Do you know Alan Streett?

It is very humbling for a professor to receive such a nice tribute from a student as the one below. Mark Moore’s comments are as much a testimony to his gracious character as they are to my teaching ability.

About once a decade or so God brings a student across your path with whom you make a major impact, who then builds upon the foundation and eventually goes on to do greater things than the mentor. Mark Moore is such a person. 

Professors live for such opportunities. Mark, I am glad God caused our paths to cross. I am proud of you! Thanks for the kind words.

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I’d like to introduce you to Alan Streett.

I met Alan fifteen years ago as a young aspiring preacher. I was a classic caricature of one who was full of zeal without knowledge. Alan was close to the age of my father and was full of knowledge with zeal. Upon meeting him I immediately sensed that this was someone I wanted to know better.
Our relationship began as a student-teacher relationship. My degree plan didn’t quite call for all the classes that he taught, so I simply ignored my degree plan. In my mind I had a new major–I was now majoring in Alan Streett.

The reason for this degree plan suicide was simple, Alan was a Bible teacher. You came to class and he opened the Bible and exegeted the text. I, along with everyone else, learned how misinformed we were by proof-texting and folk-theology. Words had context, verses had context, paragraphs had context, chapters had context, books had context, everything had context–and if you didn’t know the context then you probably didn’t know what you were talking about.

It wasn’t so much that Alan taught me what the verses meant; he taught me how to think. He constantly encouraged me to study and research without fear of the outcome. To this day I hear him saying to me, “Mark, you have a curious mind. Don’t be afraid to pursue truth wherever it may lead you.”

It’s been a long time since I was a “formal” student of Dr. Streett, but to this day he remains the single greatest influence in my everyday thinking. Our relationship has now become more of a dear friendship between a father and a son. Typically we spend an afternoon together every month, drinking coffee and talking about life, research, dreams, and Jesus–always Jesus.

For the past ten years I’ve had a front row seat to Alan’s research on the kingdom of God and the nature of the Lord’s Supper in the first century under Roman domination. I’ve so wanted others to benefit from his research and keen insight into the New Testament. That is why I am so thankful that this year has seen the publication of two books by Alan Streett.

The first book is Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now. It is an easy to read book written for a popular audience, but at the same time contains cutting edge scholarship on empire studies, voluntary associations, and other current New Testament topics. It reads with the simplicity of a typical popular Christian life bestseller, but contains biblical insight on par with key texts only accessible to academics.

In fact, one reviewer says, Heaven on Earth is “the best contemporary theological book I’ve read this millennium.”

The second book published by Streett this year is Subversive Meals: An Analysis of the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination during the First Century. Unlike Heaven on Earth, this is a scholarly text written for an academic audience. However, one of Alan’s true gifts is his ability to explain difficult topics in a clear and easy to understand manner. Therefore, you should not let the scholarly nature of this book scare you away.

Subversive Meals is one of those rare books that actually change the conversation–you cannot read it and come away thinking about the Lord’s Supper the same as you did before reading it. In fact, every scholarly work written on the Lord’s Supper from this point forward will have to engage with this work in order to demonstrate academic integrity to the subject matter.

It would be easy to say, “Yeah, but you’ve already said he was like a father to you. What else would we expect you to say about this book?!” I know, it’s one thing when your mom is the only one who says you’re a great singer–you then wind up looking stupid on American Idol. But it’s another thing when you stand in front of the judges and they give you a standing ovation and you go on to win because all of America agrees.

Don’t just take my word for it. Subversive Meals has been applauded by Warren Carter, Dennis E. Smith, Richard H. Horsley, and Joel B. Green. These are the crème de la crème of New Testament studies, Roman Empire studies, and first century meal studies. Scholars of this magnitude have read plenty enough to know when something is a significant contribution–they all agree, Subversive Meals is.

For years I’ve wanted everyone to know my friend Alan Streett. Now they can, and soon they all will.

Kingdom-focused worship and evangelism

Like embassies, our churches should be places where desperate citizens of this world can seek refuge and asylum.

In explaining the advantage of speaking God’s word in the language of the people and not in tongues, Paul writes that if “an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). 

Here Paul speaks of the power of the spoken word to produce conversion. Notice, the progression: First, “an unbeliever” or one “uninformed” about kingdom things “comes in,” i.e. attends the symposium-style worship. 

Second, a Spirit-empowered utterance is given, which pricks his heart (“he is convinced and convicted by all he hears”). 

Third, his heart is laid open like a book (‘the secrets of his heart are revealed”).

Finally, he prostrates himself (“falling down on his face”) and worships God, declaring, “God is truly among you.”

What could be more dramatic and exciting than this? Is this how unbelievers who visit our churches on any given Sunday respond? Why not? Paul seems to expect things like this to happen in his kingdom-focused churches. When was the last time you saw a sinner on his face, crying out for forgiveness, raising holy hands to the Lord, having experienced a manifestation of God?

