Dying for God: Martyrdom and the Making of Christianity and Judaism

Abstract

lively and interesting essay in the volume, and the most important because, though in one sense an essay in method, it breaks out of the confines of method. Evangelical theology must be biblical, Vanhoozer argues, and that means it must be an interpretive enterprise. That does not mean that theologians can simply summarize what Scripture teaches or repeat its statements verbatim. Rather, theology is part of the dramatic dialogue that makes up the history of redemption; it must always be responsive to, correspond to, and participate in the prevenient word of God, but it is responsive in a joyful, creative, eucharistic manner. He envisions evangelical theology by analogy with drama, and offers a "three-act" survey of theology.InAct One, he reformulates the central "Scripture principle" of evangelicalism by arguing that Scripture is a "set of communicative acts" rather than a treasure house of theological propositions. Communicative acts always have propositional force, but they are not only propositions, and reconceiving God's revelation as communicative action helps to overcome false dichotomies between propositional and personal revelation, between word and action. Act Two outlines a program for a "sapiential systematics," whose goal is not merely to communicate theory or to train instrumental reason but to form judgment, to shape readers who possess the "canonieal competence" to deliberate and form judgements in non-canonical situations. This leads to his proposal in Act Three that the purpose of doctrine is "direction" (again, in a theatrical sense), instruction concerning one's proper role in the drama of redemption. Theology trains actors to interpret texts, and interpretation here means embodied action on the stage of life. Vanhoozer's proposal shows none of the fears of "chance" that always plagues discussions of "method"; a theology conceived as dialogue cannot be controlled, defined, delimited, or bounded ahead of time; dialogues are always bound to run over the banks. The metaphor of"drama" is far more fruitful than "belief-mosaic," for it reinforees the fact that the theologian exists to moti

Everyday Discrimination Experienced by Conservative Christians at the Secular University

“…As Cunningham (1997) has detailed, Christian teachings and scripture are built on themes of persecution as "part of the plan and providence of god," as an "integral consequence of following Jesus", and as the "occasion of divine triumph" (p. 14). Does having a chosen group affiliation that has a history that warns of persecution (Frend, 1965)-at times embracing that history (Boyarin, 1999)mean Christians have less claim to considerations of other marginalized groups? If persecution is expected and perhaps therefore tolerated by Christians, then is it up to others (say the government or social scientists) to make a case on behalf of Christians that they deserve legal protection from everyday discrimination and discrimination?…”

Jesus and Other Men

“…The first of these Kochba; see Boyarin 1997, 273-274. Instead, the rabbis valorized deception in opposition to the "manly" acts of violent resistance; see Boyarin 1999, 48-49. 163 Boyarin 1997, 143.…”

Diaspora by Design? Multiple Allegiances and Belonging in Contemporary Global Catholicism

“…In reframing the centrality of Jerusalem in Catholic cartographies, Kiko Argüello is active in what could be defined as a folk attempt at crossing the borders between Judaism and Christianity (cf. Boyarin 1999) to re-center Catholic religiosity in its territorial and historical origins. This effort implies a double exercise of collective memory.…”