I just finished my latest class – Pauline Epistles – last night, and I have to admit that my brain is a little fried. Much like Christian Worldview, my teacher really pushed the boundaries of what we thought we knew about Paul and his letters. Travis challenged us on our beliefs, and while at times I didn’t agree with what he said, I could see where he was coming from. He taught us how to approach discussions and how not to argue our points (but really, has "that’s what we’ve always been taught" ever really been a valid rejoinder?) I also really got to understand Paul and his motivations, and realized that what I used to take for arrogance and boasting wasn’t really what it was. Paul spoke in the way any other teacher or leader of that time would, and since I was trying to interpret him from a 21st century point of view, I saw him as that. Learning to understand the world he lived in, I can admit that I was wrong about Paul. He wasn’t as bad as we see him to be.
On a side note, I got a B in Christian Worldview. Like I said, it was a hard class. Maybe I’ll go back and try to raise my A- in Old Testament History to an A. Nah, I’ll stick with what I have. After all, as long as I keep it above a 3.5, it should be okay, right?
Outside Jesus, Paul is the most fascinating person in the Bible to me. I’m pretty sure Paul would hate that we refer to his letters as (Pauline). I would total put a Fat Head of Paul on my church office (if I had an office).