REPENTHOUSE
BRINGING GUIDANCE TO THOSE WHO WANDER
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…where sincere seekers of
wisdom can find the light… |
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…and lead others along the
path to redemption! |
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“Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
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PART ONE: OUR 22 PUBLICATION TOPICS |
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1. Bible
Study 4. Cults 6. Education |
8. History 12. Memoirs 13. Parenting 14. Poetry |
16. Prophecy 17. Recovery 19. Short Stories 20. Stewardship |
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22. Women’s
Studies |
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PART ONE: TOPICS
Bible Study includes both aids to devotional
reading and hermeneutics. These may
focus on specific books of the Bible like Genesis, specific authors like Solomon, extrabiblical
figures who influenced the course of Biblical history like Julius Caesar, specific events like King Josiah’s reforms, or specific themes
like mercy.
It may focus on one testament or both and may include the so-called
intertestamental period during which most of the Apocrypha was written.
Examples
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Southern Baptist
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Ex-gay
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Nazarene
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NOTE: Religious affiliations are indicated when they have been
publicly stated.
We leave the field blank if the affiliation is simply Christian, Evangelical, or nondenominational.
The focus of hip hop artist and author Jackie Hill Perry’s
ministry is on resisting sexual temptation.
2.
Children’s Fiction comprises narratives written for a
juvenile audience. Subcategories include
picture books (for preliterate
children from birth to age five, but including folktales and nursery rhymes
for parents to read aloud to them), early
readers (ages 5-7), chapter books
(ages 8-11), tween fiction (ages
12-14), and young adult (or YA) fiction (ages 14-18). The so-called new adult fiction genre is emerging for readers 18-26
who are still living with their parents and (usually) attending college or a
trade school. Because of the mature
themes involved, the editors at Repenthouse
are
not sure
these titles should be classified as Children’s
Fiction.
Major challenges in writing for children include handling controversial topics delicately (if at
all), avoiding stereotypes, keeping
the narrative age-appropriate
throughout, and, as an adjunct, choosing vocabulary
simple enough to be understood but advanced enough to educate. Learn which words and concepts children are
expected to have mastered at specific reading levels. Both first- and second-graders will study early readers, for example, but second-graders
are more likely to exhibit a deeper understanding of the world around
them. Depending on their dispositions, first-graders
would probably appreciate Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy
Monkey
(2018) better
than Jory John’s bestsellers The Bad Seed (2017) and
The Good Egg (2019). The
earlier title is not to be confused with William March’s 1954 horror thriller about an
eight-year-old psychopath and murderess, which despite its engaging style is
not suitable for preteens, due mostly to its violence. Third- and fourth graders tend to prefer titles
like David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes (1998), a relatively complex fable
about social conformity, though each reading level typically expresses
different reasons for liking it. Some
critics have challenged its surreal visuals, which suggest that the main
character may be acting under the influence of drugs. It goes without saying that authors should
thoroughly familiarize themselves with the market. The behavioral theories on which William March based his
novel are now widely (though perhaps not universally) considered outmoded, so it’s
advised to keep up with the latest published debates in the field of child psychology, even as they evolve in our
lifetimes.
Although one or more genuine “bad eggs” will inevitably play
a part in the narrative, typically as a source of conflict that drives all
fiction, at least one conscientious role model should set the proper example
for readers by the last paragraph without playing too heavy a hand, even if he
or she steps into those shoes reluctantly or unwittingly. As the Bible cautions us, “Be not righteous
over much; neither make thyself over wise” (Ecclesiastes 7:16), which is to say
“in excess,” prefiguring the words of Our Lord in Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that
ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward
of your Father which is in heaven.”
Whether the designated role models are human beings,
animals, plants, or even little monsters, they are encouraged to “Let [their]
light so shine before men [i.e., others], [so] that they may see [the
characters’] good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew
5:16). Tween and YA fiction are
especially demanding in this regard because they incorporate adult
responsibilities into the story lines – such as caring for younger siblings or even ailing
parents, knowing when to assert one’s independence and when to play exclusively
by the rules, and entering into more mature and consequently more demanding
relationships with friends, new relatives (say, by marriage), teachers,
mentors, coaches, counselors, and eventually bosses. Romantic relationships, often starting with
crushes that seem overpowering when they’re first felt, come into play all too
soon. Determining how much detail to
include and with what language so as to reinforce the proper Christian (and
family) values of patience, compassion, devotion, and restraint, among others,
presents the greatest difficulty for authors writing for teenagers.
Examples
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Baptist
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Baptist
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Church Management encompasses all aspects of the administration of a local congregation, whether or
not it is part of a denominational body such as a synod – including advertising,
bookkeeping, community activism, childcare,
contingency plans, crisis counseling, educational programs, eldercare,
membership maintenance, fundraising, staffing, insurance, investing, tax filing, event scheduling,
music ministries, prison outreach, volunteer programs, youth
ministries, damage control, and public relations.
Examples
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Methodist
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NOTE: Always exercise caution when researching cults. Most of them were devised by Satan
to push the curious, uninformed, and
desperate into hell.
Those flagged in amber require great caution.
Those flagged in red require extreme caution.
Caveat lector!
Cults, sometimes described as New Religious Movements or NRMs by the
PC pundits, consist of religious and quasi-religious groups whose charismatic but
ultimately narcissistic leaders abuse their followers financially,
psychologically, socially, sometimes physically and sexually, and above all
spiritually, in part by taking on the role of God or Christ in the lives of
their followers. They may be broken down
into the following general categories: destructive
(like Jim Jones’s Peoples
Temple), doomsday (like Aum Shinrikyo), occult (like spiritualism), personality (like the Ayn Rand
Institute), political (like the Lyndon LaRouche Movement), polygamous (like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints), pseudo-Christian (like the Unification Church), racist (like the Ku Klux Klan), Satanic (like the Satanic Temple), self-improvement (like Landmark Worldwide), and sexual (like NXIVM).
The categories sometimes overlap.
The Ayn Rand Institute, for instance, began as a largely philosophical
movement that now dominates the Libertarian political sphere. Some groups, like the Church of the Flying
Spaghetti Monster (FSM), were founded to
mock the whole institution of religion.
