Was Jesus Political? A New Testament Perspective - 1

The OHMSI Inaugural Dialogue was held on September 15, 2007, with more than 300 people filling the newly completed church hall of Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall, Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya. Apart from the two speakers (of which I was one) and five commentators who spoke on the topic, there were also interesting and lively comments from the floor. I guess the only regret that we had was that time was simply too short for further discussion and clarification.

Some have requested for the text of my lecture, and I promised that I will post it in my blog. However, let me just say that in my lecture, I have avoided interacting with various scholars and the wider issues because of the limited time (I was allocated 15 minutes) and for other reasons that I have mentioned elsewhere in my earlier post.

For those who wish that I could have interacted with New Testament scholars including John Dominic Crossan, Richard Horsley, Scot McKnight, Wolfgang Stegemann, Gerd Theissen, N. T. Wright, John Howard Yoder, and others, I hope that your patience will be rewarded as I am already in the process of expanding my lecture to include further interaction with these scholars. I hope to have it published in a peer-reviewed/academic journal in the very near future. In the meantime, your critical comments for my lecture is welcome.

FULL TEXT:

OHMSI Inaugural Dialogue:
“Was Jesus Political?” A New Testament Perspective
By Dr Lim Kar Yong
Lecturer in New Testament Studies
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia

Introduction

I recall reading an influential evangelical pastor affirming that the church should not engage in political action. For this pastor, the mission, energy and investment of the church is not to clean up the evils of society but to evangelise society. Unfortunately, this also characterises the position of the majority in our own shores. It is unfortunate that when the studies of Jesus are carried out within the confessional setting in the church, it is often accomplished though our theological framework. “Standard” understanding of Jesus is that he is the Son of God who died on the cross for the salvation of humanity. It is also often assumed that the Gospels and other scriptural writings are solely religious in nature. While this theological approach to the study of Jesus is no doubt true to our orthodox confession, this approach regrettably presents a one-sided perspective of Jesus – one that I am tempted to describe as a domestication of a “spiritual Jesus.” It is a Jesus that is, in the words of Scot McKnight, “described exclusively…in the category of a spiritual master, (and) as one who was primarily concerned with the inner religious life and its disciplines for the individual.”

This morning, I hope to reconsider our understanding of Jesus. Drawing from the contribution of the Historical Jesus research and the recent rise in the interest of social-scientific approach to the New Testament, we hope to reflect on this question, “Was Jesus political?” Or, in other words, is there a place in our faith for a “political” Jesus instead of merely a “spiritual” Jesus?

Before we proceed, perhaps it is good to clarify what I mean by the term, “politics.” In antiquity, according to Aristotle, politics is understood in the broad sense in which the objective is to realise the idea of a good life of a community within a city. On the other hand, politics can also be understood in the narrow sense as an art of gaining and maintaining power. I prefer to engage my reflection on the political Jesus in the broad sense. I use political to mean relating to public, state, or civil affairs. As such by “political” I do not mean that Jesus was thinking in terms of forming political parties or launching a revolt against Rome or Jerusalem. By “political” I propose to reconsider the historical Jesus as someone who has a mission to the nation of Israel in calling her to repentance in light of the coming judgment of God.

So the two questions I would like to consider are:
1) How much awareness does Jesus exhibit in his self-understanding of his mission to Israel as being political?
2) How would the multitudes perceive Jesus to be political through his teachings and activities?

Because of the limited time, I propose to consider briefly three aspects of the life and ministry of Jesus in light of the above two questions:
1. The self-understanding of Jesus and his mission
2. The message of Jesus
3. The activities of Jesus

To be continued.....

Part 2 - The self-understanding of Jesus and his mission; the message of Jesus; and the activities of Jesus.

Part 3 - The implication for the church today

Was Jesus Political? A New Testament Perspective - 2

This is the second installment of the full text of my lecture for the Inaugural Dialogue organised by OHMSI. The first part can be found here.

1) The Self-Understanding of Jesus and his Mission
One does not need to go far to consider what others believe to be the political significance of Jesus life and ministry. Because of time, let’s limit our discussion to the birth narrative. Reading Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46-55 would have heightened our awareness just how political his mother thinks the birth of his son would be:

“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:51-55)

While many of us are accustomed to spiritualising Mary’s song, when we read it in close context, it is nothing short of being very political. Not only will humility be exalted above pride, the rulers will be deposed, the hungry fed and the rich turned away. The outpouring of God’s mercy on the poor and those who fear him will no doubt bring significant change in the social order in which reversal of status is anticipated. As such, the mission of Jesus is seen in light of what is prophesied by Amos and the other prophets in the Hebrew bible – his birth is going to bring about the anticipated social justice.

