Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 60

Benner Cares Spiritually—Part 2

David G. Benner. 1998.  Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. (Goto part 1)

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

An important motive for writing my book, A Christian Guide to Spirituality, was the observation that the current fascination with spirituality has neglected the traditional teaching of the church. The Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments outline the details of Christian spirituality, but the deeper insights in them have been lost. The idea, for example, that idolatry (forbidden in the Ten Commandments) involves setting anything other than God as the first priority in one’s life and is potentially life threatening seems lost on most Christians. The traditional teaching of the church defines Christian spirituality.

Introduction

David Benner takes a similar approach. In his book, Care of Souls, he devotes essentially the first half of his book—Part 1: Understanding Soul Care—to defining the boundaries of soul care—what it is and what it is not.

For example, Benner’s definition of Christian spirituality has 9 points.  Christian spirituality:

“Begins with a response of the call of Spirit to spirit
Is rooted in a commitment to Jesus and a transformational approach to life
Is nurtured by the means of grace
Involves a deep knowing of Jesus and, through him, the Father and the Spirit
Requires a deep knowing of oneself
Leads to the realization of the unique self whom God ordained we should be
Is uniquely developed within the context of suffering
Is manifest by a sharing of the goodness of God’s love with others and in care for his creation
Expresses that goodness in celebration in Christian community” (95).

Instead of leaning on church teaching in his definition as I had, Benner prefers to capture the essence of Christian spirituality in his own words.

Hard Work

Capturing the essence of Christian spirituality is surprisingly hard work.  For example, In my own walk point 5 was the most surprising. If we are indeed the temple of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20), then it should be obvious. But I did not understand the importance of self-care in caring for others until I was well into seminary.  The lesson here is that we must each struggle to define and refine our understanding of God and ourselves.

Part of the reason spiritual development is hard work is that our whole person—conscious and unconscious—is involved. Benner sees our conscious self as the self of “thought, volition, and behavior” (159)—a kind of aspirational self. The unconscious self is basically everything else—stuff not chosen (or not admitted) but nevertheless part of us.  In this sense, Benner writes: “Religion is the achievement of the consciousness; spirituality is the gift of the unconscious.” (160) Working on the unconscious (or shadow) side of our personality according frees us and leaves us better integrated persons, but it also means that we must probe deeply into aspects of our history and life that we have worked hard to suppress from others, but successfully suppressed mostly from ourselves.

Unconsciousness versus Consciousness

The bondage that we experience from our history primarily inhabits our unconscious.

I remember clearly an incident one morning the hospital emergency department in 2012. I met with a young woman who had recently lost a pregnancy in a spontaneous abortion. During the first 20 minutes of our conversation, we connected and the visit went well. Pretty soon, however, we began experiencing a role reversal. I was no longer ministering to her; she was ministering to me. Visiting with her reminded me of a pregnancy that my wife, Maryam, and I had lost about 20 years prior that I had not properly grieved. Emotions welled up in me that I was entirely unaware of. I had to break off my visit with young woman and I ended up in the chapel in tears for a good long spell. My unresolved pain in losing a child prevented me from ministering properly to the woman in the emergency department.

Problem of Repressed Grief

Uncovering repressed grief is not easy.  In talking about such spiritual work, Benner writes:

“To be useful for psychospiritual growth, journal writing needs to focus on inner life, that is, on such things as feelings, fantasies, reactions, intuitions, vagrant thoughts, troubling attitudes or behaviors, and puzzling experiences.” (163)

Benner is particularly interested in dreams which have the potential to connect us with our unconscious selves.  He compares an unexamined dream to an unopened letter (173).

A lot more could be said about this book.

Assessment

David Benner’s Care of Souls is an interesting and transformative text. I highly recommend this book to pastors, other Christian care givers, and Christians who want to be spiritually sensitive in their ministry and open to their own spiritual development.

Questions

Have you ever been hijacked by an unconscious emotion?  How did you respond? Do you feel that it constrained your conscious choices?

Footnotes

A friend of mine is fond of saying:  wherever you go, you show up!

