Volume 26 Issue 2

"What can one person do?" says a character in "A Small Light," the seven-part series originally shown on the National Geographic Channel recently and now available on Disney+. The series depicts the young couple who hid Anne Frank's family of four plus four others during Germany's occupation of Amsterdam from 1940 to 1943. The main character, Miep Gies, is a young woman employed by Anne Frank's father, Otto. In Episode four (1940), while already hiding the eight people in the upper reaches of Otto's business and scrambling to supply them with food, Miep and her husband Jan attend a posh party with every extravagance at the invitation of her good friend from school days. Distressed to learn that all at the party are now Nazi sympathizers who are making money doing business with them, Miep and Jan leave disgusted.

Early the next morning, shocked and angered, Miep confronts her friend and demands she break off her relationship with the rich boyfriend who hosted the party. Uttered in resignation to the horrific reality of Hol - land's situation, the friend's poignant response unwittingly captures the entire theme of the story. Indeed, what can one person do in the face of such a force as the Nazi occupiers? While her friend did what most people of Holland did, survived by cooperating, Miep was indeed one person who chose to risk her life to save eight Jews while her husband, Jan, was working with the underground resistance to save others.

Hearing the words "What can one person do?" makes me think of those of us in the vocation of teaching college and graduate students. Faced with a myriad of demanding tasks every day, we need to be challenged by that ques- tion to be driven to move past the utter frustration we can feel at times, by administration red tape, student resistance and indifference to learning, and the difficulty to get needed reading, research, and writing time. We must fight against the obstacles for the sake of each student sitting in our graduate sem- inar of three or freshman class of one hundred and three. Students will remember you and most will advance to be faithful servants of the gospel in ministry, in teaching, and in a myriad of vocations. Most will remember things you said in class or to them personally that you don't remember your- self. The precious few will come back to thank you. Treasure that.

Miep did not save Anne Frank, who had died only a few days before Allies liberated her camp, nor did six of the others survive. But she did save Otto Frank, who not only survived the holocaust, he was the force behind the publishing of Anne's diary in 1947, remarried in 1953, even being involved in the 1959 Anne Frank movie and more before his death at 100 in 1980.

Another thing one person can do that contributes to history and humanity is publish articles that advance knowledge. This issue of SCJ includes six articles worthy of your time to read. The first two articles come from two plenary sessions of the 2023 SCJ Conference that had the theme of Alexander Campbell and His Personal Relationships. One is from Loretta Hunnicutt, an SCJ editor, who highlights Selina Campbell, Alexander Camp - bell's second wife after the early death of his first wife, Margaret. It provides helpful context for Selina's critical role in the Stone-Campbell Movement, as an editor and more, not only while Alexander was living but also long after he died. Another is from Edward Robinson, an SCJ editor, who pro- vides historical context for Alexander Campbell's complex relationship with enslaved and freed black Americans.

In the third article, Kelly Tyrrell, the 2022 Isaac Errett Award Winner, tells the tragic story behind the rise and fall of Jim Jones that resulted in the 1978 murder of a U.S. congressman, three journalists, and the mass suicide of 909 people. It also chronicles his relationship with the Disciples of Christ.

In the fourth article, David Kneip provides an in-depth theological exploration into the language used by fifth-century church father, Cyril of Alexandria, to explain John 17's language regarding the Holy Spirit's role in creating unity among believers in the church.

In the fifth article, Joshua Seth Houston analyzes the reclothing of the high priest in Zech 3:1-7 as a possible contributor to Paul's language that depicts baptism as "putting off" old clothing and "putting on" new.

In the sixth article, Barry Blackburn, an SCJ editor, defends the posi- tion that the "coming" of the Son of Man in Matt 24:29-35 is best under- stood as referring to a future return of Jesus that introduces the Parousia and not the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70 as promoted by some prominent scholars.

William R. Baker, Editor

Chosen by Spencer Taylor
Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan
26.2 Quotables
View Quotables from Other Issues Here

Featured Quote:

"Though she had no official title and never spoke publicly in the presence of men, Selina Campbell nonetheless played a key role in the growth of the churches her husband helped organize and provided vital support to his preaching career. Utilizing the concept of bridge leadership allows us to perceive a richer complexity of gender partnership in the SCM."

