Tag: authority
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Household: Excursus on 1 Timothy (Part 2)
The eight verses in 1 Timothy 2:8-15 are among some of the most controversial in the Bible. 1 Timothy 2:8-15 8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; 9 also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not…
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Household: Household Code Lost in Translation: Kephale
We have now examined the household codes in 1 Peter and Titus. It is time to turn to the household codes presented in Ephesians and Colossians. These codes present a major challenge because of a one-word metaphor: kephale, meaning "head." The word is used several times in the New Testament, and most instances refer to…
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Power and Authority
One of Tony Campolo's early books, published in 1983, was The Power Delusion: A Serious Call to Consider Jesus' Approach to Power. In it, he writes: Before I go any further, it is important that I specify how I will be using the word power. I am defining power as “the prerogative to determine what…
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Power, Authority, and Leadership in the Body of Christ
I have been haranguing on the clergy/laity dichotomy in my recent posts. So let me anticipate the next question. Am I proposing some radical egalitarian existence without church structures or hierarchy? Certainly not. I do think we need to rethink how we think about structures and hierarchy. I wrote about Ephesians 4 yesterday, where Paul…