Giving sex for money

I've posted on sex and money over at the grit in the oyster. I'm never quite sure which blog to put my rants on

Profiteering Jews?

When preachers preach on Jesus clearing the Temple, it is often asserted that the sellers of sacrifices and money changers charged inflated prices, and that is Jesus' problem with it.

Is there any evidence of inflated money changing/sacrifice prices in the Second Temple?

Or is this charge based on a stereotype of 'Jews'?

To me it is all a distraction from the fact that this takes place in the Gentile courts, which is noted as the problem in John 2.

Anyone know of some ancient sources here?

An evangelism course for Doug Campbells "Deliverance of God"

Over the last week I've been reading through Douglas Campbell's "The Deliverance of God", and, at the same time, been teaching Sydney University Evangelical Union's "Leading People to Christ" course.

Doug Campbell takes a look at 'Justification Theory', the way we often describe the gospel, showing both it's conceptual flaws and scriptural problems. While reading Campbell, I've been struck again by how brilliant the LPC course is, as it 1. construes sin as both victimhood and agency and 2. Allows the focus of the gospel to be deliverance and 3. places judgement at the end.

In fact, a large part of Campbells massive book (and the slightly overreaching part too!), could simply be summed up by one footnote in LPC
"It is these theological insights, namely, that God's fundamental orientation towards human beings is love, that the primary enemies of God are evil, sin and death, and that God's judgement is only secondarily against human beings, which has determined the structure of the Leading people to Christ course"

My hunch is that lots of people will feel the pressure of Campbell's book, but will revert to JT when they have to teach evangelism simply, because there is no other option. Take a look at LPC

(That said, LPC doesn't match entirely to Campbells perspective, which is probably good too)

Guess ..without google...who said it

"Sometimes, negative preaching can get in the way of the message. The tribalism that leads to ranting preachers or reactionary people does not edify the church, the preacher or the hearer. More significantly, negative preaching can let the misunderstanding of the passage set the agenda, so that more time and emotional energy is expended on what the passage is not saying than what it is saying. So the main focus, let alone the subtleties of the passage, is lost in the mire of correcting error."

Two fantastic cinematic reflections on Christian theology

I've been on holidays for the past few weeks. Yesterday I got to watch two films, both of which are profound reflections on christian theology

The first was Terrence Malicks "The tree of life". The film places a very particular, and ordinary, story, of growing up, of joy, of suffering and encountering death, sin and shame, in the context of protology (how things began) and eschatology (how it all ends). Malick's construction of eschatology is especially rewarding. On some levels it is a reworking of the daunting protology, only in a gracious key. His particular ability as a director is extracting complex emotions from his actors without dialogue, and this shows particularly in the wistful joy of the gracious final scene. The movie is an extended reflection on the book of Job, and it works marvelously.
I must give a warning though, this is a weird film. It is not a linear narrative. It is more lifelike than that. So, if you can't deal with a movie that makes you think..perhaps this isn't the movie for you. Also, I think this is a movie for philosophy and theology graduates. At least, they will get the most out of it. Malick makes interesting comments on all sorts of things that would, I think, be missed by most viewers. There are all sorts of allusions to scripture in the movie as well, though it is not specifically Christological.

Not like "of God's and Men". This film is essentially about how the resources of christian worship empower a bunch of christians to love their enemies. It is a mindblowingly good film to boot. I have never encountered a movie that is so explicitly christian, and wrestling with the questions of christians, yet also so well made. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes. I especially enjoyed it's construal of martyrdom, not as the pursuit of death, but as the pursuit of love. The film is also full of wonderful hyms that I've never encountered before (then again, they are in french).

The takehome from both the films is that life is lived in the small decisions and interactions that we have with others. Even in the case of possible martyrdom, it is still just one person interacting with another.
Do see these films, they are both out on DVD