Volume 3 Issue 2

Appreciation for scholarship in the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ continues to rise. Evidence for this was undeniable at this year's North American Christian Convention, held July 11-14 at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. Each morning of the convention, a Theological Forum was held from 11:00-12:00. Over 200 people packed the room to hear SCJ editors Doug Foster and Jon Weatherly and SCJ author Bruce Shields deliver stimulating lectures on deep but important theological issues: "Christology in the Stone-Campbell Movement: Orthodoxy or Heresy," "The Writer's Purpose versus the Reader's Purpose: Interpreting Acts Theologically," and "The Hermeneutic of Alexander Campbell: Then and Now." Although one might presume that the attendees mostly were Bible college and seminary faculty, this was not the case. In fact, most were ordinary church folk who simply desired to know more about their faith and their Christian heritage. This is a good sign that SCJ has come at the right time to minister to people such as these.

This kind of enthusiasm for learning and scholarship is also evident at the various annual lectureships hosted by many of the A Cappella Churches of Christ around the country, such as at Harding, Freed-Hardeman, Faulkner, Pepperdine, Abilene, and Lipscomb. Hundreds attend thoughtful and challenging workshops and main sessions. We at SCJ hope to be a responsible contributor to this hopeful trend by continuing to publish significant articles and valuable book reviews in each issue. In this issue, SCJ for the first time touches on a subject which has dominated Stone-Campbell discussion from the very beginning in early 1800s America: unity. Dan Gannon's compelling article attempts to establish a common faith in the basics of the gospel message as a biblical and workable basis for unity among Christians in all ages. I invite future articles to continue to explore this vital issue.

Our first article on the current matter of the role of women in the church appears in this issue of SCJ. In his detailed article, Jack Cottrell challenges common arguments from feminist interpreters regarding the gender of Jesus. Hopefully, this article will motivate others to submit articles which explore various aspects of this contemporary issue facing the church.

Those of you who enjoyed Brian Messner's article in the Fall, 1998 issue (Vol. 1, no. 2) establishing the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry at AD 29 via the reference to the fifteenth year of Tiberius mentioned in Luke 3:1 will appreciate his attempt in his article in this issue to apply carefully what is known of Roman history to Pontius Pilate and his reaction to the crowd at Jesus' trial.

Two NT articles in this issue tackle significant exegetical matters. Clay Ham, who previously authored a well-prepared article for SCJ in the inaugural issue, Spring, 1998, on "The Title 'Son of Man' in the Gospel of John," carefully examines 1 Tim 3:16, which celebrates the incarnation and the exaltation of Christ. Ronald Nickelson intricately examines the word commonly translated "good conscience" in 1 Pet 3:21 and concludes that something like "verdict" has better support, thus making baptism in this passage part of a Christian's justification.

The OT article from Mark Hahlen is a fascinating examination of how the imagery of horses function in the interpretation of Zechariah.

Finally, I wish to encourage SCJ readers to renew your subscriptions promptly when you receive notification. As a fledgling enterprise, SCJ needs to be able to count on your financial support to continue to make Christian Church and Church of Christ scholarship available. For a very large number of you, this is your last issue without renewal. Please take time to take care of this practical matter and when you do so, consider choosing automatic renewal. This will allow you to enjoy uninterrupted reception of SCJ without the yearly hassle of renewal. It also saves hassle for us. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about SCJ, please feel free to write me at scjeditor@aol.com.

William R. Baker, Editor