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  • READING JOHN
    • JOHN 1 – 3: Strange Brew
    • JOHN 3 – 6: Renegade Rebellion
    • JOHN 6 – 8: From Abraham to Zen
    • JOHN 8 – 9: Jesus and Judaism
    • JOHN 10 – 11: Lost Sheep Meet Lazarus
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    • READING JOHN: Coda
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gospel renegades

gospel renegades

Author Archives: Gospel Renegades

Reading John: Mission Accomplished!

19 Thursday Jun 2014

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We Renegades have completed our voyage through the gospel according to John — deep perplexities, heated disputes, inspired digressions and all. Three new pages track our wayward course to the shore of Lake Tiberias where, in John’s last chapter, the risen Jesus hails his floundering disciples to join him for the fish-fry he’s got sizzling on the griddle.

In Passion and Doubt, we navigate John’s unique account of events leading up to the crucifixion, and delve into the John-only story of Doubting Thomas. In My End Is My Beginning finds us in uncharted water as we explore the mysteries of the resurrection and of the gospel’s double ending. Finally, in a freewheeling Coda, we contemplate the earliest known portrait of John and let the winds of wonder take us where they will — to Aristotle, Dostoevsky, Wallace Stevens and more.

Feel free to join us for a scintillating debate around the campfire, and thanks as always for following the Gospel Renegades.

Renegades Read John: More New Posts!

13 Tuesday May 2014

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In the two latest installments of our Reading John project, the Gospel Renegades dig into some deeply personal ground.

The first, Lost Sheep Meet Lazarus, features a crackling dispute over the significance of Jesus’ famous resurrection of a dead man, a story preserved by John alone among the four evangelists. In the second, Love and Hate, we explore the meaning of “love” in John’s gospel, including another John exclusive — Jesus’ edict that those who love their life in this world will lose it, while only those who “hate” that life can attain the eternal kind.

As so often in our reading of the gospels, we find we can’t confront these texts without risking our own most passionate convictions. Come join the high-stakes gamble, and thanks as always for following the Gospel Renegades.

PS … Don’t miss the inaugural post of Berg’s Bunker, where Bill Berg takes you behind the scenes of his black-sheep view of the gospels, adding a scholarly dimension to our debates with his expertise as a New Testament translator.

The Renegades Read John: New Posts!

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

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Two lively new installments of the Gospel Renegades’ Reading John project are hot off the press. In “From Abraham to Zen” and “Jesus & Judaism“ we brave our way through Chapters 6 to 9, delving deep into some of the Beloved Disciple’s most famous (and infamous) passages — from debates over circumcision to the woman taken in adultery, from the mysteries of blindness to the ever-volatile disputes over John’s portrayal of the Jews.

Gospel Renegade Bill Berg’s first essay on our site has just appeared under the new heading of BERG’S BUNKER (click on the top or left margins).  Its title, “The Agony of Resurrection in John 11-12,” should be a heads-up that we’re closing in on the Main Event in John just as we’re approaching Easter in this anno Domini  2014!

Share in our adventures and join the conversation! Many thanks to all of you for following the Gospel Renegades.

The Gospel Renegades read John: New posts!

23 Thursday Jan 2014

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The Renegades have now reached Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John in two new installments of our rocky voyage through this mysterious text.

On the first new page, Strange Brew, we try to map the meaning of John’s eccentric violations of chronology in Chapters 1-3 — his front-and-center juxtaposition of the water-into-wine miracle at Cana, the expulsion of money-changers from the temple, the debate with Nicodemus — and of the relentless theologizing that, alone among the Evangelists, he attributes to Jesus.

On the second page, Renegade Rebellion, a surge of visceral disenchantment dominates our reading of chapters 3-6. We struggle to find a way of understanding what John’s up to that can overcome our growing alienation from his portrait of a dogmatic, self-obsessed, self-proclaimed savior.

Come read along with us and join the debate! Thanks for following the Gospel Renegades.

The Gospel Renegades start reading John

13 Monday Jan 2014

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After a few months of R&R to recuperate from puzzling our way through Mark, the Gospel Renegades take a deep breath and plunge into the theological ocean of John’s gospel. We’ve just published the first page of our new adventure, wrestling with the mystical paradoxes of John’s great prologue, “In the beginning was the Word … “

The comments, controversies and questions are flying fast & furious, and we’ll be posting new installments soon. Come join the conversation—and thanks for following the Gospel Renegades.

UPDATE: A new essay from Bob Connor

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

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To read gospel renegade Bob Connor’s latest essay, A SACRED IMPERATIVE, just go to Connor’s Corner on our website where you can link to it directly and post comments. While you’re there, check out the concluding installment of our journey through the Gospel of Mark. And keep an eye out for the launch of our Gospel of John project, coming soon.

Thanks as always for following the Gospel Renegades.

Update: We’ve made it to the end of Mark!

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

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In the final installment of our READING MARK project, the Gospel Renegades discuss Mark’s Passion narrative from the Garden of Gethsemane to the resurrection. With the big questions in mind and a close eye on the text, we explore major themes and offbeat details in episodes like the flight of the naked youth at the arrest, the hapless failures of the disciples, Jesus confronting Pilate — and not least the ever-baffling ending of Mark’s gospel with its empty tomb, frightened women, and the risen Jesus nowhere to be seen.

Next up: the Gospel of John! So stay tuned, and thanks for following the Gospel Renegades.

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Pages

  • READING MARK
    • MARK page 2
    • MARK page 3
    • MARK page 4
    • MARK page 5
    • MARK page 6
    • MARK page 7
    • MARK page 8
    • MARK page 9
    • MARK page 10
  • READING JOHN: In the beginning … 1:1-18
    • JOHN 1 – 3: Strange Brew
    • JOHN 3 – 6: Renegade Rebellion
    • JOHN 6 – 8: From Abraham to Zen
    • JOHN 8 – 9: Jesus and Judaism
    • JOHN 10 – 11: Lost Sheep Meet Lazarus
    • JOHN 12 – 13: Love and Hate
    • JOHN 13 – 20: Passion and Doubt
    • JOHN 20 – 21: In My End is My Beginning
    • READING JOHN: Coda
  • BACK STORY
  • CONNOR’S CORNER
    • What’s a Gospel?
    • What’s in a Name?
    • Taking Mark Seriously
  • BERG’S BUNKER
    • Particles and Authorship

Recent Comments

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Recent Posts

  • Reading John: Mission Accomplished! June 19, 2014
  • Renegades Read John: More New Posts! May 13, 2014
  • The Renegades Read John: New Posts! March 19, 2014
  • The Gospel Renegades read John: New posts! January 23, 2014
  • The Gospel Renegades start reading John January 13, 2014
  • UPDATE: A new essay from Bob Connor September 18, 2013
  • Update: We’ve made it to the end of Mark! July 30, 2013

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