Archive for the ‘The Church and Israel’ Category
Posted on October 17, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
New Paper on Christian Zionism
I have a new paper on Christian Zionism which was recently delivered to a postgraduate group and which I’ve since been written up and added to my The Church and Israel B.Th. module (it is now posted on that eCampus page). It can also be found here (there is also a PDF version available at the end of the article). I hope you find it useful, and, as usual, comments are much appreciated.
Posted on September 20, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
Consulation Paper: A Christian View of Israel
By Calvin L. Smith. Paper delivered to the Concordis International consultation The British Churches and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (held at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, 19 Sept 2009).
The Jewish People in the Bible
In his important book The God of Israel and Christian Theology (Fortress Press, 1996) the theologian R. Kendall Soulen explains how second century responses to anti-Christian Judaism contributed to a distorted understanding of the canonical narrative. By canonical narrative we mean the thread, or overarching narrative that runs through the Bible (sometimes referred to as the Bible’s metanarrative). Establishing the central thread and tracing key biblical themes is a vital aspect of doing biblical theology.
Posted on May 26, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
Arabs, Christians, Israel and Ethnicity
Let’s bring our perusal of this thorny issue of ethnicity and racism vis-a-vis the relationship between the Church and Israel to an end with a brief consideration of the extent to which some Christians themselves might be guilty of racism within this wider debate. Let me begin by pointing out just how harsh and hateful genuine racism is, so I don’t use the term lightly here, unlike some who hijack and employ it loosely for polemical reasons and political gain. I’m talking about real, premeditated racism, that is, hatred of someone by virtue of their race, rather than the unwitting variety that may also cause some offence but which is not driven by outright hatred.
Posted on May 24, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
Grafted Into Israel: What Does It Mean?
As promised, I’ve now written my last piece on ethnicity, racism and the relationship between the Church and Israel, hopefully to post it here tomorrow. But before I do I want to look at it once more with fresh eyes. In the meantime, I’ve decided the next angle concerning the relationship between the Church and Israel I want to explore. In Romans 11:17-24 the Apostle Paul states Gentile believers (the wild olive) have been grafted in to Israel. This is the issue I want to spend some time exploring. In short, what exactly does Paul mean by this? In preparation for our discussion I’d like you to begin thinking what is the “Israel” into which we are grafted, and what are some of the theological issues this raises? As I delve further into this issue I must confess some mixed views concerning some of the issues and questions which a careful analysis of the text, together with a biblical theology treatment of the issue, raises. So when I ask you to comment I’m not trying to catch people out. Rather, I would genuinely like you to think about what this means and post your preliminary thoughts and ideas here and during subsequent posts. This has the makings of a great theological debate.
Calvin L. Smith is tutor of theology at King’s Evangelical Divinity School. He is editor of a new book exploring the relation ship between the Church and Israel entitled The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism: Resources for Christians.
Posted on May 23, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
First Print Run Almost Gone
Exactly two weeks after it was published on 8 May, nearly the entire first print run (500 units) of the new book The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism: Resources for Christians has been sold or ordered. A second print run is now being hurriedly organised, while a shorter third print run of 250 copies is already currently underway in Australia. Of course, I’m very excited about these developments (which author or editor wouldn’t be?), but more importantly my hope is the new book will contribute to a more objective, less bitter and polarised debate on the issue of the Church and Israel. So far, at least, feedback has been very good.
A number of academic journals and Christian publicatiosn are organising reviews of the book. In the meantime I would be grateful if friends of this blog would continue to bring the book to the attention of other Christians, websites and their churches. Full details of the book’s contents, contributors, endorsements and how to purchase can be found on the book’s website.
I haven’t forgotten my promise to continue my blog posts on the Church and Israel from a different perspective, having moved on from the issue of ethnicity.
Calvin L. Smith is tutor of theology at King’s Evangelical Divinity School. He is editor of a new book exploring the relation ship between the Church and Israel entitled The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism: Resources for Christians.
Posted on May 21, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
Modern Israel, Ethnicity and Racism
I’m continuing my brief comments on the Church, Israel and ethnicity covered in the last few posts. We’ve looked at this issue from the perspective of biblical Israel, so today I want to explore the extent to which modern Israel is, as is all too often claimed, a racist country. Remember, in keeping with my recent resolution to blog more frequently I’m keeping these posts short and to the point, the danger being of course oversimplifying the issues. So treat these posts as brief thoughts for your consideration. There is no reason why we can’t develop the arguments further if people choose to comment. (more…)
Posted on May 18, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
More on the Old Testament, Israel and Racism
Two posts in two days! At least (well, for now) I’m showing commitment to my stated aim yesterday to try harder and be a better blogger. Anyway, yesterday’s post dwelt on the view held by several of the more polemical (and arguably subtly less theological) supercessionists that the concept of God having a chosen people is somewhow a racist theology. Yesterday we touched upon the patent absurdity of such a view. Today, I want to elaborate just a tiny bit more on the non-racist nature of OT Israel. (more…)
Posted on May 17, 2009 - by Calvin L. Smith
“God is no longer a racist”
With the recent wave of tumultuous activity behind me, it’s back to blogging. If I’m honest, though, I’m not a very good blogger. Blogging require discipline (oh dear), eschewing longwindedness (”Strike two!”), single-mindedness (o-ho), and for compulsiveness to be channelled into a disciplined, long-term commitment to action… in short, I am not cut out to be a blogger.
But this aside, from now on I promise to try harder (I suspect I might have said this before). With the release of my new book, I especially promise to try (note the verb, not a commitment to action, but rather a commitment to try and be committed to action) to blog a little more frequently. In particular, I’m going to try and post more, but shorter posts on issues relating to the Church and Israel. And with this in mind I’ve changed the name of this category from “What of Israel?” to “The Church and Israel”. Having stated my commitment to shorter, more frequent blog posts, here’s something brief (blink and you’ll miss it) to consider.