Loretta Hunnicutt, "Selina Campbell: Fellow Soldier and Bridge Leader in the Cause of Restoration" (SCJ 26.2:182-183)

"“[Selina Campbell's] role, though behind the scenes and at first glance less impactful, nonetheless sustained her husband's ministry and reveals to twenty-first-century observers that women of the nineteenth century were not passive, voiceless observers in Stone-Campbell churches."

Loretta Hunnicutt, "Selina Campbell: Fellow Soldier and Bridge Leader in the Cause of Restoration" (SCJ 26.2:183)

"“[Alexander Campbell] had some real contact with black people. Such encounters reveal a few significant things about Campbell. He was not a detached preacher or a distant reformer or scholar. He was indeed human, and he recognized the humanity of black people."

Edward Robinson, "Sympathy for the Black Man": Alexander Campbell's Conflicting Legacy among African Americans" (SCJ 26.2:186)

"In sum, [Alexander] Campbell unquestionably espoused racist views because he was a product of his time, but this does not seem to have stopped him from having meaningful contact with black preachers who were open to hearing his message."

Edward Robinson, "Sympathy for the Black Man": Alexander Campbell's Conflicting Legacy among African Americans" (SCJ 26.2:197)

"It was [Jim] Jones's knowledge of the Disciples of Christ structure, or lack thereof, that allowed him to manipulate an established denomination into supporting his egocentric cult of personality. In fact, prior to the Jonestown Massacre, Jones and the Peoples Temple (Disciples of Christ) church were a source of pride and an increasing source of income for the denomination."

Kelly tyrrell, "Strange Bedfellows: Jim Jones and the Disciples of Christ" (SCJ 26.2:200)

"Though Jim Jones's preaching was not representative of what the Disciples of Christ stand for, the stigma of what happened remains. The Jonestown Massacre stands as an example, albeit an extreme one, of the potential consequences of the Disciples' emphasis on local church autonomy."

Kelly tyrrell, "Strange Bedfellows: Jim Jones and the Disciples of Christ" (SCJ 26.2:211)

"“[Cyril] answers the unasked question of Jesus' prayer, ascribing specifically to the Holy Spirit a strongly causative role concerning the Christian unity for which Jesus prayed, even going beyond what Jesus said explicitly in order to explain what he believes Jesus meant."

David Kneip, "Cyril of Alexandria on John 17, the Holy Spirit, and the Unity of the Church" (SCJ 26.2:221)

"Like Cyril, many Christians associated with the Stone-Campbell Movement live in a time of great unrest in the church and in a society that is itself marked by partisanship and hostility. But even amidst difficulty, Cyril paints a beautiful picture of Christian unity, recognizing that believers can be one in heart, mind, will, and action, even as the divine Persons of the Trinity are unified."

David Kneip, "Cyril of Alexandria on John 17, the Holy Spirit, and the Unity of the Church" (SCJ 26.2:221)

"Baptism in terms of ‘putting on' makes little sense if one considers Jewish ritualistic washings or John's baptism of repentance as the only theological precursors to Christian baptism. The vision of Joshua emphasizes the changing of clothes to symbolize spiritual purity and acceptance by Yahweh."

Joshua Seth Houston, "The Priest's New Clothes: Exploring Zechariah 3:1-7 and Paul's Doctrine of Baptism" (SCJ 26.2:239)

"The imagery in Galatians and Zechariah's vision is essentially the same despite the significant thematic variations resulting from their differing occasions and purposes."

Joshua Seth Houston, "The Priest's New Clothes: Exploring Zechariah 3:1-7 and Paul's Doctrine of Baptism" (SCJ 26.2:246)

"As early as the author of the Didache, most Christians through the centuries have understood all references in Matthew 24–25 to Jesus' “coming”—whether as Son of Man, Lord, or the bridegroom—as referencing the widespread early hope that the risen Jesus would return bodily to earth to bring the Kingdom of God to its consummation. However, in the second half of the twentieth century and in the two decades of the new one, this interpretive tradition has been challenged."

Barry L. Blackburn, Sr., "The “Coming” of Jesus (The Son of Man) in Matthew 24–25" (SCJ 26.2:271-2)

"This article demonstrates that all three of these attempts to evacuate the Parousia, as traditionally understood, from part or all of the “comings” of Jesus in Matthew 24–25 are seriously flawed."

Barry L. Blackburn, Sr., "The “Coming” of Jesus (The Son of Man) in Matthew 24–25" (SCJ 26.2:272)