OnScript

Michael J. Gorman – Becoming the Gospel

Guest:  Professor Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland.  A renowned New Testament scholar, he has written numerous books, including Apostle of the Crucified Lord; Cruciformity; Inhabiting the Cruciform God; Reading Revelation Responsibly; and Elements of Biblical Exegesis.

Episode Details:  St. Francis of Assisi is sometimes remembered as having said, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.”  Does this mean that the best way to proclaim the gospel is simply to live it?  Or is an explicit verbal proclamation of the gospel the best way forward?  In this episode, hosted by Matthew Bates, drawing from his new book, Becoming the Gospel, Mike Gorman pushes beyond a simplistic either/or answer.  Reading the Apostle Paul from the vantage point of “missional hermeneutics,” Mike shows the absolute inseparability of proclaiming the gospel and embodying the gospel.  To enter into the saving story of Jesus Christ means to be transformed into the image of Jesus, which is to also become like God–all of which is frequently termed “theosis.”  Be prepared to rethink how categories foundational to the Christian tradition, such as justification and social justice, are inextricably intertwined.  Mike helps us all reconsider how today’s church might more thoroughly enter into the saving mission of God.

Book Details:  Michael J. Gorman, Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission (Eerdmans, 2015).  The first detailed exegetical treatment of Paul’s letters from the emerging discipline of missional hermeneutics, Michael Gorman’s Becoming the Gospel argues that Paul’s letters invite Christian communities both then and now to not merely believe the gospel but to become the gospel and, in doing so, to participate in the life and mission of God.  Showing that Pauline churches were active public participants in and witnesses to the gospel, Gorman reveals the missional significance of various themes in Paul’s letters. He also identifies select contemporary examples of mission in the spirit of Paul, inviting all Christians to practice Paul-inspired imagination in their own contexts.

David A. Lambert – How Repentance Became Biblical

 

Guest: David Lambert is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his Ph.D., M.A., and A.B. from Harvard University. In addition to articles in leading journals in the field of biblical studies, Judaism, and religion, he has recently published How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2016), which we discuss in this podcast.

Episode Details: In this interview with Matt L., David discusses the way that this book formed him as a scholar, how the book came into being, and the ways biblical scholars might move beyond what he calls a ‘colonizing mode of interpretation’. This colonizing mode of interpretation insists that below the surface of the phenomena represented in the text (e.g., mourning, fasting, or appeal) lies a deeper interior reality (often, repentance). Lambert argues that the oft-noted biblical emphasis on repentance tells us more about us as readers than it does about the biblical text. The interview covers the three major portions of Lambert’s book, and of course, some side paths as well.

The Book: How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. **For a discount code, click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the document**

We’ll let Carol Newsom’s endorsement, drawn from the OUP website, speak for itself: ‘How Repentance Became Biblical is an intellectually disturbing book in the best sense of the term. In this careful work of intellectual and cultural history Lambert demonstrates the extent to which readers, including scholars, have misunderstood critical aspects of the biblical worldview, culture, and practices by reading the concept of repentance into texts where it is not present. Biblical studies will be grappling with the implications of this transformative work for a long time.’ – Carol Newsom, Emory University

**We are grateful to Oxford University Press for a free interview copy of How Repentance Became Biblical**