This semester, the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University sponsored the first two lectures in its 2011-2012 Principium Faculty Lecture Series.
On September 19, 2011, Dr. Blake Neff spoke on the topic "Sibling Rivalry or Redemptive Concern: Five Christian Perspectives of Jewish Salvation," sharing how his personal interaction with a Jewish man in Jerusalem piqued his interest in the subject.
Drawing from the language Paul used in Romans 11:26, Dr. Neff presented five historical Christian views of Jewish salvation: rhetorical, replacement, remnant, revivalism, and radical restoration. Supported by applicable Scripture, the lecture touched on the strengths and weaknesses of the various perspectives and emphasized the hope it would only be the beginning of this important conversation. Neff acknowledged there were more questions than answers and implored his listeners to use the lecture as a catalyst to find a better way to relate to Jewish men and women.
On October 3, 2011, Dr. Steve Lennox offered the second lecture in the series on the topic of “Bede’s Use of the Psalms.” Dr. Lennox explained that a trip to Bede’s tomb caused him to approach the venerable English monk—and his work—with a new perspective.
Balancing a rich historical narrative with tongue-in-cheek humor, Dr. Lennox welcomed his listeners into the beginning stages of his research. He began the lecture with a brief biography, highlighting exegesis as Bede’s chief interest, emphasizing his formative influence on the west in the early Middle Ages, and explaining Bede’s more-than-literal approach to Scripture: the literal meaning was a gateway into the deeper mysteries of Scripture. After sharing this context, Lennox expanded upon the three primary ways Bede used the Psalms: liturgically, devotionally, and scholarly.
Watch the lectures here.
http://www.indwes.edu/Academics/JWHC/JWHC-Event-Video-Archive/