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 A Message From
Pastor Paul
This
past Sunday, I led my first Adult Forum between worship services. Below are the topics selected for discussion. We'll discuss the topics in this order and
take as many Sundays as needed for each subject, as interest permits.
1. What about angels?
2. The Bible is an old book; how does it apply today?
3. How is Jewish scriptural prophecy, history and poetry relevant
to modern Christians?
4. What do we know about James, the brother of Jesus and head of
the early church in Jerusalem?
5. What are the Old Testament references to Christ that we can
identify?
I
anticipate we'll complete our discussion on all five topics by Christmas. I'll keep you informed when move from one topic to another.
In
this eNewsletter are the first questions and answers in our new series,
"Ask the Pastor." The teacher deep inside me will usually do
some educating in addition to simply answering the question.
According
to the interim ministry training, the first developmental task for a
congregation during the interim is "to come to terms with the
congregation's history" as the first step toward the second developmental
task which is "to recognize and affirm the congregation's new
identity." Our Transition Team and I have decided to have a Fall
Harvest Luncheon on Sunday, November 7, to complete a timeline of the
congregation's history. To gather
information for the timeline, we will provide half page forms for you to chronicle
your individual and family's dates of importance, such as baptisms, weddings,
funerals, etc. Please also include other
congregational events that you experienced as significant. The most
obvious of these is the retirement of Pastors Mark and Nadine Ridley. There are other significant congregational events which will help us understand
our past and recognize our new identity.
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 CHOW Walk on Sunday, October 17
What would you think if every $2 in your pocket turned into $3? When CTK raises money for this year's CHOW walk, exactly that will happen! For every $2 we raise, the Southern Tier Chapter of Thrivent will give $1.
Want to help?
Adults, teens, and children can get pledge envelopes and walk with us. Can't walk? Then sponsor a walker! The big event is scheduled for Sunday, October 17. Registration is at 1 PM. Walk starts at 2. For more information, contact Angie Roux @ 624-0305 or aroux@ctkvestal.org.
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Ask the Pastor
Pastor Paul answers your questions
Pastor Paul, if Jesus could read any of the Gospels, would he recognize himself?
A
person's answer to this question reveals more about his or her opinion
on two issues than it does about Jesus or the Gospels. The two issues
are:
1. To what extent are the Gospels literally true or symbolically true?
2. How trustworthy is oral history?
I
have known devout people, faithful Christians, who have very different
opinions on both issues; consequently, their answers to the question
differ. I have heard John Dominic Cressan, co-founder of the Jesus Seminar,
question whether Jesus would recognize himself in the Gospels and then
go on to make a profound statement of personal faith. On the other
hand, I've read Kenneth E. Bailey in Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes demonstrate that parables in Luke, when translated into the Aramaic language which Jesus spoke, are authentic, first century Palestinian ballads and poems whose author is most likely
Jesus.
The Gospels were written approximately 35 to 60 years after the events they depicted. Most people in our culture trust electronic media or written texts and tend to distrust oral history. All four Gospels had years of oral transmission.
I
myself have seen that oral transmission of history is very accurate.
In Tanzania, I heard an illiterate Mhehe named Adam, the storyteller for
his clan, tell the story of the military battle in which Chief Mkwawa
and Wahehe tribesmen defeated a German army that invaded Wahehe
territory. I had an English translation of a German historian's account
of the battle. The written account and Adam's oral account differed in
some details, but agreed in other details and the overall description
of the battle. Adam's version was preserved orally from generation to
generation for 74 years. To preserve orally the words and deeds of
Jesus for 35 to 60 years before they were recorded in the Gospels would
not have been difficult in an oral
society.
My
opinion is that Jesus would recognize himself in the Gospels; at the
same time, he would make a few amendments to details here and there. My
belief is that the Holy Spirit has given us the four Gospels so that we may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in him grants us life in his name.
Pastor Paul, what is the most reliable translation of the Bible?
Translators
have a very difficult job. They must try to be true to the original
language and the language into which they are translating. There is
never a one to one correlation between languages. For example three
Greek words, eros, philia,and agapé are all translated by the single English word 'love' but each have different meanings in the Greek. On the other hand, amartanein
in Greek may be translated in English as 'not hitting,' 'missing,'
'going astray,' 'not finding,' or 'sinning.' When you add idioms and
other figures of speech,
the translator's job to be true to both languages is extremely
difficult. Also, a language that is in use is always changing. For
example, the word 'conversation' used to mean 'behavior' not just spoken
words.
All
that said, I think that the two English translations which are most
true to both the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible and the American English of today are the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New International Version (NIV). For Junior High and Senior High youth, I like the American Bible Society's Today's English Version. There are a number of Children's Bibles that are good for younger ages. I especially like Walt Wangerin's children's
Bible.
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Questions
on ANY religious, spiritual, or biblical topic may be sent to James
Gonda, eNewsletter Editor, at jamesgonda63@yahoo.com. Please put "Ask the Pastor" in your subject line. All questions will be
compiled and sent to Pastor Paul. Remember, there are NO dumb
questions, taboo subjects, or sacred cows. So ask away! |
 Reserve Your Seats!
For
the upcoming Pot Luck/Talent Show on Thursday, October 14, please give
us the number of people in your party so we may provide enough chairs
and tables.
To
list the number in your party, please see the clipboard on the table in
the Entrance Hall. We do not need your name - just a
number. If you want to bring a dish to pass, there's still room on
the form for that too! |
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