Response to a Confused Man

During the Q&A for the missional parenting workshop, in which my mom did most of the teaching, a young Korean man asked in a somewhat exasperated tone what the father’s role is in parenting, because (in his words), “This is exactly what you see all the time in Chinese families (pointing at my parents)—the wife running the household, while the father just lets her do her thing.”

I did not appreciate his tone nor the fact that he was implying that everything my mom just spoke about only applied to the wife. As my mom was about to begin answering, the man quickly stops her and demands loudly, “I don’t want you to answer! I want to hear from the father!”

After Dad and I both addressed his question briefly, the man proudly launched into his own idea of a father’s role. He told the audience how his sons would celebrate a “coming of age” event at their 13th birthday, at which time the mother handed over all the books on parenting to the father. From that point on, the father took all the responsibility and his “wife does nothing!”

This is unbiblical. Nowhere in the Bible do you find any such concept of a husband and wife getting to trade off responsibility for the training of their children at any point. They are a team all the way. Prov. 1:8 says, "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching." Again Prov. 6:20, "My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching." Prov. 31 records the teachings of King Lemuel's mother to him. When Jesus' parents could not find him for three days because he had gone to the temple, it was his mother who first addressed him. Ephesians 6:4 addresses fathers only, because the father has primary responsibility to lead their children to Christ.

The workshop only lasted 75 minutes. There was not enough time to address the man's question. But if I had the time, this is what I would have said:

1. Please do not make generalizations about Chinese families when you are not Chinese.

2. My mom did most of the teaching in this workshop, because my dad will be doing most of the teaching in tomorrow’s workshop on the challenges of transitioning from being called to beginning full-time pastoral ministry.

3. Everything my mom said about the focus and mental paradigm of missional parenting, about instilling a lifestyle of ministry as a family, of not angering your children, of discipline, instruction, compassion, and grace, etc. applies to both parents. Just because it was a woman speaking, doesn't mean it has no relevance for the father. It would be useless if only one parent has this mindset while the other did something completely different. Parenting is a team effort.

4. It is rude to cut off someone who is kindly trying to answer your question. At least have the courtesy to allow someone to finish speaking before asking for the father's input. Moreover, ask. Don't demand. A woman is not required to submit to any man's commands.

5. Respect is earned. If you demand authority without earning respect, you become a tyrant. I will never be able to respect a man who has to claim authority for himself in order to have it. 

6. To address the actual question of what the father's role is, here are some examples of my own father's role in our family:

My dad is my true model of a gentleman—someone who does not feel the need to demand respect from his family. He has earned my respect by his faithful humility in serving his family. As the sole breadwinner for our family, he could not be home with his children as often as my mom could. So naturally, my mom had a greater practical role in discipling and training their children. My dad had to keep a family of six alive. That requires having a job which took up most of the day. However, this does not mean he was not involved in discipling his children when he was with them. Early in the mornings before work, he led our family in reading the Bible together, even though it was brief. In the evenings when he came home, he would never simply plop down in front of the TV or computer as many fathers often do. He would help clean the house, he would eat dinner with his family, he would give the kids their baths, he would look at all the work his kids did that day, he would read bedtime stories to them, and he would pray for each one before they went to bed. One of my earliest memories of my dad is him reading books to me before bed every night. This was before I even went to school. 

Dad also organized ministry opportunities for our whole family to participate in together. He was the one who made connections with other ministry leaders so that our whole family could take part in service opportunities together. He brought the boys out to play, went hiking in the Catskills, and taught them how to fix things around the house and do yard work. 

A father’s role is carried out through humble, faithful leadership. It isn't a right that he must claim for himself by force. It does not automatically come with respect from his children. It is not a private responsibility, but one carried in partnership with one's wife and in humility under the sovereignty of God who entrusted him with the responsibility in the first place.

Mild He Lays His Glory By. Mild?

One can hardly experience a Christmas season without hearing "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" at least once. It is melodically and theologically rich, making it a Christmas favorite for churches everywhere.

I'll confess, it has become such a tradition that I seldom take the time to carefully consider the lyrics. Take for example the following line:

Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die.

Mild? Doesn't that mean "gentle" or "moderate"? What does that have to do with God putting aside his glory and becoming man? If one had to guess from context, it almost sounds like the word should be "humble" not "mild." Of course, it wouldn't fit the meter, but it seems to recall Phil. 2, where Jesus is described as becoming a man and humbling himself even to death.

