Theology 7372, Fall 2009

Welcome to Personal Learning Environments. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Tonight I do not want to write a long entry as much as I want to share some treasures I have found.  Our class is off to a good start. I have found insightful questions and thought provoking observations. I want to add to this mix a blog entry by Gardner Campbell on the nature of academic blogging. I found this helpful piece on the nature of blogging for class. Enjoy! Pastors/theologians work in new media. The writers of the Frankfurt school would describe us as knowledge workers.  Scott Rosenberg explains how the task of knowledge workers has been transformed by blogs.

Welcome to Personal Learning Environments. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

He was credited with building God’s temple. Who was Solomon.

He made careful preparations for building God’s temple. Who was David.

I found it interesting how the author of I Chronicles paints an extremely impressive linage of David to Solomon minus all the baby momma drama beginning with I Chronicles 20:1-3. What takes approximately ten chapters to express in 2 Samuel 11-20 (the Bathsheba event and the domino effect that follows) is summarized with a nice bow for easy consumption and authorial intent. It reminds me of a code of conduct I learned from my mom growing up: “Son if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” In my mind, I Chronicles 20:1-3 is truly dressed to impress.

As I began reading through Genesis 12-26, I was amazed at just how much I had been missing through my previous readings of Genesis.  It was valuable for me to once again read the scriptures in a different light – that of a scholar.  I began to see the scriptures open up in a whole new way.

But the most suprising readings came from the secondary reading of Benjamin and Matthews.  It was very helpful to read and understand the different roles within the ancient Israel households.  I had previously not understood titles of the different members.  This knowledge allowed me to read the scriptures with a new understanding.  I found this particular reading very helpful when reading through the Genesis assignment.  The text once again came alive for me and I was better able to understand the different relationships and how they made sense and came together during this time period in history.

Awaiting class discussion…..

What people group did Abraham cry out to in order to find a burial place for Sarah?

The Hittites

Describe Abraham’s role in the visitation and subsequent demise of Sodom.