Fortunately such organizations exist primarily online. Religious bodies that endure the test of time
often join the mainstream, among them the Community
of Christ (formerly The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, typically becoming less exclusive and
less idiosyncratic in the process.
We’re primarily interested in the testimonies of
persons who joined cults, especially pseudo-Christian or Bible cults, and
eventually overcame cultic mind control to rejoin the bona fide faith
community.
Examples
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Jewish
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Jewish
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It’s true that our world has become so depraved in recent
years that some people actually worship spaghetti, which they gluttonously consume,
often with cheap beer (the devil’s
brew) or other intoxicants,
including marijuana (Lucifer’s
leaf, or the weed with
its roots in hell) after intoning that
it “boiled” to bring them heavenly pleasure on earth. Nor can we discount the influence of the Satanic
Temple, an atheistic,
antireligious cabal of scoffer-mockers who are trying to work their way into
politics in spite of their publicly stated adherence to the doctrine separation
between Church and state. They claim not
to worship Satan, or in most cases even to believe in him, but they carry out
his evil will and further his filthy agenda in the world today. Never forget that, to paraphrase the immortal
words of William Cowper, Satan works in stupefying ways, his corrupting
influence to extend.
Current Events covers the latest newsworthy
occurrences, typically examined against a background of economics, geography, geopolitics, history, sociology, and prophecy to chart the progress of human development (or, according
to some theories, degeneration). Your
mission is not just to chronicle passing events in the realms of business, crime, the economy, education, entertainment, the
environment, fashion, government, healthcare, natural disasters,
politics, science, sports, and technology, but also to find and
elucidate a higher meaning in their progress. What’s trending? Where is it headed? And what does it
all mean for America and the world (not necessarily in that order)?
Examples
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Education includes any publication that can
aid in the educational development of others, from preschool primers to postgraduate
polytechnic manuals. Writing an
educational article or book may require certain credentials or experience. We also welcome constructive critiques of our current educational system, complete with proposals on how we might fix it.
Examples
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Health and Healing involve not only health maintenance,
including diet, exercise, and sleep management, but also alternative healing,
including faith healing. We focus on
physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
While we welcome testimonies from Christian
Scientists and members of New
Thought disciplines (such as the Unity
School of Christianity),
we in no way discount the contributions of medical science to the field of
healthcare. We support the availability
of affordable medical plans, including psychiatric and end-of-life care, to all
Americans. We are concerned about the
opioid crisis that recently rocked the nation.
Again, credentials make all the difference. We are interested in the personal experiences
of persons undergoing specific types of therapy, including so-called natural
remedies.
Examples
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History is the interpretive study of past
events and the people who both initiated and followed the flowing trends of
time, either actively or passively, tracing not only the movers and shakers but
also the populations they moved and shook.
Writing history effectively typically involves sifting through archives
of old texts, artwork, photography, and sometimes artifacts to draw new
conclusions from a specific sequence or pattern of events that will ultimately teach
valuable lessons to present and future generations. Historians must be careful not to allow
preconceived notions or biases to influence their reading of history. Instead they must let the facts as they
uncover them in their studies speak for themselves. As philosopher George Santayana wrote in The Life of Reason (1905), “Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Many would argue that history repeats itself
anyway, at least after a fashion, in part because our understanding of the past
is restricted by our involvement in the present. The flow of history often seem irrelevant to
many students who view it as something far removed from their everyday
lives. The function of the Trojan Horse of antiquity might be lost on those who have trouble
understanding why their forebears sent telegrams instead of emails. Historians may specialize in following
individuals, such as King Solomon, Julius Caesar, or Napoleon Bonaparte; commodities such as wine, iron, or silk; or inventions such as the clock, the train, or the telephone, but should always keep in view the
everyday lives of ordinary people caught up in the heaving tides of history. Some advocate following the money, which is a commendable idea as long as the various
historical modes of exchange are clearly understood.
Christian authors will profit from a detailed reading of
Biblical history stretching from the ancient city-states of Sumer and Akkad to the Roman
emperor Domitian’s micromanagement of his treasury.
Examples
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Methodist
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Anglican
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Marxist
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Presbyterian
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How-To Guides overlap somewhat with Education, but tend to cover more
practical topics, such as home maintenance and animal husbandry. Once again, the proper credentials and
experience may be required to build reader confidence. Accomplished authors can teach people
everyday skills such as building confidence, critiquing films, debating
issues, designing a website, improving vocabulary, investing
in the stock market, making arts and crafts, managing
money, mentoring students, networking online, performing
in public, practical housekeeping, riding horses, speedreading,
succeeding in business as a Christian, swimming, volunteering,
and writing hymns, among others. See also Marriage and Family and Parenting.
Examples
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Inspirational Fiction is our bread and butter. We’re looking for powerful, compelling
narratives that confront real-world moral dilemmas such as abortion, addiction, adoption, adultery, alcoholism, anger, antisocial behavior, anxiety,
apathy, blackmail, blended families,
child abuse, child neglect, chronic
illness, climate change, corruption, crime, custody battles, death and dying, debt, dementia, demonic possession, depression and other psychological
disorders, despair, disability, divorce and remarriage, elder abuse, envy, espionage, exploitation, fads and trends, false
accusations, fanaticism, fornication, gang membership, gaslighting, gossip,
greed, grief, guilt, homelessness, hypocrisy, illiteracy, indolence, infertility, involvement in
the occult, irresponsible behavior,
jealousy, loss of faith, male bonding,
marital discord, mass hysteria, mixed marriages,
obesity, pornography, poverty, prejudice, pride, procrastination, prostitution, racism, rape, romance, sexual incompatibility, sexual
promiscuity, social conformity, spouse abuse, stress, subterfuge, suicide, teen pregnancy, teenage
rebellion, terrorism, tyranny, unemployment, venereal
disease, white collar crime, willful ignorance, and workplace harassment – in detail while offering scripturally sound yet equally
plausible, workable solutions to them.
