Lecture Listening Guides

by Dr. David Capes

Lecture by Scot McKnight

Oct 26, 2019

“The Apostle Paul: ‘No One Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’”

Listening Guide

1. How important has the book of Roman been to the church. Why?

2. Why are chs. 14-16 so significant to the letter?

3. Why does he think about we ought to read it backwards?

4. What is the new perspective on Paul? Who are some of its chief proponents?

5. What is a lament? What are the five elements of a lament?

6. How does reading Romans as lament benefit the careful interpreter?

7. What is the ethnic tension Paul faces in accomplishing his mission?

8. What does McKnight mean by “lived theology”? How does this relate to Paul’s ethics?

9. Be able to define Christoformity?

10. What is the Roman path to glory? How does Paul’s ethic compare to it?   How does conformity to Christ compare with the Roman path?

11. Where does McKnight say you ought to begin Romans to understand its context? Why?

12. Who was Phoebe? Why is she important to the letter?

13. What does he mean by a performed letter? According to McKnight, how many house churches were in Rome? How might the letter have been read?

14. Who were the earliest believers in Rome? What did the emperor Claudius do to them?

15. Where did most of the Christ-believers in Rome live?

16. Who are “the strong” and “the weak”?

17. What practices were decisive, symbolic markers of faithful observance of the Torah among Jews and some Christ-followers?

18. How do the issues of power, privilege and status relate to the strong and the weak?

19. How does Christoformity relate to the strong welcoming the weak?

At the 45 minute mark, the video stalled.  You can jump ahead by moving the time forward 30-60 seconds.

20. What is central to Jewish identity? Why?

21. What chapters are the most difficult and obscure part of the book of Romans? Why is it so difficult?  To whom is it addressed?

22. How does reading Romans backwards affect the reading of Romans 1-4?  Why is stereotyping such a problem?

23. What does McKnight say is the significance of Romans 5-8?

24. What is the Way of Adam?

25. What is the way of Christ?

Questions and answers

1. How does McKnight say this works within the church today?
2. Where is the unity? How do we participate in that unity?
3. What does McKnight say about invisible people in the churches?