Further political evidence surrounding the birth narratives of Jesus is also too strong to be ignored. For example:

• the significance of Bethlehem as the city of David (Luke 2:4; cf. Matt 2:1, 5-6);


• the angels’ proclamation of “peace on the earth among whom he is well pleased” to the shepherd (Luke 2:8-14) – this undermine the pax romana – peace is now from God and not Rome;


• Herod’s fear and the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem ensuring no rival competitor for the throne of Israel could possibly survive (Matt 2:1-16);


• the expectations of both Simeon (Luke 2: 25-35) and Anna (Luke 2: 36-38) that underscore the political significance of the coming of the Messiah, particularly in the appointment of Jesus “for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” (Luke 2:34).
  

We have seen how the multitude perceived the political significance of Jesus. What about Jesus himself? Time only permits us to look at one particular synagogue incident in Luke 4:16-21 where Jesus read the scripture from the Isaianic scroll.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-20)

In reading Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus understood himself as fulfilling Isaiah’s vision of an eschatological jubilee year. The proclamation of Jubilee is itself a political declaration. Properly observed, it would severely limit the concentration of power and wealth by the rich. Isaiah’s vision anticipates a new world order where God’s justice is administered; wrong will be made right; the injustices which lead to oppression and captivity will be reversed; and God’s people would receive the full measure of his blessings. Proclaiming “liberty to the captives” and “to set at liberty those who are oppressed” could mean nothing more than liberation from Israel’s enemies – Rome. And Jesus publicly announced the inauguration of this new age “today” (Luke 4:21), and not in a distant future.

2) The Message of Jesus
Jesus began his ministry with these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). One cannot help but to be impressed at the precise vocabulary carefully chosen from the political realm. It hardly needs to be argued that “kingdom” is a political terminology. What is less prominent for many of us is that the “gospel” is also political. Originally, gospel refers to the kind of report or important public announcement highlighted by the Roman government deserving attention and celebration when it is received. But with the ministry of Jesus, the gospel is no longer good news of the deeds and works of Rome, but it is now the retelling and re-enacting of the works of God climaxed in the story of Jesus. God has now finally acted in and through Christ.

The kingdom represents the long awaited hope that Yahweh would one day save his people by fulfilling his covenant promises toward them, bringing both vindication and restoration to Israel by defeating her enemies. By proclaiming the fulfilment of this expectation publicly is itself a very political move of Jesus.

What about the teaching of Jesus? How would others perceive the teaching of Jesus? One of the most common teaching methods of Jesus is parables. We have only time to consider one – the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). In this parable, a lawyer approached Jesus with this question: “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus told the parable that is highly political in nature. The best species of the Jewish people – the priest and Levite, representing the law and temple, did nothing to help another fellow Jew in the ditch. This would be totally unacceptable. The only person that came to his rescue is a pariah of the Jewish society – a Samaritan. This Samaritan demonstrated his godly compassion (as reflected in the Greek word, splagcni,zomai in Luke 10:33 – it is very unfortunate that NIV misses the nuance by translating this word simply as “took pity”) on the wounded Jew by helping him and bandaging his wound, and going the extra mile in ensuring that he was taken care off until he recuperated completely. At the climax of the story, Jesus asked the lawyer, “Who is a neighbour to the wounded Jew?” and exhorted him to “go and do likewise.”

In this parable, Jesus overturned the question of the lawyer and replaced it with one that is more fundamental. If the issue is about love of neighbour, the question one should be asking is that of how one is to express that love and compassion, not to whom it should be expressed. Could there be more subversive instructions with greater political overtones in this parable? This parable crosses the divide between culture, race and creed. It talks about unjust crime, racial discrimination, hatred, exploitation and prejudices. It even impeaches the religious leaders who are turning a blind eye and are unwilling to do anything about these problems. The national and ethnic loyalties are abandoned. The Samaritan is no longer the enemy, but a neighbour. Therefore, the ethics of the kingdom challenges one to reconsider one’s relationship with others. To ask the question, “Who is my neighbour?” (10:29) is grossly mistaken because in effect, one is asking “Who is not my neighbour?” Once we can define who our neighbour is, we are also in effect defining who our neighbour is not.

3) The Activities of Jesus
In what ways do the activities of Jesus inform us of their political significance? One thing without doubt, Jesus did things that got him into trouble and caused controversy. Consider the following activities:

• his preference to participate in table fellowship with the most unlikely group of people – sinners and tax collectors - instead of the pious, holy and respectable figures of his days (e.g., Luke 15:1-2);

• his decision to do things on Sabbath that were considered sacrilegious by others – such as healing and performing miracles (e.g., Mark 3:1-5);


• his choice of allowing the untouchables prostitutes to anoint him (e.g., Luke 7:36-50);


• his act of over turning the tables of the corrupted money changer in the temple courts during a Jewish sacred festival (e.g., Luke 19:45-46);


• his harsh criticism of the ruling authorities by calling Herod a fox (Luke 13:32).

In addition, the choosing of the Twelve disciples is also a highly symbolic act that could not have been understood other than in light of the restoration of the twelve tribes of Israel and the end-time reconstitution of Israel. The miracles that Jesus performed and the acts of exorcisms are collectively pointers to the present reality of the kingdom of God. Finally, the ministry of Jesus is not only limited to the Jews as well. He also chose to reach out to the Samaritans and Gentiles, groups of people considered outcast by the pure-blooded Jews.