Examples
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Baptist
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Don’t neglect the classics – even if their authors were pagans (like Plato), agnostics
(like Thomas Hardy), or atheists (like Robert Louis Stevenson). God sometimes speaks in His typically
mysterious way through the work of unbelievers and the moral lessons they
typically convey in spite of their authors’ doubts. Much of their work makes up part of the
Western canon – which is only one among many literary canons the world has to
offer – and as such literate authors are expected to be familiar with it. Just be careful not to allow their literary
characters, plots, and above all themes exercise undue influence over your
writing. Even a champion of irreligion
like Ayn Rand, author of such scathingly irreverent titles as Philosophy:
Who Needs It and The
Virtue of Selfishness
accurately defines art as “a selective re-creation of
reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments.” Make sure the value judgments that inform
your writing are, unlike hers, morally uplifting, scripturally sound, and
spiritually enlightening.
Examples
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Russian Orthodox
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Anglican
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Anglican
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Marriage and Family encompass all areas of marriage from courtship, dating, engagement, mixed marriages, interfaith
dilemmas, showers, weddings, honeymoons, sex, wedded life, everyday routines, church
attendance, relationships with in-laws,
financial management, anniversaries, adoption, conception, pregnancy, childbearing, childrearing,
economic hardship, dissatisfaction and discord, pre- and postpartum
depression, jealousy, sexual incompatibility, infidelity and its aftermath, reconciliation, family unity, sibling rivalry,
grandparenting,
“in sickness and in health,” mental
illness, family feuds, a family’s
proverbial black sheep, separation, divorce, remarriage, letting go of resentment, custody battles, and visitation arrangements. The topic
covers various types of family – the nuclear family,
the single-parent family, the blended family, the extended family, the interracial
family, the interfaith family, children reared by grandparents or other
relatives, the family of choice, the
broken home, and the polygamous family, among others.
A few of these subtopics may be covered in greater depth
under Parenting and Women’s
Studies.
Examples
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Roman Catholic
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Baptist
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Baptist
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Jewish
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Memoirs selectively record an author’s
personal experiences, often against a backdrop of a historical period, such as
the Cold War Era, the 1970s, or the Trump administration. Many will trace the course of a specific phase of one’s lifetime or personal
development (such as childhood, adolescence, a coming of age, adulthood,
a trial, an exile (voluntary or not), a prison
sentence or other type of confinement,
a hospital stay, or old age), an education, a career, a project, a business, a relationship,
a marriage, a mission, a ministry, membership in an organization, a conspiracy,
a reunion, participation in an activity, temptation,
a crime, sin, a struggle, a war, a delusion, a loss, an estrangement, a test, a hardship, a handicap, a medical condition or illness,
an addiction, special challenges, one or more visions, failure, recovery, success, or indeed a whole lifetime. Memoirists will be asked to describe first of
all how the world made them the individuals they are and then what they
contributed to the pool of human experience during their lifetimes.
In some cases, editors may be permitted publish the memoirs of others, such as deceased
relatives or persons who suffer from memory loss.
Examples
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Parenting embraces all aspects of parenthood
from problems conceiving children to ongoing tensions between
parents and their adult children.
The topic covers productive guardianship of a child’s physical, emotional, educational, psychological, social, vocational, and spiritual development as a human being,
after which time the child is ideally equipped in all these areas to take on and
successfully discharge the responsibilities of parenting on his or her own, ideally with the
grandparents’ involvement. Broadly
speaking, parents adopt one of four primary styles, based in part on their education level, ethnic and religious background, social class, income, and
status in society: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive,
and (in worst-case scenarios) uninvolved. These may evolve during the course of the
relationship between parents, their children, and others both inside and
outside the family.
Parents are called on to make tough decisions: how to set
the right (and ideally unified) examples as adults, whether to adopt one or
more children, whether to pursue a career (or adult education) while parenting,
when to begin toilet training, how to find the best available childcare, how to
teach the proper values, how to stimulate children’s curiosity and engagement, how
to navigate the developmental phases children go through, how (and how often) to
discipline children, how to secure a thorough education that mirrors
constructive family values, whether to homeschool or send their children to
public or private schools, when and how much to teach children about sex and
relationships (including sexual orientation and gender identity), how to
regulate children’s access to all types of media (from TV and the telephone to
social media), how to develop specific abilities and talents, how much to
involve the extended family or the larger community (including the church), how
to quell childhood rebellion, how soon to allow children to start dating (and
how much to supervise or chaperone them through the process), how to provide
for children with special needs, when if ever to depart from family
tradition, whether or not to try to keep up with the Joneses to bring up resourceful
and competitive children, how to keep children involved in church activities if
the parents lose interest, how to equip children to resist peer pressure, when
if ever to involve the law, how much to trust professionals (including doctors)
whose values seem at odds with their own, how to deal with differences in
children while remaining impartial, how to address setbacks and outright
failure in rearing children, how to cope with the loss of a child, and above
all how to keep the family together.
Should parents who can’t reconcile their personal
differences stay together for the sake of the children? When if ever should parents let go of
long-held expectations and let their children live their own lives without
pressure or interference? Should adult
children who refuse to conform be shunned, disinherited, or completely
disowned? To what extent, if any, should
children be asked to take sides in their parents’ disputes, separation, or
divorce? How can parents make amends for
unintended or undisclosed abuse, both sexual and otherwise? Can (and if so should) a
previously uninvolved parent try to reconnect with his or her neglected
children? Should adult survivors of
abuse or neglect forgive a parent who failed them in this way, or who somehow
facilitated this kind of maltreatment?
Parenting is
obviously a fertile field for commentary and discussion. The overall tone should be kept uplifting and
optimistic and allowed to devolve into an airing of grievances and resentment.
Examples
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Jewish
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Poetry is defined as lyrical language,
typically but not exclusively presented in a series of verses and characterized
by rhythm and often rhyme, that evokes a mood in the
reader or hearer. The Bible is filled
with poetry, though it may not always be printed in formats that have become
standard since the first English-language editions were published. All the Psalms in the Hebrew Bible are poems,
for instance, as is Genesis 1 and much of the Prophets’ writings (such as
Isaiah 40). Rhyme is used rarely and
often coincidentally, as in this well-known passage from Psalm 23, so it isn’t
carried over into most of the English versions except in hymns adapted from the
text. Instead, Hebrew incorporates parallelism, antithesis, and chiasmus, all of which have taken root in English
(and to some extent in all Western languages) owing to translations of the
Bible into the vernacular.
