CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW TACKLES "INTERRACIALMARRIAGE"

With the inauguration of President Barack Obama, a new era of race relations has begun in America. This child of a racially mixed marriage has captured the highest office of the land and the imaginations of people around the world. One cannot help but notice the complexion of America is changing. The face of our nation is transitioning from a predominately white one to various shades of tan.

The church, however, still struggles with interracial relationships, if not in theory, at least in practice. While Jesus loves the little children without distinction—red and yellow, black and white—his church, for the most part, reflects an equal but separate model of worship. Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week; but, things are slowly beginning to change.

As the racial identity of the nation becomes more blurred, so will the racial make-up of the church. Therefore, it is incumbent on seminary professors to equip future pastors to become effective leaders of a hybrid church. Additionally, those currently in ministry will soon find themselves dealing with matters for which they were not trained. Issues such as racially-diverse worship styles, multiracial leadership, interracial dating and mixed marriage are but a few of the challenges ahead.

The Spring 2009 edition of Criswell Theological Review focuses on the issue of interracial marriage. We have invited a group of experienced scholars to address the topic, including Craig Keener, Danny Hays, and Edwin Yamauchi, among others; plus, we feature an exclusive interview with Rodney Woo, pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, TX, who tells of the joys and difficulties of taking a declining white congregation and transforming it into a thriving multiracial church.

You can order the issue at" Criswelljournal.com

John Updike on the Resurrection

Most Christians have heard of John Updike, the famed Pulitzer Prize author of poems and short stories, but few have ever read him. Fewer still know of the profound influence that Karl Barth had on his understanding of God and his perception of reality. Updike died yesterday in hospice after a bout with cancer. He was 76. Here is a poem he wrote nearly five decades on the resurrection.


SEVEN STANZAS OF EASTER


By John Updike

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His Flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that — pierced — died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

From Updike, John. "Telephone Poles and Other Poems" (New York: Alfred A. Knopf,1961).

NEW CTR COMES OFF PRESS

The Spring 2008 Criswell Theological Review (CTR), of which I am editor, is now being mailed to subscribers. This edition of CTR deals exclusively with the explosive issue of "The Christian and Alcohol." Recently, the Southern Baptist Convention has had to address this matter at its annual meeting because so many of its pastors view social drinking as an acceptable practice among their parishioners. What do you think about the issue? How does the Scriptures handle the issue? CTR presents all sides of the controversy from a theological, historical, social and biblical perspective.

To get a glimpse of the Spring 08 CTR, go to: www.criswelljournal.com

Watch Video Streaming on Exegesis of Luke

My Sunday morning exegetical messages on the Gospel of Luke can be viewed on the web at www.presidentsclass.org

These verse-by-verse teachings, which examine the text from an historical-critical perspective, show how Jesus' proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God was central to his eschatological mission.

The website features about eight messages. Each Monday afternoon we place a new video online, and the oldest one is removed.

We offer these for your education and edification. Please tell other pastors and theological students about the website. We hope the messages will stimulate your thinking and motivate you to do further research on each passage.

After listening to the messages, please give me some feedback.

UPCOMING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

March

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 -- Teaching the Presidents Class, First Baptist Church (Dallas), 9:30 a.m. each Sunday

25 -- Criswell College chapel service, 10:00 a.m.

April

6, 13, 20, 27 -- Presidents Class FBC (Dallas), 9:30 a.m.

6 -- First Baptist Church (Dallas) evening service (6:00 p.m.).

Annexation, A Kingdom Perspective

Last night the City Council of Rockwall, Texas, held public meetings to discuss annexation of 234 acres of land. Since my acre is included, I attended the hearing.

After many property owners voiced emotional pleas, asking the Council to exempt their property from annexation, I rose to speak. In a moment of clarity, I saw that the real issue was a clash between two kingdoms. The city had the legal right to annex our land and boost their tax base, and by golly they were going to do it whether we wanted them to or not. Forced annexation is a manifestation of governmental power and differs very little from the Roman system of domination. Therefore, I decided to approach the issue from a kingdom perspective.

Here are my comments:
____

Mr. Mayor and members of the Council. I can’t add much more to what has already been said; so, I wish to address the basic issue of justice and fairness. Sometimes what is legal is not fair or just.

When our forefathers declared their independence from Great Britain, they stated, “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

By adding the adjective “just” to “power” they were making a moral argument, not a legal one. There is a different between “raw power” and “just power.” The latter is derived only from the consent of the governed.

