7.8.2025 PBPC Family Bulletin
PBPC Family,
The last two Sundays, we looked at Galatians 2:15-21 and tried to make sense of the faith of Christ and our faith in Christ. We have delved into the depths of Paul's thoughts and the massive theological and Scriptural work the early Christians did in making sense of Jesus' connection to the Hebrew Scriptures. Paul came to believe that God's new covenant family was no longer defined by ethnicity or certain rituals but by fidelity to Jesus Christ. Jesus was the door to God's family and he was leading all who belonged to him out of the old age and into the new. And this very same Jesus came to live in those who were loyal to him - so much so that Paul could say, "it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me."
Diving into the historical and theological background of Paul and his writings is no small feat. We will continue to do that over the next few Sundays. For those of you who would like to explore these ideas on your own, I recommend the following books.
Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright.
This book does a beautiful job trying to capture the scope of Paul's life and writings. It not only tracks the journey of his life, especially his missionary journeys, but also shows how his letters fit into his travels. It is very readable and provides a good entry point for those who may not want to get bogged down in scholarly works.
Justification by N.T. Wright
This is another great book by N.T. Wright and specifically gets into Paul's understanding of Justification. Wright's book is a response to John Piper's book on justification that argued for the traditional Protestant understanding (justification by faith alone). Wright tries to place Paul's writing in their proper historical context and not just read the text through the lens of the Reformation. A great book and a bit more theologically dense.
Reading Paul by Michael Gorman
This is an accessible, short, and dense book is a great introduction to the Apostle Paul and his writings. This is a great book to have on hand in understanding the larger themes and movements of Paul's work.
Faith Formation in a Secular Age by Andrew Root
I'm currently reading through Andrew Root's books right now and I'm thoroughly enjoying them. They are quite academic (lots of footnotes) so they are not for the faint of heart. His writing is an attempt to make sense of where we've gone wrong in faith formation and how we can respond in our secular age. If you end up reading this book, you'll find the source for a lot of themes and ideas in my sermons.
I pray these resources might be helpful for those who might want to travel down some holy rabbit holes.
Looking forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Calvin
"Phinehas and Abraham"
Galatians 3:1-14
Calvin Sodestrom
Pre-Service prayer in the Cafe from 9:30-9:45
