2 Corinthians – Suggestions from Wright
Bible study. Questions. These things surprisingly still invoke a mild fight-or-flight response in me. Can I trust the study guide? What ideology are these questions imposing on me? It has taken me more than three years to embark on an actual bible study with an official study guide. Yes I have been doing my own bible reading and did a personal study of the books of Job, Hebrews, Romans and Galatians these past three years. But these were just my own loose study. I was able to participate in a few bible study groups at our new local church, such as their “Be Armed!” study. Those were helpful and had study guides, but were disconnected from the direct text of the bible.
I have found that my own, no-pressure bible reading and the group topical bible studies are very enjoyable, challenging and helpful. Those approaches to bible study gave me time to process my own belief system, rather than dictate a belief system to me. But now I want more; I want to get closer to the bible text and enrich my personal faith fabric. So I’ve decided to learn from and trust N.T. Wright and his study guide on 2 Corinthians. So far this has been a good decision.
We Don’t Know
My fears about being indoctrinated with some odd ideology were put to rest right away. The man who some have called the greatest Christian theologian of our time says this in his introduction.
“The historian, particularly the ancient historian, is often in the position of the puzzled spectator. The historian may have evidence about an early phase of someone’s career, and then again a later phase; but what happened in between is often hidden. So it is with Paul. He has gone into the house, striding cheerfully along; we have watched him do so in his first letter to the Corinthians. Now in 2 Corinthians we see him emerge again, battered and bruised. Even his style of writing seems to have changed. But we don’t know what happened [in between the two letters].”
We know Paul suffered something apparently rather horrific. But we don’t really know what his struggles were specifically. Like many writers in the ancient world, Paul is far more concerned with the meaning behind the suffering and struggles, rather than detailing out all the symptoms. Suffering in the ancient world meant divine anger or displeasure. And Paul contradicts this thinking to give us a far deeper meaning of human struggles.
Suffering is Not Divine Punishment
N.T. Wright makes a broad-stroke observation about Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. This observation is highly cathartic for me.
“Whatever Paul had gone through, it would have been easy for his enemies, or those who were jealous of him, to think to themselves that it probably served him right, that God was most likely punishing him for something or other. Not so, says Paul. These things come not because God is angry but because he wants us to trust him more fully. Paul was breaking new ground.”
The Earth-shattering Gospel
I really appreciate the gospel emphasis I continue to find in N.T. Wright’s writings. He observses that 2 Corinthians is a letter of “deep sorrow and raw wounds”. Yet he also sees what he calls “earth-shattering implications of the gospel”.
After reading this introduction my mind and heart are at ease. N.T. Wright shows me not even a single “red flag” that would tell me he is being manipulative or deceptive. What is more, he also displays all the “green flags” that tell me I can trust him. This does not mean I will agree with everything he teaches; I surely won’t! But I can trust that he knows the gospel messages and has an approach to bible study that will allow me the freedom of mind to build my own faith. His study guide appears to be structured so that I have the freedom to learn not only from N.T., but from the Holy Spirit.
Questions
What is your approach to bible study? What methods have encouraged you the most? What qualities do you look for in a bible study guide? How do you listen to the Spirit’s voice?
Approach to Bible study: I used to read the text and then come up with an outline, a message or sermon or Bible study, without referring to anything else.
Today, I do virtually the exact opposite. I read tons of stuff: commentaries, sermons, blogs, etc., on a particular text first. And then based on what I have read, I come up with my outline or bullet points, or sermon, etc.
I’ve read that different pastors adopt both approaches. To those who care to listen, I would like to encourage UBFers to seriously consider the 2nd approach, rather than sticking only or primarily to the 1st approach, and regarding the 2nd approach as “not really studying the Bible.”
I believe and have experienced that the Holy Spirit can work with both approaches.
What matters to me now Ben, is not so much my approach to the bible in terms of practice but my approach in terms of attitude.
It is possible to try out all kinds of practices, but keep the same poor attitudes. We might, for example, read all kinds of commentaries and books, but read them with an attitude of seeking affirmation for our pre-conceived ideas. And thus the attitude prevents or allows challenges to our thinking.