When my wife and I moved to Rockwall County 15 years ago, we chose to live outside the city limits. Now our rights and desires are in jeopardy by this council who wants to annex us into the city without our consent.

Our precious next door neighbors were retired and on a fix income when we moved into our home 15 years ago. They no longer drive at night and are not here. Annexation will place an undo burden on these good people. With the current drop in property values and the anticipated recession will this couple, who still lives on the same fixed income as before, be able to pay the extra taxes and $10,000 sewer hookup required by annexation?

The city of Rockwall may exercise its legal power, but one must question whether it is “just,” since it is being done without the consent of the people? The issue is a moral one.

When the Republic of Texas was annexed (1845) into the United States of America it was done only with the consent of the citizens of Texas.

Consent is the founding principle upon which our nation was established and upon which “just power” is derived.

I appeal to your sense of fairness and justice. Annexation without consent is un-American and it is certainly not the Texan thing to do.

Speaking Schedule For Dec, Jan, Feb

DECEMBER

Sunday Morning (9:30) Dec 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Presidents Class, FBC (Dallas, TX)

JANUARY

Sunday Morning (9:30) Jan 6, 13, 20, 27 Presidents Class, FBC (Dallas, TX)
Sunday Evening (5:45) Jan 13, Baptism, FBC (Dallas, TX)
Wednesday Evening (6:15) Jan 9, 16, 23, 30 Midweek Bible Study, FBC (Dallas, TX)

FEBRUARY

Sunday Morning (9:30) Feb 3, 10, 17, 24 Presidents Class, FBC (Dallas, TX)
Monday Evening (7:00) Feb 25 Annual Expository Preaching Conference (Plenary Speaker), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, TX)

Kingdom of God

"I know a place
where sinners all are saints
Virgins once were whores
Where all the freaks and the geeks
And everything in between
Walk through the doors
To the Kingdom of the poor."
- Andrew Phillip Ehrenzeller

CONVERSIONS AND CONTROVERSY AT THE SBC ANNUAL MEETING

I just returned from the annual Southern Baptist convention, which was held in San Antonio. Each year I take several students from Criswell College to the convention site to do evangelism. This year was no exception. Our team shared the gospel at a block party, in the park, door-to-door, on the streets, in front of the Alamo and at the Henry C. Gonzalez Convention Center. We handed out hundreds of tracts and spoke to scores of people about eternal matters. In all 18 people made professions of faith. One was an 82 year old Hispanic lady who came to Christ in her living room. When we did a follow-up visit we told her how happy we were for her, and she replied, "But not as happy as I am." A 50 year old man brought his son to the Saturday block party. Both came to Christ. Afterward, the father told us that he was an alcoholic, but had been dry for two months. Then he added, "I was contemplating going on a binge tonight. Now I have been delivered!" On our last day of witnessing one of our students led a 67 year old tourist to Christ in front of the Alamo. We shared the gospel with street people, security guards, concession and maintenance workers at the Convention Center, a few were up-and-outers, an atheist and several cops. Our students did a great job!

Back at the convention two opposing factions presented their understanding of the relationship between the various SBC agencies and the "Baptist Faith and Message 2000" (BF&M), the official doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. The main question was, "How should one view the BF&M -- as a minimalist or maximalist statement? The former means that the BF&M is the "least" one must believe to be a Southern Baptist; the latter means it is the "most" one must believe. . The minimalist position allows for SBC agencies to add requirements, to which their employees must adhere, like abstaining from alcohol or abstaining from the practice of speaking in tongues. The maximalist position declares that the BF&M is all one must believe to be hired by an SBC agency. The latter position won the day in a motion presented by Missouri pastor Rick Garner. It received a 57% favorable vote from the floor. This surprise outcome will lead to heated debate in the months ahead. Stay tuned.

Wedding Over and Moving Full Steam Ahead

This past week has brought another school year to a dramatic close. I was installed at graduation as the W. A. Criswell Professor of Expository Preaching, delivered the commencement address, traveled to Glen Rose, Texas to attend and help officiate at my son Daniel's wedding, watched the Jerry Falwell funeral, entertained out of town guests, and preached. This summer is going to be very busy. Besides preaching each week, taking a group of students on a mission trip, and teaching international students at the Global Proclamation Academy (held on the campus of DTS) for Ramesh Richard, I will also attempt to complete writing my dissertation on "The Kingdom-driven Church: Evangelism and Ecclesiology in Eschatological Perspective."

