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QUODLIBET Theology Email Newsletter
Vol.3 No.4	August 3, 1999
442 subscribers to this issue
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Q U O D L I B E T   T H E O L O G Y  E M A I L   N E W S L E T T E R
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 From:
>>Quodlibet Online Journal of Christian Theology
>> Trinity International University Theology WebSite
 (www.foutz.net/quodlibet) (www.tiu.edu/churchhistory)
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 IN THIS ISSUE:

[1] August 99 Issue of Quodlibet Journal Now Available
     New Articles in This Issue:
     - Forgiveness in the Gospel of Matthew
     - Oxford Movement and the 19th-Century Episcopal Church
     - On the Christian Year and Use of the Lectionary
[2] Please Welcome Zondervan Academic!
[3] New Theological Book Review
[4] Theology WebSite Receives TWO Recommendations in July
[5] Jacques Derrida Live Online!
[6] Quodlibet Journal Call for Papers


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[1] August 99 Issue of Quodlibet Journal Now Available
................................................................
    We are pleased to announce the August 99 Issue of Quodlibet
Online Journal of Christian Theology! (www.foutz.net/quodlibet) The
August Issue offers what we believe will be three interesting and
thought-provoking articles. Please swing by and check them out.

Forgiveness in the Gospel of Matthew
by Samuel Lamerson
+++++++++++
    A man owed a whole lot of money. Such might have been the words of
Jesus in his parable of the unthankful servant had he been telling it
today. The parable deals with the question of forgiveness from the
standpoint of a debt that was owed. This parable, along with the other
passages in which Matthew dealing with forgiveness are critical to a
proper understanding of Matthew's entire gospel. This article
endeavours to examine the major passages in which the motif occurs in
Matthew, and offer a proposition based upon the exegesis of these
passages. If you are interested in real Bible study and enjoy
discovering the details which the gospel authors have left us with,
you will enjoy this indepth treatment of the concept of Forgiveness as
found in Matthew's gospel. Read it at:
http://www.foutz.net/quodlibet/lamerson-forgive.shtml 

The Oxford Movement and the 19th-Century Episcopal Church:
Anglo-Catholic Ecclesiology and the American Experience
by Larry Crockett
++++++++++++++
    Few movements in church history have received as much attention --
the accolades, the condemnation, or, indeed, the critical study -- as
the development in early and middle 19th-century English history of
what is know variously as "Tractarianism," "the Oxford Movement" or
"Puseyism." Chadwick, for example, argues that "The Oxford Movement
changed the external face, and the internal spirit, of English
religious life." But its influence reaches well beyond the Anglican
communion: Tractarianism has influenced a variety of traditions, from
English nonconformist traditions to Vatican II conciliarism. In terms
of the Oxford Movement and the Episcopal Church, the issues raised in
the 1830s and 1840s by the Oxford Movement formed a central tension
that has colored the Episcopal Church's worship and theology ever
since. With great depth and historical exploration, this article
examines the development, influence and significance of the Tractarian
movement. This article will prove interesting to church history buffs
regardless of their location within the denominational spectrum. Read
it at: http://www.foutz.net/quodlibet/crockett-oxford.shtml 


On the Christian Year and the Use of the Lectionary
by Scott David Foutz
 ++++++++++++++
   bservation of the Christian year and the use of a corresponding
lectionary are two aspects of liturgy which many Protestant
denominations have removed from their worship order. Their removal
occurred during or immediately following the reformation, when many
sought to distance themselves as far as possible from the Roman
Church. But where some opted for complete removal, others sought
reformation. This latter effort included the work of John Calvin,
Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, all of whom proposed their own
versions of the lectionary and interpretations of the Christian
calendar. Whether you are of the Prostestant or Catholic tradition,
however, these stand as very significant elements of the history of
the Church. This article examines the historical development and uses
of the Christian Calendar, along with its remembrance and
implementation through the use of the Lectionary. If you are
interested in church history or the reason the contemporary church
does the things it does, you will find this explanation of the
Christian Calendar insightful and worth reading. Read it at:
http://www.foutz.net/quodlibet/foutz-lection.shtml 


 [2] Please Welcome Zondervan Academic
 >> www.Zondervan.com/Academic 
.........................................................
   We are very happy to welcome Zondervan Academic as a sposnor of the
Quodlibet Newsletter. Zondervan Academic is a division of Zondervan
Publishing House and is dedicated to providing christian academic,
reference and ministry resources. We differentiate Zondervan Academic
as a "sponsor" of this newsletter rather than an "advertiser" due to
their desire to contribute to our own theological project rather than
simply place an ad. They will be providing the content of a new
regularly occuring column in the Quodlibet Newsletter, the "New
Theological Book Review". We have long been hoping to provide you with
reviews of scholarly and inspirational theological or biblical books
and so wecwere very excited when Zondervan Academic offered to provide
these for us (and you).

