This link has been bookmarked by 1 people . It was first bookmarked on 10 Aug 2009, by Todd Suomela.
-
10 Aug 09
-
Sweaty, rumpled earnestness, in the authors' minds, seems to be able to magically transform even this into a gripping, unforgettable sermon. What's that bit of nonsense about "no mention of an arrow"? And how on earth do you get from "a conqueror bent on conquest" to a mere diplomat? And doesn't Bruce notice that he has the crown before he rides out? And ...
None of that matters -- just look at how sincere and passionate Bruce is. See that exclamation point after the word "important"? That means it's important! Bruce is saying important(!) things and he's saying them passionately and sincerely.
-
Clear as mud, that, but that's Daniel for you.
The first six chapters of Daniel are fairly straightforward stories of Israel in exile. The final six chapters are a hallucinogenic stew of visions, numerology and wrath. That description of the second half of Daniel might also work as a description of much of Revelation, so it's not altogether unreasonable for Bruce to decide that there's some connection between the two apocalyptic nightmares, but why here? Why jump to this passage in Daniel from that passage in Revelation? What's the justification or logic or excuse?
-
Here you have a sanctuary filled with believers who will, Bruce tells them, soon be facing trials and tribulations the likes of which the world has never seen. They will all soon face persecution for their faith, he tells them. And then he has them turn to the book of Daniel, the first half of which is dedicated to people just like them living in just such a context.
But Bruce doesn't read that part of Daniel.
The people gathered at New Hope Village Church have become a people in exile and Daniel is about exactly that, but this isn't what Bruce gleans from the book. He warns his congregation of impending death from "the wild beasts of the earth," but he never reads them the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. He warns them of looming fiery martyrdom, but he never reads to them about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the angel in the fiery furnace. He tells them of a tyrant who will soon make them all his subjects, yet he can see nothing relevant in the stories of the exiles struggling under the boot of Nebuchadnezzar. Bruce ignores the writing on the wall -- literally.
-
Would you like to comment?
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.