This is a study Bible?
I’m very much looking forward to the not-soon-enough arrival of CPH’s Lutheran Study Bible in October. While I wait, I’ve noted an interesting coincidence. The ELCA publishing house, Augsburg-Fortress, has also published a new study Bible, and also called it the Lutheran Study Bible.
I’m not going to go into the whole chapter and verse about how these two LSBs differ; a nice comparison chart can be found here, and it does a better job than I could. That said, I would like to pass along some particularly, well, interesting things that I’ve come across in the notes from the new AF LSB offering.
Before I make any remarks or come to any conclusions, let me set the notes out there for y’all…
Here’s the note on the Great Commission at Matthew 28:19-20:
“Jesus now sends the disciples to make disciples of all nations. That does not mean make everyone disciples. Most people who are helped by Jesus and believe in him never become disciples. Jesus includes in salvation people who do not believe in him or even know about him.” (p. 1658; Augsburg Fortress Lutheran Study Bible).
Yes, they got all universalist on our asses…
Here’s the second note, this time not unexpectedly dealing with St. Paul & homosexuality (1 Cor. 6:9 — albeit after picking, choosing, & ignoring many other passages where homosexuality is mentioned…), where they say that, “all modern Bible versions mistranslate” the Greek words commonly translated “sodomite” and “homosexual.” The AF Bible says that the terms used refer not to homosexuality, but to a lack of self-control and violence. And then it notes, “Neither term applies to homosexuality or the lives of gay and lesbian people.” (p. 1881).
Not surprisingly, the AF LSB wholeheartedly embraces classic higher criticism of the Scriptures, but does so in a tragi-comic manner (emphasis on tragic). The AF LSB explains why it is that Paul did not author the Pastoral epistles, even though they are attributed to him: “Mr. Disney is no longer alive, yet movies continue to feature his name because the Walt Disney Company produces them. People at the company try to continue Disney’s legacy.”
Yes, they got all higher critical and wrong-headedly comparative on our asses…
Ok, I’ll give you a moment to digest all that………………
We’re back.
I’ll just close this with a few quick observations:
- I think the LCMS got it right at the 2001 Convention, when the ELCA was called to task for being a heterodox body…
- Comparing St. Paul to Walt Disney isn’t a wise choice in a blog, much less a Bible, especially when you’re making a stupid point…
- Right about now, I’m feeling pretty good about my pre-order for the CPH LSB…
-ghp
Your critique stinks of White-euro-christian-crusader mentality that I have moral and ethical issuses with. You really need to be more open minded and stop judging people, especially those who would venerate St. Walt. What matters is that they are now trying to be inclusive to the dwarf mining demographic. Are you doing anything to reach out to dwarfs and trolls or even the followers of Moloch and making your church a more welcoming place for them? No, I didn’t think so….
My ablazing Elven commenter: I fear you are being short-sighted. You need to take the long view regarding these pint-sized theological efforts. You deserve the full embrace of Lutheranism done right, not the quick-burning half-measures of those who troll for nothing but feel-good numbers, and deshire a faux unity.
And that’s just too preciousssssss, isn’t it?