By Viola Larson, Naming His Grace blog.
I am beginning a review of The Presbyterian Women’s 2016-2017, Bible study, “Who is Jesus? : What a Difference a Lens Makes.” Although this is a study written and published by a women’s organization connected to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and I now belong to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, there are good reasons to do the review. A large group of ecumenical women use the study, in fact, there is a copy published, in particular, for women in other mainline churches. More importantly several years ago PW officially allowed those women whose churches had left the PCUSA to still maintain their PW status within their new denominations. If they do exist they may be studying this material.
This first review will entail looking at the introduction with its basic premises about Christology and what different ways of looking at Jesus involves and produces. I also will look at some of the suggestions for leaders worksheet found in the back of the study.
In attempting to look at—not answer—the question “who is Jesus,” Judy Yates Siker, the author divides the first four chapters into the four New Testament gospels. She then, in the following chapters, looks at some of the writings of Paul, extra biblical literature not included in the canonization of the New Testament, and views about Jesus within the Jewish community and within the Moslem Qur’an. Finally she looks at contemporary cultural interpretations. The final chapter is meant to apply to the cultural views within the church.
While there is good material in the study there are two errors that cause the study to be extremely problematic. The first is Siker’s understanding of Christology in its relationship to Scripture. The second error is a failure to accept that there is a revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture that is, taken as a whole, complete and unchangeable.
Finally although it does not contaminate the whole study there is a theological error in one of the study worksheets which may not have been intentional but nonetheless kills any correct view of who Jesus is. I will return to that at the end of this review.
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I don’t know what kind of credentials Viola Larson has, but the Rev Dr. Judy Yates Siker is a sensational bible professor and scholar. Presbyterian Women is quite privileged to get a pastor and teacher of her caliber to write this year’s PW bible study series.
I am afraid Viola is starting on the wrong foot in her review of the study by stating that it is an attempt to “to look at—not answer—the question “who is Jesus”. More than look, it is an exercise in helping the students answer the question for themselves, much as Jesus asked his own disciples to answer it. Dr. Siker is putting on the table a number of issues a contemporary 21st Century American student of Jesus might face in answering such a profound and life defining question, but she does not make the pedagogical mistake of telling the student how the student must answer in order to be “right”. She would never deprive her students from the thrill of that discovery.
The mistake Viola makes in her review is to assume that bringing people to Faith involves telling them the answer to such questions. That is cheating. Telling the answer rarely, if ever, brings people to Faith. As any decent Evangelist knows well, what plants and grows the Faith is helping folks struggle with and answer these kinds of questions, and this question in particular, for themselves. In the end, even in the case of Peter, “flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven”.
That then becomes the Rock upon which Jesus builds His Church.
My recommendation to Viola going forward would be to try not to steal the thunder of discovery from the other students in the class. Review the series for its pedagogical quality, but let the question play itself out to it’s own full internal glory.
Carl, allowing a student to come to their own conclusions in some cases is helpful but in other cases is extremely harmful. A student training to be a doctor, for instance, must have the correct answers. The Church is called to proclaim clearly the truth of who Jesus is so that lost women and men may encounter him and those who already know Jesus may rejoice and grow into faithful disciples.
amen.
“Horizons” suffers from the same anemia and sclerosis as “Presbyterians Today” or any thing else produced or published from the PCUSA. The actual number of readers or consumers of their fare are either is assisted living or have no real idea the state of their denomination, and could have their convention in a rather small space.
So should we pay attention to its content? About as much I suppose as the next meeting of the PMA. As to the authors, design and intent of the articles in question I remind all this is the PCUSA, were you expecting a primer on Knox, Calvin or the scholarship, insight of a CS Lewis? Please.
Consuming anything PCUSA is much like drinking a luke- warm glass of water or eating a rice cake, of limited mineral or nutritional content, and quickly forgotten.
Viola – I hate to tell you this, but you cannot come to a conclusion on any topic for another person. Clearly you do not understand pedagogy or adult learning. Please stop this senseless “review”. It just looks like you are still upset about having to move over to start a new EPC church and you want to spite those who stayed PCUSA. Your tortured excuses do not hold water. My advice to you, move on and focus on the EPC, there is plenty of work to do there to make sure no one steps over any lines with incorrect answers.
Viola,
I don’t think your analogy of medical students learning the right answers in medical school works the way you would like it to. If you went to a Dr who was educated in what was “right” at the time of John Calvin, he or she would be a total quack. Even if trained only 80 years ago, that doctor would still be a total quack.
Be that as it may, your analogy isn’t so bad. Doctrines and Theologies are subject to the same forces as Medicine. I think Paul had something to say about that in 1 Cor 13, and also in his letter to the Galatians.
The point is, when a person comes to a knowledge of who Christ is, it is not by the revelation of flesh and blood, but by the work of the Holy Spirit. Flesh and blood should know and keep it’s proper place.