Biblical Preaching on the Death of Jesus

by David J. Lull (Editor), William A. Beardslee (Editor)

Overview

How can one preach effectively on the death of Jesus to a world jaded by stories of suffering and violence? This exegetical book -- written collectively by six authorities on Scripture -- sheds new light on the tremendous power of preaching to challenge and enlarge the world of the listeners. By probing the accounts of Jesus' death in the Gospel of Mark and in Paul's letters, 'Biblical Preaching on the Death of Jesus' uncovers a vision of divine power and justice that calls us to become partners in God's struggle to overcome suffering and injustice in the world. In the cross, the authors demonstrate, we as Christians are given a symbol of both weakness and defeat and of power and victor. This symbol is a magnificent reminder of the redemption and transformation of lives and situations through Christ's identification with suffering. With unusual success, the six authors have written the entire book as a group undertaking. The result is a testimony to the interrelatedness that is central to the vision of process theology. 'Biblical Preaching on the Death of Jesus' will be of immense help to preachers and to students and scholars of New Testament interpretation and systematic theology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781725218499
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	02/01/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

William A. Beardslee taught at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and the School of Theology in Claremont, California.

John B. Cobb Jr. is Professor Emeritus at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate School.

David J. Lull is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

Russell Pregeant is Professor of Philosophy and Religion Emeritus at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

Theodore J. Weeden Sr. is a former Methodist pastor and taught at Colgate Rochester Divinity School and St. Bernard's Seminary.

Barry A. Woodbridge is the former Adjunct Professor of Theology at the Claremont School of Theology.
David J. Lull (editor), Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wartburg Theological Seminary, is the author of The Spirit in Galatia (Wipf&Stock, 2006), and coauthor of Biblical Preaching on the Death of Jesus (Wipf&Stock, 2007). He has also written 1 Corinthians (2007) and Romans (2005).
William A. Beardslee (1916 - 2001) was born in Holland, Michigan. He was educated at Harvard, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, where he obtained a B.D. in 1941, and at Union Theological Seminary, where he studied on a part-time basis while he was in the ministry. He became a Ph.D. of the University of Chicago in 1951.
Dr. Beardslee was a minister of the Reformed Church in America. From 1947-52 he was Assistant Professor of Bible, Emory University and Associate Professor from 1952-6. From 1956 he was Professor of Bible in the same university. He has written a number of articles and reviews and served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Bible and Religion. He authored (with E. H. Rece) of Reading the Bible: A Guide.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     9
Foreword   Fred B. Craddock     11
Preaching in the Service of the Spirit
Introduction     15
The Aim of Preaching     17
Contemporary Reflection on Preaching     17
The Spirit Preaching Serves     24
Preaching and Freedom     30
Expanding the Hearers' World     30
Freedom Through the Conflict of Proposals     38
The Ends of Preaching     50
Building the Church     50
Realization of the Truth     56
Evocation of Feeling     60
The Diversity of Hearers     64
Preaching on the Death of Jesus
Introduction     75
Mark
Mark's Story of Jesus' Death     77
Narrative Ambiguity and Unfinished Readings     77
Jesus' Death as a Violent Story     79
Interpretive Framework: Blood Covenant and Ransom     82
Tensions in Mark's Story     85
Mark's Ending     88
Jesus' Death and Our Knowledge of God     92
Conclusion     94
Toward a Theology of Suffering: Intepreting Mark's Story of Jesus' Death     96
Issues in Telling the Story     96
Approaches to Suffering in Mark'sWorld and Ours     99
Ways of Dealing with Suffering in Mark     105
Suffering and God's Power     110
Evil Forces     114
Faith and Protest     115
Suffering and the Resurrection: Mark's Ending to the Story of Jesus' Death     120
Conclusion     124
"Self-denial": A Sermon on Mark 8:34   John B. Cobb, Jr.     130
Paul
Paul's Interpretation of Jesus' Death     136
Narrative Elements in Paul's Letters     136
Jesus' Death as Jesus' Story     142
Jesus' Death as God's Story     144
Jesus' Death as the Church's Story     151
Jesus' Death in Paul's Pastoral Theology     157
Jesus' Death in Paul's Tradition and Interpretation     161
Preaching God's Justice: Interpreting Jesus' Death in the Letters of Paul     164
Issues in Telling the Story     164
Rediscovering Our Interrelatedness: The Death of Jesus in Jesus' Story     173
Discerning God's Justice: Jesus' Death in God's Story     181
Called to Liberation: Jesus' Death in the Church's Story     188
Conclusion     198
"Deliverance from an Evil Age": A Sermon on Galatians 1:1-5   David J. Lull      200
Postscript     206
Notes     209
Indexes     231
Index of Modern Authors     231
Index of Passages     234

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is a well-conceived volume that presents a challenging vision of biblical preaching. In Part One, the authors discuss the aims and ends of preaching, which they conceive of as service to the Spirit. In Part Two, they focus upon the theme of Jesus' death as it is presented in the Gospel of Mark and the letters of Paul. This section contains (1) descriptions of Jesus' death as narrated by Mark and as interpreted by Paul, (2) theological reflections of Mark's story and Paul's interpretation of Jesus' death, and (3) two sermons, based on Mark 8:34 and Galatians 1:1-5 intended to illustrate the methodology proposed in this volume. The book is a joint effort of William Beardslee, John Cobb, David Lull, Russell Pregeant, Theodore Weeden, and Barry Woodbridge. A theological work rooted in the biblical text, it will be useful for those who seek a deeper understanding of their preaching ministry."
— Frank J. Matera
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a well-conceived volume that presents a challenging vision of biblical preaching. In Part One, the authors discuss the aims and ends of preaching, which they conceive of as service to the Spirit. In Part Two, they focus upon the theme of Jesus' death as it is presented in the Gospel of Mark and the letters of Paul. This section contains (1) descriptions of Jesus' death as narrated by Mark and as interpreted by Paul, (2) theological reflections of Mark's story and Paul's interpretation of Jesus' death, and (3) two sermons, based on Mark 8:34 and Galatians 1:1-5 intended to illustrate the methodology proposed in this volume. The book is a joint effort of William Beardslee, John Cobb, David Lull, Russell Pregeant, Theodore Weeden, and Barry Woodbridge. A theological work rooted in the biblical text, it will be useful for those who seek a deeper understanding of their preaching ministry."
— Frank J. Matera
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.

From the Publisher