Research for the dissertation has become a joyous, although strenuous adventure. I completed my first Ph.D. in 1982; so, this has been a lot of work for an old man! In the course of the past three years I have read nearly 400 books on the subject and untold journal articles and commentaries. I believe I have a real grasp of the kingdom and hope I will be able to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge now available. My main objective is to relate kingdom theology to the local church.

The kingdom of God is now my passion. The Lord willing, I wish to devote the remainder of my academic life to kingdom studies. If the kingdom was the focus of Jesus' ministry, it should be ours as well.

The Apologetics Study Bible

Word arrived today from Broadman and Holman that The Apologetics Study Bible is in the final edit and will be released on October 1, 2007. I was responsible for writing "The Twisted Scriptures" commentaries section. These are comments on verses the cults misinterpret to promote their false doctrines. Each note will be offset in a display box near the text in question.

This volume will be a valuable resource for pastors, Sunday School teachers, student leaders, and lay people who want to defend the faith against cults and heresies.

You will be able to order your copy of The Apologetics Study Bible from Amazon or CBD at a discount.

Jerry Falwell is Dead? Don't Believe it!

Dwight L. Moody said, "One day you will hear reports that D. L. Moody is dead. Don't believe it. I will be more alive then than ever before!"

Likewise, Dr. Jerry Falwell is more alive now than ever!

According the Associated Press reports, Dr. Falwell collapsed in his office this morning at 10:45, was rushed to the hospital, and never regained consciousness.

I have met Dr. Falwell on several occasions. Last fall he and I were the plenary speakers at the West Virginia Baptist Evangelism Conference. We sat together, laughed, and then we preached.

Dr. Falwell was an extraordinary man. He rose to fame, but never forgot his common roots. He always had time to speak to the "least of these my brethren." His humble heart and servant spirit is what endeared him to so many. He shared the gospel at every opportunity, especially when being interviewed on national TV.

Dr. Falwell, you will be missed. But we are right behind. See you soon!

Commencement Address

Yesterday, I delivered the 2007 commencement address to the graduating class at Criswell College, Dallas, Texas. I spoke on Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus invites 1) the toilsome and burdened to come to him for rest (the rest of salvation)and 2) to take his yoke and learn of him and thus find rest (the rest of service). I challenged the graduates to go forth with more than their B.A., the first two letters of the alphabet, but to be equipped with them all A-Z, which is found in Jesus alone, the Alpha and Omega.

Earlier in the ceremony, I was officially installed as The W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching, a position named in honor of the college's founder. Criswell College is known for training students to exegete a text, prepare and deliver an effective expository message. Dr. Criswell was one of the best expositors among twentieth century Southern Baptists. I feel a great responsibility to our students and the Board of Trustees at the college to carry on his legacy.

TEN REASONS FRANK BECKWITH BECAME A ROMAN CATHOLIC

As you have heard by now, Frank Beckwith, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University and unto recently, President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), has been officially accepted back into membership of the Roman Catholic Church. News of his conversion to Rome shocked evangelicals throughout North America and caused them to ask, “Why would Beckwith switch from Baptist to Catholic?” The opinions have varied among internet bloggers. Finally, Beckwith came out with the “official” story. But is that the true story?

In the spirit of David Letterman, we offer ten alternative reasons for his return to Rome. We start with the least plausible (Reason #10) and move to the most convincing (Reason #1). If you have other explanations, please feel free to respond.

Ten Reasons why Frank Beckwith Became a Catholic:

Reason #10 – Old habits never die: Frank couldn’t find a Baptist church where he could play Bingo.

Reason #9 – Health reasons: Frank found all the genuflection in the liturgy quite reinvigorating. He plans to drop 10 pounds easy in his first year of Masses.

Reason #8 – Economics: Since the Catholic Church does not require a tithe; Frank will boost his annual income by 7% .

Reason #7 – To ease his conscience: As a Catholic he can now drink “fermented” communion wine without scrutiny.

Reason #6 – His love for seafood: Frank missed the Friday fish dinners at the local Catholic Church.

Reason #5 – To mastermind a coup: Frank hopes his move to Rome, while maintaining his membership in ETS, will inspire Roman Catholics to join and take over ETS.

Reason # 4 – His emotional stability: The trauma of putting together the 2006 national ETS led to a complete mental breakdown and this irrational behavior.

Reason # 3 – Altruism: In the spirit of brotherly love, Frank wanted to provide Norm Geisler with a subject for a new book project.

Reason #2 – A Damascus Road experience: While listening to last year’s Presidential speech by Ed Yamauchi, Frank fell into a trance and had a vision of the Pope calling him back home to Rome.

