Monday, May 2, 2011




DeAnn suggested James as the next book to read through together - which works great for me. Here goes:

James 1:1 (NLT)
This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. ...

- Wikki encyclopedia has a detailed article suggesting various authors of this book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James

Regardless of the specific purpose and identity of the author the book is regarded today as New Testament wisdom literature.

I believe wisdom literature comprises some of the most important and over-looked parts of our bible. I cringe at how sometimes a friend will make important decicions based upon a scripture taken out of context, while completely ignoring these sections.

Wisdom literature requires us to be mindful of how this genre works. That is, it lays down, often poetically or with very specific examples, the larger principles over-arching our lives. It reminds us of how things tend to unfold in the big picture, rather than addressing the specific details of a specific situation. As the fine print on the tv ads say: "Your experience may differ."

1 comment:

DeAnn said...

Looking forward to following along with your look at James