Deus Misereatur

Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not: Evaluating Empire in New Testament Studies by Scot McKnight My rating: 3 of 5 stars Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica have pulled together New Testament Scholars to examine a trend flowing through New Testament studies these days: (1) Empire criticism and (2) postcolonial critique. The first chapter surveys Roman imperial ideology and the development of the imperial cult. Nystrom shows that early on, the imperial cult was loose and not as "in-your-face" as has sometimes been presented, because it was often a footnote of the normal religious fabric in the Empire. The following chapters, written respectively by Diehl, Willitts, Pinter, Skinner, Strait, Bird, Cohick, Bevere and Sheets, take on specific New Testament writings showing how empire criticism and postcolonial critique view the Scriptures. They each then show the holes and cracks in these two streams of hermeneutics. To summarize the end result of these short articles, McKnight and Modica...

Lord Jesus, who on the evening of that first Sunday of your resurrection appeared to your disciples who had hunkered down behind locked doors out of fear, and said to them “Peace be with you,” showed them your hands and side, and sent them forth (John 20.19-21); meet with us this evening, fill us with your peace, and send us forth. O Lord, hear our prayer. Mighty God, we remember those who find  themselves struggling with specific hardships, fears, worries and perplexities…Comfort them in their grief; strengthen them in their weakness; deliver them in their distress; and raise them to new hope.  O Lord, hear our prayer. By Your great mercy, please keep safe and sound our U.S. Military personnel and support their families. Please also safeguard our country, and deliver us from this road to serfdom. Direct the hearts and minds of all the leaders of every nation to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before you in your ways of truth (Micah 6.8). And we pray for this...