I recently completed a session at Haus Edelweiss outside Vienna, Austria. For the seventeenth summer I have taught a class for TCM International, and each year I have received so many unexpected blessings as a result of working with students, the short-term workers, as well as the full-time staff. I am a blessed professor. But this year, more than ever, I was reminded about the importance of being a teachable professor among teachable students. Let me explain.
My students at Lincoln Christian Seminary in Lincoln, Illinois, as well as my students scattered throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia have heard me say repeatedly that one of the most important principles for studying Scripture is the principle of humility. Specifically, as students we must submit ourselves to God’s Written Word and allow it to have priority over our agendas, even our prejudices. Far too often in our Bible study, the Word remains the object and we the subject, while ultimately we must acknowledge that we are the object and the Word is the subject because through it we hear God speak.
Read more…
No, I have not been re-converted to dispensational premillennialism! But the more I teach in a variety of settings, the move convinced I am that many people in America and elsewhere are dispensational by default. They do not know of any other position to take. They assume it is the orthodox position for one reason or a combination of reasons: (a) Their preacher or professor taught the scheme; (b) Their study Bible was so oriented; (c) Their readings—novels, systematic theologies, commentaries—reflected such an approach; (d) Or their favorite television or radio expositors taught the approach. Of course, there may be other reasons.
Read more…
Dear readers,
I am writing this from Heilgenkreuz, Austria while sitting in a small study that overlooks a beautiful pond nestled in the Vienna Woods. It is one of my favorite spots in the world. A beautiful setting in which to reflect and write and teach! Even though I officially began my sabbatical on June 1, I did not want to cancel this teaching assignment. It is my seventeenth year to be teaching students from Eastern Europe, and I am eager to begin. My class is entitled Biblical Eschatology. At lunchtime today I was asked to describe it to the people who will be doing work on the grounds, in the dorms, and in the kitchen. My description was simply this: Eschatology is about how we should be faithful disciples between Christ has come and he is coming back someday. Many of the ideas for my commentary will be tried out on the students beginning next week. Please pray that the classes taught by a number of professors will be a blessing to the students.
But I want to invite you to weigh in on a very important matter.
Read more…
NOTE: This post should have been displayed the week of May 25; however, some recently discovered server problems prevented the post from being made public. My apologies–Michael.
This post of the last week of May will be my last until I arrive to teach Revelation to Eastern Europeans at Haus Edelweiss in Austria. This is my seventeenth summer to have this privilege of teaching for TCM International Institute. It is the highlight of my school year, quite frankly. This year I will be lecturing on the entire book of Revelation during a two week conference, and I look forward to learning from my students.
From May 23 through May 30, Marilyn and I will be visiting Disney World with our daughter and son-in-law and their two children, Carissa and Jocelyn. The trip is a gift because of Rachel being graduated by Lincoln Christian College and Marilyn’s upcoming retirement from the State of Illinois. We are looking forward to watching the grandchildren’s response to Mickey and the gang.
Read more…
Dear Readers:
Thank you so much for your publicly posted as well as your personal notes to me concerning the tentative title for my commentary on Revelation, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Dancing to the Lyrics of the Lamb. I continue to be fascinated by this metaphor and believe that it will be helpful to unlock Revelation’s message of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
I have revised an outline and present it below. What I would like to hear from you is that in the days ahead if you take time to read through Revelation with the outline in hand, please offer me reflections on the dominant theme (e.g., Security, Witness, etc.) found in each section. I know that images of the church as well as exhortations and words of encouragement are found scattered throughout the book, including each of these major divisions. So feel free to post your observations and let’s dialogue.
Here is the outline that I am thinking about using in the main portion of the commentary (after I cover some introductory issues like John’s Story in light of the overarching STORY of the Bible, etc.).
1:1-8 Prologue
A. The Disciples’ Community in Christ (1:9-3:22)
B. The Disciples’ Security because of Christ (4:1-8:1)
C. The Disciples’ Witness in the Name of Christ (8:2-11:19)
D. The Disciples’ Conflict on behalf of Christ (12:1-14:20)
E. The Disciples’ Vindication by Christ (15:1-20:15)
F. The Disciples’ Union with Christ (21:1-22:6)
22:7-21
I believe such words as community, security, witness, etc. get at the heartbeat of each of those sections. Perhaps there are better words. In fact, if you think of some, please let me know.
Your participation in this journey is appreciated.
The cover story of the May 4, 2009 edition of Newsweek, “To Boldly Go…How ‘Star Trek’ Taught Us to Dream Big” has a fascinating article entitled “We’re All Trekkies Now.” I confess to you that I did not see the TV series when it first aired. I was too busy as a college student. A few years later when Star Trek went into syndication, I saw it on late night TV because Marilyn worked the 11-7 shift, and I stayed up all night studying and took a break by watching Captain Kirk and the gang explore the universe. I have never seen the other TV series associated with Star Trek and only three of four of the theatrical films.
But I do know the catchphrases and the characters.
Read more…
On Wednesday, April 29, I was teaching a class entitled “Biblical Interpretation for Ministry.” Gary Hall, my colleague who teaches Old Testament, and I developed the class more than a decade ago. One of its goals is to equip our students with proper principles for interpreting the various genres of the Bible (e.g., legal material, narratives, etc.). This week’s focus was on how to interpret the prophetic and apocalyptic materials in the Old and New Testament.
When it came time for me to lecture, I introduced the material on Revelation by remarking that I had no doubt that if I were “to google” and do a search on “Swine Flu and Biblical Prophecy,” I would get numerous hits. After the class I returned to my office to have a bit of lunch and grade papers. But I decided to sit at the computer and do the search. I typed in “Swine Flu and Biblical Prophecy.” Read more…
Dear readers:
I have decided on a tentative title for volume two, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Dancing to the Lyrics of the Lamb. The focus will be a big-picture commentary on how to apply the Book of Revelation and I plan on using the metaphor of dance to move the chapters along, much like I used the music metaphor in the first volume. Let me give a brief explanation why I chose the title.
One day I began reflecting on the question What do we do with music? We listen to it . . . we begin to tap our foot or snap our fingers . . . and many are stirred to dance. I then did a brief study on dance in the Bible and discovered that it is a pretty significant act in the Bible. For example, there are both good dancing and bad dancing in Exodus 15 and 32, good when the women led by Miriam dance before God because he delivered them from the Egyptian army and bad when they worshipped the golden calf. There is dancing associated with Israel’s major feasts (e.g., Passover, Tabernacles, etc.). Read more…
Image source: Wikipedia
March 25-28 I had the opportunity to speak at the Mexico Missionary Reunion gathering at a delightful resort setting in Oaxtepec, Mexico. I had never been South of our border and wondered what awaited me. I was delighted to be able to share with the missionaries and church leaders the discipleship theme emphasized in the Book of Revelation. The men and women were gracious and encouraged me to develop the thoughts and put them in a book.
Read more…
My colleague, friend, and manager of rlowery.com recently suggested that I offer some reflections on my experiences in teaching Revelation in churches. I thought the idea was a good one, and I invite you to consider the following reflections (arranged in no particular order):
- I am blessed to have numerous opportunities to teach people Scripture—be it the Book of Revelation, another New Testament writing, or a particular topic. I always try not only to provide interpretation and answers to their questions about particular passages but I also offer strategies for how Christians can study the Bible on their own. This leads me to . . .
- I am constantly being reminded that most congregations I visit do not provide regular opportunities for equipping people how to read and how to study Scripture. Indeed, I find that there is a hunger out there for wanting to know how and that people’s appetites are not be satisfied. This concerns me greatly.
- Read more…