For details about my book see: http://wp.me/p4iojd-2m.

Benner Cares Spiritually—Part 2
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

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Introduction to Acts: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 21, 2023

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Introduction to Acts. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Introduction to Acts: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 21, 2023
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Ready_Ag23 ,  Signup

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Prayer for the Holy Spirit’s Presence

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Blessed Lord Jesus,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because when we sought retribution, you taught us restoration, and when we wanted to pick nits, you gave eyes that see and ears that hear.

Forgive our narrow minds and shallow hearts. Help us to confess sins that we hide even from ourselves.

Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth and grace, the spirit of a new day and fresh thinking.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts, illumine our thoughts, and strength our hands in your service.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit’s Presence
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Ready_Ag23 ,  Signup

 

 

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Introduction to Acts

It seemed good to me also, 

having followed all things closely for some time past, 

to write an orderly account for you, 

most excellent Theophilus 

(Luke 1:3)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The history of the church is chronicled most extensively by Luke, who is Greek, a physician by trade, and a companion of Paul (Col 4:14). By his own account, Luke functioned like a modern journalist and was not among the original twelve disciples. Modern scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel is the oldest and that Luke’s Gospel draws heavily on Mark as source along with his own interviews. This makes sense because Luke was well acquainted with Mark, who served as a amanuensis (scribe or secretary) of the Apostle Peter and is later believed to travel with Luke and Paul telling the Jesus story (2 Tim 4:11). Luke is also believed to have spoken extensively with Jesus’ mother Mary.

Luke’s many references to the agency of the Holy Spirit set his Gospel apart. Luke mentioned the Holy Spirit more than twice as often as any other Gospel⁠1 and the Book of Acts is even more prolific in mentioning the Holy Spirit.⁠2 A key passage in Luke in this respect is one of the first: 

“And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35)

If Jesus’ conception is of the Holy Spirit, then so is everything that follows (also Matt 1:18).

Luke’s writing is also disguised by his attention to the role of women in Jesus’ ministry, entourage, and financial support (Luke 8:3). R.C. Sproul (2005, 14) describes Luke’s Gospel as the Ladies’ Home Journal of the Bible. Only in Luke do we hear about Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, and the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1) or Anna the Prophetess (Luke 2:36-37). Who, but Mother Mary herself, could tell the story of her conversation with an angel? (Luke 1)

The Gospel of Luke serves as a prologue to the Book of Acts that focuses on the person of Jesus and his wandering ministry, which starts with temptations in the desert (Luke 4:1-13) that look a lot like the temptations of the people of the Israel during their sojourn in the wilderness (Wright 2004, 43). At least three aspects of Jesus’ ministry highlight the role of the Holy Spirit: The wandering ministry, Jesus’ healings and exorcisms, and Jesus’ interpretation of law.

Wandering Ministry

Jesus’ traveling ministry appears patterned after the wandering of Abram and the later wandering of the people of Israel during their time in the wilderness. For Abram and the people of Israel this wandering is formative and it teaches them to rely on God. For Jesus’ disciples, the traveling ministry performs the same formative function, which provides room in their lives for the work of the Holy Spirit.

Luke, whose purpose in writing is more analytical perhaps than the other Gospel writers, may actually have understood this point. Darrell Bock (1996, 146) observes:

“The unit in Luke divides clearly: An introduction (4:31-32), an exorcism (4:33-37), the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law (4:38-39), another encounter with a demon (4:40-41), and a closing mission statement (4:42-44). Three miracle accounts dominate this description of Jesus’ activity…. Mark tends to focus on the miracles themselves, while Luke balances his portrait between teaching, exorcism, and healing. For Luke words and deeds belong together.”

If head and heart must be united in forming and informing faith, then time is required for ideas to be put together with actions. Walking around and observing a teacher in action is not only an effective teaching method, it permits the Holy Spirit to work in one’s heart and mind.

Jesus’ wandering ministry, like missions trips today, likely benefitted the disciples’ faith as much or more than those ministered to.