Reason #1 – Conspiracy: Frank never really left the Catholic Church, but was actually a Jesuit priest spying on evangelicals for Rome. The forthcoming Chick tract will tell the whole story.

CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW HOT OFF THE PRESS

The Spring 2007 issue of Criswell Theological Review(CTR)is hot off the press! The theme is "War and Peace." Few topics produce as much passionate discussion among Christians. The prolonged conflict in Iraq has fueled the fires of debate even more. To address this controversial and complex topic CTR invited several experts to write pro and con on just war theory and pacifism. To preview this issue go to www.criswelljournal.com.

In the lead article J. Daryl Charles, Associate Professor of Religion at Union University (Jackson, TN), presents a strong case for just war theory by appealing to the Scriptures and the Church fathers for support, while arguing that Pacifists misinterpret both sources in an attempt to defend their view. Charles then makes a distinction between force and violence, and contends the use of the first is justified to bring about peace or free oppressed people, while the latter is not.

Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (Nashville, TN), applies seven standards of just war theory to three real-life scenarios. After examining and analyzing the human rights abuses in Korea, Rwanda, and Darfur, he asks if the international community had a moral obligation to step in and take forceful action to rescue the millions who suffered under those totalitarian regimes. His conclusions may surprise you.

With disenchantment growing over the war efforts, many Christians are beginning to take a fresh look at pacifism. Tim Erdel, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethel College (Mishawaka, IN), asserts that the term “just war” is an oxymoron and then presents a list of fourteen considerations, which he says will lead open-minded Christians to embrace pacifism. Erdel presents one of the strongest arguments for pacifism you will ever read.

Stanley Hauerwas, the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School (Durham, NC), named “America’s Best Theologian” by Time Magazine, is one of the most provocative writers of our day. In his article, “Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War,” Hauerwas takes a look at the effects killing has upon those soldiers who actually do the killing. He argues that in Christ God has created a new community which expects the resurrection and therefore has no need (or right) to kill and wage war for its survival, but instead seeks to reconcile enemies, even at the cost of death. In doing so, this community follows the example of its Lord and witnesses to the new reality of God’s kingdom.

Our final article, “War and Peace in Christian Hymnody,” is a real delight. David W. Music, Professor of Church Music, Baylor University (Waco, TX) does an excellent job culling the hymns for military imagery. He then establishes the scriptural basis for military language in hymns and shows how the writers use such language to portray Christianity as a life and death commitment. Music balances his study with an examination of many hymns which deal with peace.

Subscription to CTR is $25 per year.

Recently Dr. Jerry Johnson asked if I would consider serving a new position at the college. Here is a news release, which tells the story:


Streett Named to Endowed Chair of Expository Preaching

President Jerry Johnson and the Board of Trustees of Criswell College (Dallas, Texas) are pleased to announce the election of R. Alan Streett as Professor of the W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. This endowed position is named in memory of the late W. A. Criswell, who served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas (1944 to 2002) and devoted his life to the mastery and promotion of verse-by-verse expository preaching.

Streett, the author of The Effective Invitation (Kregel), a text dealing with persuasive preaching, has served fifteen years as Professor of Evangelism and Pastoral Ministry and will assume the position immediately. An official installation service will be held on May 12, 2007, during the Criswell College graduation ceremony, where he will deliver the commencement address.

Recently Streett revealed plans to launch in 2009 the annual "W. A.
Criswell School of the Prophets" in celebration of the centennial year of Dr. Criswell's birth. This national conference will include plenary sessions featuring America's best known preachers and seminars designed to help pastors prepare and deliver expository sermons.

Criswell College is a regionally accredited school offering degrees at both the bachelor and master levels. It is also the custodian of the W.
A. Criswell legacy project, an internet depository of more than 2.500 of Dr. Criswell's sermons, which can be accessed at www.wacriswell.com .

For more information about Criswell College or the W. A. Criswell Endowed Chair of Expository Preaching, please contact Criswell College, 4010 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246.

NEW CTR READY FOR PRESS

A new issue of Criswell Theological Review (Spring 07, 4.2), dealing with "War and Peace," is edited and ready for printer. It features articles by Daryl Charles and Richard Land, Stanley Hauerwas, and others who tackle various aspects of just war theory and pacifism. You can order a copy online at criswelljournal.com via Paypal.