All these acts of Jesus simply point to one thing: they are not merely acts of mercy or compassion. They are prophetic symbolic acts. Jesus clearly knows what he was doing and what others would say when they saw him performing these acts. They revealed Jesus as one with a specific mission to the nation of Israel. It is no wonder that the religious establishment had him crucified as a criminal – a death befitting a person charged with sedition and for causing political uprising.

To be continued.....The final part, Part 3: The Implications for the Church Today.

Was Jesus Political? A New Testament Perspective - 3

This is the 3rd and final installment of the full text of my lecture given at the OHMSI Inaugural Dialogue on September 15, 2007. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of the lecture.

4) The Implications for the Church Today

In the beginning of this paper, I have raised two questions.
1) Does Jesus exhibit any political awareness in his earthly ministry?
2) Do the multitude perceive the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus to be political?

After our brief consideration, we can only come to a conclusion that both Jesus and the multitude understood him as political, not in the narrow sense of gaining and maintaining powers in party politics, but in the broad sense of ensuring the good life of the community. This involves making decisions affecting social groups in terms of ethical values and priorities; proper and just economic allocation and distribution of resources; calling the political and religious establishments to integrity and transparency by exposing their inner corruption and abuse of power; and ultimately calling Israel to live as a people of God in light of God’s covenantal faithfulness, failing which, the dreadful judgement and the wrath of God would await them. Notice that all of these are carried out in the public square and not in the private sphere of religion.

What does this mean for the church today? As believers, Jesus not only summons us to a radically exclusive commitment and wholehearted devotion to him but also challenges us as a body of Christ to be the alternative assembly for the society. In this respect, the church is also political. This means that the church does not and cannot exist in isolation from the community that God has placed her.

Admitedly, in this paper, I will raise more questions rather than providing answers. Therefore, the questions for us are these: If we believe that if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, could the church therefore be a social unit that undercuts even our biological and familial relations, demonstrating that the rule and reign of God does not belong to the distant future but is indeed a present reality in our midst where forgiveness, love and acceptance are our boundary markers and badges of identity? In this respect, would it be great that we as Christ-followers are known to our society by our practices – that we care about the environment; speak out against injustice, abuse of power and corruption; reach out to the poor and marginalized; investing our scarce resources to the training, educating and equipping the people of God rather than channelling them to build bigger and more expensive multi-million Ringgit facilities? Could greater Christian initiatives toward deeper racial reconciliation be appreciated in the church? Would the church be known as tranforming agents for our community and society? Would the church be known by her unity rather than disunity?

Can the church refuse the acceptance of the stand that privatises faith? Is the church willing to pay the price in seeking out and protecting those facing injustice and without a voice? Is the church courageous enough to call rulers away from tyranny and oppression towards embracing the Jubilee values of justice and mercy and principles of public servanthood and accountability?

Perhaps this is a good time to reflect on our role as a church, and it could not be more significant that we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Operasi Lalang next month. Where was the church when Operasi Lalang was mounted? Have we not learned our lessons? Or do we continue to choose to remain silent, disengage ourselves and retreat to our comfortable cocoon, deceiving ourselves that all that we need to do is pray and wait impatiently for the second coming of our Lord?

To conclude: How can we impact and influence the community that God has placed us? Taking the cue from the Parable of the Good Samaritan, have we in anyway defined who is our neighbour? Have we reduced others in the world as classifiable commodities by drawing distinctions between persons, deciding who is, and who is not, our neighbour? What are some of the factors that would discourage us to “go and do likewise” today? Perhaps it time we are reminded that we cannot define our neighbour. We can only be a neighbour. To be effective salt and light for the Lord, we need, first of all, to be a neighbour. Perhaps it is time we rethink whether the church of Jesus Christ today exist for the city or the city exist for the church? Does the church exist for the believers or the believers exist for the church?

--- THE END ---


For other perspectives on and response to the dialogue, please see:

1) OHMSI Inaugural Launch - Was Jesus Political? - Sivin Kit (check out the video for the opening and closing part of the event)

2) "Was Jesus political"? - Pearlie

3) Oriental Hearts & Mind Study Institute - Johnny Ong

4) How Was Jesus 'Political'? - Dave Chong

5) How Was Jesus 'Political'? - The Agora

6) Yesterday at OMHSI (sic) forum, "Was Jesus Political?" - Steven Sim

7) Was Jesus Political? - Tricia

The Church has to be Apolitical?

It is not very usual that when a local newspaper published an article on the Christian perspective on certain political and social issues affecting the nation, it would repeatedly cause me to go "huh?"

On Sunday, Jan 20, the largest English daily, the Star, in its column, Cafe Latte Chat, brought together a group of Christian leaders and politicians comprising "Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Subang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, Balakong assemblyman Datuk Hoh Hee Lee, secretary-general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Malaysia Rev Wong Kim Kong, and Council of Churches Malaysia secretary-general Rev Dr Hermen Shastri to ponder on the issues that are of concern to the Christian community and how these will impact on the general election."