If we wish to remain faithful to the songwriter's lyrics, however, he is saying, "God, being gentle, put aside his glory." In other words, if God had come in all the fullness of his glory, his holiness, and his perfection, he would have been far from gentle. He would have destroyed us all. But he is gentle, because he put aside his glory and came among humanity as a human being.

Helpfully, Charles Wesley also used the same word in the first verse: "Peace on earth, and mercy mild." Here the word "mild" is modifying "mercy." What is mild mercy? Mercy that doesn't give us what we deserve, that is, the fullness of his wrath-inflicting glory.

Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die.

May you be reminded as you sing the carol this Christmas of God's mild mercy in sparing us his wrath for all of eternity. 

*Bonus to all Rutgers alumni and students: Did you know Rutgers' motto and seal is featured in the song? "Hail, the Sun of Righteousness" (Latin: Sol Iustitiae). Dig out your diploma and see for yourself! 

My First SBL Annual Meeting

First thoughts and impressions:

Let me just say that this past weekend was one of the most exciting in my entire academic career. I have never attended such a large academic conference in my life where the world's top, seasoned, and up-and-coming biblical scholars all coalesce in one location to share ideas nonstop for four days straight. It was seriously an overwhelming experience. 

Thankfully, there are not so many textual critics in the world that I'd feel entirely lost at such a conference. In fact, by the end of Monday, I could recognize the faces of many of the leading NT textual critics since almost all of them attend the same sessions throughout the entire weekend. I was incredibly excited to not only see the people I've been reading this past year, but to hear them give papers, watch them interact with each other, and get to meet a few of them. It was inspiring like no other. At one session, I arrived early and sat in an empty row. By the time the session started, I was surrounded by Hugh Houghton, Larry Hurtado, and  Bart Ehrman. I just thought, "Boy, I feel really out of place among these giant minds." 

Some of the more interesting papers I heard this weekend were from Brice C. Jones, who presented a portion of his dissertation work on NT citations in amulets from Oxyrhynchus, all the ones given in the digital media session which presented new/updated tools for TC and the role of editors in an age of increasing digital public access, Jenny Read-Heimerdinger's paper on using discourse analysis in analyzing variants, Dirk Jongkind's critique of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method, Zachary Cole's brilliant idea of looking at number abbreviations to inform the methodology of the scribe of Codex W, and Ryan Wettlaufer's hypothesis of a new type of scribal error--priming. It basically felt like a feast of ideas, where one could sit at table and taste test little tidbits of all the latest research.

Sunday was the most exciting day. I met up with Dirk Jongkind (research fellow at Tyndale House in Cambridge) for an hour, who turns out to be a very helpful, witty, and enthusiastic man. For someone so intelligent and of such a prestigious position, he is incredibly down-to-earth and helpful to complete amateurs like me. We had a great discussion on possible dissertation projects, the results of which will keep me busy in the coming year. Sunday evening was also the Evangelical Textual Criticism blog dinner where I got to meet several guys from the CNTTS (Center for New Testament Textual Study) in New Orleans. Great group of scholars. Halfway through the meal, Peter Head from Tyndale House stood up and gave a most hilarious speech. He began his speech by looking at the special group menu we got and saying, "As you may have noticed, there are a few textual errors present on this slip," after which he proceeded to point out spelling errors, and others I can't recall. After that he says, "We have several people in this room who have written a Bible (Michael Holmes, the NA28 editors, UBS4 editors, etc.) or who have discovered them (Dirk )." I loved his sense of humor. The Green Initiative folks were present at the dinner as well and surprised everyone by very generously sponsoring the entire meal.

I have to say, in the last few weeks I have fallen in love with Tyndale House and am certain beyond the shadow of a doubt that I want to do research there someday. It doesn't sound at all like a stuffy, serious place where people compete to produce the most sensational or original work. I get a sense that it is really about being in a supportive community where you can not only do efficient work but have colleagues around you with similar interests and with whom you can frequently exchange ideas. Dirk described it this way, "There is no talking allowed in the library and no one is allowed to check out books, so that you always have access to anything you need. At 11 o'clock, they ring a bell, and everyone emerges outside for coffee and tea time. There are always scholars visiting Tyndale House during their sabbaticals with whom you get to chat during these breaks and, perhaps, play a game of croquet. Peter Head is especially big on croquet." 

