Marginal Christianity

Ch.2: Four Biblical Essentials for Interpreting Revelation The following four biblical themes are essential for properly interpreting Revelation. They set the larger context in which the book makes best sense. They deal with the identity of the church, the eternal purpose of God, the three keys themes of the biblical story, and the tension of living as biblical people. 01. God's People as a Subversive Counter-Revolutionary Movement The people of God have the DNA of what I call God's Subversive Counter-Revolutionary Movement. This is to be the consistent character of this people in whatever form they exist. Whether as a people enslaved in Egypt, fleeing Egypt, wandering nomads, a united and divided monarchy, a people in exile in Babylon, and a people exiled in their own land under foreign rule, they are to be a Subversive Counter-Revolutionary Movement (SCRM). Jesus of Nazareth entered the story of his people under the last-mentioned condition. They are to be God’s SC...

Ch.1: The DNA of the Church in the Biblical Story I preface our study of Revelation with a survey of what I call the “dna” of the church in the biblical story.      The Story A God who is love is a God who has a story. For love is but the story of how the lover intends and acts for the good of the beloved over, against, around, and below the obstacles to his achieving that good. This is the story the Bible tells us. It unfolds like a drama in six acts . [i] Creation (Gen.1-2) God created the world out of nothing to provide a habitation where he can live with his creatures in well-being and flourishing. In the cultural setting of the Ancient Near East the creation accounts in Gen.1 and 2 portray the building of a palace-temple.  Where else would a deity dwell but a temple The prototype we find there is modelled on Israel’s temple. The Holy of Holies, where God dwelt, is the garden in Eden where God would walk and talk with Adam and Eve (G...