I have included a review on Cecil Wayne Cone's book The Identity Crisis in Black Theology. Here is a preview:

The Identity Crisis in Black Theology. By Cecil Wayne Cone. Nashville: AMEC, 2003, 140 pp., $20.00, hardcover.

This is a revised and expanded edition of Cecil Wayne Cone’s 1975 book of the same title, originally written as a response to the burgeoning Black Theology movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which was founded ironically by his famous brother, James H. Cone, the Griggs Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary (NY). Cecil Cone constructively critiques the ideas of his brother and those of other key spokespersons for the movement.

According to the author, all attempts to develop Black Theology apart from understanding or considering the “black religious experience” produce little more than fanciful and at times, radical social and political theories. Cone describes the essence of the black religious experience as “an encounter with an Almighty Sovereign God” that results in conversion (p. 75).

In chapter 1 Cone briefly traces contemporary black theology back to the late 1960s and introduces us to three key thinkers—his brother James Cone, Joseph Washington, and J. Deotis Roberts, whose writings he will critically examine in later chapters.

In chapter 2, entitled “Black Religion: The Foundation of Black Theology,” Cone demonstrates that Black Theology begins and ends with God. Even in Africa, blacks had an awareness of a creator god. After being enslaved and brought to America, they were introduced to Christianity. White slaveholders initially wanted to evangelize their slaves, possibly thinking this would turn the “heathen” into more docile subjects. Instead, biblical teaching introduced the slaves to the Israelites who, like themselves, had been oppressed by tyrannical masters. Through the preaching of the gospel, masses were converted and experienced an inward freedom from the bonds of sin. Though still slaves in the flesh, they were a new creation and no longer defined by the slave system but by their relationship to God. They viewed Jesus as their Deliverer and King who would one day also set them free from physical oppression. While waiting for this promise to be realized, they sang praises to God for present salvation, addressed their questions and complaints to Him, and when faced with untold hardship and even death, they followed Christ’s example, knowing that resurrection lay ahead.

There were exceptions. In 1831, Nat Turner, a recent convert and zealot, believed God had called him to lead an uprising against the whites in Virginia, which resulted in fifty-one people being killed. Turner was tried, convicted and hanged. As a result, many slaveholders kept their slaves from attending church or reading the Bible, fearing such practices would motivate others to rebel (p. 56).

Chapters 3 through 5 examine the ideas of three leading black theologians. In chapter 3, Cone interacts with James Washington, the author of several Black Theology books, and challenges him on three points. First, his premise that black religious organizations are mere imitations of white religion (p. 70); second, his attempt to reduce black religious experience to a quest for social, economic and political freedom, along with his failure to grasp its supernatural and conversional aspects (p. 74); third, his call to develop a theology of Black Power (pp. 78–79).

Cone delays his sharpest criticisms until chapter 4, where he takes on his brother James Cone. He admits that “the sound and tone” of his brother’s early writings are “that of an angry black militant,” who equates blackness with Christ and whiteness with antichrist (p. 81), and calls upon blacks to embrace “Black Power,” a term first coined by Adam Clayton Powell in 1965 and popularized a year later by Stokely Carmichael (p. 83), which eventually came to mean blacks separating from whites. “The overriding motif of Cone’s work is that of liberation.” (p. 81) Cone’s “Black Power,” which he equates with Black Theology, is zealotry at its worst, and calls for armed violence and revolution. Black Theology, he asserts, “came into being when black churchmen realized that killing slavemasters was doing the work of God.” (p. 88) It is exactly here that Cone deviates from the Scriptures. He would prefer Moses kill the Egyptian soldier than depend on Yahweh for deliverance.

The difference between authentic Christianity and Black Power can be seen in the way Jesus faces the cross. Rather than raising a sword of self-deliverance, He trusts God, knowing His Father may choose to send a myriad of angels to deliver Him from crucifixion or may choose to raise Him from the dead.

This does not mean that James Cone gets everything wrong. He recognizes that Western, post-Constantinian Christianity has veered far from its origins and has distorted the gospel. Unfortunately, he has little to replace it with except revolution. Cecil Cone closes the chapter on his brother with the hope that he will rediscover the black religious experience of his youth, one which is infused with the supernatural and leads to conversion (pp. 98–99).

While this reviewer found little upon which to disagree with J. Deotis Roberts, Cone finds two points of contention. First, he calls Roberts to task because he calls upon blacks to view Jesus as the universal messiah, not merely as a “black Jesus.” Second, he believes Roberts’s view that reconciliation and intercommunication between blacks and whites constitute “the primary task of Black Theology” again missing the essence of the black religious experience.