Several issues were covered in this interview: Christian perspective on the elections; politics from the pulpit; and Christians concerns and needs of churches.

After reading the entire interview, I personally find the article not only lacks substance despite the representation from different political parties and national church leaders (as correctly highlighted by Jack Said), it also exposes what seems to me some very fundamental erroneous understanding of the scriptures and Christian theology as expressed by one of the national leaders. This should be a matter of grave concern for the Christian community.

Of course, I must qualify that perhaps the entire conversation has been edited. Perhaps it does not fully reflect the position of all the participants. Perhaps there is the possibility that some of the conversations have been misquoted.

I must confess that I am appalled at some of the statements made by one of the national leaders, if all that were said are not misquoted by the press. Of course, I am not sure whether this leader was speaking in his personal capacity or as the representative and spokesperson of the organisation he is representing. If he was speaking as the voice of the churches the organisation is representing, then I have reasons to express my deep concern (providing that he is not misquoted by the press), and I am sure that my fellow theologians and biblical scholars within the Christian circles would agree with my observation.

Let me take, for example, some of the statements made in the article:

"Christians look for spiritual guidance as to what is God's plan for the nation."

"I think the Bible is very clear - the church has to be apolitical and not be involved in the political process directly."

"The church is a neutral institution."

"The church's main concern is spiritual rather than political."

"The separation between the state and religion is a very clear doctrine of Christians."


Of course, one needs to read the entire interview to understand the context out of which the above quotes are taken. But one could not help but to feel that based on the conversation by this national leader, the primary agenda of the church is merely "spiritual" and that our task as believers is to ensure that we get people into heaven, separate ourselves from the corrupted world, and the most that we could do for what is left on this earth is to passively pray about it.

But let me highlight some scripture texts from the NT (I will not touch on the OT as this is not an area that I am very familiar with) and I will only draw on two from the birth narrative of Jesus to make my point:

Song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

The words of Simeon in Luke 2:34-35: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."

Is this apolitical? Or is the birth narrative of Jesus simply a "spiritual" event?

It is not necessary for me to go into great length to address some of these issues as Jack Said has eloquently responded to the interview, and I have also examined in some depth elsewhere the issue on "Was Jesus Political? A New Testament Perspective" during the OHMSI Inaugural Dialogue.

What's left is for me to raise some further questions for us to reflect: Have we not forgotten that the term ekklesia (from which we obtain the English translation church) is in itself a political terminology in the first century world? Have we also missed out that Paul's use of the titles "Lord", "Son of God" and "Saviour" for Christ is in itself political, having borrowed these titles from Caesar? How would the first century Roman citizens would have felt when they hear the titles ascribed to Caesar now being borrowed by the early Christian communities in addressing Jesus Christ? Didn't Paul set his gospel of Christ and the new communities he founded in opposition to the Roman imperial order? Didn't we forget that the very word translated "gospel" in Greek is also used in the political sense?

The editor, Datuk Wong Chun Wai, ended the interview by commenting that "the Christians make up a substantial chunk of votes in the elections and these are issues of concern to them. In the battle for hearts and minds, their voices and their votes certainly matter." I wonder how can our voices and votes matter if all that we are concerned are to merely "look for spiritual guidance", "to be apolitical", to exist as "a neutral institution", and to make our "main concern...spiritual rather than political"? Can we be genuinely concerned for the poor, the marginalised and fight for social justice in our community but yet remain apolitical? Can we ever be the true ambassadors of Christ in bringing the ministry of reconciliation to our community through the power of the authentic message of the gospel and yet remain focused merely on the "spiritual agenda"? Can we ever live out the authentic message of the cross and to allow it to penetrate all aspects of our lives and yet as a community of believers we remain "a neutral institution"? If this is so, can we ever become the community of righteousness and the justice of God in effecting the powerful social transformation as embedded in the gospel proclaimed by Paul (cf. 2 Cor 5:21, remembering that the word translated "righteousness" in its original sense can mean both "righteousness" and "justice")? Can we ever be the salt and light Jesus commended us to be?

This is indeed the deep struggles and concerns of the budding NT scholar concerning the direction of the evangelical church in Malaysia, if what is represented above is true and not misquoted. At the same time I also share the frustrations of JackSaid. And I think YB Teresa Kok hits the nail on the head when she answered the question, "Why are not many Christians involved in politics?"

"I think we have many good quality, educated Christians but they are involved in evangelical activities. They think it’s godlier. Also because of their background, they are more educated, upper middle-class people, they don’t want to dirty their hands because getting involved in politics also means getting your name tarnished, and your hands dirtied. There are also Christians who ask me to leave politics and get involved in more spiritual work."


O Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy...

