3. All of Scripture is inspired by God and is
profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction, and
training in right living, so that God’s people
may be up to the task ahead and have all they
need to accomplish every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
4. The word of God is alive and moving, sharper
than a double-edged sword, piercing to divide
between soul and spirit joints and marrow, able
to judge the thoughts and will of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12)
12. The African slave trade spanned 450 years. It involved the kidnapping of 11.5 million
Africans. Billions of people today still profit and suffer in the aftermath of it.
13.
14.
15.
16. Leviticus 25:44-46
Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou
shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round
about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and
bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the
strangers that do sojourn among you, of them
shall ye buy, and of their families that are with
you, which they begat in your land; and they shall
be your possession. And ye shall take them as an
inheritance for your children after you, to inherit
them for a possession; they shall be your
bondmen for ever.
17. Other passages in the Old Testament frequently cited by Old
South proslavers--
Exodus 21:2-6 (relating to the slavery of poor Hebrews)
Deuteronomy 15:16-17 (also relating to the slavery of poor
Hebrews)--
Genesis 9:26-27 (relating to the curse of Canaan to legitimize
racism)
“There is nothing, not one word, in the Old
Testament to condemn, but very much to
establish, enforce, and regulate slavery.”
(Proslavery literature, Nellie Norton)
18. New Testament Passages used to support slavery:
Ephesians 6:5-8 (exhorting servants to be obedient to their
masters)
Titus 2:9-10 (also exhorting servants to be obedient to their
masters)
Colossians 3:22-24 (requiring slaves to obey their masters)
“…in the catalogue of sins denounced by the Savior
and His Apostles, slavery is not once mentioned
… not one word is said by the prophets, apostles,
or the holy Redeemer against slavery … the
Apostles admitted slaveholders and their slaves to
church membership, without requiring a
dissolution of the relation.”
19. from a popular book from that period:
“… the Bible is a pro-slavery Bible,
and God is a pro-slavery God,”
“… the North must give up the Bible
and religion, or adopt our views of
slavery.”
20. Summary of the Biblical Argument:
The Oracular Decisions of God have positively
declared that the Slave-Trade is
intrinsically good and licit, [and that the
holding of slaves] is perfectly consonant to
the principles of the Law of Nature, the
Mosaic Dispensation, and the Christian
Law … [Thus slavery has] the positive
sanction of God in its support."
Raymond Harris, Scriptural Researches on the
Licitness of the Slave-Trade.
21. Around your tables:
If you could go back into the
early 1800’s to counter this
way of using the Bible - also
using the Bible, what would
you say?
27. Use of the Bible Against the
Copernican Theory
Ecclesiastes 1:4-6
The Earth abideth forever. The Sun
also riseth, and the Sun goeth down
and hasteth to his place where he
arose. The wind goeth toward the
south and turneth about unto the
north.
28. Psalm 93: 1
...the world also is established that
it cannot be moved.
Psalm 104:5
Who laid the foundation of the
Earth, that it should not be removed
forever.
29. 2 Kings 20:11
And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the
Lord: and he brought the shadow ten
degrees backward by which it had
gone down in the dial of Ahaz.
30. Joshua 10:12-14
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord, in
the day that he delivered the Amorite
in the sight of the children of Israel,
and he said before them: Move not O
Sun toward Gabaon, nor thou, moon,
toward the valley of Ajalon….
31. And the sun and moon stood still, till
the people revenged themselves of
their enemies. Is not this written in
the book of the just? So the sun
stood still in the midst of the heaven,
and hasted not to go down the space
of one day. There was not before nor
after so long a day, the Lord obeying
the voice of a man, and fighting for
Israel.
32. Contending against Copernicus: Martin
Luther in one of his "Table Talks” (1539):
People gave ear to an upstart astrologer
who strove to show that the earth
revolves, not the heavens or the
firmament, the sun and the moon....This
fool wishes to reverse the entire science
of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells
us [Joshua 10:13] that Joshua
commanded the sun to stand still, and not
the earth.
33. From Melanchthon:
"The eyes are witnesses that the heavens
revolve in the space of twenty-four hours. But
certain men, either from the love of novelty,
or to make a display of ingenuity, have
concluded that the earth moves; and they
maintain that neither the eighth sphere nor the
sun revolves....Now, it is a want of honesty
and decency to assert such notions publicly,
and the example is pernicious. It is the part of
a good mind to accept the truth as revealed by
God and to acquiesce in it."
34. John Calvin cites Ps. 93:1 in his Commentary
on Genesis:
"Who will venture to place the
authority of Copernicus above that
of the Holy Spirit?"
35. Around your tables:
Why do you think these
Christian leaders could not
accept the findings of
Copernicus and Galileo?
What was their concern or
fear?
