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Mark
30 Apr - 1 May 2010

  • Intro

    The Gospels are read often by both individuals and the church. Even non-Christians often regard the ‘stories' surrounding Jesus' life with some interest. Children in Sunday School learn to flip to the Gospels for some interesting tidbit about Jesus. Even to Muslims it is the ‘Injili'. It goes without saying that, for many, the Gospels are assumed to be written for evangelism.

    This broad appeal however should not mask the fact that accessing the Gospels requires great skill and literary appreciation of the genre. Critical scholarship demonstrates to us how fragmented our reading of them can become, both in the harmonization of all 4 accounts as well as in the extraction of particular stories out of their context according to incident or a particular theory held. Whilst many of us may not know of the history of critical scholarship in this area, picking up a Children's Bible will often suffice to demonstrate the need to come to grips with how we are to deal with four Gospels. The writers of the Gospels were not at the end of the day merely imitating a known genre of literature. The reality of Jesus could not be contained by a simple imitation of common biographies. Their work deserves careful study.

    In line with GGF's foundational aim of biblical literacy, therefore, we bring you the 2nd instalment of Word Work's coverage of the Gospels. Moving from John, we now examine Mark as an introduction to the Synoptic Gospels. During the 2 days, both lectures and small groups will consolidate your own preparatory study as we work towards becoming proficient in this important legacy of the apostles' Gospel.

    Don't miss this vital opportunity to study and prepare for ministering to your church through God's work in the Word. The Gospel of Mark challenges us to examine our understanding of Christology, thereby provoking thorough reflection on the nature of the kingdom of God, our following of this King and the content and character of the apostolic Gospel. In a time when much of preaching, evangelism and ministry lay emphasis on spiritual and visual phenomena, Mark's message written in the context of Rome will prove decisive for our own lives and ministry. To know how Mark conveys that message is to know the power of the Gospel in a way vital for faithful ministry in our time and in the Klang Valley.

The Gospels are read often by both individuals and the church. Even non-Christians often regard the ‘stories' surrounding Jesus' life with some interest. Children in Sunday School learn to flip to the Gospels for some interesting tidbit about Jesus. Even to Muslims it is the ‘Injili'. It goes without saying that, for many, the Gospels are assumed to be written for evangelism.

This broad appeal however should not mask the fact that accessing the Gospels requires great skill and literary appreciation of the genre. Critical scholarship demonstrates to us how fragmented our reading of them can become, both in the harmonization of all 4 accounts as well as in the extraction of particular stories out of their context according to incident or a particular theory held. Whilst many of us may not know of the history of critical scholarship in this area, picking up a Children's Bible will often suffice to demonstrate the need to come to grips with how we are to deal with four Gospels. The writers of the Gospels were not at the end of the day merely imitating a known genre of literature. The reality of Jesus could not be contained by a simple imitation of common biographies. Their work deserves careful study.

In line with GGF's foundational aim of biblical literacy, therefore, we bring you the 2nd instalment of Word Work's coverage of the Gospels. Moving from John, we now examine Mark as an introduction to the Synoptic Gospels. During the 2 days, both lectures and small groups will consolidate your own preparatory study as we work towards becoming proficient in this important legacy of the apostles' Gospel.

Don't miss this vital opportunity to study and prepare for ministering to your church through God's work in the Word. The Gospel of Mark challenges us to examine our understanding of Christology, thereby provoking thorough reflection on the nature of the kingdom of God, our following of this King and the content and character of the apostolic Gospel. In a time when much of preaching, evangelism and ministry lay emphasis on spiritual and visual phenomena, Mark's message written in the context of Rome will prove decisive for our own lives and ministry. To know how Mark conveys that message is to know the power of the Gospel in a way vital for faithful ministry in our time and in the Klang Valley.