The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Mentor's Guide, MG09

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T H E O L D T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

Nazareth in our lives today? Would it be wrong to read the entire OT with this principle in mind? Why or why not?

* How far can one go as we seek to explore the ways in which the Tabernacle, the priesthood and its sacrifices, and the feasts and festivals are a type of the salvation provided in Jesus Christ? In other words, how much of the detail can be proven to link up with the NT view of Christ? * Must one be an expert in the OT in order to do this properly ? Wouldn’t this be a risky method for a person who jumped quickly to conclusions , i.e., someone who failed to check their observations against what the NT is teaching about Christ? * Some say that using the OT in such a way forces us to ignore the OT as a book with a message on its own terms , and not merely as a witness to Christ. Is this a fair argument about this approach? * If one were to seek to preach and teach the OT in this way, how would they go about doing it–where would you start? Explain. It is clear that the most important OT story for liberation theology is the Exodus event. Liberation theology is that 20th century theological discipline and perspective that addresses, highlights, and considers the religious implications of the poor and the oppressed as it is correlates with Christian faith. With a deep and passionate burden to articulate the meaning of the life and struggle of the poor and oppressed to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, liberation theologians interpret the OT with special reference to the Exodus as the model of all of God’s saving activity. God chooses the broken, despised, and enslaved people of Israel as his own peculiar possession, and liberates them personally through his direct intervention over the oppressive and unrepentant Pharaoh and Egyptians. The focus for many liberation theologians here is not on the picture this story provides for a promised Messiah who would liberate his people through his blood sacrifice as the true Passover, but rather on God rescuing a real people from its oppression and poverty in the here and now. Evangelicals are rightly squeamish about this kind of emphasis on social and political liberation, especially since many liberation theologians employ Marxist theory to formulate their theological vision. How does liberation theology’s use of Exodus show that we must be careful how we employ historical materials to undergird our theological vision today? Exodus and Liberation Theology

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