51. Around your tables:
Why might some people read
the Bible in a way that
makes them care about the
poor ... and others read it in
a way that makes them
careless about the poor?
53. the Bible & slavery,
science, & poverty,
& the environment, women, other
religions, gay people, albinos, the
mentally ill, tribalism, health,
prosperity....
54.
55. Is the Bible the box, or is it a door out of the
box?
Is the Bible a lens - or more like a set of
adjustable binoculars?
Is the Bible a rule-book full of easy answers-
or a library of questions and struggles that
challenge us to become more open to
God’s wisdom?
56. Three first steps in rediscovering the
Bible as a library of transformation ...
57. 1. See the Bible as pointing to Jesus, not to
itself ... let Jesus’ life and teaching become
the lens through which we read Scripture.
Jesus says (5:39), ‘You study the Scriptures
diligently because you think that in them you
possess eternal life. These are the very
Scriptures that testify about me…’
58. Jesus said (in Matthew 5) ...
Do not think that I have come
to abolish the law or the
prophets. To the contrary: I
have not come to overturn
them but to fulfill them....
You have heard it said ...
59. Jesus said ...
Do not think that I have come
to abolish the law or the
prophets. To the contrary: I
have not come to overturn
them but to fulfill them....
You have heard it said ...
But I say to you ...
60. Jesus said (Mark 2:17) ...
The sabbath was made for
human beings, not human
beings for the sabbath.
So the Son of Man is Lord
even over the sabbath ...
61. Paul said ...
Circumcision doesn’t count for
anything. The only thing that
matters is faith expressing
itself in love.
(Galatians 5)
62. Paul said ...
... the letter kills, but the Spirit
gives life.
(2 Corinthians 3)
63. Derek Flood graphically displays Paul’s edited quotation of Psalm 18:41-49 and
Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans 15:8-10. Notice what Paul picks to retain and
what he chooses to reject:
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant
of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm
the promises made to the patriarchs so that the
Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is
written: Therefore I will praise you among the
Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” (Ps.
18:41–49).
65. Derek Flood graphically displays Paul’s edited quotation of Psalm 18:41-49 and
Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans 15:8-10. Notice what Paul picks to retain and
what he chooses to reject:
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant
of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm
the promises made to the patriarchs so that the
Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is
written: “I destroyed my foes. They cried for
help, but there was no one to save them—to the
LORD, but he did not answer…. He is the God
who avenges me, who puts the Gentiles under
me…. Therefore I will praise you among the
Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” (Ps.
18:41–49).
66. Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles,
with his people, for he will avenge the
blood of his servants; he will take
vengeance on his enemies and make
atonement for his land and
people.” (Deut. 32:43)
67. Flood concludes: “Paul is making a very
different point from the original intent of these
Psalms. In fact, he is making the opposite point
—we should not cry out for God’s wrath and
judgment [on the other], because we are all
sinners in need of mercy.” He concludes, “This
is not a case of careless out-of-context proof-
texting; it is an artful and deliberate reshaping of
these verses … from their original cry for divine
violence into a confession of universal
culpability that highlights our need for mercy.”
68. 1. Read Scripture with Jesus as the
focal point ...
2. Read Scripture in light of the big
story ... which is???
69. A key question:
What is the shape of the
biblical narrative? What is
the storyline of the Bible?
(A pre-critical question)
70.
71. Eden Heaven
Fall Salvation
History/
The world
Hell
72. Platonic Ideal Platonic Ideal
Fall Atonement,
purification
Into
Aristotelian Aristotelian
Real
Real
Hades
73. Pax Romana Pax Romana
Civilization,
Rebellion development,
into colonialism
barbarism Barbarian/ assimilation
pagan
world
Destruction,
defeat
82. 1. Read Scripture with Jesus as the
focal point ...
2. Read Scripture in light of the big
story ... which is God’s unfolding,
expanding work of creation,
liberation, and reconciliation.
83. 3. Never simply quote a chapter and
verse to end a discussion.
Instead, put texts in conversation - and
join the conversation.
84. Stories in conversation ...
David, Goliath, and the Temple
Two Arks
Sarah/Isaac, Hagar/Ishmael
Pharoah, Solomon
Jacob and Esau
Joshua, Jesus, and the Canaanites
85.
86.
87. 1. Read Scripture with Jesus as the
focal point ...
2. Read Scripture in light of the big
story ... which is God’s unfolding,
expanding work of creation,
liberation, and reconciliation.
3. Read the Bible as stories in
conversation ... and you are a vital
part of the conversation!
88. All of Scripture is inspired by God and is
profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction, and
training in right living, so that God’s people
may be up to the task ahead and have all they
need to accomplish every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
89. The word of God is alive and moving, sharper
than a double-edged sword, piercing to divide
between soul and spirit joints and marrow, able
to judge the thoughts and will of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12)
