• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

DONATE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Bloggers
    • Commenting Policy
  • Reading Lists
  • Scholar’s Compass
    • Scholar’s Compass Booklet
    • View Recent Posts
  • Connect
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Donate
    • Contact Us

arts

Week in Review: Commonplace Edition

1620's Commonplace Book

What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike.

1. The Collapse of Higher Education: Seth Godin on the coming melt-down in higher education:

For 400 years, higher education in the US has been on a roll. From Harvard asking Galileo to be a guest professor in the 1600s to millions tuning in to watch a team of unpaid athletes play another team of unpaid athletes in some college sporting event, the amount of time and money and prestige in the college world has been climbing.

I’m afraid that’s about to crash and burn.

[Editor’s note: I’m not sure about the Galileo at Harvard claim, but Godin makes some very salient points in the rest of his post. ~ Mike]

2. Of the Making of Books: If you’re in literary studies, you probably love reading lists. Here’s a list of  books recommended by the Christianity & Literature listserv (HT: Mark Filiatreau). While you’re at it, check out the ESN Core Bibliography and our suggested readings for undergrads.

Teaser alert! We have in our possession a “Beginner’s Christian Bookshelf” reading list compiled by none other than the great Christian literary scholar David Lyle Jeffrey. It starts with Athanasius and ends with P. D. James. We’ll share it with you as soon as we’ve read all the books on it… [Read more…] about Week in Review: Commonplace Edition

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Recognizing the Messiah

Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination by Brian Godawa (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009).
Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination by Brian Godawa (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009).

As I mentioned in Week in Review: Behold the Man Edition, I have been unable to put down Brian Godawa’s Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009).*  Below is a quote relevant to Holy Week.**

One of the reasons why the Jews of the first century did not recognize the visitation of the Messiah was because even they took the Bible too literally.  Indeed, they were expecting a military or political king who would crush Rome (Dan 2:44-45), restore the nation of Israel back from exile into their land (Zeph 3:14-20), build a new kingdom on earth (Dan 7:14) from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Is 52), rebuild the Temple (Ezek 40-48), reinstate the Davidic monarchy (Ps 89:38-51) in a new “age to come” (Is 61) — all based on Old Testament prophecy.  Even Jesus’ own disciples misunderstood the literary nature of these promises as literal earthly political power (Mt 20:20-28; Acts 1:6).  Jesus’ kingdom did crush Rome, though not through military revolution, Jesus did restore Israel, did rebuild the Temple (Acts 15:14-17), did reinstate the Davidic monarchy (Lk 1:32), and he is the King of kings who came to Mount Zion (Mt 21:5) and rules over all things at the right hand of his father (I Pet. 3:22).  He just didn’t do these things in the literal way that they had envisioned, but in a literary way.  We see how the literary meaning of Israel and the Temple was first fulfilled in Christ and is now fulfilled in the church as his “body” (Rom 2:28-29; Eph 2:19-22).  Christ’s rule in his kingdom may be current and real, but certainly not an earthly reign of outward political power (Lk 17:20-21).

As you might guess, this is part of a chapter which explores the Literal versus Literary reading of Scripture and Godawa has come to read the Bible literarily.  How do you read the Bible this Easter? [Read more…] about Recognizing the Messiah

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

A Faith and Culture Devotional

Cover: Faith and Culture Devotional
Faith and Culture Devotional

New from Zondervan, A Faith and Culture Devotional seems custom-made for ESN members. Edited by Kelly Monroe Kullberg (of the Veritas Forum, Finding God at Harvard, Finding God Beyond Harvard, and, most recently, InterVarsity’s Women in the Academy and Professions) and Lael Arrington (host of the radio show The Things That Matter Most), the devotional is designed to be read daily for 15 weeks. Each week, there is one reading from seven different subject areas: theology, history, philosophy, science, literature, arts, and contemporary culture.

If that doesn’t interest you, here are some of the authors of those daily readings: [Read more…] about A Faith and Culture Devotional

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Primary Sidebar

Become a Member

Membership is Free. Sign up and receive our monthly newsletter and access ESN member benefits.

Join ESN Today

Scholar’s Compass Booklet

Scholar's Compass Booklet

Click here to get your copy

Top Posts

  • A Prayer for Those Finishing a Semester
  • Faith and Reason, Part 2: Augustine
  • 2020 Advent Resources, Week 2: Black Liturgies
  • Faith and Reason, Part 3: Aquinas
  • The Message of Genesis 1

Facebook Posts

Facebook Posts

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

  • Aching: Justice and Shalom in Our World
  • Longing: Greatness and Grace in our Leaders
  • Through the Lens of Faith: Studying Literature in the Communion of Saints

Article Categories