The Gospel of Luke
from an intercultural perspective
The Gospel of Luke
This semester (spring 2023) I am teaching a class at John Brown University on the Gospel of Luke, an adult Sunday School class on the Gospel of Luke, and beginning a dissertation on the Gospel of Luke. With such immersion into Luke’s Gospel account, this seems like a great time to ensure that what I am learning and what I am thinking about gets annotated in some form, so why not a Substack!
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and the marginalized
This newsletter will not just focus on the Gospel of Luke; it will focus on how Luke’s Gospel account emphasizes the emphasis Jesus Christ put on the poor and the marginalized. In announcing the beginning of his ministry at his hometown synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21), Jesus demonstrated that he was the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures that would usher in a new kingdom, an “upside-down Kingdom” (Kraybill) that would move the marginalized from the periphery to the center. Jesus announced that the purpose of his spiritual anointing was to bring good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. Throughout Luke’s account, we can see that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was focused on bringing the poor and the marginalized to the center of the Kingdom of God.
An intercultural perspective
While I am a member of the Bible Department, my title is associate professor of intercultural studies. Most of the classes I have taught are in the field of intercultural studies, such as cultural anthropology, community development, intercultural communication, cultural values seminar, qualitative research methods, and so on. While I am now focusing on Luke’s Gospel account, I am not leaving intercultural studies behind. Rather, I will certainly be examining the historical and socio-cultural context so we can better understand the Scriptures.
My intention is to post twice per week. Thanks for joining!