Healings and Exorcisms

Healings and exorcisms make it obvious that Jesus was the first medical missionary. More than that, his miraculous healings (and resurrection) credentialed his claim to be the son of God because they point beyond the natural world to supernatural power (Lewis 1974, 5). Luke more often than other Gospel writers attributed such events to the agency of the Holy Spirit, such as when Jesus was baptized or led into the wilderness to be tempted (Luke 3:22, 4:1).

Interpretation of Law

Jesus’ interpretation of Jewish law distinguished him from other teachers in at least two ways that offer room for the Holy Spirit to work in a person’s life. 

First, Jesus speaks to the principle behind the law by posing an ethical dilemma, which places two legal principles in opposition to one another. He asked: “It lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9) When the Pharisees refused to answer, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand and infuriated the Pharisees because the act of healing set a righteous act in opposition to their rules about work on the Sabbath (Luke 6:10-11).

This act of legal interpretation and healing embarrassed the Pharisees and put Jesus’ life at risk, which lead him to a night of prayer and the calling of his disciples (Luke 6:12-16). Ironically, the healing could not be construed as work under the Sabbath laws because Jesus never touched the man (Wright 2004, 28).

Second, Jesus widened the interpretation of legal sanctions for murder, adultery, and other sins to consider the motivation behind the sin drawing attention to anger, lust, and other dark motives (e.g Matt 5:20-22). This made compliance with the law impossible without divine intervention.

Technical compliance, as taught by the Pharisees, was not enough to assure righteousness. While in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount proscribes technical compliance, Luke’s account promotes using rights under the law, such as enemy love, to witness to sinners (e.g.Luke 6:27).

Using law to open disciples up to the Holy Spirit’s intervention clearly set Jesus’ teaching apart from that of the Pharisees, who promoted strict adherence a narrow definition of law. Those that have no sin feel no need of a savior. This is is a problem today when people believe that they are in technical compliance with law and basically good.

Footnotes

1 Matt 1:18, 20, 3:11, 12:32, 28:19; Mark 1:8, 3:29, 12:36, 13:11; Luke 1:15, 35, 41, 67, 2:25, 26, 3:16, 22, 4:1, 10:21, 11:13, 12:10, 12; John 1:33, 14:26, 20:22

2 Acts 1:2, 5, 8, 16, 2:4, 33, 38, 4:8, 25, 31, 5:3, 32, 6:5, 7:51, 55, 8:15, 17, 19, 9:17, 31, 10:38, 44, 45, 47, 11:15, 16, 24, 13:2, 4, 9, 52, 15:8, 28, 16:6, 19:2, 6, 20:23, 28, 21:11, 28:25

References

Bock, Darrell L. 1996. The NIV Application Commentary: Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Lewis, C.S. 1974. Miracles: A Preliminary Study (Orig Pub 1960). New York: HarperCollins.

Sproul, R.C. 2005. A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke’s Gospel. Great Britain: Christian Focus.

Wright, Tom. 2004. Luke for Everyone. Westminister: John Knox Press.

Introduction to Acts

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Ready_Ag23 ,  Signup

 

 

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Benner Cares Spiritually—Part 1

David G. Benner. 1998.  Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. (Goto part 2)

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

One distinctive of biblical faith is that each human being is created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). One practical implication of this image doctrine is that when you speak with someone, it is like speaking to God himself.  In fact, many times God speaks to us through the people around us. A second practical implication is that each and every human has intrinsic value in the eyes of God.  Between the hint of the divine and this intrinsic value, everyone has an interesting story to tell—if one takes the time to listen.

Introduction

In his book, Care of Souls, David Benner implicitly understands and accepts the doctrine of the image.  He writes:

“Care refers to actions that are designed to support the well-being of something or someone. Cure refers to actions that are designed to restore well-being that has been lost.” (21)

One only cares for something of value.  In this case, we are talking about souls which he defines as:

“soul as referring to the whole person, including the body, but with particular focus on the inner world of thinking, feeling, and willing.” (22)

This is the Hebrew understanding of soul (nefesh or נַפְשִׁ֖י) which is quite distinct from the Greek understanding from Plato which divided a person into body and soul, which were truly divided (11).