How Does A Biblical Scholar...? The Struggle to Give A Public Lecture

I have been invited to give a 20-minute lecture on "Was Jesus Political?" from a New Testament perspective for the OHSMI Inaugural Dialogue to be held on September 15, 2007. I think the biggest struggle for me is how should I organise the lecture? At what level I should be giving the lecture - should it be more intellectual or devotional? How can I strike a balance?

I guess it all depends on the crowd that would be coming. If OHSMI dialogue is "designed for good scholarship towards effective discipleship," then I am tempted to do something more scholarly and intellectual. Perhaps there might be a group of people that might appreciate this approach. But again, being a public dialogue, the audience might be mixed and I am also concerned that perhaps some of the crowd may not fully appreciate or understand some of the issued addressed and where I am coming from - and the picture of Jesus that I will paint may differ significantly from one that they are used to - the Saviour of the world - and this may cause uneasiness among some of them.

I guess at the back of my mind, the question I have is this: Can Jesus, in the words of Scot McKnight, "be understood if he is described exclusively, or even primarily, in the category of a spiritual master, or as one who was primarily concerned with the inner religious life and its disciplines for the individual"? Is there a place in our faith for a "political" Jesus instead of merely a "spiritual" Jesus?

The struggle of a budding NT scholar in giving a public lecture.....Hope I survive!

Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives

I have just been alerted on the latest book by prominent NT scholar, Jerome Murphy-O'Connor - Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives (Collegeville: Liturgical Press : 2007). I hope to get hold of this book soon, as its description sounds really fascinating:

Belying the assumption that there is nothing more to discover about the similarities between Jesus and the apostle Paul, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor gives us this enticing study. Extracting his information from a variety of sources—pagan, Jewish, and Christian—Murphy-O’Connor imaginatively interweaves geographical, cultural, and historical elements into configurations that reveal important parallel trajectories in the lives of Jesus and Paul. Murphy-O’Connor begins by discussing the births, early years, and family settings of Jesus and Paul. He continues with an examination of their education, refugee status, social class, economic position, political circumstances, cultural influences, and conversion experiences. Finally, he explores details surrounding their deaths. In the end, Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives gives us incisive comparisons that include but also go beyond the Scriptures to suggest novel ways of picturing Jesus-Paul. Readers will appreciate the labors of Murphy-O’Connor to contextualize Jesus, the God-Man, alongside Paul, Man of God and Apostle to the Gentiles—and will thereby have a greater appreciation for the missions of both.

In my own doctoral thesis, I argued that the influence of the story of Jesus in Paul's understanding of his suffering and gentile mission has not been given its due recognition. As such, this is one book that I wished could have been published before I completed my thesis. I strongly believe it would have made a significant contribution to my thesis and further strengthened my argument.

Thanks Jerome for what appears to be another interesting and significant contribution by you on the Jesus-Paul debate. I look forward to reading your latest book!

Interpretation: Revelation as a Critique of the Empire

The latest issue of Interpretation focuses on the book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse of John. Titled as "Revelation as a Critique of the Empire," this issue also addresses the issues faced by "Christians living in the complicated religious and political environment of imperial power."

The essays in this volume "describe the enduring challenges faced by Christians who claim loyalty to the reign of God while experiencing the reign of secular authorities."

The essays in this volume, as extracted online, include:

REVELATION'S VISIONARY CHALLENGE TO ORDINARY EMPIRE • CRAIG R. KOESTER
Revelation addresses the ordinary challenges facing Christians under Roman rule, some of whom were struggling while others were affluent and complacent. The book’s visions seek to alter the way they see the political, religious, and economic dimensions of imperial life and to call them to renewed faithfulness to God and the Lamb.

JOHN'S IRONIC EMPIRE • DAVID R. BARR John’s Revelation wrestles with the question of how Jesus’ followers were to live under the imperial domination of Rome. While some see John as establishing an alternative imperial system, attention to the irony with which the story is told reveals a more compelling critique of power.

ACCOMMODATING “JEZEBEL” AND WITHDRAWING JOHN: NEGOTIATING EMPIRE IN REVELATION THEN AND NOW • WARREN CARTER Revelation addresses a struggle over how followers of Jesus might negotiate the complex imperial realities of Roman rule. The call for societal distance and disengagement resists and seeks to conceal other voices that urge greater levels of societal interaction. Revelation also raises the urgent issue of how contemporary followers of Jesus might negotiate the world's most powerful empire—the one we in the United States inhabit.

BABYLON BOYCOTT: THE BOOK OF REVELATION • ALLEN DWIGHT CALLAHAN Revelation challenges contemporary readers to escape the impending destruction of global imperialism, and calls upon Christians to boycott the imperialist political economy that murders “all the peoples of the earth” (Rev 18:24). To be true to their conscience and to their God, those in true solidarity with Jesus must withdraw from the evil system in which they live or suffer the consequences of their complicity with it.

Check out also the 7-day promotion where you could log in for free and have access to all its previous issues.

I think this is a very timely issue for those of us living in Malaysia in the midst of the current political situation.

Elections Fever: "Have Christians Learned the Costly Lesson?"

