Understanding Old Testament Theology; children-at-risk in Psalms; and 6 things to remember before handing in an assignment
Welcome to my newsletter, ‘Bible, Mission, and More’, where I share what’s on my mind as I teach, research, and write on the Bible and mission, children-at-risk in the Bible and contemporary society, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, and a range of other topics. I teach at All Nations Christian College in the UK, though views are my own. You may also like to check out my Bible and Mission website.
Each Tuesday I’ll share something I’ve read, something I’ve written or recorded, something on learning and teaching, and a quote to reflect on.
Something read – Understanding Old Testament Theology by Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm
This term I’ve been teaching a new (to me) module on Old Testament Theology for final years of our undergrad degree in Biblical and Intercultural Studies.
One of the most helpful resources has been the 2020 book, Understanding Old Testament Theology: Mapping the Terrain of Recent Approaches by Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm (Zondervan).
The field of OT Theology is huge and complex but Kim and Trimm do an excellent job giving an overview of the development of the field, and accounting for its complexities and key themes. After a brief explanation of the historical development of OT Theology they present the key ideas and writers through a number of chapters organised under ‘History’ (OT Theology Grounded in Biblical (Hi)story; Historical-Critical OT Theology); ‘Theme’ (Multiplex Thematic OT Theology; OT Theology Focused around a Central Theme); and ‘Context’ (Canonical OT Theology; Jewish Biblical Theology; Postmodern OT Theology).
Each chapter includes a definition, a bibliography of key works, common features, points of tension, and a case study of how those works discuss the book of Exodus.
A couple of minor quibbles that should detract from an overall assessment of the book. The final chapter on postmodern approaches includes more contextual readings, which makes sense on one level but I wasn’t sure the contextual readings themselves were necessarily all postmodern in their approach. The other thing was the book linked to an online annotated bibliography but the link no longer works. I guess this can happen over time but I would LOVE to have access to it, not least to pass on to students.
Nevertheless, if you are doing anything in the area of OT Theology or OT studies in general I’d highly recommend Kim and Trimm’s volume. I really appreciated their clarity, coverage, approach, and tone. The book is long enough to get across the key issues without getting lost in the detail or vastness of the topic.
Understanding Old Testament Theology is available on Perlego, as well as the other usual places.
Something written – Children-at-risk in the Bible (4) Psalms
In April I will be teaching an online intensive on Vulnerable Children: Biblical and Theological Perspectives. Each day on the module we focus on a particular section of the Bible, looking at how children feature in it and how this can shape our understanding and practice of ministry to, for, with, and by children-at-risk.
In the run-up to this I am doing a series of posts highlighting some of the ways vulnerable children feature in different parts of Scripture. Previous posts were on children-at-risk in the Pentateuch, children-at-risk in the Historical Books, and children-at-risk in the Wisdom books. This week we’ll look at Psalms.
There are two main ways we look at the topic. First, we review the times the term yatom (orphan/fatherless) is used in the Psalter under these four categories:
Command to act justly (Ps. 82:3)
Lament over Yahweh’s seeming indifference (Ps. 94:6)
Celebration of Yahweh and offer or means of hope ( Ps. 10:14, 18; 146:9; 68:5)
Human desire for retribution (Ps. 109:9-12)
This is important because I want students to see the variety of ways the yatom are featured in the text. Some of these are uncomfortable texts, not least when in the context of calls for retribution. But even in those texts I’d want to argue we see hope. To pursue this more you can of course come on the intensive 😊 or you could read my forthcoming chapter on hope for and through vulnerable children in the OT. More on that another time.
Our main discussion in the Psalms session is the idea of lament and how this helps us to process the grief and anger we might feel as we work with and on behalf of children-at-risk. We focus in on Psalm 10 and look at how the psalmist cries out to God, urging God to pay attention and intervene.
This material builds on the work I’ve done on lament and children-at-risk, not least through a recent chapter, Connecting a Missional Reading of Psalm 10 with the Trafficking, Abuse, and Exploitation of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children in Europe.
If you are free in April, why not sign up for the module?
Information on Vulnerable Children: Biblical and Theological Perspectives
Learning and teaching – six things to remember before handing in your essay
It is essay deadline season at All Nations, so let’s revisit a checklist of things to ask yourself before you submit an assignment. Obviously you should be keeping these in mind throughout the process of writing your essay and checking your institution’s particular requirements!
Have I answered the question? The question will have been worded very deliberately so your tutor is looking for something specific. Have you understood what they are asking and have you delivered on it?
Have I put into practice any other instructions and advice? As well as the question itself, tutors will often give further guidance on what they are looking for. For example, if they have said, ‘make sure you include some practical implications for mission in a specific context,’ be sure to write about a specific context and not ‘mission’ in general.
Have I edited and proof-read the essay? This can often get missed because of time pressure. However, good editing will help your essay flow and a good proof-read will pick up on avoidable minor errors that might make your points unclear, or nibble away at your marker’s confidence in your work.
Have I correctly quoted, cited, and referenced other authors? PLEASE make sure your referencing is done correctly. Your institution will have rules on plagiarism, which may not take ‘intent’ into account; i.e., your accidentally presenting someone else’s work as your own may be the result of sloppy note-taking but it may well still be breaking the rules. And remember, it is possible to plagiarise yourself, so be careful how you refer to any of your previous essays.
Have I formatted the essay in the required way? Does your institution have rules on things like fonts, spacing, a coversheet, and correct naming of the file?
Have I answered the question? So important it needed to be in the list twice!
Quote – Susie Dent on ‘Firgun’
‘‘Firgun’ is a very joyful thing, for it means the selfless pleasure we feel when someone we love succeeds. The word comes from Hebrew and describes a heartfelt generosity and true positivity. There is even an International Firgun Day, celebrated each year on 17 July, when we are encouraged to share compliments and congratulate others in their achievements. Perhaps every day should be a Firgun day, when we do our very best to let people know how special they are?’
(From Roots of Happiness: 100 Words for Joy and Hope, p. 106)
Thanks for joining the journey and see you next week,
Tim