Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity
The London Lectures Trust
PART I: THE ORIGINAL JESUS (or how the New Testament witnesses to him)
PART II: THE ECCLESIASTICAL JESUS (or how the church has presented him)
PART III: THE INFLUENTIAL JESUS (or how he has inspired people)
PART IV: THE ETERNAL JESUS (or how he challenges us today)
1. The centrality of Jesus
2. History and theology
THE ORIGINAL JESUS (or how the New Testament witnesses to him)
PART I: THE ORIGINAL JESUS (or how the New Testament witnesses to him)
The four gospels
1. The Gospel of Matthew: Christ the fulfilment of Scripture
2. The Gospel of Mark: Christ the Suffering Servant
3. Luke’s Gospel and the Acts: Christ the Saviour of the world
4. The Gospel and letters of John: Christ the Word made flesh
5. The fourfold gospel
6. Jesus and Paul
The thirteen letters of Paul
7. A polemical letter (Galatians): Christ the liberator
8. The early letters (1 & 2 Thessalonians): Christ the coming judge
9. The major letters (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians): Christ the Saviour
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
10. The prison letters (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians and Philippians): Christ the supreme Lord
11. The pastoral letters (1 Timothy, Titus and 2 Timothy): Christ the head of the church
Three more Jewish authors
12. The letter of James: Christ the moral teacher
13. The letter to the Hebrews: Christ our great high priest
14. The letters of Peter: Christ the exemplary sufferer
Conclusion: Diversity in unity
THE ECCLESIASTICAL JESUS (or how the church has presented him)
PART II: THE ECCLESIASTICAL JESUS (or how the church has presented him)
Introduction: ‘Another Jesus’
1. Christ the complete fulfilment: Justin Martyr
The prophets and the philosophers
2. Christ the unique God-man: the early councils
The importance of Christology
3. Christ the perfect monk: St Benedict
Two questions about monasticism
4. Christ the feudal debtor: Anselm
Medieval atonement theology
5. Christ the heavenly bridegroom: Bernard of Clairvaux
Christian mysticism
6. Christ the ethical exemplar: Thomas à Kempis
An ascetic imitation of Christ
7. Christ the gracious Saviour: Martin Luther
Justification by faith alone
8. Christ the human teacher: Ernst Renan and Thomas Jefferson
Enlightenment scepticism
9. Christ the tragic victim: John Mackay
Good Friday without Easter
10. Christ the social liberator: Gustavo Gutierrez
Good news for the poor
11. Christ the Jewish Messiah: N. T. Wright
Exile and exodus
12. Christ the global Lord: Mission in the twentieth century
From Edinburgh 1910 to Lausanne 1974
Conclusion: Authenticity versus accommodation
PART III: THE INFLUENTIAL JESUS (or how he has inspired people)
PART III: THE INFLUENTIAL JESUS (or how he has inspired people)
Introduction: The story of Jesus
1. The Bethlehem stable: Francis of Assisi
The nativity of the poor king
2. The carpenter’s bench: George Lansbury
The dignity of manual labour
3. The ministry of compassion: Father Damien and Wellesley Bailey
Touching untouchables
4. The Sermon on the Mount: Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr
The challenge of non-resistance
5. The love for children: Thomas Barnardo
‘An ever-open door’
6. The washing of feet: Samuel Logan Brengle
A necessary lesson in humility
7. The cross: Toyohiko Kagawa
The revelation of the love of God
8. The resurrection: Joni Eareckson Tada
‘I’ll be on my feet dancing’
9. The exaltation: Henry Martyn
Zeal for the honour of Christ’s name
10. The gift of the Spirit: Roland Allen
The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit
11. The second coming: Anthony Ashley Cooper (Lord Shaftesbury)
A programme for social reform
12. The last judgment: William Wilberforce
The abolition of slavery and the slave-trade
Conclusion: The radical nature of Christ’s influence
THE ETERNAL JESUS (or how he challenges us today)
PART IV: THE ETERNAL JESUS (or how he challenges us today)
Introduction: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ’
Four principles of interpretation
1. Christ claiming to be the First and the Last, and the Living One (Rev. 1)
A vision of the resurrected and eternal Christ
2. Christ supervising his churches on earth (Rev. 2 – 3)
Seven marks of an ideal church
3. Christ sharing God’s throne in heaven (Rev. 4 – 5)
The throne, the scroll and the Lamb
John’s vision of a throne (4:1–11)
John’s vision of a scroll (5:1–6)
John’s vision of the Lamb (5:7–14)
4. Christ controlling the course of history (Rev. 6 – 7)
The seven seals and the two communities
5. Christ calling the world to repentance (Rev. 8 – 11)
The seven trumpets, the little scroll and the two witnesses
The little scroll and the two witnesses
6. Christ overcoming the devil and his allies (Rev. 12 – 13)
The woman, the dragon, the male child and the two beasts
Three visions (12:1–17)
The beast out of the sea
The beast out of the earth
Babylon the harlot
7. Christ standing on Mt Zion with his redeemed people (Rev. 14:1 – 15:4)
The radical alternative: salvation and judgment
The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1–13)
The harvest and the vintage (14:14–20)
The song of Moses and of the Lamb (15:1–4)
8. Christ coming like a thief in the night (Rev. 15:5 – 19:10)
The call to be ready
The seven bowls (15:5 – 16:21)
The identity of Babylon (17:1–18)
The fall of Babylon (18:1–24)
Five hallelujahs (19:1–10)
9. Christ riding in triumph on a white horse (Rev. 19:11 – 20:15)
The doom of the beast and of Satan
His description and his names
The two beasts are destroyed
Satan’s doom (20:1–15)
10. Christ coming as the bridegroom to claim his bride (Rev. 21 – 22)
The new universe, the city and the garden
All things new (21:1–8)
The city (21:9–21)
The garden (22:1–6)
Epilogue (Rev. 22:6–21)
‘I am coming soon!’
The wedding
One book in four parts
Introduction
Part I: The original Jesus
Part II: The ecclesiastical Jesus
Part III: The influential Jesus
Part IV: The eternal Jesus