{For more on Kingdom-focused worship and evangelism read “Heaven on Earth.” Available in pb/Kindle].

Joel Green Endorses SUBVERSIVE MEALS

"Working especially with the New Testament writings of Luke and Paul, Streett demonstrates the surprisingly political significance of the Lord's Supper. That is, the Supper had not only to do with the church's internal life, but it spoke profoundly of the church's rejection of Roman imperial ideology and the practices by which it was propagated. The consequences of this study are both historically important and theologically challenging, since Streett's work participates in the ongoing destruction of the walls that separate theology and practice, and worship and politics."

—Joel B. Green, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary

Jesus Breathes Life into Israel

In John’s Gospel the resurrection and the kingdom of God are linked when the glorified Jesus appears to his disciples as they huddle behind locked doors (John 20:19). After pronouncing “peace” and showing them his wounds, Jesus charges, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (vv. 20-21). This is John’s version of the Great Commission. Next John recounts, “He [Jesus] breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (v. 22). The mention of “breathing” in juxtaposition to the “Spirit” brings to mind Genesis 2:7 and Ezekiel 37:1-14, passages that speak of God breathing life into dead and inanimate bodies, one an individual and the other a nation.

The former text deals with Adam, created from the dust of the earth, who remains inert until God breathes life into him. Once alive, he is empowered and given authority to carry out his God-given mission of ruling over God’s earthly kingdom.

The latter text contains Ezekiel’s famous vision of the valley of dry bones. The lifeless bones represent Israel, living in a state of exile under foreign domination. God instructs Ezekiel in his vision to breathe on the dead bones. When Ezekiel complies, the bones come to life and stand “upon their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). This corporate resurrection encompasses “the whole house of Israel” (v. 11). God then speaks directly to his people, “I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it” (v. 14). He adds that the nation will no longer be divided (North and South), but reunited as a single kingdom (vv. 15-23). Yahweh promises them a new king and shepherd whose rule will last forever (vv. 24-25). “Moreover,” he adds, “I will make a covenant of peace with them” (v. 27), after which the nations will come to know the Lord (v.28). 

When Jesus breathes on the Apostles he is acting out the prophecy of Ezekiel 37. As he breathes on them the resurrection of Israel begins. The OT Scriptures are being fulfilled in their sight. Alluding to Ezekiel 37: 27, Jesus declares “Peace to you!” He then commissions them, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21). The Apostles and their Jewish converts will constitute the “great army” who represent the kingdom and make God known to the nations.

[For more conversation on the Kingdom of God, read "Heaven on Earth" now available in paperback and Kindle].

The Jesus-Kind of Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4) serves as a model for all believers. In its historical context, we see that it is kingdom-centered, anti-imperialistic and political in nature.

The Jesus-kind of prayer addresses the God of Israel as “Father.” The Romans looked to Jupiter as Father. To ask the living God for his “will be done on earth,” in essence, supplants Jupiter’s reign and Rome’s right to rule on his behalf. If God’s will is done then Rome’s days are numbered.  

The call for God to provide “our daily bread” is a direct rejection of the Roman system of patronage.

The mention of debt forgiveness challenges the economic structure of Rome that seeks to keep everyone in debt and thus control them. 

The cry “deliver us from the evil one” likely references Caesar or Satan, the power behind the throne. In either case, the prayer is a call for political deliverance. 

A genuine Jesus-kind of prayer is kingdom-oriented prayer. Kingdom citizens look to God as their patron and his kingdom alone to sustain them.

Typical prayer in the West is anemic. Most of our prayers are focused on everything but the things of the kingdom. We are more concerned about Jack’s back, Jane’s pain and Joe’s toe rather than “Thy kingdom come.” 

My book HEAVEN ON EARTH calls upon pastors and the laity alike to transform their congregations into kingdom-driven churches. A good place to start is with prayer.

You can order “Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now” online or purchase a copy at your nearest Christian bookstore. Also available as an eBook.

Thy KIngdom Come

Jesus instructed the apostles to pray, "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven," along with forgive us our sins as we forgive..., give us this day our daily bread, and lead us not into temptation (Luke 11:2-4). Since we expect the first three requests to be answered daily, it reasons that we should expect the first plea to be answered in like manner. We can encounter the kingdom on earth NOW. This is the present aspect of the kingdom. In fact only 16 verses later, Jesus says, "If I cast out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom HAS COME to you."

Most of us have a truncated view of the kingdom of God. We look exclusively for a future kingdom and miss out on the present kingdom.

You don't have to miss out on the ALREADY kingdom. Experience life to the fullest NOW!