KJV Bible (Psalm 23:1-4)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want [i.e., I
have no unfulfilled needs]
He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He
leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth
my soul:
He leadeth
me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for
Thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…
Hebrew Text of Psalm 23:2
Transliterated
Bi-ne’ōth deshe’ yarbītzē-nī
‘al-mei menuchōth yenahălē-nī
Literal
Translation
In-habitats
of-grass He-makes-me-lie
Onto-waters resting He-makes-me-feel-refreshed
Antitheses make up most of the Book of Proverbs, and Jesus
began His Sermon on the Mount with a collection of them.
KJV Bible (Proverbs 12:2)
A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord:
but
a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
KJV Bible (Matthew 5:6)
Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness
[i.e.,
those who go hungry and thirsty for righteousness’ sake by avoiding sin]:
for they shall be filled.
The Greek New Testament combines Hebrew locutions with Greek
conventions, in some cases to mark a contrast.
The compound nouns “tongues of men” and “of angels” reflect the Hebrew
model (as seen, for example, in Job 15:5), while the participial forms
(“sounding brass” and “tinkling cymbal”) occur more commonly in Greek. These constructions may have been chosen deliberately
to demonstrate the difference between the Law and the Gospel as the Apostle
Paul understood them (cf. Mark 12:33). Heavily
inflected languages allow for greater freedom of word order than more
analytical languages like Modern English, where more rigid syntax forms a major
part of the grammar.
KJV Bible
(1
Corinthians 13:1-6)
Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels,
and
have not charity [i.e., love, goodwill]
I am become as sounding
brass,
or
a tinkling cymbal.
And
though I have the gift of prophecy,
and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
and
have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor,
and
though I give my body to be burned,
and
have not charity,
it
profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity
envieth not;
charity
vaunteth not itself,
is
not puffed up,
doth
not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is
not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth
in the truth…
Greek
Text of 1 Corinthians
13:1
Ean tais glossais tōn anthrōpōn lalō
kai tōn angelōn,
agapēn
de mē
echō
gegona chalkos
ēchōn hē
kymbalon alalazon
Literal
Translation
Even-if
with-the-tongues of-the human-beings I-speak
and
of-the angels
Love but not I-have
I-have-become [as a] brass
banging or [a] cymbal clashing
John Keats’s classic poem Endymion (1818) follows
most of the expected conventions, including heroic couplets, that is, rhyming
couplets in iambic pentameter.
A thing of beauty is a joy
for ever:
Its loveliness increases;
it will never
Pass into nothingness; but
still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and
a sleep
Full of
sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every
morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us
to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of
the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the
gloomy days,
Of all
the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways…
More modern poetry may ignore these conventions, according
to the poet’s purpose. Note that poetic
forms will typically express order, not chaos.
Many take a form comparable to an essay, like this passage from Kahlil
Gibran’s prose poem
The Prophet (1923).
Your children are not your
children.
They
are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They
come through you but not from you,
And
though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You
may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For
they have their own thoughts.
You
may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot
visit, not even in your dreams.
You
may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For
life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
Sadly, even the most heartfelt volumes of poetry usually
sell poorly unless an extra attraction is added. These can be drawings, cartoons, photos,
anecdotes, essays, short memoirs, even short short
stories or flash fiction, which we typically sandwich between layers of poetry.
Examples
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Political Science explores the current political
situation, ideally from a global perspective, while aiming at elucidating the timeless
truths recorded in the Bible. What kind
of people are qualified to rule the masses, for instance, and how should their
duties most effectively and judiciously be
discharged? What measures must be
adopted if leadership grows lax when and where it is most urgently needed? Should leaders be chosen by the people or
appointed by God and “certified” as such by the priesthood or its equivalent? The Hebrew prophet Samuel addressed these exact
issues as the Twelve Tribes of Israel struggled to maintain a loose
confederation of political states in the Holy Land at the dawn of the Iron Age. What can only be described as a republican party favored a more tribal
or local leadership model vested in Israel’s judges, elected officials who
typically served as a type of magistrate.
The early republicans, like Samuel, contended with monarchists, who demanded a king “like
all the [other] nations” (1 Samuel 8:5) who could unify the tribal territories
under a strong central government and ultimately secure the borders against
foreign incursion. God informs Samuel,
“Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they
have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over
them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Was God trying to
show His people the error of their ways, or of their ambitions? Or was He reminding them that freedom is
attained only at great cost? Weaving
together a number of ancient traditions, the two books of Samuel present both
sides of the argument and as such serve as a primary text for political theory.
Political scientists (and by extension political science writers) must never limit their
researches to mere theory, however rich and
influential the subtopic may appear on its own.
Instead they must be thoroughly – and we can’t overemphasize how thoroughly – grounded in history. And by history we mean not only recent history, not only contemporary history, and not even
exclusively American history, but world history beginning at least with
the Revelation of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). Authors who prefer to begin their studies
with the
Code of Hammurabi are invited to
do so. They can’t ignore the
contributions of Greek democracy, however inchoate and ultimately
flawed it may seem to us today. It was a
long-overdue step in the right direction.
Similarly, they should never shy away from studying the seminal works of Machiavelli, Marx, and Mao, however distasteful or burdensome
they may find the two philosophers’ Godless ideologies to be. Our authors should be able to refute their
arguments clearly, cogently, and impartially, offering the antidote of Christian
compassion to the poison of malicious materialism.
Examples
Prophecy and Eschatology reveal the will of God concerning
the gradual extension of His Heavenly Kingdom through the medium of human
history (through its many peaks and valleys – its many achievements, disasters,
and setbacks) into the realm of earth, culminating in the creation of a New Heaven and a New Earth in the hereafter (Revelation 21:1-7). Traditional prophecy begins by proclaiming the need for a thorough
overhaul of human society (which is often achieved at a limited level by
religious reform and mass repentance), then foretelling
its often gradual manifestation in human affairs, and finally demanding adherence to its principles. Prophecy presents the details of God’s will
to humanity, focusing on the how, the why, and the when, though these are often
conveyed in symbolic language so as not to influence the course of events
directly. God’s will unfolds
across various stretches of time like a roadmap and may actually be modified to
some extent to accommodate human needs.
