A Journal Journey with Brad Jersak’s “Different” Jesus - Day 2

Examining "A More Christlike Word" by Brad Jersak

Forward: “Interpreting the Bible in Five Words” Peter Enns

I accidentally downloaded Brad Jersak’s book, A More Christlike God, and was well into my journaling before I realized that wasn’t the one I was asked to examine. So, I’m back to the beginning and starting over with the correct copy! 

First, the five words summarizing biblical interpretation according to Peter Enns. 

·   Genre-calibration – no problem with the sense of that. My personal concern is whether genre is partnered with the timelessness of God’s word that also takes in the contexts of each generation’s contemporary readers.

·   Christotelic – hmmm… sounds okay, but “the gospel requires creative reframing of Israel’s story” needs other parameters.

·   Incarnational – jury’s out on that one. I’ll watch how it is developed.

·   Ecumenical – “Genuine and deep insight into the nature of the Bible and its interpretation comes from Judaism, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, agnostics, atheists – even mainline Presbyterians.” Not sure about that. Again, how this will be used to make points will be watched carefully.

·   Pilgrimage – yes, we continue to learn and understand the Bible throughout our lifetime. I will be watching to see if this is used to make clear passages of scripture sound uncertain as though we can never know if we have arrived at a proper understanding of the truth (I think there’s something in the Bible about people like that), or whether it will allow for the ways that our understanding grows and matures on what we have already known (seems like Paul talked to someone about that). 

None of these five words are authoritative as the scriptures themselves, so my Berean focus will watch for all the ways one authority is presented over another. My aim is to see what the BJ’s (Brad Jersak and his allies) think us readers should believe, and what is the authority that should convince us to see it that way. 

Preface: Decisions, Decisions 

So much of this depends on where the BJ’s go with it. 

“Everything said in the Bible about God submits to his revelation of the Father.” As long as this includes “everything said”, and as long as submission doesn’t include nullification of what God himself already communicated. 

Part 1: Jesus is the Word of God 

Introduction to Part 1 

Okay, I see why the discrepancies. In quoting Kenneth Tanner, the author presents: 

“If God wants to show humans what he is like, and to make clear in whose image we are made – to show us what it means to be God and what it means to be human – does God send a sacred book or a human who is God?” 

The “or” skews the options. There are three options, not two. 

“The Bible is vital to Christian preaching and central in the life of the church but a book cannot proceed from the Father, a book cannot be one with the Father, a book cannot – as a human person who is God – do what the Father does and say what the Father says.” 

Again, the either/or focus requires throwing out the ways the scriptures do proceed from the Father and do some of what the Father does and say some of what the Father says. I don’t argue about the supremacy of Christ as the Word of God, but this kind of reasoning that forces such contrasting options means that people are required to ignore parts of the picture, how the scriptures speak of the scriptures. Jesus quoted the scriptures, showing us that “every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD/God” included the scriptures he was quoting. He is greater than what is written, but we are not required to choose between the ways God speaks and works through his breathed-out words and the way he speaks and works through his Son, the Word of God even though we know the one way that is superior to the other. 

I suspect this false contrast will be a continuing pebble in this hiker’s shoe as I journey along with BJ’s different Jesus. 

In referring to the above quotes, including the third part, “I love what God says in the flesh of Jesus Christ. One greater than Moses is now here and is human. God sends himself”, BJ concludes, 

“Readers will perceive in this statement dual correction, first of those who habitually displaced Christ with the Bible as the fullness of divine revelation, and second to those who dismiss the authority and inspiration of Scripture.” 

Depends. These are the two extreme swings of the pendulum. But, if the plumbline is defined as Christ instead of the scriptures as God’s breathed-out words (as stated earlier), that isn’t the plumbline. The plumbline would necessarily be centered around the way the Bible and the Christ are the revelation of God, with Jesus Christ clearly having the supremacy. 

At this point, not enough is clear as to how far this division between the scriptures and the Savior will be taken. I see the way two opposing options are presented as the only choices when the one between them (the third option) seems different than the BJ's want to be there. I will need to wait patiently for the next day’s journey and see where it leads.

 

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Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)