Volume 10 Issue 1

By the time you receive this issue of SCJ, I will have completed a 1 Corinthians commentary for the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, a new series published by Tyndale based on their New Living Translation. Very noticeable as I have moved along in my work is how consensus on various interpretive issues has shifted in the last thirty years, between F. F. Bruce and C. K. Barrett, two brilliant scholars who wrote commentaries in 1968 and 1971 respectively, and John Garland (2003), Anthony Thiselton (2000), Raymond Collins (1999), and Richard Hays (1997).

All these scholars of both these eras are committed Christians, know their Greek, are careful thinkers, and utilize up-to-date research. So, what happened to motivate these changes? The clear answer is that more research in the form of theses and articles has been done to contribute toward better understanding the many knotty problems in 1 Corinthians. Not only has it been done, it has been read and has made an impact. This is heartening to those of us who endeavor to engage in scholarly work and believe in its value. Reading papers on SBL, ETS, yes, and even papers at the SCJ conference has an important purpose in moving forward our understanding of the Bible we hold so dear.

Articles in volumes of SCJ, indexed in all major resources, get read too. One such article on 1 Corinthians published in SCJ 4.2 (Fall, 2001) 205-234, I enjoyed rereading was by Loren Stuckenbruck (University of Durham), “Why Should Women Cover Their Heads Because of the Angels?” It was fun to read other excellent articles by scholars from Stone-Campbell heritage, including: Richard Oster (Harding Graduate School of Religion), “When Men Wore Veils to Worship: The Historical Context of 1 Corinthians 11:4,” NTS 34 (1988) 481-505; Rollin Ramsaran (Emmanuel School of Religion), “More Than an Opinion: Paul’s Rhetorical Maxim in First Corinthians 7:25- 26,” CBQ 57 (1995) 531-541; Jerry Sumney “The Place of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 in Paul’s Argument,” JBL 119 (2000) 329-333.

Naysayers about the enterprise of NT scholarship look at these shifts in interpretation as confirmation of their skepticism and say, “See, I told you so. Scholarship is a waste of time. It only confuses things by changing interpretations all the time. I am just going to read the Bible.” Stone-Campbell Journal 10 (Spring, 2007) 1–3 Editor’s Preface My response is that reading the Bible is great, but there is a time and place for reading our Bibles alongside informed interpretation, even if it is in the form of a study Bible. Also, those with responsibilities for teaching and preaching in the church need to be reminded to make attempts to keep informed by adding new commentaries to our shelves once in a while. We should not make what we were taught by our professors in college our only basis for understanding. Great, new, eyeopening information can be at our fingertips.

Interpretation itself is the very human effort to understand the Bible the best we can with the inquiring minds God has given us. Over the 2,000 years of Bible interpretation advances have been made even as human civilization and knowledge has advanced. This should not be sneered at. We have learned things, things about Greek language, Jewish and Greek culture, methods of interpretation, and much more. We who study the Bible today are beneficiaries of the work of others, even the work of those whose ideas were eventually overturned and now no longer appear in publications, not even as a minority opinion in a footnote. We who are scholars desire to contribute to this enterprise, even with very little recognition, because we believe in the Bible’s value as God’s precious resource to communicate to people in every generation and in every culture. This resource is inexhaustible as is the ingenuity of people to better understand it. SCJ purposes to enable, encourage, and make available the scholarly work of those who identify with the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement to the larger world of biblical scholarship.

In the interests of understanding the state of scholarship in the Stone-Campbell Movement, this volume continues with the second of three articles originally presented at a meeting of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in Dallas, TX, in 2005, begun by the publication in the last issue of Mark Hamilton’s analysis of Churches of Christ (a cappella). Eugene Boring, an outstanding NT scholar in his own right, having most recently published a significant commentary on the Gospel of Mark in the Westminster John Knox New Testament Library (2006), continues the series with his article on the Disciples of Christ. Boring (Professor Emeritus, Brite Divinity School) maintains a keen interest in how scholarship is done in the Stone-Campbell Movement, having contributed a unique book in this area almost a decade ago (Disciples and the Bible, Chalice, 1997).

