Fall 2009 Joshua Class
Categories: Biblical Theology Resources, Joshua Class Discussion
Joshua (Oct 25 - Nov 22)
Joshua is probably one of the most misunderstood and misapplied books of the Bible. From this book, false messiahs initiated, prosecuted, and justified terrible atrocities such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. Like Catholics, Protestants too have misapplied the book, as evidenced by various pilgrims migrating from Europe, exterminating Indians, and claiming the United States as their own sort of promised land. Germany, one of the most so-called Christian nations in mid-twentieth century Europe, committed terrible crimes against humanity. In short, lots of so-called holy wars have been fought in God’s name, and sadly, false messiahs tend to cite or at least reference the book of Joshua to justify them.
In response to these false messiahs and ungodly wars, many people reject the book of Joshua altogether, as well as the God of the Old Testament. For Christians, this is dangerous. We Christians believe that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. Therefore, an explanation is required to make sense of the book of Joshua and understand its implications for God’s Church today. Although the context of Joshua operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the questions: “What was God’s motive, means, and objective to the Canaanite wars?” and “How is the book of Joshua relevant to the Church today?”
The format of the series will be interactive and will utilize the Socratic Method.
Schedule: Sundays, October 25 through November 22, from 12:10PM to 1:30PM. There will be no class on November 8.
Location: Hunter College, West Building (Southwest Corner of 68 & Lexington), 5th Floor, Room 506.
Materials: Please click here to download the Class Slides
| Joshua (Oct 25 - Nov 22) | ||
| Date/Time | Class | Description |
| Oct 25 12:10PM - 1:30PM | Jericho and Genocide | Both liberal and conservative scholars have accused God of genocide in commanding the annihilation of the cities of Jericho, Ai, and several others (Sodom, Gomorrah, etc.). We will review four primary scholarly positions on the issue of Biblical holy war and then evaluate each of them within a framework of biblical theology. Through examining critical Old Testament texts, we will see that God always acts justly and gives sinners ample opportunity to repent. However, like most people today (and throughout human history), the people of Jericho did not repent and accept God’s mercy, but continued their war against God and people made in His Image, resulting in their ultimate and just destruction. We will project the significance of these wars into the current era. The end result is that we will observe that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. |
| Nov 1 12:10PM - 1:30PM | Rahab and the Gospel | In this class, we will tackle an ancient dispute within both Judaism and Christianity. Was Rahab right to lie to the King of Jericho in order to save the two young men that visited her house? Or did she sin? Unfortunately, this issue has proven to more than academic issues over the life of the Church, particularly in times of war. For example, the story of Corrie Ten Boom, made famous in the film “The Hiding Place” echoed Rahab’s dilemma. In this class, we will examine Rahab’s actions through the lens of redemptive history using relevant data from Joshua, Hebrews, and James. By doing so, we hope to develop a strong theology towards making Godly decisions. We will also see the foreshadowing of the Gospel itself in this amazing Old Testament text. |
| Nov 15 12:10PM - 1:30PM | Achan and the Unforgiveable Sin | Most readers of the Achan narrative believe that God acted unfairly in commanding the destruction of Achan and his household. Through careful exegetical work, we will see the great extent of Achan’s sin, as well as the sin of his entire household. Despite the magnitude of their sin, God gave them an opportunity to repent. But, Achan and his household committed the Unforgiveable Sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit and did not repent. For their transgression, they were punished accordingly. Like the Acts 5:1-11 narrative of Ananias and Sapphira, this biblical text illustrates the Unforgiveable Sin that Jesus warned about. Although this text is rightfully terrifying, we will see how Jesus saves us from the coming wrath. |
| Nov 22 12:10PM - 1:30PM | Slaves and Slavery | Did Joshua sin in making a treaty with the Gibeonites and subjecting them to servitude? Some conservative scholars believe that Joshua sinned since he did not obey the so-called letter of the Law and exterminate the Gibeonites. More liberal scholars argue that Joshua chose the lesser of two evils. We will make sense of this confusing and controversial passage within a biblical theology of servitude. We will then project the role of the Gibeonites throughout the rest of Israel’s history to illustrate God’s purposes concerning the institution of slavery within Israel and how it should be interpreted within the Church today. |
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Location: Hunter College - West Building (directions) 506 | ||
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Instructor: Marty Young | ||
Hi Marty, Mary Beth H. suggested I contact you with a question I posed to E.Metaxas (Author of Bonhoeffer) recently regarding the theology of assasination. I don't see your email address anywhere, but would like to take the rest of the discussion off-line.
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Hi, you can reach me at marty@biblicaltheology.us - take care! Marty
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