It’s true that God exhibits “no variableness, neither shadow of turning”
(James 1:17), but it must also be accepted that “the Lord is not slack
concerning His promise [to return to earth soon], as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:19).
Obviously God has delayed His imminent return to foster growth in the
church.
Prophecy is fundamentally concerned with establishing
justice, both on earth and in the hereafter, and attempts to explain why God
apparently allows the righteous to suffer and the wicked to prosper. As such it gives rise to a number of
philosophical disciplines, chief among which is theodicy, a justification of God’s actions. Coined by German (Lutheran) philosopher
Gottfried W. Leibniz (1646-1716) in his 1710 study Essays of Theodicy
on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil, the theory explains how and why an
Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent God could allow evil to proliferate in
the world, up to the extent of permitting Satan to assume control of human
activity (cf. John 12:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:4) to the extent He apparently
has. The Book of Job addressed many of
these questions thousands of years ago, exploring the roles of free will, determinism, fate, ambition, faith, commitment, judgment, retribution, and
predestination in the Lord’s master plan.
Prophecy clarifies how, why, and to some extent when God will even the
score, and with what ultimate consequences.
The Christian tradition of prophecy thrived during the
Apostolic Age (1 Thessalonians 5:20 and 1 Corinthians 12:28), though occasional
abuses were recognized, but it began to wane after the publication of the Book
of Revelation about A.D. 95. At the dawn
of the Patristic Era, as the New Testament canon was finally established toward
the end of the second century A.D., when the acceptance of Revelation was still
in dispute, the church leaders questioned the need for ongoing prophecy when
they had the Scriptures to guide them.
By the time of Montanus (ca. A.D. 150), a Phrygian visionary
and founder of the New Prophecy movement, the growing church feared that
prophecies uttered at various times and places throughout Christendom might
undermine the authority of the elders, bishops, and deacons who presided over
individual congregations within the emergent Mother Church. Though initially supported by Tertullian and other authorities, Montanus was eventually branded a heretic, in large part
owing to the ecstatic prophecies that he and his two female followers, Prisca
and Maximilla, uttered in public places, which
occasionally drew unwanted attention from the Roman authorities. When serious persecution of Christians began
under emperor Marcus Aurelius about A.D. 165, efforts were made to
silence such prophecies. Little is known
about Montanus’ actual teachings. He is sometimes compared with leaders of the
20th-century Pentecostal movement like Charles F. Parham (1873-1929) and William J. Seymour (1870-1922).
How much are human beings involved in prophecy? Can anything we do defer the Last Judgment, or perhaps decrease its
severity? Does God follow a strict
timetable down to the day, the hour, and the minute, or do the prophetic books
present more of a general outline of things to come, some of them contingent on
human actions in response to the Gospel?
Have modern communications media, including social media, enabled or hindered the spread of
the Good News? Knowing that Satan will do everything in his limited
power to thwart the Will of God, how do you view the doctrine of the Rapture within its Biblical context? Most Evangelical Christians today believe in
a Pretribulation Rapture. Contributors are invited to elaborate on or
even challenge other authors’ interpretations, but always in a professional,
dispassionate, and above all scholarly fashion.
Eschatology
examines the “last things” or End Times events leading up to the Final Judgment, including the
Second Coming of Christ, the establishment of His Kingdom, and the ultimate
triumph of good over evil. The term may
also refer to life in the hereafter once the present system, with all
its corruption, if not the world itself, has come to an end.
Examples
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Presbyterian
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Lutheran
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“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their
brethren, like unto thee,
and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
Deuteronomy 18:18
“For out of
Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem.
And
[the Lord] shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.”
Isaiah 2:3-4
“I will set
mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land:
and I will build them, and not pull them down;
and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
And
I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the
Lord:
and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Jeremiah 24:6-7
Recovery typically refers to protracted recuperation
from a longstanding psychological dependence on alcohol, drugs, or some
sort of vice (including cheating, extreme risk-taking, food (and
especially sugar), gambling, impulse buying, lying, sex, obsessive-compulsive
behavior, pornography, procrastination, shoplifting, or violence
(including self-harm), among others). It may also refer to rehabilitation from abuse, codependence, confinement,
depression, grief, ill health, terrorism, trauma, or worry and
their painful aftereffects. Recovery
often involves joining support groups and following traditional twelve-step programs to avoid relapses into
patterns of dangerous behavior. Some
critics opt for a simpler or more secular approach to what they see as
psychological disorders. Professional
detachment often offers the clarity that the family and friends of persons
seeking or involved in recovery need to cope with the situation, but there’s no
support for personal experience.
Texts may focus on those in recovery; their families, friends, and associates; and those
whose lives were affected by their dependence or troublesome behavior, which some see as the symptoms of
an illness. Twelve-stop programs
encourage them to make amends if they can.
What happens when that isn’t possible?
Should victims – should you choose to
use that somewhat controversial term – really forgive “seventy times seven”
(Matthew 18:22) or hold others accountable for their actions (Romans 14:12)? Can mental illness be healed, or must it
simply be managed? If so, which methods
prove most effective? Is it mostly a
matter of keeping people away from dangerous substances, or chemical dependency only the tip of the iceberg? What about codependency?
We are especially interested in the spiritual aspects of mental
healthcare management.
We will publish under pseudonyms but prefer not to release
completely “anonymous” memoirs or studies of the subject.
Examples
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Science Fiction and Fantasy inspire a sense of wonder in their
vivid creation of imaginary realms, most of them analogues of isolated aspects
of the real world. Science fiction incorporates rational science into the narrative,
either overtly or covertly, while fantasy
remains rooted in folklore and mythology.
Many Christian publishing houses reject fantasy narratives outright
because of their historical links to paganism.
