Comments on: Acts 2 http://renewpartnerships.org/biblepassages/acts2/ biblical multi-ethnic training resources for Christian leaders Fri, 18 May 2012 08:01:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: brenc1 http://renewpartnerships.org/biblepassages/acts2/comment-page-1/#comment-455 brenc1 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:26:59 +0000 http://renewpartnerships.org/bible/passage-ephesians-2/#comment-455 You've made excellent points Dr. Baker. I have changed the wording from multi-ethnic to multicultural as you suggested. Thank you for catching that mistake! You’ve made excellent points Dr. Baker. I have changed the wording from multi-ethnic to multicultural as you suggested. Thank you for catching that mistake!

]]> By: Anonymous http://renewpartnerships.org/biblepassages/acts2/comment-page-1/#comment-454 Anonymous Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:17:14 +0000 http://renewpartnerships.org/bible/passage-ephesians-2/#comment-454 It is better to state that Acts 2 presents a mono-ethnic, "multicultural" community. Verse 5 indicates that this crowd is made up of "God-fearing Jews," therefore, mono-ethnic. In this context, 'pas ethnos' is to be understood as multiple cultural locations from which thousands of Jews left to descend upon Jerusalem. In other words, ethnic Jews from 'every culture under heaven' came to Jerusalem for Pentecost. As of this mass conversion at Pentecost, the disciples still only considered the gospel to apply to Jews alone (1:6 demonstrates their ethnocentrism, despite Jesus' teaching)...they thought that the massive response at Pentecost was a fulfillment of 1:8. Any other interpretation renders Acts 10 incomprehensible. God had to specifically teach Peter and the disciples that the gospel was for everyone, not just Jews. Your point about Luke-Acts teaching the universality of the gospel message, and the development of biblical community is correct, but Acts 2 does not demonstrate it. Acts is a presentation of theological historical development as the disciples progressively understood the full extent of the gospel. At Pentecost they weren't there yet. Dr. Ken Baker It is better to state that Acts 2 presents a mono-ethnic, “multicultural” community. Verse 5 indicates that this crowd is made up of “God-fearing Jews,” therefore, mono-ethnic. In this context, ‘pas ethnos’ is to be understood as multiple cultural locations from which thousands of Jews left to descend upon Jerusalem. In other words, ethnic Jews from ‘every culture under heaven’ came to Jerusalem for Pentecost. As of this mass conversion at Pentecost, the disciples still only considered the gospel to apply to Jews alone (1:6 demonstrates their ethnocentrism, despite Jesus’ teaching)…they thought that the massive response at Pentecost was a fulfillment of 1:8. Any other interpretation renders Acts 10 incomprehensible. God had to specifically teach Peter and the disciples that the gospel was for everyone, not just Jews.

Your point about Luke-Acts teaching the universality of the gospel message, and the development of biblical community is correct, but Acts 2 does not demonstrate it. Acts is a presentation of theological historical development as the disciples progressively understood the full extent of the gospel. At Pentecost they weren’t there yet.

Dr. Ken Baker

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