Something else I learned this weekend is that the world of academia does not have to be as competitive and unfriendly as it sometimes seems in large, public universities. I've observed this past weekend how scholars can be buddies working alongside each other and yet be able to critique each other's work in a respectful way. Sometimes after a session, I would just hang around and watch how all the TC folks would mill around in groups and joke with each other, or discuss a meeting location, or comment on each other's work, or just catch up on life. They come from all over the world and yet many of them are good buddies. I'm sure the fact that there are not that many textual critics in the world (as opposed to, say, Pauline scholars, or Homeric scholars) makes it easier to promote this kind of camaraderie, but that's partly what attracts me to it. 

Perhaps a more mature scholar may read this and just think that I am still young and green, still viewing academia through rose-colored glasses. Even if that's true, I am happy to be in this stage. It's exciting, inspiring, and energizing. 

Getting to see these people face-to-face and observe their character and personalities makes me even more eager to read their work. I want to know what each person is doing these days, what kind of research they are working on, and how I can participate in the current conversations. I am thoroughly inspired. The fact that I even dreamt about the conference for the last two nights must indicate that this is what I was meant to do. I thank God for this weekend of clarity and inspiration, and I cannot wait until SBL 2014 in San Diego!

Song Lyrics and Biblical Context: Starfield's "Top Of Our Lungs"

Starfield's "Top Of Our Lungs" is a musically creative, catchy, and dynamic song with lyrics on the theme of dancing and celebration. One of the ingenious elements which contributes to its catchiness is the way the bass line coincides its pauses with the electric's shifts in register. (You can hear this in the opening measures of the song.)

It was a pleasant song to play on my drive to school this morning until I was caught off guard by the lyric, "Who the Son sets free, yeah, they are free indeed." What?? Apart from the grammatically incorrect "who," this line is a quote from John 8:36 and taken entirely out of context. As a student of Classics, I take ancient texts and interpretations seriously. I'm afraid I could not help but be slightly disappointed in Starfield for such inattentiveness to the literary context of such an integral text to the Christian faith.

Let's take a brief look at the context of this lyric. The verse right before this line introduces the theme of letting go of inhibitions:

Don't let your mind deny what your heart believes
Leave your inhibitions let your soul be free
This is why you were created, it's your destiny

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

Then comes the line itself in the prechorus followed by a conclusion:

Who the Son sets free 
Yeah, they are free indeed
So let go with me 
Come on and sing what you believe

Within the context of the song, this line in effect means that Jesus has set us free to be uninhibited in singing, dancing, and shouting in praise to God

The chorus goes on to confirm this meaning:

We're gonna shout His praise at the top of our lungs
We're gonna dance for the glory of the Risen Son
We're not ashamed not ashamed of the One we love
We're gonna shout His praise at the top of our lungs

In and of itself, it is not heretical. The natural response of one who is redeemed is to praise. However, the line is taken entirely out of its original context in the Gospel of John and thus its meaning has been twisted to fit within the song's message.

Here is the verse within its context in John 8:31-36:

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (italics mine)."

The freedom Jesus is referring to here is freedom from being a slave to sin. In other words, those who hear the word of truth from the Son will no longer have the desire to sin (be a slave to sin).

So the lyric, understood in its proper context, means that Jesus has set us free from the slavery of sin, not that he has set us free to be uninhibited in worship.

With that said, the second verse of the song fares much better. It explains that these outward expressions of praise are the result of being redeemed (set free) and that man was created for this kind of joy.

This is the praise of a people that have been redeemed
This is the joy of the Lord and the sound of the free
This is why we were created it's our destiny

One could also in a very roundabout way make the line fit into the song accurately by saying, "The Son has set us free from sin. Therefore, let us not worry about trying not to sin to earn our salvation. Let us, instead, celebrate our freedom by fully expressing our joy." If a worship leader chooses this song, he (or she) could, by offering a few words of explanation, remain faithful to the text of Scripture. Without such preparation, one can see how a congregation could easily infer that this verse is encouraging uninhibited worship.

Another song about uninhibited worship that is simpler yet more biblically sound might be Matt Redman's "Dancing Generation." 

