Part I
In the introduction Fisk tells the reader that this is a fictional story of Norm, a college student on a quest to the Holy Land. He continues to tell the reader that Norm’s pursuit is based on his own, with some added details to enhance the story, of course. Like many his age, Norm is struggling while going through “theological puberty.” His “Sunday school graduate” world was flipped upside down when he entered college and began to study theology from an academic and historical perspective. The aim of his quest is to discover if he can study Jesus while also being a faithful follower. From this chapter, the reader can gather that Norm has done his homework on the subject. As a Religion major, he is obviously well-versed in theological studies. Yet, he believes the only way to truly confirm his faith is to visit the Holy Land, and the chapter ends as he lands in his destination.
Part II
I was hesitant about this book initially, but this first chapter really got me intrigued. One quote that particularly stood out to me was from Gunther Bornkamm: “Certainly faith cannot and should not be dependent on the change and uncertainty of historical research… no one should despise the help of historical research to illumine the truth” (16). I feel that many people have the attitude that you can either study Jesus or follow him, but to do both is impossible. So, I am excited to see what observations and evidence Fisk will present in future chapters to show whether he believes you can do both. While reading, I appreciated that Fisk included quotations and passages that related to what he was discussing. This gives the reader the opportunity to examine the passages themselves and draw some of their own conclusions. While I could see how most of the passages related, I couldn’t seem to grasp why Fisk chose to put in the passages about Pliny and Mt. Vesuvius (20-22). The best conclusion that I can draw is that maybe he wanted to ease the reader into Pliny’s writing before it got too complicated/deep.
In the introduction Fisk tells the reader that this is a fictional story of Norm, a college student on a quest to the Holy Land. He continues to tell the reader that Norm’s pursuit is based on his own, with some added details to enhance the story, of course. Like many his age, Norm is struggling while going through “theological puberty.” His “Sunday school graduate” world was flipped upside down when he entered college and began to study theology from an academic and historical perspective. The aim of his quest is to discover if he can study Jesus while also being a faithful follower. From this chapter, the reader can gather that Norm has done his homework on the subject. As a Religion major, he is obviously well-versed in theological studies. Yet, he believes the only way to truly confirm his faith is to visit the Holy Land, and the chapter ends as he lands in his destination.
Part II
I was hesitant about this book initially, but this first chapter really got me intrigued. One quote that particularly stood out to me was from Gunther Bornkamm: “Certainly faith cannot and should not be dependent on the change and uncertainty of historical research… no one should despise the help of historical research to illumine the truth” (16). I feel that many people have the attitude that you can either study Jesus or follow him, but to do both is impossible. So, I am excited to see what observations and evidence Fisk will present in future chapters to show whether he believes you can do both. While reading, I appreciated that Fisk included quotations and passages that related to what he was discussing. This gives the reader the opportunity to examine the passages themselves and draw some of their own conclusions. While I could see how most of the passages related, I couldn’t seem to grasp why Fisk chose to put in the passages about Pliny and Mt. Vesuvius (20-22). The best conclusion that I can draw is that maybe he wanted to ease the reader into Pliny’s writing before it got too complicated/deep.
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