Repenthouse will at least review them on an
individual basis. George Orwell’s Animal
Farm
(1945) is
considered fantasy literature by some, along with E.B. White’s Charlotte’s
Web
(1952) and
Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant
Peach
(1961). All fall under the relatively benign fable subgenre of fantasy. A fantasy’s moral tone should never be
presented ambiguously. The works of
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) and J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) have
garnered a large following among Christian readers, yet they are among the most
commonly challenged (and burned) books in local churches.
Works populated by androids,
cave dwellers, cryptids, doppelgängers, dinosaurs, dragons, dwarfs, elves, extraterrestrials, fairies,
genies, giants, gnomes, goblins, gremlins, kobolds, robots, time travelers, trolls, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, and
zombies will be considered if these
creatures are depicted humanely, typically though not exclusively as human
beings trapped in the guise of preternatural entities who can at least in
theory be redeemed. Powerful vampires,
as opposed to those who fall under their influence but remain essentially
human, may stand in for Satan himself as he seeks to corrupt humanity. If conceived as earthbound spirits who may be
saved if they succeed in influencing the actions of the living, ghosts may be permitted depending on
other story elements.
Dark fantasy, which incorporates horror elements like demons, ghosts as spirits of the damned, warlocks, witches, and wizards, is largely to be avoided,
though exceptions might be made in the case of exemplary characterization. What makes a good witch good, for
example? What is the source of her
supernatural powers? What would happen
to her if she surrendered her soul to Christ?
In L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of
Oz
(1900),
Glinda the Good Witch of the South exhibits an altogether different personality
from the character that stage actress Billie Burke played in the
1939 musical, who was a composite of three of the
novel’s supernatural characters. Witches
like Gillian Holroyd in the movie Bell, Book and
Candle
(1958),
who loses her powers when she falls in love, and Samantha Stephens in the TV
series Bewitched (1964-72), who
represents all the perfectly natural “magic” that busy homemakers and stay-at-home
moms bring to a marriage, might be permitted within a proper Christian context,
with witchcraft per se connoting worldliness or depravity. Despite her
general demeanor of deceit (in promising her husband she would renounce her
supernatural powers when she probably had no such intention), Samantha is certainly
no more evil as a witch than her husband’s overly avaricious boss, who would
stop at nothing to turn a profit.
True stories about demonic possession, including attacks
by incubi and succubae, are usually published as Testimonies and Tracts as narratives of spiritual warfare – unless perhaps the inner demons
prove to be figments of one or more characters’ imagination.
Examples
Short Stories make up the bulk of our
publications. We typically issue them in
anthologies with individual contributors being paid according to the number of
contributions per volume. Like poetry,
the short story aims for a unified emotional effect, but as prose fiction it
exhibits a more sustained form, each example running between 5,000 and 7,500
words in length, with exceptions popping up at both ends of this general
rule. Simpler in structure than the
longer novel, a short story typically
includes character, plot, and theme within a compact structure that limits the range and
development of all three of these elements in deference to one. An introductory visual snapshot usually gives way to rising action that builds through conflict to a climax that
is resolved in a denouement or
untying of the narrative strands that have held the reader’s attention from the
first page of the story. Edgar Allan
Poe’s
“The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843) follows
this formula perfectly in a plot-driven format.
Plot often incorporates a reversal (or peripeteia) followed by a discovery.
Neither should defy the logical framework established
by the author or occur too abruptly to drive home the point to the
reader. Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” (1922) focuses more on character. Character-driven stories often feature a change
of heart or epiphany. Fantasy and
science fiction stories, like Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” (1952), are often described as
theme- or idea-driven.
Some writers portray what they call a “slice of life” and
allow readers to draw their own conclusions from the narrative, which either may
or may not constitute a formal plot or may stop short of a formal climax. Anton Chekhov’s “Lady with Lapdog” (1899, and sometimes printed under
the title “The Lady with the Little Dog”) serves as an example. Christian short stories usually contain a
moral, like Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948).
Unlike in classic fables, a contemporary short story’s moral
is more often implied by the narrative than stated outright, and may often be
interpreted in more than one way. Some
stories hinge on a mere joke, like Damon Knight’s science fiction classic “To Serve Man” (1950). Mystery stories normally describe a crime and
its subsequent detection, like Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in
Bohemia” (1891), though many
subgenres of crime fiction exist. In
response to popular media from radio to TV to the ubiquitous online forums, the
short story thrives on innovation, with some authors sacrificing character,
plot, and theme for sheer effect. Experiment with care after
you’ve mastered the traditional forms, remembering, as the Bible points
out “there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Examples
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Baptist
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Stewardship teaches that humanity takes at least
partial responsibility for the state of the world – in terms of the environment,
society, and our natural abilities. As
the Lord instructed in Genesis 1:28, we must…
“ Be fruitful, and multiply,
and
replenish the earth, and subdue it:
and
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
We can, and in fact
must, reap the benefits of the vast pool of resources God has placed at our
disposal without endangering, exploiting, abusing, or depleting them. Stewardship provides the means. It ultimately touches virtually all aspects
of human endeavor, from the community
to education to employment to finance to healthcare to the ministry, enabling us to preserve, enrich, and propagate the most
valuable commodities in God’s orderly world.
The topic also covers the volunteer spirit that drives Christian
charity.
Examples
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Jewish
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Lutheran
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Testimonies and Tracts are relatively short pieces, often
published in anthologies or packets for public distribution, that outline the
author’s relationship with Christ, sometimes by means of a particular church, denomination, congregation,
or community – or even of faith in general as opposed to secularism, skepticism, or just plain doubt. Testimonies
tell a brief but (mostly) true story of how you (or someone close to you)
once wandered in sin and/or doubt; then found Jesus as your personal Savior;
gradually learned to resist temptation; survived one or more tests of your
faith, endurance, or devotion; parted company with those who hoped to drag you
back into a life of the indulgence; grew in wisdom and grace; forgave others
when you thought you never could; and taught others the lessons you had
learned, finally becoming a dutiful but by no means perfect servant of the
Lord.
