This is part of an ongoing series where I briefly interview a theologian, pastor, author, or Bible scholar that I highly respect, and ask them to tell us a bit about themselves, their most current teaching project, and the one most important truth (the hack) they wish every Christian could learn.
I call the series “Hack the Theologian.” This doesn’t mean I think these theologians are hacks. Far from it! It means that I am trying to find (and share with you) the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down. You can read the other posts in the series right here.
(Do you know an author I can highlight in this series? Have them contact me!)
So Let’s “Hack” Brian Zahnd
Brian Zahnd is a pastor and author of numerous books. His newest book, Sinners in the Hand of a Loving God, is releasing on August 15. Since this is also my birthday, he clearly meant this as a birthday present to me…
Here are my questions to Brian Zahnd…
1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do in 40 words or less? (I put the word limit so we can see what you focus on.)
I’m the founding pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. I’m also an author, speaker, an occasional mountain climber, and a pretty serious Dylanologist. My wife and I have led Word of Life for 35 years.
2. Tell us something about yourself that few people know.
I’m an introvert. (Though people who really know me know that.)
3. What is the best book you have read this past year? (It doesn’t have to be theological!)
Non-fiction: Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider
Fiction: Eyrie by Tim Winton
4. You have a new book called Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God. Tell us a bit about it. What is the main point and what do you want people to learn or do?
In Sinners in the Hand of a Loving God I wrestle with the question of whether or not God is actually angry, violent, and retributive. I deal with the issues of the wrath of God, Old Testament violence, the violence of the cross, hell, and the seemingly violent nature of the book of Revelation. My desire is that Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God will help people read the Scriptures in the light of Christ.
5. Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his life’s work in one sentence. He answered, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How would you summarize your life’s work? To put this question another way, if you could get people to understand just one idea, what would it be?
God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time with God was not like Jesus; we haven’t always known this, but now we do.
Brian Zahnd’s new book is releasing tomorrow. I highly recommend you get a copy. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, is available on Amazon.
interesting on his take on the book of revelation only from first glance as being a violent book. i talked with a priest briefly on the book of revelations a few years ago. the priest did his doctor work on the book of revelations as a book of prophecy and was amazed or better shocked that the priest used a lot of numerology in his work.
since 2012, i have been let to see the book of revelations as a book mainly made up of two weeks. it one of the few books that goes back and references several other weeks. it is also the only book that speaks of the 8th day to come to end the genesis week.
i am writing you because i have been accused of being obsessed with what i call “weeks”. at the time when i ran into this topic which i call weeks, all i was doing was reading revelations on the section that speaks of a seven year period. i realized at that moment, “it is weeks”. i even screamed, “it’s weeks!”
i began with the assumption that there are 3 known weeks that has been discussed, the genesis, the passion week and the seven week. this is how weeks began.
my first problem is there is basically no information written on the subject directly related to weeks. i have come to realize there are only 15 weeks and there are 70 workers. this is best understood through shavuot and daniel’s seventy sevens.
i am writing you again because of your statement,
“the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down.”
my main desire and goal is planting churches. i am constantly having to face the topic weeks any time i read the bible or now look at the world events. i do not see the world events in light of prophecy; i see the events in light of being able to read a week. i have tried to write a book on weeks and it is very difficult because it is a lot of information and most people have never read the bible completely thru once.
weeks in a bottle
there are 15 weeks.
there 70 workers.
god has 7 weeks and 7 workers.
israel has 7 weeks and 62 workers.
adopted has 1 week and 1 worker.
11 weeks are completed done to include the passion week.
4 weeks remain. time is set in hour is equal to. the passion week and hour is an hour.
genesis week (god’s first week) has less than a second left. an hour is very long. god is resting in the 7th day. an 8th day will come.
benjamin week (israel’s seventh week) has less than 3 hours left. an hour is about 52 years or a generation. it depends on when abraham was born. the week is done basically.
2nd pentecost week (god – spirit -seventh week) is almost at the middle. an hour is a year. it most likely began in 1969 with the jesus movement. we will know the middle because the spirit has to leave the temple.
1st resurrection (adopted’s only week) is mostlike in the 2nd day. the week began with the huge migration parade in 2015 september. it is difficult to point out the first day. it is like trying to figuure out that the week began with palm sunday and not realizing that jesus is going to die.
we will know the middle of the week because the temple has to fall. god does not live in a temple made of man’s hands. the temple is where the spirit is.
the passion week is the paradigm for all weeks. jesus is the worker who works the passion week. the passion week is the paradigm, the passion paradigm.
this is my unfortunate passion.