   To make this a mutually beneficial relationship, we ask that you
visit Zondervan Academic's site (www.zondervan.com/academic) and make
use of the resources they offer. Neither Zondervan nor we receive any
financial benefit from your visit, unlike many "click-through"
arrangements you undoubtedly encounter on the inernet. Instead, we
both felt that we benefit from a partnership which provides you with
even greater content to reflect upon. Thus Quodlibet and the Theology
WebSite would ask that if you become interested in purchasing one of
the books reviewed in the Quodlibet Newsletter, that you purchase it
through the Zondervan Academic site directly, and make sure you
mention their sponsorship of the Quodlibet Newsletter.


 [3] New Theological Book Review
................................................................
>> Quodlibet thanks Zondervan Academic for providing this review.

EVANGELICAL SCHOLARS TACKLING A MILLENNIUM BUG OF THEIR OWN

Years before computer programmers even heard of "Y2K," evangelical
Christian scholars were tackling a millennium bug of their own: a
passage in the book of Revelation that shows Jesus Christ ruling over
all the nations of the earth for 1,000 years.  Scholars disagree over
what this apparently temporary reign means, since the Bible points to
Jesus ruling the universe forever.  THREE VIEWS ON THE MILLENNIUM AND
BEYOND, edited by Darrell L. Bock, Professor of New Testament at
Dallas Theological Seminary, presents for the first time in one book a
dialogue among the three most common answers evangelical Christians
give to the millennial question: amillennialism, premillenialism, and
postmillennialism.

Bock mediates the discussion, which involves Craig A. Blaising
(premillennialism), New Testament scholar Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.
(postmillennialism),  and systematic theology professor Robert B.
Strimple (amillennialism). Each contributor makes a detailed case for
his position and is followed up with brief critiques from the other
participants. Bock concludes the book by summarizing key differences
among the three views and pointing out important issues.

THREE VIEWS ON THE MILLENNIUM AND BEYOND is the ninth title in
Zondervan's expanding Counterpoints series, which is a forum for
comparison and critique of different views--both Christian and
non-Christian--on important theological issues.

TITLE:		THREE VIEWS ON THE MILLENNIUM AND BEYOND
GENERAL EDITOR:	Darrel L. Bock
ISBN:		0-310-20143-8
PRICE:		$16.99  (Softcover, 336 pp.)
http://www.zondervan.com/0310201438.htm 


 [4] Theology WebSite Receives TWO Recommendations in July
................................................................
  July proved to be a very good month for our Theology WebSite. We
receieved very favorable reviews from two popular internet resources
geared toward providing their readers with reviews of what they
consider excellent web sites. For purely informational reasons (!) I
have retained their reviews and present them to you. Our thanks go out
to these reveiwers, but more heartfelt are our thanks to you, our
regular visitors for making this site into a vibrant and recommendable
resource for the online community.

Netsurfer Digest
(http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/nsd.05.21.html )
 recommends Theology WebSite (that's us!) as a
serious online resource for theologians! I am very happy with
the way in which NetSurfer Digest describes our site:
"Cast out thy fear, the Trinity Divinity School site is
not populated by Bible thumpers or those who would foist their
omniscience on others. Instead, prepare for fairly high level
information, discussion and reference resources for those emotionally
and intellectually equipped for learned, sincere theological
discourse. The history and on-going evolution of normative
Christianity provide the focus here; you won't find much on heterodox
Christianity, but links take you to good sites on other religions and
philosophies - from Shinto to Tao to Heidegger. People who are utterly
bewildered by the Bible may find some illuminating historical and
cultural context here." (NetSurfer Digest Vol.5 Issue 21, July 14,
1999)

WorldVillage.com's Believer's Weekly
(http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/square/chapel/believe.htm )
reviewed our site and announced their review to over 6600 readers via
their email newsletter. Our site's review was also to appear on their
own web page, but they seem to be a little slow updating their site.
We thought, their review however was excellent: 
    Your pastor studied it in seminary but most churchgoers
have only a vague notion of what theology is and involves and why it
is important. The Trinity International University Theology Website is
an excellent resource on the subject with discussion forums, on-line
quizzes, the Quodlibet Journal, and even some hilarious humor. In the
discussion forum you can exchange opinions with others on such topics
as Historical Theology and Church History, Bible Verses and Meanings,
Theological Issues, and topics For Christians with Inquiring Minds,
and many more. The on-line quizzes come in different levels of
difficulty so you don't have to be a Th.D. to understand the
questions, much less answer them! Some of the quiz subjects are:
Introduction to World Religions: Myth and Ritual, Shinto Mythology,
Study of the Bible, Old Testament, the Creation Story, the Flood
Story, Abraham, Moses, Patristic and early Medieval Church History,
Reformation Studies, Reformation & Early Modern Church History, and
Early Modern Church History. The Quodlibet Journal contains such
articles as : Anselm's Proslogion: One Simple Proof?, Rethinking
Christianity in Light of Process Thought, and Thomas Hobbes' Physical
Philosophy and its Implications toward the Religious Language of
Scripture. A little bit deeper stuff! A new Sermon Outline database
project has been started and you can submit your sermon outlines,
notes, and transcripts, Sunday School and Bible Study lessons, and
other resources that may be useful to others. Need or have some used
theology books? There is an on-line book exchange program for you. The
site is well-designed and chock full of excellent content. Of course
there are excellent link pages and a list of upcoming theological
conferences. The site was created by Scott David Foutz and is
sponosred by the Historical Theology Department of Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School and Trinity International University. You can contact
the Theology Website at webmaster@foutz.net 