You mercy taught us how to dance
To celebrate with all we have
And we'll dance to thank You for mercy
Your glory taught us how to shout
To lift Your name in all the earth
And we'll shout to the praise of Your glory
It's the overflow
Of a forgiven soul
And now we've seen You, God
Our hearts cannot stay silent
And we'll be a dancing generation
Dancing because of Your great mercy, Lord
Your great mercy, Lord
And we'll be a shouting generation
Shouting because of Your great glory, Lord
Your great glory, Lord

I don't know which specific biblical references Matt Redman had in mind while composing these lyrics, but here are a couple that come immediately to mind:

(bold text are closely alluded to in lyrics)

Psalm 30:11-12
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Psalm 66:1-3
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

Deut 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Psalm 148:13-14

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!

I'm thankful for songwriters who dedicate much time and thought to producing excellent music for the church, but I am even more thankful for those who serve the church through biblically sound lyrics.

Thankful for Biblical Scholars

I thought I'd share a couple things I've learned recently from two Bible scholars I highly respect.

In Luke 9, when Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is, Peter answers that he is the "Messiah (Gk: Christ)." Now, I don't know how many times I've read this passage thinking, "Good job, Peter! You got the right answer, even though other people think he's Elijah or John the Baptist."

D.A. Carson, in his talk at the 2013 Gospel Coalition Conference, completely challenged my naive interpretation. Our understanding of the term "Messiah" is completely different from how Peter or any Jew at that time would have understand it. To Peter, the Messiah is the promised Davidic king, destined to take over the throne and rule. He was not thinking of our idea of Messiah, the one who died on the cross. When Matthew recounts the same story in his gospel, in chapter 16, Peter makes the same confession, but then when Jesus tells his disciples that he will suffer many things by the authorities and be killed, Peter rebukes him and says, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." So clearly, Peter was not thinking of the crucified Messiah.

This explains why Jesus, in the very next verse, commands them not to tell anyone who he is. I've always wondered about that. Why doesn't he want them to tell people? I've always assumed that it was because word might spread to the chief priests and it would get him into trouble. However, if news spread to all the Jewish people that he was the "Messiah," everyone else would also have wrong expectations.

This also explains why the disciples were dejected and fled when Jesus was crucified. Even up to that point they still had not understood Jesus' repeated explanation that he must suffer and die and be raised from the dead.

So, one of the main themes in the Gospel of Luke is that Jesus is the misunderstood Messiah.

-----

On a different topic, I recently came across a recording of a talk by Tim Keller addressing the topic of suffering. It is one of the best 30-minute talks on suffering I've ever heard. At one point, he mentions Hebrews 12:2, one of the famous verses that anyone who has grown up in church has probably had to memorize: "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross..."

Here's another one of those passages I've read and heard quoted in many contexts again and again. Whenever I'd get to the phrase, "the joy that was set before him," I'd always understand it to mean that Jesus was looking forward to heaven and getting to be back with his Father, away from suffering and sinful humanity. Tim Keller, however, explained it this way:

"How did Jesus get through his furnace? Hebrews 12 says, 'For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross...' What was his living hope?... Maybe he was hoping for bliss in heaven with his father. But don't forget, this living hope is something that got him out of that. What could he possibly have been looking for that he didn't already have up there? Isaiah 53 says, "The results of his suffering he will see and be satisfied." What could make infinite suffering worth it? Isaiah says, "My righteous servant shall justify many." You are his living hope. That's the only thing he did not have in heaven, and that he had to come to earth and go to the cross and plunge himself into the fiery furnace for. You. That's what filled him with such joy, such inexorable and infallible resolve."

My Thucydidean Composition

Today, we had to submit a paragraph written in the style of Thucydides. Thucydides is notorious for writing in an extremely periodic style, that is, unnecessarily long and grammatically complex sentences with many antitheses embedded in between. 

We were given the following English paragraph to translate into Greek:

Many people in England at this time were angry and discontented. They felt that the new king was a foreigner and not worthy to be the ruler of so large a country. A conspiracy was therefore formed among the nobles, and they sent messengers to invite the son of their old king to free them. At first he was unwilling: he pointed out that he had neither forces nor money, and without these he could not hope to defeat his enemies. Later, however, the messengers returned and said that throughout the whole country many people were prepared either to contribute money or serve themselves as soldiers. On hearing this the prince promised to make the attempt, and a few days later he set out with a few friends.

My ONE SENTENCE, non-compounded rendition!

