Theological Reflections on the Pandemic 1 by Brian J
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
An International Journal for Students of Theological and Religious Studies Volume 45 Issue 1 April 2020 EDITORIAL: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic 1 by Brian J. Tabb STRANGE TIMES: ‘The Things We Think and Do Not Say: 8 The Future of Our Business’ by Daniel Strange Politics, Conscience, and the Church: Why Christians 13 Passionately Disagree with One Another over Politics, Why They Must Agree to Disagree over Jagged-Line Political Issues, and How by Jonathan Leeman and Andrew David Naselli Should the Local Church Resist Texts in Scripture that Clash 32 with Western Culture? The Test Case of Leviticus 21:16–24 by Katherine Smith Leviticus 18:5 and the Law’s Call to Faith: A Positive 43 Reassessment of Paul’s View of the Law by Etienne Jodar The Genesis of the Jerusalem Donation by Daryn Graham 58 Paul’s Overlooked Allusion to Joel 2:9 in 1 Thessalonians 74 5:2 by Jordan Atkinson What Must She Do to Be Saved? A Theological Analysis of 84 1 Timothy 2:15 by Jared M. August On Words, Meaning, Inspiration, and Translation: A Brief 98 Response to Bill Mounce by Dane Ortlund Affirmations and Denials Concerning World Mission 108 by the Southgate Fellowship Book Reviews 136 DESCRIPTION Themelios is an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. Themelios began in 1975 and was operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The editorial team draws participants from across the globe as editors, essayists, and reviewers. Themelios is published three times a year online at The Gospel Coalition website in PDF and HTML, and may be purchased in digital format with Logos Bible Software and in print with Wipf and Stock. Themelios is copyrighted by The Gospel Coalition. Readers are free to use it and circulate it in digital form without further permission, but they must acknowledge the source and may not change the content. EDITORS BOOK REVIEW EDITORS General Editor: Brian Tabb Old Testament Systematic Theology Bethlehem College & Seminary Peter Lau David Garner 720 13th Avenue South OMF International Westminster Theological Seminary Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA 18-20 Oxford St 2960 Church Road [email protected] Epping, NSW 1710, Australia Glenside, PA 19038, USA [email protected] [email protected] Contributing Editor: D. A. Carson Trinity Evangelical Divinity School New Testament Ethics and Pastoralia 2065 Half Day Road David Starling Rob Smith Deerfield, IL 60015, USA Morling College Sydney Missionary & Bible College [email protected] 120 Herring Road 43 Badminton Road Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Australia Croydon, NSW 2132, Australia Contributing Editor: Daniel Strange [email protected] [email protected] Oak Hill Theological College Chase Side, Southgate History and Historical Theology Mission and Culture London, N14 4PS, UK Geoff Chang Jackson Wu [email protected] Hinson Baptist Church Mission ONE 1315 Southeast 20th Avenue PO Box 5960 Administrator: Andy Naselli Portland, OR 97214, USA Scottsdale, AZ 85261, USA Bethlehem College & Seminary [email protected] [email protected] 720 13th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA [email protected] EDITORIAL BOARD Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School; Hassell Bullock, Wheaton College; Benjamin Gladd, Reformed Theological Seminary; Paul Helseth, University of Northwestern, St. Paul; Paul House, Beeson Divinity School; Hans Madueme, Covenant College; Ken Magnuson, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Gavin Ortlund, First Baptist Church, Ojai; Ken Stewart, Covenant College; Mark D. Thompson,Moore Theological College; Paul Williamson, Moore Theological College; Mary Willson, Second Presbyterian Church; Stephen Witmer, Pepperell Christian Fellowship; Robert Yarbrough, Covenant Seminary. ARTICLES Themeliostypically publishes articles that are 4,000 to 9,000 words (including footnotes). Prospective contributors should submit articles by email to the managing editor in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Submissions should not include the author’s name or institutional affiliation for blind peer-review. Articles should use clear, concise English and should consistently adopt either UK or USA spelling and punctuation conventions. Special characters (such as Greek and Hebrew) require a Unicode font. Abbreviations and bibliographic references should conform to The SBL Handbook of Style (2nd ed.), supplemented by The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.). For examples of the the journal's style, consult the most recent Themelios issues and the contributor guidelines. REVIEWS The book review editors generally select individuals for book reviews, but potential reviewers may contact them about reviewing specific books. As part of arranging book reviews, the book review editors will supply book review guidelines to reviewers. Themelios 45.1 (2020): 1–7 EDITORIAL Theological Reflections on the Pandemic — Brian J. Tabb — Brian Tabb is academic dean and associate professor of biblical studies at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, an elder of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and general editor of Themelios. So thou, sick world, mistak’st thy self to be Well, when alas! thou’rt in a lethargy.