Conscious and Unconscious Life

This body and soul unity is important in Benner’s thinking especially when he delves into the distinction between the conscious and non-conscious parts of our inner life.  He writes:

“Caring for souls is caring for people in ways that not only acknowledge them as persons but also engage and address them in the deepest and most profoundly human aspects of their lives.  This is the reason for the priority of the spiritual and psychological aspects of the person’s inner world in soul care.” (23)

While the cure of souls focuses on remedy for sin; care of souls focuses on the need for spiritual growth (28).

Care of Souls

Benner sees 4 elements in care of souls:

Healing—“helping others overcome some impairment and move towards wholeness”,
Sustaining—“acts of caring designed to help a hurting person endure and transcend” a challenging situation,
Reconciling—“efforts to reestablish broken relationships”, and
Guiding—“helping people make wise choices and thereby grow in spiritual maturity” (31-32)

I used to use the analogy of two soccer players working with each other to succeed in their game play and taking care of each other.

Benner offers 6 helpful principles (he calls them conclusions) defining soul care. “Christian soul care”…

“is something that we do for each other, not to ourselves.”
“operates within a moral context.”
“is concerned about community not just individuals.”
“is normally provided through the medium of dialogue within the context of a relationship.”
“does not focus on some narrow spiritual aspect of personality but addresses the whole person.”
“is much too important to be restricted to the clergy or any other single group of people.”

Christian Friends

 This last point is important—the idea of Christian friends is fundamental in Christian discipling. In fact, the first book by Benner that I read and reviewed was focused on this point.

Another key point is that the focus in care of souls is on dialogue between equals before God.  Benner distinguishes 4 types of interpersonal discourse:

Debate—“a civilized form of combat…has a focus and implicit rules that encourage participants to stick to the understood topic”. (134)
Discussion—“involves the advocacy of ideas and positions with resulting winners and losers” .(134)
Conversation—“involve the exchange not just of facts and arguments but also of feelings, values, and construals” but not to the extent and with the mutual trust required for a dialogue. (135)
Dialogue—“shared inquiry that is designed to increase awareness, understanding, and insight” among mutually trusting individuals. (131)

This focus on dialogue distinguishes soul care from psychiatric care where true dialogue is not possible, in part, because the talking is more of doctor-patient conversation between two parties that are inherently not equal. Dialogue is the preferred discourse in soul care because healing, sustaining, reconciling, and guiding are able to take place only when trust is present.

Background of Author

Dr. David Benner works and lives in Canada.  He describes himself as: “an internationally known depth psychologist, wisdom teacher, transformational coach, and author whose life’s work has been directed toward helping people walk the human path in a deeply spiritual way and the spiritual path in a deeply human way.”  He has held numerous faculty positions and written about 30 books [4].

Organization

Benner writes in 11 chapters divided into 2 parts.  These chapters are:

Part 1:  Understanding Soul Care

What is Soul Care?
The Rise of Therapeutic Soul Care
The Boundaries of the Soul
Psychology and Spirituality
Christian Spirituality

Part 2:  Giving and Receiving Soul Care

The Psychospiritual Focus and Soul Care
Dialogue in Soul Care
Dreams, the Unconscious, and the Language of the Soul
Forms of Christian Soul Care
Challenges of Christian Soul Care
Receiving Soul Care

These chapters are preceded by acknowledgments and an introduction.  They are followed by notes and a topical index.

Assessment

David Benner’s Care of Souls is a transformative text.  Although some of these ideas here appear elsewhere, many of the discussions are uniquely Benner. For example, Benner goes a lot further than many authors in offering a theological underpinning to soul care, integrates the therapeutic ideas better than other authors into his care, and spends more time in explaining the usefulness and uniqueness of dialogue.  I highly recommend this book to pastors, other Christian care givers, and Christians who want to be spiritually sensitive in their ministry.

