Bible Without Verses

Last week, some of us began talking about biblical interepretation, and the inherent problems in the versification of scripture. For an alternative, check out Barry Moser's illustrated Bible.
"The text is printed with chapters but no verses, which has the effect of presenting the King James Bible as readable prose; it also dispenses with the italics and syllabified names that distract so many readers in the attempt to read the translation as narrative and caution them to read it as Holy Writ. The relative ease of reading, along with the arresting liveliness of Moser's composition -- he is influenced by the camera angles, croppings and lighting effects of film and photography -- makes the text engrossing in the same way an illustrated book of Arthurian tales might be; it would be pointless to resent the archaisms (or even the real ineptitudes of translation) when the words are paired with those pictures. A book is a world, and one can savor it slowly" (Cross Currents).

Marks of the Church

This contribution to our food for thought menu comes from the blog of Franklin Pyles, President of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) in Canada, our umbrella denomination. It's an article of particular importance to the sol cafe, I think, given the nature of our church gathering and its place in the CMA. I'd encourage you to not only discuss here, but provide some thoughtful comments on Franklin's original post.

An Introduction to Apocalyptic Symbolism

An important theme in the Book of Revelation is its scathing critique of political power. Drawing on a rich apocalyptic tradition, this book shifts our focus from the earthly realm to the heavenly in order to show us the true nature of worldly power, as well as where real power lies. In the Apocalypse, however, it is not the symbols that refer to the historical situation, but it is the historical which serves as the symbol for the eternal. The force of Revelation’s message lies in “the ‘evocative’ power of its symbols as well as in its hortatory, imaginative, emotional language and dramatic movement, which engages the hearer (reader) by eliciting reactions, emotions, convictions and identifications.” This deployment of myth and symbol deliberately disrupts and recreates the symbolic universe of its audience. It draws us out of the dominant ideology of our culture – out of the comfort and security of the Pax Romana – by transforming “peace” and “security” into allegiance with the Dragon – the most hazardous position of all.

The most blatant and provocative image employed by John in this regard is that of the beast from the sea, who gives glory to the Dragon. In this symbol, John appropriates the imagery of Daniel in a new way to refer to the current Roman Empire, and through it, to all evil empires. The metaphor is continued and expanded, however, when the first beast is joined by a second one from the land. Just as the beast from the sea glorifies the Dragon, the beast from the land glorifies the beast from the sea. It mimics the lamb in its appearance, but its words are the words of the Dragon. Thus, it represents that which directs people to worship the first beast and to follow it. A third image that illustrates John’s understanding of political power is that of the Great Prostitute, Babylon. “The woman… is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (17:18). It is important to note that the City is a universal concept for John, and particular cities, such as Babylon or Rome, are simply seen as “incarnations” of that idea. His criticism of Power and the City, therefore, applies today as much as it did then. “What the Apocalypse describes under the form of two beasts is not only a state, but the state; not only a particular political (of right or left, etc.) but the primacy of the political.” Likewise, the description of the Woman atop the Beast encompasses all cities past and present.

John utilizes a combination of the myths, symbols, and social realities of his readers and adapts them to his theological worldview in order to create in them new, relevant, and ultimately subversive ways of understanding the world in which they live. The Apocalypse reshapes our understanding of the world as a place of conflict, then redefines what it means to resist – and indeed to battle – the Dragon. In the mythic universe of John’s Apocalypse, the only weapons available to the followers of the Lamb are their testimony and the Word of God. By this, John induces his audience to actively resist the Dragon by maintaining a faithful witness to the dominion of God.

I'm a Christian...

You need to know the original Apple ads that these are spoofing, but they work on so many levels...

video 1
video 2
video 3
video 4

resonate

Part of our bigger family. Consider joining the mailing in particular (link below). From the Resonate website:

"Welcome to Resonate. We are a network of Canadians striving to love God and our neighbors in a changing culture.

"As one worldview transitions into another, we realize that we are living in an exciting but challenging time. This transition has had a lot of labels stuck on it, postmodern, emerging church, and a bunch of other labels and clichés. Around here, we aren't big on labels but we do agree that the world is changing and like any time of transition, courageous people respond to the call to move forward in faith. We are a network of sojourners responding to that call together across Canada.

"Resonate exists to facilitate conversations and friendships among people across Canada through both national and regional dialogues. It also partners with church planters through our Greenhouses across the country to bring people together, support each other, and help partner with God in building the Kingdom.

"It doesn't cost anything to get involved, no DNA testing, botox treatments, or even a Winnipeg Bluebombers tattoo, just a desire to journey with people trying to navigate a changing culture and trying to figure out how to follow Jesus Christ in it. We are glad you stopped by and we are looking forward to talking more with you. Peace."

Congressman to take oath of office using the Koran

A developing story that touches on numerous issues that sol cafe regulars might find interesting: religious tolerance, diversity, religion in public life, the politicization of the US religious right...

article in AOL news
editorial in CBS news
Google search for other articles