Reading the Bible with the Eyes of the Canaanites: Neo-Zionism, Political Theology and the Land Traditions of the Bible (1967 to Gaza 2009)
In modern times, a whole range of colonial enterprises have used the Bible. The book of Joshua and other biblical texts evoking the exploits of ancient Israelites have been deployed in support of secular Zionism and settler colonisation in Palestine. The mega narratives of the Bible, however, appeared to mandate the ethnic cleansing and even genocide of the indigenous population of Canaan. This article argues that, with the rise of messianic Zionism since 1967, a Jewish theology of zealotocracy, based on the land traditions of the Bible, has emerged in Israel – a political theology that demanded the destruction of the so-called modern Canaanites; since 1967 fundamentalist rabbis have routinely compared the Palestinian people to the ancient Canaanites, Philistines and Amalekites, whose annihilation or expulsion by the ancient Israelites was predestined by a divine design. This article focuses on the politics of reading the Bible by neo-Zionists and examines the theology of the messianic current which embraces the paradigm of Jews as a divinely ‘chosen people’ and sees the indigenous Palestinians as no more than illegitimate squatters, and a threat to the process of messianic redemption; their human and civil rights are no match for the biblically-ordained holy war of conquering and settling the ‘Promised Land’.
As For Us, We Will Serve the Lord: Preaching the Theology of Joshua for the Church’s Mission
As For Us, We Will Serve the Lord: Preaching the Theology of Joshua for the Church’s Mission Bryan Gregory Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2018 The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a theological interpretation of the book of Joshua, with special attention to the ethical problem of violence in the book, and to set forth a homiletical model for preaching the theology of the book to shape the church’s mission. The homiletical model includes suggestions for both how to handle the violence of the book in the pulpit and how to appropriate the theology constructively in the life of the church. This model is applied specifically to the ministry of Brookdale Presbyterian Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. This study surveys the relevant literature for handling the violence of the conquest, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches, before arguing that the book of Joshua is a highly ritualized and sacralized account of Israel’s early history, initially written during the years of Josiah’s reforms and intended to be a metaphor of the religious life in service to the one true God. Based on this approach, a constructive theological reading of the book is then offered, highlighting the four key theological themes of the narrative. These four themes are reframing the identity of God’s people, encouraging faith in the power of God, combatting idolatry and urging an exclusive devotion to the Lord, and identifying bold and courageous obedience as the path to rest. Finally, the theological interpretation of Joshua is applied to the specific task of preaching. The four key theological themes are refracted through the New Testament witness to demonstrate how each theme should shape the life and mission of the church. Then, a practical homiletical model for the preaching the book is developed, providing a practical strategy for handling the violence in the book and applying the four theological themes to the mission of Brookdale Presbyterian Church. Content Reader: John Goldingay
Career Choice Inclination of the College Graduates——under the Analytic Framework on the Basis of LMS Theory
Employment difficulty of college graduates has become a social problem in China today.The research group has found that college graduates have a strong inclination in career choice considering units and regions.In terms of China's manpower market and the segmented labor market theory,it is found that their inclination is caused by the great income gap of different regions,the high cost of job transfer,and the sharp differences in social welfare.It is thus obvious that solution to the problem lies with the gradual breakdown of the institutional segment of labor market.