… There is no health; physicians say that we, At best, enjoy but a neutrality. And can there be worse sickness than to know That we are never well, nor can be so? —John Donne, “An Anatomy of the World”1 nce again, the terrifying term “pandemic” has been headline news. On 31 December 2019, Chinese health officials reported cases of serious respiratory sickness in people associated with a large market in Wuhan, China.2 This outbreak was soon linked to a “novel coronavirus” (later given the innocuous name “COVID-19”), and the World Health Organization declared “a global O 3 public health emergency” due to the deadly virus. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as “a pandemic,” with confirmed cases of the virus in well over 100 countries, thousands of confirmed deaths, and thousands of new cases being reported each day.4 The Center for Disease Control ominously warns that there is “no vaccine to protect against COVID-19” and “no spe- cific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.”5 Despite the stunning scientific advances in our modern age, medical providers and researchers weren’t prepared to counter this coronavirus when it burst on the scene. Without vaccine or cure, the Chinese government turned to containment, imposing residential 1 John Donne, “An Anatomy of the World: The First Anniversary,” in The Poems of John Donne, ed. Edmund K. Chambers (London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896), lines 23–24, 91–94, https://tinyurl.com/qpaf5sy. 2 Anita Patel and Daniel Jernigan, “Initial Public Health Response and Interim Clinical Guidance for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak—United States, December 31, 2019–February 4, 2020,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69.5 (2020): 140–46, https://tinyurl.com/yx6xp3xb. 3 Judith Mischke, “Coronavirus: WHO Declares Global Emergency,” Politico, 30 January 2020, https://tinyurl. com/wm56s2f. 4 “WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19,” World Health Organiza- tion, 11 March 2020, https://tinyurl.com/vyvm6ob. 5 “What You Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” Center for Disease Control, 18 February 2020, https://tinyurl.com/r6kdabn. 1 Themelios lockdowns that impacted over half the country’s population,6 while major airlines grounded flights to and from China. The global spread of the coronavirus prompted nation-wide lockdowns in Italy and other countries, severe travel restrictions, closures to schools and businesses, and cancellations of ma- jor sporting events. The president of France even declared “war” on the invisible enemy.7 Churches on multiple continents have even been forced to cancel or modify corporate worship services. The coronavirus pandemic is the latest in a long line of disease outbreaks that have wreaked havoc on humanity over the centuries, and it will very likely not be the last. This editorial offers theological, historical, and pastoral reflections on disease and sickness. 1. Disease in Biblical Perspective Disease and death have indelibly marked the human experience east of Eden. In the beginning, there were no rogue parasites or harmful germs—everything was “very good” (Gen 1:31). Then everything changed when sin entered the world and “death through sin,” and creation itself “was subjected to futility” (Rom 5:12; 8:20). Though the OT does not explicate this point, the realities of sickness and disease accompany the “thorns and thistles” of creation’s curse and humanity’s “dust … to dust” sentence. Without sin, human beings would experience neither death nor illness, which serves as “death’s prelude.”8 The OT emphasizes that Yahweh alone has the ultimate authority to “wound” and to “heal” (Deut 32:39; cf. Job 5:18). Yahweh strikes Egypt with various “diseases” yet promises to heal and protect his people if they heed his voice (Exod 15:26; Deut 7:15). Likewise, when the Philistines capture the ark, Yahweh afflicted them with tumors and caused “a deathly panic” (1 Sam 5:6–12). “Pestilence” is also one of Yahweh’s four dreadful judgments against Israel, along with war, famine, and wild beasts (Ezek 14:21; cf. Deut 32:24–26; Rev 6:8). On several occasions in the OT, Yahweh afflicts his people with pestilence because of their unfaithfulness. For example, in response to David’s sinful census, Yahweh strikes the land with his “sword” of pestilence, and 70,000 men of Israel perished (1 Chron 21:12–14). Because Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel” and led Judah into spiritual harlotry, the Lord brings “a great plague” on the people and strikes the wicked king with a severe, incurable disease in his bowels, “and he died in great agony” (2 Chron 21:12–19).