Avoid interrupting the subject and verb with more than a word or two. The authors exemplify this (p. 112) by citing a poor example of a sentence: “Some economists, because they write in a style that is impersonal and objective, do not communicate with lay people easily.” Simply move the clause beginning with “because” to the beginning (or preferably the end) of the sentence.

4. Put information familiar to readers at the beginning of a sentence, new information at the end. Don’t begin sentences with new ideas because the flow of thought tends to get lost with the introduction of new material seemingly “out of the blue.”

5. Choose active or passive verbs to reflect these previous principles. We’ve all been told to avoid passive verbs, but the authors suggest passive verbs occasionally work better if they help you avoid pitfalls like no. 4 above.

So much to remember already!

 

     [1]  Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed., ed. Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007).

With a year left in my program here at Dallas Seminary, I have now embarked on the task of writing my thesis. The time has arrived. Along with a three-hour online course this summer and working up at the church, this will be how I am spending my summer. The library on campus was nice enough to rent me a doctoral desk for the summer, complete with a locking cabinet to keep my books! Looks like it’s going to be a great summer.

My thesis is titled: A Narrative Analysis of Mark’s Presentation of Jesus as the Son of God. It’s a long title (most are), so let me break down the three major sections of the paper:

1. The authenticity of the phrase “Son of God” in Mark 1:1 is heavily disputed. The textual evidence for its inclusion in the original Gospel of Mark is divided, with major players supporting both sides. Part one is an investigation into its authenticity.

2. If “Son of God” is original in Mark 1:1, then part two will investigate the meaning behind this statement. We want to interpret “Son of God” as an easy reference to the second person of the Trinity, but is that the full meaning (or the way a first-century reader would have understood it)?

3. Part three is the major section of the paper and it will analyze how Mark’s narrative contributes to his presentation of Jesus as the Son of God. It will deal with heavily with the discipline of “narrative criticism,” that is, an approaching the biblical text as a work of literature. Typically, narrative critics investigate aspects such as plot, characterization, setting, point of view, etc., similar areas of investigation if one was to study Shakespeare, Austen, or Twain. My main focus will be how does Mark use his story of Jesus to validate his claim that Jesus truly is the Son of God?

I’m likely a bit in over my head with this topic, but hopefully I’ll have a halfway-decent product come the end of August. I’ll try and report my progress throughout the summer in an effort to keep myself accountable in making progress. The thesis process is really a one-year commitment, but I’m going to try and get my rough draft cranked out all in one summer. Wish me luck!

Now we finish our post on my summer of hopes and dreams (for the silver screen). The list continues!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Opening June 26
When it came to Super Bowl ads, this one made me drool a bit in my popcorn. If I had to describe the first Transformers in one word, it would be “cool.” (I’m harkening back to my childhood a bit.) If the second installment of this series is a good as the first, all my childhood dreams will have come true. I have no doubt this movie will be ever more “more than meets the eye,” if my eyes can take it all in. (Note to self: don’t sit on the front row!)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Opening July 17
Harry and the gang are back in the next-to-last movie of the series. The storylines may be getting a bit “darker,” but the book was filled with adventure and intrigue. Judging from the entertainment value of the previous Harry Potter movies, I have no doubts this one will make me want to enroll at Hogwarts.

 

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Opening August 7
Well just about the time I stopped drooling in my popcorn from the Transformers trailer, this movie came along and made me spill my Coke Zero in my lap. I had the planes, the tanks, the good guys, and the bad guys. All the “real American heroes” lived in my closet. Yet this phrase “real American heroes” has taken on a new meaning since 2001, so I fully expect this movie to have a distinct “comic book” feel. But I’m not concerned. I’ve watched the Super Bowl teaser trailer a hundred times! And judging by the title, I’m already expecting a sequel!

Well there you have it, that’s my summer to remember dream list of movies. I talk a big game, but chances are I won’t see them all. Movies, after all, can get very pricey in Dallas. At least I’ll be good about saying things like “Oh yeah that movie’s gonna be awesome!” when they come up in conversation.

When it comes to summer blockbusters, may all your dreams come true!

I’ll admit it, I’m still a sucker for the summer blockbuster movies. You know, the ones that spend millions and millions to make. The ones which advertise for seems like years. The ones which give new definition to the word “hype.” I love it all. And this summer, all my childhood favorites are back on the silver screen.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Opening May 1
The fourth installment of the X-Men movies is up on deck first. I’m a little concerned the movie will be more about the effects than it will be about telling us really the origins of everyone’s favorite clawed character. But hey, who goes to a movie like this for the character development?

