The Year of the Lord's Favor- Eclectic Musings and Essays on Contemporary, Biblical, and Theological Themes

The Year of the Lord's Favor comprises short musings and essays on common Christian beliefs, practices, and issues. Some often confounding concepts in everyday discourses and praxis are addressed for clarity with pertinent biblical nuances. Christian faith as a way of life, the interface between faith and pop culture, Christian ministry and vocation, practices around the Christian Calendar, and biblical themes on freedom, spirituality, and women --round up the book.

"The author of the book seeks to order, in different shades of subjects, that the subject and object of Christian faith is God in Christ... the author's theology is centered in that person-Jesus Christ. I hope, James Kalong's book will have a wide range of readers for many reasons, but one thing for sure, his method and mood is unorthodox and unapologetic. That he takes a stand is clear!"-Excerpt from the Foreword by Wati Aier, Emeritus Professor of Constructive Theology and Philosophy, Oriental Theological Seminary, Bade, Nagaland.

James Kalong is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Oriental Theological Seminary, Bade, Nagaland. His other books are Table Talks of Jesus: Didactics of Reversals in the Gospel of Luke and Signs of the Times: The Matrix of Meanings in Revelation 2-3

This book is a compilation of some short musings and a few essays which I have presented in various contexts of preaching. teaching, and conversations. While I had no intention of putting all these together for publication in the first place, I realize that I am indebted to my students over the years who have inspired me to speak and write, some of which initially began as classroom conversations and a few others as homilies in the chapel. So to honor my students, past and present, who have taught me in reverse the many new insights and understandings inside and outside of the classroom, I decided to compile these lot and put them through for publication so that as students and teacher we will continue to edify one another. I dedicate this book to all my students with whom I have crossed paths at some point during our respective theological journeys.

Part I comprises short takes on common Christian beliefs and practices that are often confounding in everyday discourses and praxis. I believe that these alternative takes will aid in understanding the biblical nuances of these beliefs and practices with clarity. Part II is an interface between faith and pop culture. Often times, pop/popular culture is sidelined or considered as unchristian. The short musings will give a perspective on how we view and engage with pop culture as part of our whole Christian life. Part III addresses Christian faith as a way of life in all spheres of life, whether at work or at worship. Part IV sets the tone for those in theological studies who are contemplating ministry and Christian vocation. Part V comprises homilies around the Christian Calendar. Part VI are biblical essays, some exegetical and others thematic, some of which have come about as presentations in various contexts of conferences and teachings. I hope that these writings will bring thoughtful reflections to all who read them.

Some essays are republished here with permission from earlier publications in books and periodicals. I thank the editors and publishers who have kindly given the consent to let me reproduce them in this collection. The usage of the masculine personal pronoun "he" for God in some of the writings are for convenience and not gender emphatic. Many thanks to Kipangwala Jamir for her adroit editing.

My intent for the title The Year of the Lord's Favor is three- fold-biblical, social, and personal. It is biblical because we need to appropriate the right conceptual meaning of "Jubilee" in light of what Jesus proclaimed, that is, the perpetual year of the Lord's favor a new understanding of what "Jubilee" entails. It is social in the sense that the community experience of "Jubilee" needs a reorientation for a correct theological understanding and praxis of "Jubilee." It is personal because I am putting this collection together for publication in the "Year of the Lord's Favor" in my life, technically speaking.

In the "eclectic musings" of events through the pages of personal diaries, July, 1993, is marked in red-it was an intense preparation time for the first batch of students to welcome in to Oriental Theological Seminary. Among other students of the batch, I had underlined the name of James Kalong as "quiet and deeply reflective." From the onset it was remarkably revealing that this student possessed a combination of intellectual keenness and spiritual depth. History has verified my first acumen and has added dividends to my intuition of James Kalong. The Year of the Lord's Favor: Eclectic Musings and Essays on Contemporary, Biblical, and Theological Themes is an attestation to my marking in red and I am honored and proud to introduce it to, not only to strictly "theological" people of the academia but to all readers whose eclectic musings will discover not only the aesthetics of theology but its depth in all arena of life starting from beauty to table fellowship, and movies with Christian lens to doubting.

The book is not about "religion" per se but more importantly that theology and its method cannot be purely vertical-from above. Correctly, James Kalong is making an important point that one can see and think theology everywhere but, mind you readers, that the author is not saying that everything is theology. method has to begin "from below," from a person's questions, from a human sense experience as well as an a priori deductive faith. Rightfully, there is no, either inductive or deductive methods. James Kalong dismisses such polarization in his writings but more particularly in Faith and Pop culture (Part II). In our time, theology is confronted as in the time of Latin Fathers, Scholasticism and the Reformers of the sixteenth century by Aristotelianism, by the present world of the 21" century and therefore, the theologians must know the world, through history, psychology, sociology, philosophy, political science and through one's own faith and experience to be able to fulfill her and his theological task.

Without much doubt, the author of the book seeks to order, in different shades of subjects, that the subject and object of Christian faith is God in Christ. To sum up, the author's theology is centered in that person-Jesus Christ.

**Contents and Sample Pages**