In part 1 of this review, I have given an overview of Benner’s book.  In part 2, I will dig deeper into some of his more interesting ideas.

Question: Do you think that soul care is possible outside of a therapeutic relationship?  Why or why not?

Footnotes

This intrinsic value provides the philosophical foundation for human rights. In the absence of this theological doctrine, the secular interest in human rights is a philosophical orphan easily forgotten.

Or body, mind, and soul.

 See (Benner 2003) Also see review:  Benner Points to God (http://wp.me/p3Xeut-u3)

[4] www.DrDavidGBenner.ca

References

Benner, David G. 2003.  Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction.  Downers Grove:  IVP Books.

Benner Cares Spiritually—Part 1
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Ready_Ag23 ,  Signup

 

 

 

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Covenants: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 14, 2023

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Scoring Covenants. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Covenants: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 14, 2023
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter:  https://bit.ly/Rem_July23 ,  Signup

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Covenantal Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you nurtured our faith through covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David and 

while we broke covenant with you living in sin, you sent Christ to atone for that sin (Rom 5:8).

Forgive our hardened hearts, stopped up ears, and eyes blind to your many blessings.

Thank you for each and every new day.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts, illumine our thoughts, and strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Covenantal Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter:  https://bit.ly/Rem_July23 ,  Signup

 

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Scoring Covenants

I am the LORD your God, 

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 

out of the house of slavery. 

(Exod 20:2)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

If the Holy Spirit can be best found working in our lives in the midst of pain or a lengthy journey, then the many divine symbols and experiences in the Old Testament can be scored by how well they drew the people in and pointed them to God. A messiah—someone anointed with oil and displaying charismatic leadership—could certainly become a strong symbol and lengthy experience of divine presence, as could the temple in Jerusalem, but a messiah could also become a sacrilege and diversion from divine inspiration, like King Saul (1 Sam 9:2) or the fiery serpent that Moses made (Num 21:8-9). Given this criteria, the several Old Testament covenants stand out as especially important instruments of the Holy Spirit in the historical experience of Israel.

Weakness of Miracles, Signs, and Symbols

Miracles,⁠1 signs, and symbols require interpretation. Much like a Rorschach test, the nature of the interpretation offered is often more a reflection of presuppositions of the observer than the intent of the author or creator.

The Prophet Hosea (8:4) wrote:  “They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.” I found during my time as a hospital chaplain I observed that the majority of people admitted to the emergency department were there for preventable problems arising from poor lifestyle choices. If self-destruction is a theme in physical health, then how much more difficult is it to maintain good spiritual health? For such reasons, many of the Old Testament religious symbols had the potential to serve either to point to God or to become idols of fallen worship, like the fiery serpent fashioned by Moses (1 Kgs 18:4).⁠2

In the New Testament, Jesus himself experienced a Gethsemane moment just before his arrest: Knowing that he would be arrested and sent to the cross, will he turn to God accepting his fate or run away to save his own life? (Matt 26:39) Our daily responses to pain—turning to God or into the pain—form who we are, much like the Prophet Job’s relationship was strengthened by his experience of pain (Job 1:21). This is a opening for the Holy Spirit to form us. Still, the symbol or the pain is itself inherently ambiguous.

Covenants Reliably Point to God

While many miracles, signs, and symbols are inherently ambiguous, divine covenants invite one into a longterm relationship with God. The covenant provides objective boundaries and incentives to the relationship and because of the longterm nature of the covenantal relationship, the covenant allows the Holy Spirit ample opportunity to shape the faith of participants. While the New Covenant in Christ is qualitatively better than prior covenants (Jer 31:33), the formative nature of the special grace covenants is already present in the covenants with Moses and David (Niehaus 2014, 32).

Niehaus (2014, 37) outlines the form of a Hittite covenant:

“[A] covenant is an expression of God’s nature as a great suzerain who provides good things for his vassals, who imparts standards for their way of life, who will bless them for obedience and curse them for disobedience, and who is the eternal witness to these facts.”