With the dissolution of Parliament, the way is now paved for Malaysia's 12th General Elections to be held on March 8. Christian Federation of Malaysia has issued statements and flyers to encourage Malaysian Christians to exercise their rights by voting wisely.

Chapel messages in the seminary have also focused on issues and concerns surrounding the general elections. I will soon be posting the chapel message that I delivered yesterday.

In the meantime, the following article by Josh Hong, "Have Christians Learned the Costly Lesson?", as appeared in Malaysiakini today is certainly worth a read. I have reproduced this article below, as it complements my chapel message yesterday.

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Have Christians learned the costly lesson?
Josh Hong Feb 22, 08 1:33pm

Goh Keat-Peng, a Christian leader and keen watcher of Malaysian politics, crossed the Rubicon when he entered party politics by becoming a founding member of Parti Keadilan in 1999. This created a bit of a stir within the Christian communities in Malaysia, with some criticising Goh for joining an opposition party as a prominent Christian.

Ten years on, the shouts for Reformasi have kind of died down, while the political climate in the country has vastly changed. Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose sacking of his deputy Anwar Ibrahim triggered the crisis, is even struggling to make his feeble voices heard – just like the rest of us.

Paradoxically, it was against this background of the seemingly moderate and progressive "Islam Hadhari", promulgated by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, that a series of controversies took place, all of which involved Islam and other faiths. On the eve of the 12th General Election, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), long perceived to be transcending politics, suddenly came out with a statement calling for Christians to "vote wisely."

If you ask for my frank opinion, I would say the wording of the original press statement is rather too cautious and level-headed, with no offence to any party. That is sensible. Still, it contains nothing new, and reeks of xenophobia even as it refers to a survey by the Star that "illegal immigrants" are among the issues central to voters’ concerns. The innocent and helpless face of infant Jesus seeking refuge in Egypt sprang to mind as I was reading it.

After years of the carrot and stick approach by the authorities, Malaysia’s religious communities have, generally speaking, developed severe political phobia for politics. In view of this, credit must still be given to the CFM for having taken the lead and set itself as an example for other religious groups to follow.

The statement is issued with a view to reminding Christians of their responsibility as citizens; it also spells out some guidelines which Christians should consider when they exercise their right to vote, and the criteria include "integrity, honesty and efficiency" of political parties, as well as candidates’ past performance and stand on "constitutional rights, civil liberties and freedom of religion". Although the statement falls short of unequivocal support for the opposition, the discontent with the Barisan Nasional government over the Islamicization of the country is too conspicuous to be ignored.

Christian politicians
His mission on earth may have been short, Jesus made justice the core of his sermons nonetheless. Malaysia has held no less than 11 general elections since the 1950s, yet it does not take a genius to tell in all honesty how many of them can be said to be squeaky clean.

If the CFM hopes to make some real impact on the reader, it should have touched on several serious concerns also, such as the gerrymandered electoral map and the absence of free press and independent media in Malaysia. This could help the intended public come to grip with realities.

Of course, there are always Christian politicians who do not just sit idly by when the rights of non-Muslims are encroached upon. Apart from some opposition parliamentarians, Loh Seng Kok, the MCA Member of Parliament for Kelana Jaya, once voiced the concern that the new edition of history textbooks used in national schools made light of non-Malays’ contribution to nation-building. Loh, in one of the parliamentary sessions, also requested that the directive of the Islamic Development Board (Jakim) for the private sector to conduct Muslim prayers during meetings be retracted.

Unavoidably, Loh’s conscientious acts hit a raw nerve when some Umno extremists gathered outside his service centre and yelled at him, warning him to mind his own business. But Loh lives in a country where absurdities and bizarreness abound. Instead of seeing the mobs punished for their unruliness, we now know that Loh has been dropped from the MCA candidates’ list.

But the most unbearable humiliation for Loh is perhaps the vandalising of his campaign billboards by unknown parties. I do feel sorry for Loh, and pray that he will soon receive healing on his wounded spirit from the righteous God that he and I both believe.

Damaging dispute

Having said that, I just wonder if Malaysia could have spared the damaging dispute over Lina Joy and Moorthy’s dead body had the Christian communities chosen to speak out without fear and favour on injustices over the years, and to show concern to all the weak minorities – "legal" or "illegal" alike, by virtue of the strength that springs from their faith.

Whatever has happened in regard to religion clearly indicates that non-Muslims in Malaysia can no longer pin our hope on some "powerful politicians" in government to safeguard our rights when the country’s democratic institution is seriously flawed.

After all, these politicians, Christian or not, are beholden to a racist and hegemonic party and can ill afford to sacrifice their political career, the latest example being Lee Hwa Beng who, like many BN leaders, is quick to blame the press for "misquoting" him.

It would be disingenuous for me to say there has been no breakthrough between the days when Goh Keat-Peng joined Keadilan and the moment the CFM statement was issued. Still, if Christians are still not grounded in the biblical teaching for us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, we may not really learn from the costly mistakes over the past so many decades and are bound to repeat them.