What I appreciate most about you Ben, is your attitude change. Practices seem to change in cycles. George Koch shared a great story in our cohort class. The pattern he observed many times at Oracle was that young people come into the business challenging the central authority saying “we need local freedom!”. Then they get older and new young people come into the business. They challenge the local freedom ideas and say “we need a central authority!”.
He pointed out that change in practice doesn’t really equate to growth and edification. It is our attitude and conscience and emotions that need to grow and mature in the midst of the cycles of life. The real danger is an unchanging attitude that is too rigid to adapt to the Spirit’s leading.
I read your response verbatim to a son of a high ranking UBF member. He said “Wow he is a spiritual nerd.” I said “Oh Dr. Ben will love to hear that (I was joking with him.) He suddenly said “Oh I mean… Amen.” I thought that was funny.
Yes, I love it! Being called a nerd is kinda fun, complimentary even. I’ve been called far, far worse.
Brian, I was struck by your statement that you decided to “trust” N.T. Wright. That’s an interesting way to put it, but it’s very accurate. Whenever we decide to read someone’s work and take it seriously, we are entering into a relationship of trust with the person who wrote it. This doesn’t mean that you accept everything he writes as 100% true. (Wright himself wouldn’t want you to do that.) It means that you are going to suspend skepticism and allow yourself to be mentored by him for a while as you try to understand Scripture.
Meaningful engagement with Scripture together with an individual or a community depends upon a relationship of trust. Once that trust has been broken, it becomes impossible to continue. That’s why, for the last few years, I’ve found it very difficult to glean anything of value from ubf messages or Bible study materials. Even if there were something of value in there, it would be very hard for me to see it. Now, whenever I see ubf material, all I can think of is the leaders’ bad decisions, broken promises, political maneuvering, duplicity, hardness of heart, and above all else, their compulsive and irrational need to save face and maintain their own false sense of honor.
When I read N.T. Wright, I hear the voice of a good person. When I read ubf material, I cannot hear the voices of good people. Is that my fault?
Joe, you have a way with words that simply “scares” and silences your opponents, because you probably nailed it with hardly any wiggle room: “Now, whenever I see ubf material, all I can think of is the leaders’ bad decisions, broken promises, political maneuvering, duplicity, hardness of heart, and above all else, their compulsive and irrational need to save face and maintain their own false sense of honor.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/07/13/2-corinthians-suggestions-from-wright/#comment-14497
For reasons you stated, it has become harder if not impossible for me to read and listen to various pastors that I once did because of a few outrageous statements and decisions that they have made.
Unfortunately, some ubf leaders do not seem to understand this. Some of them seem unwilling to take responsibility and to be accountable for things that they have said and done that were hurtful, dismissive, diminishing and abusive toward their own members. I believe that Christians are more than willing to forgive them. But it is hard to embrace and especially trust those who do not seem to want to come clean and simply and humbly acknowledge that they have made mistakes, which we all do.
“When I read N.T. Wright, I hear the voice of a good person. When I read ubf material, I cannot hear the voices of good people. Is that my fault?” I would say that it is not your fault. But I think I also know what ubf insiders would say, because in my opinion they have often failed or refused to see or try to understand positions and perspectives other than from their own box and bubble.
“I believe that Christians are more than willing to forgive them.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/07/13/2-corinthians-suggestions-from-wright/#comment-14498
Yes, I am willing to forgive anything and everything. I am trying my best not to hold any grudges. But even if I forgive them, I cannot take any of their words or teachings or materials seriously until they actually DO something to win back the trust of the countless people they have hurt and dissed.
From their perspective, of course, it is I who have broken the relationship of trust, because I began to speak out; because I did not remain quiet and humble and submissive and sheepish forever. Because I did not make it my highest priority to help leaders save face. Yes, I broke that relationship, because it was dysfunctional and unChristian.
“From their perspective, of course, it is I who have broken the relationship of trust… Because I did not make it my highest priority to help leaders save face.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/07/13/2-corinthians-suggestions-from-wright/#comment-14499
Something that is so so deeply rooted and culturally enshrined as sacred and non-negotiable is likely causing many churches and institutions (Westminster) to become unglued and less reputable or disreputable, while adamantly insisting and denying that they have done anything wrong.