Covenantal stipulations provide for both blessings and curses, as articulated in Deuteronomy 28 for the Mosaic covenant, much like an employment contract (Niehaus 2014, 36).

A suzerain is a “king of kings” or “Lord of Lords,” which today we might recognize as a super-power. A super-power, like the United States, provides for military and other assistance to allied nations within its domain. Allied nations have similar constitutional governance structures, trading treaties, and may offer space for military bases and ports of call to the super-power. Travel between the super-power and other nations in its domain is relatively easy so long as visitors abide by various laws and bureaucratic conventions. The chief difference between today’s treaties and a Hittite treaty is that a Hittite treaty is more inclusive of religious and lifestyle stipulations, and, of course, constitutional government replaces the role of a suzerain in the modern treaty.

The New Covenant in Christ

The Prophet Jeremiah anticipated the limitations of the Old Testament covenants in pointing people to God:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer. 31:31-33)

Jeremiah describes covenantal law as “I took them by the hand” which the people “broke.” In other words, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.

The formational problem articulated by Jeremiah is not unlike the older brother’s hardened heart in Jesus’ Parable of the Two Brothers (or Prodigal Son), which is a New Testament coming of age story. The story begins with a father with two sons neither of whom loves his father. The younger son demands his inheritance, runs off, and squanders it. When he falls into destitution, he remembers his father, and returns home to beg his father to offer him a job. When his father forgives him, the older son is angry and resentful. The irony of this parable is that the younger and initially more outrageous son is the one who learns to love his father, something his older brother never does (Luke 15:11-31).

The qualitative superiority of the New Testament covenant in Christ arises precisely in permitting the Holy Spirit greater opportunity to form and inform our faith in God.

Footnotes

1 C.S. Lewis (1974, 5) defines the word, miracle: “to mean interference with nature by supernatural power.”

2 Schlossberg (1990, 6) defines idolatry as: “Any substitute of what is created for the creator.”

References

Lewis, C.S. 1974. Miracles: A Preliminary Study (Orig Pub 1960). New York: HarperCollins.

Niehaus, Jeffrey J. 2014. Biblical Theology: Volume 1: The Common Grace Covenants. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Schlossberg, Herbert. 1990. Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture. Wheaton: Crossway Books.

Scoring Covenants

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter:  https://bit.ly/Rem_July23 ,  Signup

 

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Niehaus Details Biblical Covenants

Jeffrey J. Niehaus. 2014. Biblical Theology: Volume 1: The Common Grace Covenants. Bellingham, MA: Lexham Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

These are exciting times for biblical interpreters. For the first time since ancient times, ancient manuscripts are available at low cost to researchers interested and willing to take the time to study them. This implies that careful study can bring us closer to the original intent of the authors of these texts and place them more accurately in the context of canonical scripture—the objective of the interpretative school known as biblical theology. Still, the siren call of other voices has also never been stronger.

Introduction

In the introduction to his book, Biblical Theology: The Common Grace Covenants, Jeffrey Niehaus (2014, 2-3) writes:

“Some portions of the Bible not only report God’s covenants but also partake of a second millennium BC international [Hittite] treaty form, as Mendenhall, Kline, and Kitchen demonstrated decades ago. We also know that the prophetical corpus moves largely in the domain of covenant lawsuit.”

The Hittites ruled Anatolia (modern Turkey) from about 1700 to 1200 BC and were prominent because of their iron-works, trading with the Egyptians, Assyrian, and Babylonians before being broken up and dispersed as a people group. The influence of their treaty form suggests the dating of the Books of the Law written by Moses.

Niehaus focuses this volume one on the common grace covenants of Adam (creation) and Noah (re-creation) introduced in Genesis 1-11 that apply to all of humanity (5). Volume two will focus on the special grace covenants with Moses, David, and Jesus (the remainder of the Bible) that articulate promises and blessings that apply only to those whose faith is in God (32).

