Hi Susan!
Links:

Is the Sermon on the Mount gospel or law? by Scot McKnight

Mennnonite Direction Journal: Approaches to the Interpretation and Application of the Sermon on the Mount

Shane Claiborne:
Bringing the Kingdom of God down to Earth: Shane Claiborne from Urbana on Vimeo.

Shane Claiborne in London - 1 of 4 -The Upside Down Kingdom Tour ...

▶ 12:09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1XG5ashB3o

Sep 20, 2011 - Uploaded by OasisChurchWaterloo

Shane Claiborne speaks and inspires us at the Oasis Church Waterloo, about how everyone can play their ...

Complete Upside Down videos here

Shane Claiborne - The Upside Down Kingdom Tour Promo Video ...

▶ 3:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8KVadoo4ZY

May 6, 2011 - Uploaded by Doug Ross

Shane Claiborne - The Upside Down Kingdom Tour Promo Video ... Greg Boyd- TheKingdom It's Really ...

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The Beatitudes: Virtues or Proclamations?

(link)

13 May by Chaplain Mike

By Chaplain Mike
I am working through N.T. Wright’s exhilarating book on Christian growth and character, After You Believe. I hope to post a full review soon. First, I’d like to interact with one small aspect of something he presents.
Wright’s chapter on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) communicates some wonderful insights about how how Jesus commends the practice of genuine “virtue” from a uniquely eschatological perspective:

God’s future is arriving in the present, in the person and work of Jesus, and you can practice, right now, the habits of life which will find their goal in that coming future. (p. 103)

According to the author, the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount are not:

Mere laws or rules of behavior. Jesus did not set forth his teaching to be taken in a legalistic senseâ€”that by behaving this way, we will gain rewards from God.

Mere instructions to believers. Jesus did not present his teaching as, “I’m doing my work, and now that you believe in me, here are the works you must do in response.”

Instead, Wright puts Jesus’ instructions in the Sermon in their proper salvation-historical context.

What Jesus is saying, rather, is, “Now that I’m here, God’s new world is coming to birth; and, once you realize that, you’ll see that these are the habits of heart which anticipate that new world here and now.” These qualitiesâ€”purity of heart, mercy, and so onâ€”are not, so to speak, “things you have to do” to earn a “reward,” a “payment.” Nor are they merely the “rules of conduct” laid down for new converts to follow…They are, in themselves, the signs of life, the language of life, the life of new creation, the life of new covenant, the life which Jesus came to bring. (p. 106)

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Videos:
Craig Keener - The Old Testament Laws ==

-Ten Commadments as a Wedding:

)Before watching the video, post several words or phrases that come to mind when I mention the phrase "Ten Commandments"

2))Before watching the video, post several words or phrases that come to mind when I mention the phrase "wedding'.

3)Now watch the video. Don't worry about all the details, but look for big picture/thesis. Post a paragraph response: What was interesting/What did you learn? How did this video make you feel or challenge your assumptions? How does it illustrate the importance of knowing the "historical world of the Bible."

4)Only after you have watched the video, scroll down beneath the video to see question 5 and answer it

6)Respond to two other students by end of week 1.

5)Was the word "wedding" on your list in #1? Why do you think it wasn't? And why it never is; even though it might be the first answer given by Jews in Moses' and Jesus' day?

"Sermon on the Mount/Building a Fence": lecture by Dave and friends

Remember the Ten Commandments as a Wedding; how the teacher on that video made the case that believers should see their relationship with God/commandments more like a joyful marriage than sluggish obedience to tough laws? Watch this before reading futher, and enjoy. Dare you not to laugh:

On today's topic, the Sermon on the Mount, we will see that Jesus gives a "new" version of the Ten Commandments. Here is your required syllabus reading below; you can decide if it is most helpful to read before or after the video:

Fee and Stuart Ch.7, “The Gospels: One Story, Many Dimensions” (pp. 132-153)

NOAB “The Gospel According to Matthew” (pp.1746-1747)

Matthew 5 – 7, 12 – 13

Now our feature attraction! (:Watch this presentation by Dave and some guests.

Take notes, and then post a significant response, review, summary (2-3 paragraphs). What you post is up to you, but your post should convince the teacher you watched everything. Definitely include some discussion about the importance of knowing the "literary world" of a text, as well as commenting on "building a fence around the Law (Torah)."

Respond to other students, or ask questions of Dave below, if you want to.

Be prepared to stop the video when Dave asks you to, and post a quick response to his question.

Responding to posts of others not required, but will be noted.

part 1: