Here are the discussion questions for Chapter 4:
Session 5: The Kingdom
Coming and the People Prepared (pp.101-133)
1. What is Wright referring to when on page 103 he writes,
“The fact that it’s all been selected and arranged doesn’t mean it’s all been made up”? According to Wright what is
the “larger truth” that modern scholarship seems to miss?
2. What is Jesus’ “program” for God’s kingdom as found in
the Beatitudes? How is this program to be put into effect?
3. Why does Wright quote (on pg. 115) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s
summary of Jesus’ call, “Come and die”? What does this mean in the context of
Jesus’ death and the Christian life?
4. Summarize Wright’s interpretation of Jesus’ saying about
clean and unclean foods. According to Wright, what is Jesus’ purpose in
teaching people that uncleanness comes from within?
5. On page 126 Wright claims, “Jesus as a ’moral example’ is
a domesticated Jesus, a kind of
religious mascot.” What does he mean by this? How does he believe Jesus should
serve as an example for us? Do you agree or not? Why?
Sorry for the delay in getting these notes to you! Here is a brief summary of what we talked about last week:
ReplyDelete- One of us watched the video of Wright speaking in New York at the Ethical Cultural Society that is on YouTube and linked on this blog. She found that watching the video gave her a different opinion of Wright. She found him to be an "enthralling" speaker. The video helped her to really understand the distinction Wright makes between Aristotelian ethics and Christian virtue.
- We spoke a bit about the role of historical scholarship in the Christian life. There was agreement that it is needed but that we sometimes run the risk of losing the heart, humanity and relevance of Scripture in the midst of our historical investigations.
- One member of the group felt that in general Wright makes the "rules" too simplistic. LIfe is more complex and nuanced than Wright cares to admit.