 

Star Trek
Opening May 8
Now, I was never a “Trekie” growing up (I have never owned a Star Trek costume), but I’m just enough of a fan of J. J. Abrams (executive producer of LOST), Sylar (yes the villain from HEROES), explosions and space to get out and see this movie. As I understand it, the movie tells the story of a young James Kirk. My only plea to all you true Trekies out there: please don’t go saying it’s not a “real” Star Trek movie if they get a minute detail wrong here or there. Enjoy the movie and let the directors have some imagination. I think William Shatner will be proud.

Angels and Demons
Opening May 15
Dan Brown’s first book about the daring and entertaining iconographer Robert Langdon hits theaters in May as well. As far as the books go, I actually enjoyed this one more than The DaVinci Code, so we’ll hope the movie lives up to my expectations. I haven’t seen many bad movies with Tom Hanks, and with the media play this movie is getting (Super Bowl adds anyone?) I doubt this movie will fail to deliver.

Terminator Salvation
Opening May 22
As with the Star Trek, I’m only a casual fan of the Terminator series. (I’ve relegated the movies to passing time when they air on TNT in the afternoons.) However, I’m not ashamed to admit the previews for this one, staring Christian Bale, have definitely peaked my interest a bit (especially since they’ve kept the rating to PG-13). Just please, please don’t give me a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not even for a second.

There’s more movies to look forward to in part 2 tomorrow!

Craig Evans (Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia) embarks on a large task in Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. Evans’ mission is to debunk just about every false suspicion concerning the nature of Jesus which is floating around in the popular audience today. This highly acclaimed book gives quite a few conservative and informed answers to troubling questions surrounding Jesus and his work.

Evans is a highly trained and educated scholar, and his expertise in both the Old and New Testaments and their respective background materials shines through in his discussions. Fabricating Jesus addresses topics such as the charges laid by skeptical scholarship (e.g. the New Testament isn’t reliable), the use of questionable extra-biblical texts as primary sources on the life of Jesus, and new claims regarding what “actually” happened at Jesus’ crucifixion. Evans is highly critical of scholarship which has misused the tools available and fabricated a Jesus which is wholly inconsistent with the witness of the New Testament. Organizations like the Jesus Seminar and its kin receive scathing blame for their part in promoting false claims.

Evans’ ability to handle so much pertinent data is evident in many of his arguments, and his use of appropriate biblical and extra-biblical support is fairly compelling. Unfortunately, I felt his arguments to be a bit one sided at times. Also, the expansive scope of the book creates problems for the reader because of Evan’s inability to properly detail all relevant background information.

However, there is no doubt Fabricating Jesus is a helpful work written by an informed scholar who is eager to equip the church against the popular (and irresponsible) claims being made about Jesus today. Further research can be done with help of the endnotes, and coming in at just under 250 pages, the book is easily handled. Evans is able to demonstrate not all scholarship is bogus. With scholars like Evans, modern scholastic achievement will continue to promote the truth of biblical Christianity.

Books on Jesus and the Gospels can at times seem like a dime-a-dozen. But occasionally you find one that stands out among the rest. In my opinion, Four Portraits, One Jesus is just such a book. Mark Strauss (New Testament professor at Bethel Seminary in San Diego) has pulled together a remarkable amount of material relating to Jesus and condensed it into one readable and informative volume.

Seemingly every major area of Jesus research is covered in this book. In part one, Strauss begins with the gospels as literature and how literary/historical criticism has helped shape-and at times distort-our picture of Jesus. Part two deals with the relevant background of gospel studies. Part three looks at the narrative structure of each individual gospel, highlighting how the particular evangelists views Jesus and what each individual story brings to the combined picture. Finally, part four investigates specific areas of Jesus studies including the reliability of the Gospels, Jesus’ birth, miracles, message, death and resurrection.

Strauss accurately portrays the best of Jesus scholarship. He demonstrates sensitivity to issues such as the dates of primary sources and proper nomenclature. For example, Strauss is quick to point out why some call the period of roughly 400 years before Christ “the Intertestamental Period” and others “Second Temple Judaism.” Strauss also fairly represents both sides in his argumentation as he almost always presents the case for both sides of a debate. Furthermore, Strauss is still very mainline conservative in his conclusions. Strauss also humbly asserts where hard-and-fast answers are not always easy to come by.

Strauss is mostly good about citing primary source material where appropriate, but occasionally fails to give proper references for those looking for more information. Also, the abbreviated nature of some of the chapters hinders the book from fully exploring every option. (But already at 525 pages, you can’t blame him!)

Filled with full color pictures and call-out boxes, this book serves perfectly as an undergraduate textbook or for the layman wanting to take a quick dip into the world of contemporary Jesus scholarship. Each chapter concludes with very helpful bibliographies for further study.

Four Portraits is just what the church needs to acquaint itself with how Jesus was remembered by the evangelists, how he is viewed today, and what he means for our lives in the future.