++++Please share this with with FB friends and as a tweet. We are trying to spread the word.++++

[Read more about the kingdom in "Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now." Available in paperback and Kindle/ebook format].

Kingdom Evangelism: A Paradigm Shift

Jesus did not come to start a new religion, but to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. The K of G transcends all religions, denominations, and churches. It is the Empire of God that will eventually cover the earth. Whether you are a Jew, Muslim, or Christian, you are invited to enter it. 

When sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom we are not trying to convert a person to Christianity, but to Christ, i.e. King Jesus. The kingdom stands above Christianity. Many people are church members and part of the Christian religion who are not part of the Kingdom of God. When witnessing we should be inviting people into the kingdom. The encounter would look something like this:

                                  KINGDOM OF GOD

        Judiasm                       Islam                   Christianity

The three bottom labels represent the group to which the lost person belongs. We are inviting them to pledge their allegiance (loyalty/fidelity) to King Jesus through baptism, having counted the cost of their decision.

Notice how this approach disarms those in all three categories. We are not asking the Jew or Muslim to join the Christian religion. Nor are we allowing the "Christian" to base his/her salvation on church membership or initial profession of faith. The nature of the Gospel of the Kingdom allows us to approach each group in an authentic way that catches each off guard.

In our presentation we do not equate salvation with heaven, but with a transference of allegiance from one earthly kingdom (to which all three "religions" belong) to God's kingdom. Once the transition takes place, the convert become an ambassador for God's kingdom, representing His kingdom to the world. Converts are funneled into newly planted voluntary associations (ekklesiai) where they eat and worship together and experience God's kingdom presence in their midst.





                                                                   

Professor Bob Stewart's (NOBTS) endorsement of HEAVEN ON EARTH

"If the proclamation of the Kingdom of God was Jesus’ central message (and it was) then shouldn’t Christians today be concerned to understand and teach it? In Heaven on Earth Alan Streett explains in an understandable way, without being either shallow or needlessly technical, the meaning of “God’s Kingdom” in its original context, i.e., how Jesus, Paul, and other early Christians—and their adversaries—understood talk about God’s Kingdom.

"But that is not all. Streett also declares the significance of God’s Kingdom for Christians today. Jesus’ vision of God’s kingdom was of world-changing significance in the first-century—and it still is in the twenty-first century. Whether you agree with Streett or not, you need to read this book!"

Robert B. Stewart
Professor of Philosophy and Theology
Greer-Heard Professor of Faith and Culture
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Baptism as a Political Act

In my last post I stated that baptism must be viewed as an eschatological event.  Now I want to look at it as a POLITICAL event.

The Apostle Paul compares baptism to the crossing of the Red Sea, when Jews escaped the political tyranny under Pharaoh and began afresh as a free people ( 1 Cor 10:1-2). The crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land is picture of baptism and connotes entering a new kingdom, one that operates under the rule of God. 

Likewise, baptism has political significance. It speaks of the believer being delivered out from under an evil empire and into a new political reality, the kingdom of God. 

In his Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commands his followers “make disciples of all nations,” i.e. members of nations subject to Rome. He prefaces his statement with the claim “all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth,” which implies his power surpasses Caesar’s. Few statements can be more subversive than this. For the Apostles to carry out their mission and call upon multi-national subjects of Rome to transfer their allegiance from Caesar to Christ as Lord was a traitorous and seditious activity.  It resulted in some being arrested, tried, and put to death as adversaries of the established government. Remember, Rome did not execute Peter and Paul for preaching about heaven or exile John to Patmos for preaching about forgiveness of individual sins.

“Baptizing them” and “teaching them to obey” Christ’s commandments was the means of making disciples.

If baptism is our pledge of allegiance to Jesus and not to a Caesar or a collaborating Jewish High Priest, the entire project is politically-focused. With his concluding words, “I am with you always even to the end of the world” Jesus additionally implies that his kingdom will outlive all others, including the Roman Empire.

For believers to be baptized and declare Jesus as Lord in the very waters that Caesar, as “Master of the Sea,” owns and controls was an audacious and politically seditious act. It was the vehicle of renunciation of Caesar as Lord. The believer’s submersion in water vividly depicted death to the old life, effectively ending lifelong loyalty to Caesar. Rising from the watery grave represented a new life with new commitments to a different Lord and King. 

When Paul writes, “There is . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5) he is of necessity denying that Caesar has any claims to a believer’s loyalty. The believer’s allegiance is now pledged to a new Lord through baptism.

Baptism, therefore, is the act of conversion through which the candidate for citizenship publically renounces all other allegiances (repentance) and pledges his future allegiance (faith) to a new kingdom, i.e. the empire of God.  

Unfortunately, we have stripped baptism of its eschatological and political significance by turning it into a church ordinance only rather than a kingdom mandate.