When Cone and other black theologians speak of a “black Jesus” they do not mean that the historical Jesus was a black man, but that he stood with the blacks, not the white oppressors. This implies that salvation for whites must also come through the “black” Jesus, not through a Jesus of their own making, who has little semblance to the Jesus of the Bible. The “black” Jesus offers hope of liberation to the oppressed of the ages, which is accomplished through supernatural intervention and not through political struggle or man-made schemes.

Though not mentioned, a question that begs to be answered is, “When slavery ruled in the South, where were God’s prophets? Why were there so few dissenting voices in the church?”

This book is essential reading for those not familiar with Black Theology and for those who wish to understand it from a scriptural and historical perspective

CULLMANN MAKES A COMEBACK!

Kudos to Wipf and Stock publishers who plans to reprint nearly all of Oscar Cullmann's books, beginning with his classic CHRIST AND TIME. Cullmann, a premiere NT scholar in the mid-20th century, emphasized the concepts of "salvation history" and "Already/Not Yet" eschatology. Born in Germany in 1902, he lived until 1999. He taught at Basel and the Sorbonne. This reprint project will introduce Cullmann to an entire generation of scholars "who knew not Cullmann." Among Cullmann's more memorable works are:

• Baptism in the New Testament
• Christ and Time
• The Christology of the New Testament
• Early Christian Worship
• Salvation in History
• The Immortality of the Soul or the Resurrection of the Body: The Witness of the New Testament
• The State in the New Testament
  
• Jesus and the Revolutionaries
• Peter

BAH. HUMBUG!

Evangelical Christians are an unusual lot, especially at Christmas time. I am always amused how a significant minority eschew Christmas on the premise that its origins can be traced to the Roman Catholic Church. Others celebrate the holiday, while lamenting its secularization, pointing out that “X” has even replaced “Christ” in Christmas!

Such claims, which have no foundation in fact, somehow find their way into evangelical thinking, and in turn influence one’s perspective of Christmas. Over the next few days we will examine these and many similar assertions and show that they fall far short of truth. Today we look at the first two.

CLAIM 1: CHRISTMAS IS A ROMAN CATHOLIC HOLIDAY

This claim is based on the thesis that the word Christmas is derived from Christ-mass, and is thus linked to the Catholic sacrament of holy mass. This conclusion, however, is erroneous.

Any authorized dictionary will reveal that the English word “mass” evolved over the years from the Anglo-Saxon maesse, which in turn was derived from the Latin missa, meaning “to send.” Consequently the etymological meaning of Christmas is “Christ is sent.” Therefore, the term actually represents the true nature of the holiday. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman . . .” (Gal. 4:4).

CLAIM 2: CHRIST HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM CHRISTMAS

While some fearful retailers have instructed their store clerks to greet shoppers with the less offensive “Happy Holiday” rather than the traditional “Merry Christmas,” the “X” in Christmas is not a secular substitute for Christ.

A number of years ago George Beverly Shea wrote a popular Christmas song that went like this: “Don’t wish me a Merry Xmas or a happy holiday. Put Christ back into Christmas on this happy holy day.” While the catchy lyrics are still being sung today, they are based on an erroneous claim that “X” in Xmas is an irreverent attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. The facts prove otherwise.

Xmas has a long history. X is the Greek letter chi (pronounced ki) and is the first letter in the Greek word Christos. The early church used it regularly as an abbreviation for Christ, just as we use “W” to refer to George Bush. Abbreviations such as FDR, JFK, or LBJ are used commonly as a device to shorten a word or words, while retaining the clear identity of the person.

Wycliffe, Tyndale and a host of other devoted Christians throughout church history have abbreviated the name Christ with the simple use of X. Obviously they were not attempting to remove Christ from their vocabulary. Xmas has been a legitimate way of referring to Christmas since the first century until now.

The next time you see Xmas scrawled across a display window or written in big green or red letters on a banner over the perfume counter; use the occasion to explain to the sales person the origin of the word. It will make for a great witnessing opportunity.

George Bush's America and the Kingdom of God

I will be presenting a paper this year at ETS (Washington, DC) entitled "George Bush's America and the Kingdom of God." It will be given on Thursday November 17 in the Grant Room at 11:00 a.m.

The topic of discussion will center on a Christian's responsibility to government and whether or not there is a conflict between one's allegiance to the Kingdom of God and the State. It should stimulate a lot of scholarly discussion.

Hopefully, attendees will find their way to the session, since the time and place of the presentation have been changed.