I bring this rather long thread to a close, making a brief closing remark on thihs wildly fasinating use of OT texts by Mark throughout his Gospel narrative—the use of OT texts that juxtapose idolatry and the poor.
Summary
Although a more detailed, exegetical investigation of the Old Testament referenced texts is needed, the obvious use of Old Testament material regarding idolatry and the poor are certainly embedded into the very nature of the Gospel, making these texts paradigmatic for discipleship and evangelism. Mark’s strong and pervasive use of the original covenant documents, with a high concentration on texts related to idolatry and the economically vulnerable, indicates that the Old Testament ethical texts are paradigmatic for discipleship. The consistent use of Old Testament texts related to expectations regarding the poor and the juxtaposition of references to the issues of idolatry, as well, point to the apologetic and evangelistic potential of social action.
The following: A concluding remark from the overall paper as it stands now in draft form. I do have another section to write to better conclude the paper, but the following is a added conclusion to the “application” section (A Defective Social Construction for Christians). So, I include this as part of the thread now.
The present model for socio-economic progress and prosperity, objectifies the non-poor Christian’s reality (i.e., “home world”) through habits and experiences of everyday life, and thus assumed a part of his or her belief system—validating the experience of everyday as biblical. The problem for the non-poor believer living in such a history and current social location, then, experiences only a partial reality. For the Christian, this is a defective social construction. The prophets warned of God’s judgment upon those who create or maintain economic structures that benefit some and exclude others (e.g., Amos 4:1ff; Mic 2:1-2; Isa 5:7ff; Jer 22), that pave the way to prosperity for some and prolonged, generational poverty for others. The non-poor accept a world that is duplicitous, limiting the historic and current benefits of a socio-economic system to those the “market blessed.” Furthermore, the reality of everyday life, the acceptance that Suburban life and its enablers, the free market and human acts of power, sustaining an everyday life, are often at odds with the Gospel, especially a Gospel that has been formed by the relationship between idolatry and the issues of poverty. For the non-poor Christian this is an idolatrous mode of living and does not offer a biblically defensive apologetic for the God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Posted by Chip Anderson at 08:55 AM. Filed under: In the Margins • Gemara (expository notes) • Poverty • The Public Square • Wasted Evangelism • Idolatry and Poverty (paper) • Research and ideas •
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