The inability to be honest (which is so plainly evident to so many) will simply cause their eventual demise. This is one of my points from my sermon yesterday on the kingdom and the church: http://westloop-church.org/index.php/messages/new-testament/33-ephesians-messages/372-the-kingdom-and-the-church-is-hot
Joe, this is a “homerun” statement:
“Brian, I was struck by your statement that you decided to “trust” N.T. Wright. That’s an interesting way to put it, but it’s very accurate. Whenever we decide to read someone’s work and take it seriously, we are entering into a relationship of trust with the person who wrote it. This doesn’t mean that you accept everything he writes as 100% true. (Wright himself wouldn’t want you to do that.) It means that you are going to suspend skepticism and allow yourself to be mentored by him for a while as you try to understand Scripture.”
I hope this helps give some clarity around my relationship with ubf people and what I’ve done the past 3 years.
Trust, at the core, is a decision. Regardless of any good thing I or anyone else experiences at ubf, I have decided not to trust ubf material for my guide to the bible or to Christian life. I have also decided to stop trusting anyone in ubf authority. And I stopped trusting my personal shepherd. Trust was broken by him and by the ubf authorities. And therefore I choose not to trust them with so much of my life.
So these things stand out from your words Joe, that I agree with fully:
– Trust does not mean “no disagreement”.
– Trust is not something we can demand from other people.
– Trust is not permanent, but fluctuates.
I am finding people who are trustworthy know all these things.
My approach for the bible is this. First I ask who wrote the text and why they wrote it, who did they write it to. From this I then read the text and develop my reflection which includes how this text references or proclaims Christ. Then I ask which Christian virtues the text seems to develop. I then look at commentaries on bible hub and I look at what others have said about the virtues. There is typically a questionnaire but I find my reflection usually answers or raises most of the questions. Other times I more or less ignore the questionaire if it is badly written.
For example last Tuesday bible study was Romans 5:1-8.
Romans was written by Paul to the Romans. He wrote the letter to explain how the law related to Jesus and original sin. In verse 5:1-8 Paul explains that since we are justified we have peace. He then says we have nothing to boast about ( which he has repeated this a lot). He then says suffering produces perseverance, character and hope. He goes on to say Christ showed his love by dying for the those who did not deserve it.
The two virtues here are hope and love. It seems he is teaching Christian virtues are only virtues when held under adverse conditions. Hope means to hope is cases of hopelessness and to love means to love the unlovable, faith means believing the unbelievable as gk Chesterton says. Cs Lewis says we are called upon to forgive the unforgivable because Christ forgives the unforgivable in us.
Forests, my approach is now something like this:
– Recall what ubf shepherds would say about the passage. Think about the opposite of whatever ubf would say, and reject those thoughts.
– Take several days to recover from PTSD reactions to remembering 15,000 hours sitting on folding chairs mindlessly struggling to fit Confucian values into the bible text as my sould wondered aimlessly through a dark fog of confusion.
– Clear my mind and quiet my sould by thinking about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remind myself of the explicit themes of freedom, forgiveness, fulfillment. Read the bible passages containing the 5 explicit gospel messages: grace, peace, glory, kingdom and salvation!
– Read commentaries, sermons, esp. Spurgeon and N.T.Wright. I only trust those two Christian teachers at the moment.
– Blog out my anger and frustration over being duped by ubf heritage slogans and missing out on the joy and power of the Christian gospel for so long.
– Read the bible text in The Message and the ESV.
– Listen for the promptings of the Holy Spirit and discern my “next step” from Jesus’ voice, listening for what He wants to speak to me.
Hey everyone, I’ve been focusing on my 3rd book, which tells the stories of what happened from 2009 to present. I expect to get back to the N.T.Wright study soon. Right now I’m dealing with all the PTSD symptoms as I re-read all the emails and piece together the events of how my faith unraveled, my mission decomposed and my community (Toledo ubf) collapsed. Not sure if I will be able to push the “publish” button on this one….