Amening Faith

 Niehaus defines biblical faith drawing on the Hebrew word, Amen, that means “to affirm, to agree that it is so.” He goes further to define amening as more than an intellectual agreement, but to take “ownership of what God is doing.” (15) In the case of the Centurion (Matt 8:10), he affirms that Jesus’ words are true and he applies this truth to his own actions (17). In my own writing, I talk about image theology where because we are created in God’s image, we want to reflect who God is and what God is doing. This is effectively an application of Niehaus’ idea of amening God.

Laconic Character of Scripture

As an Old Testament scholar, Niehaus makes frequent reference to the laconic—highly abbreviated—character of scripture. He writes: “The Bible sometimes proceeds or progresses, in its revelation by producing laconic articulations of data or doctrines in the earlier material.” (61-62)

At least two reasons can be cited for why scripture has this laconic characteristic. First, because so few people could read in the ancient world, important principles and events would be remembered both in written and oral tradition. Brevity, story, and poetic expression enhance oral transmission. Second, written documents were expensive to create and maintain, particularly because of the hot climate of the Middle East. Brevity reduced cost. Ancient Hebrew recorded only consonants; ancient Greek recorded only capital letters without punctuation. More generally, cultural context need not be written down for a contemporary audience, which further abbreviated written communication.

Niehaus (74) observes that: “Earlier biblical portrayals of certain truths can be laconic, with more detail provided by later statements or revelation of the same truths.” I applied this same principle in my reports during government service where I wrote for three audiences: my executive summary was written for managers, the body of the report was written for the rest of the staff, and the appendices were written for my economist colleagues. If one abstracted the vowels and punctuation of my reports, the early parts of my reports might be described as laconic in the Niehaus sense.

Covenantal Form

Niehaus outlines numerous literary structures found especially in Genesis. Most important among these is the form of a Hittite covenant:

“[A] covenant is an expression of God’s nature as a great suzerain who provides good things for his vassals, who imparts standards for their way of life, who will bless them for obedience and curse them for disobedience, and who is the eternal witness to these facts.” (37)

A suzerain is a “king of kings” or “Lord of Lords,” which today we might recognize as a super-power. A super-power, like the United States, provides for military and other assistance to allied nations within its domain. Allied nations have similar constitutional governance structures, trading treaties, and may offer space for military bases and ports of call to the super-power. Travel between the super-power and other nations in its domain is relatively easy so long as visitors abide by various laws and bureaucratic conventions. The chief difference between today’s treaties and a Hittite treaty is that a Hittite treaty is more inclusive of religious and lifestyle stipulations, and, of course, constitutional government replaces the role of a suzerain in the modern treaty.

Recognizing the deep structure of the Hittite covenants of the Old Testament provides an important gateway into reading the Bible from the perspective of authorial intent and the context of canonical scripture. The relationship, for example, between the Adamic and Noahic covenants is important because they attempt to say the same thing. Basically, the Noahic covenant is written like a Hittite treaty reproduced for a son rising to the throne on the death of his father, the King. The suzerain essentially extends the same terms to the son as to the father (185-186). For this reason, Niehaus talks about the creation covenant with Adam and the re-creation covenant with Noah.

Assessment

Jeffrey Niehaus’ Biblical Theology: The Common Grace Covenants is a fascinating book to read. Because Niehaus was my Old Testament professor, I was pleased to find him writing out the lessons that went by too quickly in seminary—drinking from the firehose, as we used to describe our experience. The target audience of this book can best be described as seminary professors, students, and pastors, although Niehaus would hope for a wider audience.

Footnotes

[1] Vanhoozer (1998, 25-27) sees literary criticism evolving through three stages:  author intent, context of scripture, and reader understanding. Many of the more colorful interpretations of scripture today skip these first two criteria and focus on the third—what scripture means to me.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittites.

References

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. 1998. Is There a Meaning in This Text: The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Niehaus Details Biblical Covenants
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
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Deuteronomic Cycle: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 7, 2023

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Deuteronomic Cycle. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Deuteronomic Cycle: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 7, 2023
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter:  https://bit.ly/Rem_July23 ,  Signup

The post Deuteronomic Cycle: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 7, 2023 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.