 [5] Jacques Derrida Live Online!
................................................................

Derrida Live Online!

See Jacques Derrida live on the internet from the Sydney Town Hall,
Australia at 8.00pm, 12 August 1999 (Aust EST)

The world's most famous philosopher, Jacques Derrida, in his first
visit to Australia is being webcast live over the internet.

Derrida will give a public address on 'Deconstructing Vision' at the
Sydney Town Hall at 8.00pm (Aust. EST) Thursday 12 August. This live
webcast is a world first - see one of the twentieth century's most
influential thinkers enacting his engagement with media in a worldwide
virtual forum.

The live webcast is presented by Sydney University's Power Institute
and Online Australia - an Australian government initiative to raise
awareness of the ways online technologies are transforming our
possibilities.

Date:  Thursday 12 August
Time:  8.00pm Aust EST (That's 5:00am 8/12/99 Chicago Time!!)
webcast address: www.onlineaustralia.net.au 
Info at: http://www.onlineaustralia.net.au/event.cfm?eventid=5410 

About Jacques Derrida (1930- )

Derrida, Jacques (1930- ), French philosopher, whose work originated
the school of deconstruction, a strategy of analysis that has been
applied to literature, linguistics, philosophy, law and architecture.
In 1967 Derrida published three booksùSpeech and Phenomena; Of
Grammatology; and Writing and Difference, which introduced the
deconstructive approach to reading texts. Derrida has resisted being
classified, and his later works continue to redefine his thought.

Derrida was born in El-Biar, Algeria. In 1952 he began studying
philosophy at the +cole Normale SupTrieure in Paris, where he later
taught from 1965 to 1984. From 1960 to 1964, Derrida taught at the
Sorbonne in Paris. Since the early 1970s, he has divided much of his
time between Paris and the United States, where he has taught at such
universities as Johns Hopkins, Yale, and the University of California
at Irvine. His other works include Glas (1974) and The Post Card
(1980).

Derrida's work focuses on language. He contends that the traditional,
or metaphysical way of reading makes a number of false assumptions
about the nature of texts. A traditional reader believes that language
is capable of expressing ideas without changing them, that in the
hierarchy of language writing is secondary to speech, andthat the
author of a text is the source of its meaning. Derrida's
deconstructive style of reading subverts these assumptions and
challenges the idea that a text has an unchanging, unified meaning.
Western culture has  tended to assume that speech is a clear and
direct way to communicate. Drawing on psychoanalysis and linguistics,
Derrida questions this assumption. As a result, the author's
intentions in speaking cannot be unconditionally accepted. This
multiplies the number of legitimate interpretations of a text.

Deconstruction shows the multiple layers of meaning at work in
language. By deconstructing the works of previous scholars, Derrida
attempts to show that language is constantly shifting. Although
Derrida's thought is sometimes portrayed by critics as destructive of
philosophy, deconstruction can be better understood as showing the
unavoidable tensions between the ideals of clarity and coherence that
govern philosophy and the inevitable shortcomings that accompany its
production.



[6] Quodlibet Journal Call for Papers
................................................................

You are welcomed and encouraged to send up your papers for
publication in upcoming issues of Quodlibt.

    Quodlibet Online Journal of Christian Theology is currently
accepting article submissions for its upcoming editions. Its as
easy as attaching your paper to an email message to
Quodlibet@foutz.net. The spectrum of acceptable topics will ideally be
those contained within the [new!] Article Index
(www.foutz.net/quodlibet/article_index.shtml. We encourage first time
submissions. If you would like to submit a paper for online
publication or have further questions, please contact Quodlibet We
look forward to your contribution to our online theological community



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-- COPYRIGHT -- (everything has a copyright nowadays...)
Copyright 1999 FOUTZ.NET. All rights reserved.
Author/Editor: Scott David Foutz (FOUTZ.Net)
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Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, USA
tel. 847/952-4923
(quodlibet@foutz.net)
........................
The QUODLIBET Newsletter is written by Scott David Foutz
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QUODLIBET Newlsetter Vol.3 No.4
August 3, 1999