mostly
Tracts contain
relatively short inspirational messages intended to advise readers to examine
their own lives, habits, opinions, beliefs, and so on, so they can better
understand God’s plan for their lives. Common
subjects include finding Jesus, attaining salvation (and a secure
place in heaven), faithfully fulfilling God’s will, recognizing
wickedness, resisting temptation, breaking bad habits, knowing
when to be silent and letting your actions speak for themselves, overcoming
sin, avoiding hell, joining the right church, separating
oneself from sinners and the influence they may wield, discerning
the signs of the times, and successfully sharing the Gospel message with
others (in both word and deed), even with unbelievers and skeptics. Tracts may focus on a doctrinal topic like speaking
in tongues or foot washing but shouldn’t be overly controversial in
tone, as many of Jack T. Chick’s famous tracts are. The message should be supported by quotations
from the Bible. Authors are asked to use
one Bible version (or translation) per tract (unless perhaps they’re comparing
two or more versions in the tract), which should always be identified. This need not be the King James Version (KJV), which we somewhat prefer to
other versions. A list of the fourteen most popular Bible version in English may be found below. The bestselling Bible in Spanish, a top seller
in the United States rivaling the New International Reader’s Version, is the Biblia Reina-Valera, most recently updated in 2011.
Repenthouse publishes short tracts in both
Castilian and Latin American Spanish, along with French, German, Italian, and Swedish, possibly among other languages as
well, such as Esperanto, Portuguese, and Russian.
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Presbyterian
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Southern Baptist
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Women’s Studies examine the roles of women in
society at large throughout history, as student,
bachelorette, sister, fiancée, employee, protégée, graduate, professional, wife, mother, stay-at-home mom, aunt, grandmother, widow, divorcée, and believer,
among others – particularly as these
overlap or intersect with one another and with the corresponding men’s social
roles. How are women’s roles, whether
traditional (like mother) or relatively innovative (like Supreme Court
Justice), affected by factors like race, ethnicity, class, caste (where applicable), marital
status, birth order, religion, family
background, education, economic
background, immigration
status, social
mobility, physical appearance, conformity to social norms, “street smarts,” adaptability, political affiliation, health (including any number of medical conditions), height, weight, disability
(or “different
ability”), and talent, among others? Authors may choose to emphasize the positive or negative aspects of the recent changes in social roles and responsibilities
against a background of history, psychology, and sociology. Are women more empowered than ever
before? If so, how does that affect
traditional social roles? Are women
still exploited by society – or at least by certain elements in society? Are these roles specifically defined in the Bible, or does
the Sacred Text simply record the social paradigms of the historical periods it
covers? What does the Apostle Paul mean
by these words?
But
after that faith is come,
we
are no longer under a schoolmaster.
For ye are all the
children of God
by
faith in Christ Jesus…
There is neither Jew nor
Greek,
there
is neither bond nor free,
there
is neither male nor female:
for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:25,
26, 28
What does it mean to be
a woman today (whether single, married, a mother by any definition, or
childless) – and has the answer to
that question changed substantially since the days of Eve, Sarah, Ruth, the Queen of Sheba, Esther, the Lord Jesus’ Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, the early women saints, Hypatia, Christine de Pizan,
Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Isabella of
Castile, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Florence Nightingale, Margaret Sanger, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others? Many of these woman
have been called wicked by various authorities at one time or another, mostly
because they challenged the social norms of their time. Given the historical context, is that assessment fair for any o them? What kind of world did – or do – they
envision for all of us?
Examples
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Baptist
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PART TWO: BIBLE VERSIONS
THE BEST-SELLING BIBLE VERSIONS
IN ENGLISH
with sample verses Luke 23:33-35
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1. When they came to the
place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the
criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”1 And they
divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the
rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself
if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” __________ 1Some early manuscripts do not have this sentence. (77 words) |
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(1978, rev 2011) |
This version uses the most contemporary language to
translate the most ancient manuscripts. |
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2. And when they were come to the place, which is
called Calvary1, there they crucified him, and the malefactors,
one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.2 And they parted his raiment, and
cast lots.3 And the people stood beholding.4
And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him
save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. __________ 1Or, The Skull. 2Isaiah
53:12 3Psalm 22:18 4Psalm 22:17 (80 words) |
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(1611, rev 1769) |
The 1769 Oxford Edition modernized
many spellings and grammatical constructions now considered archaic. This quote is taken from a red-letter
edition. |
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3. When they came to a
place called The Skull1, they nailed him to the cross. And the
criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for
they don’t know what they are doing.” 2 And the soldiers gambled for his
clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders
scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really
God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” __________ 1Sometimes rendered Calvary,
which comes from the Latin word for “skull.” 2This sentence is not included in
many ancient manuscripts.
(78 words) |
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(1996, rev 2015) |
This version is based on The Living
Bible, a 1971 paraphrase of the
1901 American Standard Version (ASV). |
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4. And when they came to
the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the
criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 1
And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by,
watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him
save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” __________ 1Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus… what they do (79 words) |
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(2001, rev 2016) |
This version is based on the Second Edition of the Revised
Standard Version, published in 1952 and revised in 1972. |
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5. And when they had
come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the
criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”1 And they divided His garments and
cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered,
saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the
chosen of God.” __________ 1NU (Novum Testamentum Graece, a critical edition of the Greek New
Testament) brackets the first sentence as a later addition. (80 words)
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(1982, rev 1984) |
This version is based on the 1769
Oxford Edition of the original King James Version of 1611. |
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6. When they arrived at
the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the
criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,
because they do not know what they are doing.”1 And they divided his clothes and cast lots. The people stood watching, and even the
leaders were scoffing: “He saved others; let him save himself if this is
God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” __________ 1Other mss omit Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,
because they do not know what they are doing.” (74
words) |
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(2017, rev 2020) |
This version is based on the Holman
Christian Standard Bible published in 2004 and revised in 2009. |
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7. The soldiers brought
them to the place called the Skull. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He
hung between the two criminals. One was on his right and one was on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” The
soldiers divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood there watching. The rulers even made fun of Jesus.
They said, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the
Chosen One.”