This issue also places in print the presentation of John Castelein at the SCJ 10 (Spring, 2007): 1–3 2 2006 SCJ conference on the challenges Christians face with neuroscience’s study of the brain. This will also be SCJ’s sponsored lecture this year at the NACC in Kansas City. Also, Dennis Lindsay provides provocative thoughts on the Lord’s Supper from a wider perspective than we normally consider. Jim Estep challenges ministers and educators to think theologically about what Christian education is in the church. Mark Alterman offers a unique article for SCJ that encourages readers to explore electronic resources for biblical language studies. Holly Carey, a graduate of Atlanta Christian College, soon to complete her Ph.D. in NT at University of Edinburgh, shows how a careful reading of the Greek text of Mark 11:15-19 provides critical clues to how it is to be interpreted.

SCJ readers will notice a few changes in the editorial board with this issue. Jon Weatherly and Doug Foster, both of whom have had significant roles to play from the very beginning of SCJ almost 10 years ago, have stepped down as editors to serve on the governing board of Stone-Campbell International, the non-profit organization that publishes SCJ. Added to the editorial board is John Harrison, Professor of NT and Ministry, Oklahoma Christian University, who has been serving capably as a Consulting Editor. Added as Consulting Editors are Jerry Sumney, Professor of Biblical Studies, Lexington Theological Seminary, and D. Newell Williams, President and Professor of American Religion, Brite Divinity School. Both have been active participants in SCJ matters, including the conference, for many years. With their addition, we are pleased to be able to say that SCJ truly is a journal for all streams of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement.

Finally, the SCJ website has been totally revamped. Take a look, remembering that all the new features may take some time to be fully enabled. In addition to the features on our old site that included a searchable list of articles and reviews, contributor information, subscription information, and Promising Scholars lists, the new website will provide the ability to subscribe and renew online, download and pay for articles individually, plus offer great quotes from new journal issues chosen by selected graduate students. Eventually to be added will be a level of SCJ membership that will allow people access to full-text articles from all issues of the journal electronically, a job board for connecting schools and prospective hires, a memorial page, cool t-shirts, and more.

William R. Baker, Editor

Quotables for this issue where chosen by Alisha Paddock, Graduate Student, Emmanuel School of Religion

 
"Biblical interpretation that is rooted and steeped in sectarianism or in parochialism is bound to be distorted and flawed"

Dennis Lindsay, "Bread Broken and Scattered" (SCJ 10.1:6)

"In the context of the world church .  .   . we ultimately recognize that Holy Scripture does not belong to anyone unless it belongs to everyone" (14).

Dennis Lindsay, "Bread Broken and Scattered" (SCJ 10.1:14)

"Interpretation is the way we appropriate texts–the only way."

Eugene Boring, "How Disciples Interpret the Bible (SCJ 10.1:22).

"We belong to the church, the ongoing people of God in continuity with the biblical communities of faith to which all Scripture was addressed" (34).

Eugene Boring, "How Disciples Interpret the Bible (SCJ 10.1:22).

"In the Bible, the human is a living soul."

John Castelein, "Bless the Lord, O My Brain?!"  (SCJ 10:1:43)

"[Theological integration] provides a means through which faith may be consistently expressed both in the lives and ministries of Christian educators’ lives."

James Riley Estep, Jr., "How Christian is Christian Education?" (SCJ 10.1:74)

"Theology helps Christian educators identify what can be considered Christian in education."

James Riley Estep, Jr., "How Christian is Christian Education?" (SCJ 10.1:75)

"New Testament epistles certainly were performed before a living congregation as an act of worship, instruction, and encouragement" (78).

Mark Alterman, "Digital Resources for Ancient Languages" (SCJ 10.1:78)

"Whether or not a move to adopt modern Greek pronunciation will ever occur, students should be introduced to the issue, since it does have bearing on textual criticism."

Mark Alterman, "Digital Resources for Ancient Languages" (SCJ 10.1:84)

"In this case, the larger contexts of Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7 do enhance the Markan passage, addressing issues beyond a surface critique of the economic practices of the temple by labeling its authorities as insurrectionists whose agenda threatens to thwart the universal salvation of God"

Holly Carey, "Teachings and Tirades" (SCJ 10.1:105)