A Reformer

Let us not forget that nowadays a martyr, a reformer, is a man who smells of perfume, a man who sits with a wreath on his head and gorges at banquets, a man who is comfortably well-off, a man who actually ventures nothing at all and yet acquires everything, even the title of reformer.

- Kierkegaard, The Book on Adler

This is yet another of Kierkegaard's brutal assessments of how it is impossible to be a reformer from inside the system.  It's his critique of all of us who enjoy the benefits of the current system, and from this position of establishment, claim to be working against the system.

Exemplar Exploitation

Here's a little story that serves as an example of Marxian exploitation. It identifies how those who own the means of production (shareholders) gain wealth from the surplus labour of those who operate the means of production (workers). British Airways has asked its staff to consider working without pay for a little while.

I know of a company which, on the other hand, has maintained the pay increases for the factory workers and cancelled the pay increases for the office workers. This, although a better step, is still exploiting the employees for the benefit of the shareholders.

In either case, the employee is asked to shoulder the burden of reduced profits, rather than the shareholders accepting a lower profit while still buying labour at the same rate. I can see why Marx was outraged.

Hermeneutics and Biblical Reading

As seen on other blogs, here are five scholarly books which influenced my reading of the Bible. This is probably in chronological order, rather than order of influence.

Tribes of Yahweh, by Norman K. Gottwald

Back when I did my Old Testament introduction, this book was the revolution for me. I'd never seen someone so methodically interrogate the social situation of the Israelites and so candidly admit that between beginning and ending this enormous volume, his opinion probably changed and that to reconcile it all would be a task as large as writing the book in the first place. Gottwald was also responsible for a great little article on Isaiah (Social Class and Ideology in Isaiah 40-55) that affected my readings more than any other. The invisible hand of man in the visible texts of God suddenly became visible and enlarged.

The Foundation of Universalism, by Alain Badiou

Part of the 20th Century fascination with Paul by secular philosophers, this little book packs a big punch. Read it slowly, then act enthusiastically.

Outline of a Theory of Practice, by Pierre Bourdieu

I include this, if only for a single concept, doxa; that which "goes without saying, because it comes without saying." It explains nicely how it is that we incorporate general cultural ideas into our theology, without even noticing it, and then explain the combination as Christian. Separating what is genuinely Christian from what is widely accepted as Christian is difficult and takes a specific effort.

Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus, by William Klassen

This volume went hand-in-hand with The Last Temptation of Christ. In both, Judas is the only disciple who is willing to sacrifice everything to support Jesus' mission. It's one thing to become a martyr and receive praise through history from the faithful, but it's another thing to also do something that will be scorned by the faithless and the faithful alike. By viewing Judas this way we see the editorial comments in the gospels. See my earlier comments on this.

Fear and Trembling, by Soren Kierkegaard

The retelling of the story of Abraham reminded me how often we read the Bible stories, already knowing the punchline. Kierkegaard labours the point that Abraham had to walk for three days to get to the top of Mount Moriah, all the while not knowing that a ram would be substituted at the last minute. How often do we read Biblical stories too fast, skipping over the details because it all works out in the end?

How about you? Which five scholarly books changed the way you read the Bible?