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Search: the Politics of Scripture

The Politics of True Faith—Hebrews 11:29–12:2

Faith is an enacted practice we live into through our whole selves, continuously laying our souls and bodies bare and vulnerable before the unknown. The consequences of this are thoroughgoing, touching every single aspect of our lives and making demands on both our loyalties and our activities in the world.

The Politics of a Homeland—Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

The quest for a homeland and the experience of being a stranger and an alien—a refugee—in the world is central to the calling of the faithful in Hebrews 11. This reality should remain integral to our self-understanding as the people of God today.

The Politics of Sacred Texts

For this symposium, we asked respondents to reflect on the question, “What are the political implications of naming a text sacred?”

The Politics of the Shepherds’ Sign—Luke 2:8-20 (Alastair Roberts)

The story of the sign given to the shepherds—the Child wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger—both recalls and anticipates other scriptural events in significant yet surprising ways. It also reminds us of our vocation, as those who must declare the good news of the sign of Christ to the shepherds of our age.

The Politics of the Day of the Lord—2 Peter 3:8-15a (Alastair Roberts)

We do not know when our day of judgment will come, when our nations will rise or fall, or when the times of testing in which we are either proven or broken will hit us. Yet Peter exhorts us to be found ready in vigilant holiness when they do.

The Politics of a Love beyond Dualism—Matthew 25:31-46 (Fritz Wendt)

While often read merely as an account of judgment, heaven, and hell, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats reveals a love that overcomes dualism.

The Politics of Representation—Matthew 25: 1-13 (Raj Bharat Patta)

The Parable of the Ten Virgins, a rare example of women appearing in the parables and sayings of the gospel, invites us to consider challenging questions of representation.

The Politics of the Communication of the Truth—1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (Alastair Roberts)

The Apostle Paul’s discussion of the dynamics of his gospel ministry in relation to the Thessalonian Christians offers us arresting images for considering the reality of the truth and the bonds of trust by which societies are formed and held together.

The Politics of the Vineyard of Israel—Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-15; Matthew 21:33-46 (Alastair Roberts)

The prophetic parables of the vineyard afford their hearers an illuminating vantage point upon the intergenerational peoplehood and unified moral agency of a nation. They offer us a new way of perceiving our national selves beyond the stifling frame of secularism.

The Politics of Solomon’s Dream—1 Kings 3:5-12 (Alastair Roberts)

King Solomon’s desire for wisdom to equip him for just rule establishes him as the paradigm of the Wisdom tradition and as an example for us to follow. The scriptural emphasis upon wisdom in rule may contrast strongly with contemporary emphases upon technique.

The Politics of a New ‘Family Values’—Matthew 10:24-39 (Fritz Wendt)

In his challenge to the rich young ruler, Jesus also challenges conservative family values politics, offering us an alternative vision of relations in the kingdom of God.