τῶν πολλῶν Βρετανῶν τότε ὀργιζομένων τε καὶ σχετλιαζόντων διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀξιῶν τὸν νέον βασιλέα, βάρβαρον ὄντα, ἄρχειν τοσαύτης χώρας, οἱ γνώριμοι οὖν συνωμοσίαν συστάντες ἔπεμψαν ἀγγέλους παρακαλοῦντας τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ πρόσθεν βασιλέως ἵνα ἐλευθερώσῃ αὐτούς, ὅς πρῶτον μὲν ἄκων ὢν εἶπε ὡς οὐ ἔξεστι νικήσειν τοὺς πολεμίους, ἔχων οὔτε στρατιώτας οὔτε χρήματα, ὕστερον δὲ ἀκούων ὅτι οἱ ἀγγέλοι ἀνῆλθον λέγων τοὺς πολλοὺς διὰ τῆς πάσης χώρας ἐθέλειν ἢ εἰσενεγκεῖν χρήματα ἢ στρατεύεσθαι, ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ ἐπορεύθη μετὰ ὀλίγων φίλων ὑποσχόμενος πειράσειν.

Here's what it literally says:

With many in England at this time (τοτε) being angry and discontented because they did not deem the new king, being a foreigner, to be worthy to be the ruler of so large a country, the nobles therefore forming a conspiracy, sent messengers inviting (future participle - Smyth 2009, 2065) the son of their old king to (ινα) free them, who, at first (πρωτον μεν) being unwilling, pointed out that it was not possible to defeat his enemies, having neither forces nor money, but later (δε), hearing that (οτι because he is hearing a reported statement) the messengers had returned saying that many people throughout the whole country were prepared either to contribute money or serve as soldiers, a few days later set out with a few friends after having promised to make the attempt. 

This assignment was my crowning achievement after a whole semester of waking up at 5am three days a week to compose Greek. I have just completed my final assignment. There was absolutely no way I could have made it to the end without the faithful prayers of my family, friends, and mentors. Glad to be done with the toughest course of the program!

An Unexpected Pleasure

About a month ago, during another typical snowstorm in Minneapolis, I went outside for a walk a little after dark. The roads were covered with a good layer of snow already as it continued snowing. Now, I've learned during my first winter here in Minneapolis that it snows at least once a week throughout all of winter, but this time it was quite special. Why? The snow under the streetlights was the sparkliest snow I have ever seen (the phone camera does not do it justice). It was a Friday evening, I was extremely exhausted from a week of grueling school, and all I really wanted to do was go to bed. However, that night, I found myself giggling with glee like a lunatic outside in the dark staring at the crystal-laden path ahead of me.

Today, I finally discovered why scientifically it was so sparkly. According to the NOAA website, snowflakes form thin needle-like arms when the temperature is closer to freezing point, but they form flat plate-like crystals when it is 5 degrees. As an East-coast gal, I've never been in a snowstorm when it was 5 degrees, and in MN, it usually doesn't snow at 5 degrees because the air is too cold to hold much moisture. But this night, it was snowing in the single digits, so every single snowflake was like a little mirror, and I got to take a stroll on a path of diamonds.

 

It hadn't occurred to me then, but I wonder now what it will be like when we see the New Jerusalem and its streets of gold so pure that it is translucent, reflecting not streetlights, not sunlight, but the light of the glory of God. If I get this much glee from sparkly snow in the night under a few lonely streetlights, how much more infinite will my delight be in the new City?

"The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass... And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." -Rev. 21

My love/hate relationship with Greek.

I am taking a brief break from my Greek readings to share with you all why many people can both love and hate Greek by means of the following illustration:

Take the word ἀχθείς. You are supposed to be able to glean 7 pieces of information from those 6 letters.

1. The first two letters (ἀχ-) indicate that it is from the verb ἄγω.

2. The third letter (θ) indicates that it is the aorist tense and in the passive voice.

3. The first letter (ἀ) and the last three letters (-εις) indicate that it is a participle.

4. The last three letters also indicate that it is masculine, nominative, and singular. 

In sum, this word is the aorist, passive, participle, masculine, nominative, singular of the verb ἄγω. 

Happy Greek-ing everyone!

(Disclaimer: If my first sentence sounds awkward, it may be due to a course I'm taking called Greek prose composition. It'll do that to you.)