Official Launch of OHMSI

The Oriental Hearts and Minds Institute, which is established on 31 July 2004, will be officially launched on the 15 September 2007 at the Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall, Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya from 10.00am to 12.00pm.

In conjunction with the OMSHI launch, there will be a Launch Dialogue entitled, "Was Jesus Political?"

Details of the dialogue are as follow:

• Moderator: Bishop Dr Hwa Yung


• Speakers: Dr Lim Kar Yong, Lecturer in New Testament Studies, STM; and Dr K. J. John, Executive Director, OHMSI.


• Commentators: Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, General Secretary, CCM; Goh Keat Peng, Former General Secretary, CFM; Dr Beth Baikan; and representatives of NECF and an active Christian Organization (to be confirmed at a later date).

Do support OHMSI for this event (read: also come and support me lah). For further information, please contact Dr K. J. John. His contact details can be found here.

OHMSI Dialogue: Was Jesus Political?

Do come and support yours truly for the Inaugural Dialogue during the official launch of OHMSI .

Date: September 15, 2007

Time: 10.00 am - 12.30pm

Venue: Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall, Jalan Gasing

You may register for the Inaugural Dialogue by clicking here.

Review of Biblical Literature February 5, 2009

The following have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature Februaru 5, 2009.

Armin D. Baum
Der mündliche Faktor und seine Bedeutung für die synoptische Frage: Analogien aus der antiken Literatur, der Experimentalpsychologie, der Oral Poetry-Forschung und dem rabbinischen Traditionswesen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6546
Reviewed by Lars Kierspel

Mark J. Boda and Paul L. Redditt, eds.
Unity and Disunity in Ezra-Nehemiah: Redaction, Rhetoric, and Reader
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6677
Reviewed by Andrew E. Steinmann

Aaron A. Burke
"Walled Up to Heaven": The Evolution of Middle Bronze Age Fortification Strategies in the Levant
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6471
Reviewed by Friedrich Schipper

J. Edward Ellis
Paul and Ancient Views of Sexual Desire: Paul's Sexual Ethics in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 7 and Romans 1
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6446
Reviewed by James W. Aageson

Steven D. Fraade, Aharon Shemesh, and Ruth A. Clements, eds.
Rabbinic Perspectives: Rabbinic Literature and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, 7-9 January, 2003)
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5898
Reviewed by Moshe J. Bernstein

Elizabeth Frood
Biographical Texts from Ramessid Egypt
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6083
Reviewed by Roxana Flammini

Susan Gillingham
Psalms through the Centuries: Volume 1
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6425
Reviewed by Joachim Vette

Geoffrey W. Grogan
Psalms
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6589
Reviewed by Paul Sanders

Peter Harrison
The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6421
Reviewed by Mark Elliot

Donald E. Hartley
The Wisdom Background and Parabolic Implications of Isaiah 6:9-10 in the Synoptics
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6538
Reviewed by Stephen Moyise

Lechion Peter Kimilike
Poverty in the Book of Proverbs: An African Transformational Hermeneutic of Proverbs on Poverty
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6641
Reviewed by Philip J. Nel

J. G. McConville
God and Earthly Power: An Old Testament Political Theology, Genesis-Kings
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6466
Reviewed by Phillip Camp

Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica, eds.
Who Do My Opponents Say That I Am? An Investigation of the Accusations against the Historical Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6474
Reviewed by Samuel Lamerson
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Karen B. Stern
Inscribing Devotion and Death: Archaeological Evidence for Jewish Populations of North Africa
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6370
Reviewed by Steven Fine

Review of Biblical Literature June 8, 2009

The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature:

A. Berlejung and P. van Hecke, eds.
The Language of Qohelet in Its Context: Essays in Honour of Prof. A. Schoors on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6794
Reviewed by Max Rogland

Joshua A. Berman
Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6939
Reviewed by Mark Leuchter

Constantine R. Campbell
Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6873
Reviewed by C. Michael Robbins

Sang Youl Cho
Lesser Deities in the Ugaritic Texts and the Hebrew Bible: A Comparative Study of Their Nature and Roles
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7005
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

A.-F. Christidis, ed.
A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6748
Reviewed by Douglas Estes

Lowell K. Handy
Jonah's World: Social Science and the Reading of Prophetic Story
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6865
Reviewed by Karl Moller

Richard A. Horsley
Jesus in Context: Power, People, and Performance
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6716
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Peter Jeffery
The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5627
Reviewed by J. Harold Ellens

Anke Joisten-Pruschke
Das religiöse Leben der Juden von Elephantine in der Achämenidenzeit
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6625
Reviewed by Robert A. Kugler

Katrin Keita
Gottes Land: Exegetische Studien zur Land-Thematik im Hoseabuch in kanonischer Perspektive
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6486
Reviewed by Sven Petry

Edward W. Klink III
The Sheep of the Fold: The Audience and Origin of the Gospel of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6594
Reviewed by Cornelis Bennema

Chaim Navon
Genesis and Jewish Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6438
Reviewed by Bradley Embry

Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright III, eds.
A New English Translation of the Septuagint and the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included υnder That Title
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6729
Reviewed by Wolfgang Kraus

Thomas R. Schreiner
New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6526
Reviewed by Panayotis Coutsoumpos

Katherine M. Stott
Why Did They Write This Way? Reflections on References to Written Documents in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Literature
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6672
Reviewed by Werner H. Kelber

David Shepherd, ed.
Images of the Word: Hollywood's Bible and Beyond
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6913
Reviewed by Christopher Fuller

Real Estate Examination and Theological Education: A Correlation?