(84 words) |
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(1996) |
This version is presented in a
simplified form of English more accessible to children and non-native
readers. |
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8. When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they
crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the
other on his left. Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them;
they don’t know what they’re doing.” Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice
for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made
faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of
God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”
(74
words) |
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(2002) |
A highly idiomatic translation in contemporary language. |
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9. When they came to the
place called The Skull1, there they crucified Him and the
criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying,
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”2
And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people
stood by, looking on. And even the
rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself
if this is the Christ3 of God, His Chosen One.” __________ 1In Lat[in] Calvarius; or Calvary. 2Some early mss do not contain But Jesus was saying...doing. 3I.e. Messiah.
(86 words) |
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(1971, rev 2020) |
This version is based on the 1901 American Standard
Version (ASV). |
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10. When they came to the
place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus1 there with
the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [Then Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”]2
And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him,
saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah3
of God, his chosen one!” __________ 1G[ree]k him. 2Other ancient authorities
lack the sentence Then Jesus . . . what
they are doing. 3Or the Christ.
(80 words)
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(1989) |
This version incorporates inclusive
language. |
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11. When they came to the
place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on
his right, the other on his left.
[Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”]1
They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched;
the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him
save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” __________ 1This portion of Luke 23:34 does
not occur in the oldest papyrus manuscript of Luke and in other early Greek
manuscripts and ancient versions of wide geographical distribution. (75 words) |
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(1970, rev 2011) |
The revised edition of this Roman
Catholic translation includes material from the Dead Sea Scrolls. |
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12. When they reached the place called The Skull,
there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right, the other
on his left. Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots to
share out his clothing. The people stayed there watching. As for
the leaders, they jeered at him with the words, “He saved others, let him
save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” __________
(80 words) |
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(1966, rev 1985) |
The Revised
New Jerusalem Bible is authorized for use by the Roman
Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. |
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13. When they came to the
place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals,
one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They
don't know what they are doing.”1 They divided his clothes among
themselves by throwing dice. The people stood there watching while the Jewish
leaders made fun of him: “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the
Messiah whom God has chosen!” __________ 1Some manuscripts do not have “Jesus said, ‘Forgive them,
Father! They don't know what they are doing.’”
(77 words) |
|
(1976) |
The New Testament was published in
1966 “in simple, everyday language” under the title Good News for Modern Man. When
the Hebrew Bible (which some call the “Old Testament”) was added in 1976, the
name was changed to Today’s English Version (TEV). The current name, Good News Translation, was approved in 2001. |
|
(2001) |
14. So1 when
they came to the place that is called “The Skull,”2 they crucified3
him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his
left. [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive
them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”]4 Then5
they threw dice6 to divide his clothes.7 The people also stood there
watching, but the leaders ridiculed8 him, saying, “He saved
others. Let him save9 himself if10 he is the Christ11
of God, his chosen one!” __________ 1Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so”
to indicate the conclusion of the preceding material. 2The place that is called
‘The Skull’ (known as Golgotha in Aramaic, cf. John 19:17) is north and just
outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a
skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for Greek κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” derives
(cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV). 3Crucifixion
was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens
could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like
treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman historian
Cicero called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70);
Josephus (JW 7.6.4) called it the worst of deaths. 4Many significant mss…lack v.
34a. It is included in [others]. It also fits a major Lukan theme of
forgiving the enemies (6:27-36), and it has a parallel in Stephen’s response
in Acts 7:60. The lack of parallels in the other Gospels argues also for
inclusion here. On the other hand, the fact of the parallel in Acts 7:60 may
well have prompted early scribes to insert the saying in Luke’s Gospel alone.
Further, there is the great difficulty of explaining why early and diverse
witnesses lack the saying. A decision is difficult, but even those who regard
the verse as inauthentic literarily often consider it to be authentic
historically. For this reason it has been placed in single brackets in the
translation. 5Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to
indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. 6Gr[ee]k “cast lots” (probably by using marked pebbles or
broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent “threw dice” was chosen here
because of its association with gambling.
7An allusion to Ps 22:18, which identifies Jesus as the
suffering innocent one. 8A
figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at
someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (Louw
& Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of
the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains 33.409). 9The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation
did come, but later, not while [Jesus was] on the cross. 10This is a first class
condition in the Greek text. 11Or
“Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one
who has been anointed.” The term χριστός (christos) was
originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive
(“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic
term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed
further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that
is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there
(technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to
mean virtually Jesus’ last name.
(80 words) |
|
|
The New English Translation (or NET
Bible) opts for a literal translation supported by exhaustive footnotes, as
shown above. |
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For comparison… Καὶ ὅτε ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τὸν
καλούμενον
Κρανίον, ἐκεῖ ἐσταύρωσαν
αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς
κακούργους,
ὃν μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν ὃν δὲ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν. ὁ δὲ
Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν Πάτερ,
ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ
οἴδασιν
τί ποιοῦσιν.
διαμεριζόμενοι
δὲ
τὰ
ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἔβαλον κλήρους. καὶ εἱστήκει
ὁ λαὸς θεωρῶν. ἐξεμυκτήριζον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες λέγοντες
Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, σωσάτω
ἑαυτόν,
εἰ
οὗτός
ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ
ὁ ἐκλεκτός.
(66 words) |
|
|
These verses from the Greek New
Testament is shorter than any of the English versions mostly because the
subject (and occasionally also the object) pronouns are not always stated in
Greek. Verb conjugations identify both
person and number, thus ἦλθον means “they came,” ἐσταύρωσαν, “they crucified,” οἴδασιν, “they know,” ποιοῦσιν, “they do,” ἔβαλον, “they cast [threw],” and so on. With its complex scheme of tenses and
moods, moreover, Koine Greek uses few auxiliary,
modal, or phrasal verbs, thus ἦλθον means “they were
come” and “they had come.” |
PART THREE: BESTSELLERS BY
AMERICA’S
TOP RELIGIOUS LEADERS
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Southern Baptist
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Pentecostal PG
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Roman Catholic
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Roman
Catholic
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Southern
Baptist
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Joel Osteen and Rick Warren are
megachurch pastors who preach what many consider to be a prosperity gospel. |
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Southern Baptist
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Charismatic PG Lite
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Baptist
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Southern Baptist
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Joyce Meyer’s ministry often
touches on what many consider to be prosperity theology. |
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Pentecostal PG
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Methodist
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Baptist
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