In one of my earlier posts, I highlighted some of the concerns affecting the real estate industry in Malaysia. As someone who was involved in the industry as Registered Valuer and Registered Estate Agent in the 90s, I am naturally concerned and saddened that there has not been much progress in the professional development of the industry over the past decade. It was reported that there are now more than a staggering 10,000 unlicensed real estate agents in Malaysia. According to the statistics of Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents, this figure represents equal number of negotiators that work under registered real estate agents. In other words, for every real estate negotiator, there is one other illegal real estate agent. It is very sad to witness the present situation. This caused the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents to issue an urgent appeal to the government. If this is any indication of the health of the profession, it suggests that the battle to weed out illegal real estate agents has not only been unsuccessful but the problem appears to have ballooned overtime.

I could not help but to see a very close correlation between the profession of estate agents and full-time Christian vocation. Since my return from the UK last October, I have been in conversation with a significant number of church leaders and pastors who questioned the relevance and necessity of theological education for pastors and those who desire to serve in full-time Christian vocation. I wonder whether is this an emerging trend in the Malaysian Christian scene where increasing number of church leaders and pastors are now arguing against the need for theological education?

As a former "insider" of the real estate industry, I am all too aware of some of the reasons why many illegal real estate agents exist and why many of them do not see the need to acquire the necessary professional qualifications. First, these unlicensed real estate agents feel that it is simply a waste of time to take up professional training. To be a registered estate agent, the route is often long and time consuming. On average, it takes an average of 4-5 years before one can be registered as a real estate agent. Secondly, to be a registered estate agent, the process is rather complicated. One has to pass the 2-part written examinations comprising a total of 12 papers if the candidate does not possess an undergraduate degree in the filed of valuation, property or real estate. After passing the qualifying examinations, this is followed by a minimum of two years supervised practical training under a Registered Estate Agent, at the end of which, the candidate may sit for the Test of Professional Competence (TPC). It is only after successfully passing the TPC that a candidate is qualified to apply for a licence to practise as a registered real estate agent. Another reason that is often cited for not seeking professional qualification is that the syllabus covered in the qualifying examinations is too broad and theoretical. Most see the requirements to study Land Law, Estate Agency Law, Property Taxation, Principles of Valuation, Building Technology, Principles of Economics, Land Economics are simply a waste of time. Finally, the most frequently cited reason for not acquiring for the professional qualification is this: if there is a short cut in which plenty of money is to be made, why bother and be burdened with acquiring the necessary professional qualification?

When I reflect on the reasons often cited against acquiring a professional qualification for real estate agent, I could not help but to notice a very close correlation with the same reasons why many believe that theological education is also not necessary for pastors. For those Christian pastors and church leaders, theological education is a waste of time. A typical period taken for completing a Bachelor of Divinity/Theology and Master of Divinity is 4 years and 3 years respectively. Why waste time in theological education when many people are dying without the knowledge of the gospel? The urgency is to preach the gospel now and to "save souls." Secondly, like the real estate qualification, theological education is also complicated. It is often assumed to be dry. It robs seminarians of their joy, zeal and passion in serving the Lord. It may also lead seminarians to become "liberal" in their theological understanding. Some may even lose their faith in seminary. Thirdly, like the real estate agent written examination, theological education is often described as too theoretical. One is required to do a broad curriculum. If a pastor only wants to preach Christ and the gospel, why bother with church history, christian education and counselling? Why waste time studying about the synoptic problem, the quest of the historical Jesus, the problems in identifying Paul's opponents, and whether 2 Corinthians is a unified letter or a fragment of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 letters? Why bother with Greek when one does not even refer to it after graduation? Finally, if one is able to preach, lead people to Christ, teach the Bible, and this causes the church to continue to grow statistically, why bother with theological education?

We will be celebrating our 50th year of nationhood in one month's time. Our political leaders have often said that we have achieved much development and progress as a nation since independence. Can we also say the same as far as theological education is concerned? Have we also made significant progress in tandem with other areas of development and progress in the nation? Or, like the real estate professional qualification, is theological education no longer deemed necessary and relevant for the training of clergy, pastor and those aspiring to enter full-time Christian vocation?


At the end, I wonder which vocation is better for me: to be a seminary lecturer or practise as a valuer and real estate agent? Hmmm...food for thought...