So I read an article a while back that crowned "Kung-Fu Fighting" by The Village People as the song that was "Most Likely to Get Stuck in Your Head." Yep, I can definitely see that. I can hear it too...
Dang it, there it goes.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed the impact that music has on my life. There are songs that express how I feel down to the letter, and when I can't find one, I'll write one. On my Xanga (visit it here), I put down a list of ten songs that "give my soul wings." As the week went on, I realized that the list was hideously incomplete. However, I won't try to remedy that here.
Lucky you.
But somehow... Music has a way of defining how we feel, lifting us up, describing our lives, and capturing the moment far better than we could do ourselves. Music is powerful.
So why? I really have no idea... All I know is that at certain moments, certain songs sum up everything that matters. They minister to me... And I just can't put my finger on exactly what does it.
However, in that, it makes total sense why we worship God through song. Songs can express life, love, adoration, sadness, longing, and many other things. Often more powerfully than words alone could.
Sometimes I flip on the radio and a song comes on that lifts me up and makes the day better... I know this is kinda weird, but hear me out.
If songs affect us, God's creation, in such a way... Can we even begin to imagine how songs (not necessarily of praise and worship, but just music in general) affect God? How we, as created and loved beings, can touch the heart of God through something so simple, profound, wonderful, and mysterious as music?
Dang. I think my head just exploded.
Thoughts?
11.04.2006
10.14.2006
The Ramblings of a Twenty-Something
Hello, all. It has ben entirely too long since my last post, and for that I am sorry. Things have been pretty crazy in my life lately, and I've had a rough time sorting through it all. I know, I know... That's no excuse for not posting. Either way, I'm sorry.
Apologies.
So the past few weeks have made me wonder. God has a will and a plan, right? As followers of God, we should do our best to follow the road map, right? Of course. And if we stay in line with the plan, then things are peachy. And if we don't, we're...
Screwed?
Forever?
And then once we get to that state of screwed-ness, we have to bust our little tail to get back on the road. Follow the plan. Get back in the game. And until we do, we're...
Screwed?
The problem is, how do we know when we're off? Out of the plan? That's a tricky question. High school Bible class taught me that I should follow the peace of God at all times. Whatever I have peace doing, I should do.
I really don't have a peace about paying that traffic ticket I got last week...
Anyway, some things feel better than others. I feel good about grad school. I feel good about my living situation. I think God has lined things up right there, that I'm where I'm supposed to be. It's a great feeling.
Last week felt like hell. Therefore, we can conclude that last week, I was out of God's plan, right?
Wrong.
So what happened? If I'm in God's will, shouldn't life be all about gumdrops, marshmallows, fuzzy towels, Christmas Day, applesauce cake, wicked sweet guitars, and anything and everything else that makes me happy? If it is, then I really got gypped.
Man. What's Heaven's Customer Service number? I need to register a complaint...
So where did we get this idea? That trying to serve God as best as we can, follow his will as best as we can, and be good little Christians means we get to live happy, perfect lives? It sounds good. It's a great idea. In fact, it's an awesome idea. There's just one problem.
I can't find it in the Bible.
The Scriptures lead me to believe that life won't be perfect. As far as I have read, they don't mention applesauce cake once. However, they also lead me to believe that whatever I go through, God is there with me. Sometimes we feel God more than at other times. Sometimes, we have no doubt that God is standing right next to us. On the other side of that coin, sometimes we have no doubt that he isn't.
So then. Is what I feel an accurate indicator of whether or not I'm in the will of God? While they can help, I don't think it should all be based on feelings. Sometimes being in the will of God means that we buckle up, burrow down, bite the bullet, get some bruises, and be where we don't want to be.
But God wants us there... So that means that sometimes, being exactly where I'm supposed to be means that it will feel like I'm supposed to be somewhere else.
Which drives us crazy. Here we go, pulling out the road map of our lives, trying to figure out where exactly we left the Stairway to Heaven and jumped on the Highway to Hell (because that's what it feels like). Where did we go wrong? How do we make it right?
Yes, it is possible to be in the wrong. To be out of God's will. And when you are, you'll find out about it. He's that kind of God. But sometimes, we're not supposed to look at the roadmap of life. We're supposed to look at the face of God. And when we do, we don't find out the next five highways we're supposed to be on, what exits we're supposed to take, and when we need to take a break to use the restroom. When we look at God's face, we get the strength for another day. Sometimes we get more. Sometimes that's all we get.
But we never get any less.
The last month has been hell. But in the last three days, things have flown together. I know that things are right. And about that period of time when I didn't feel that way? Things were moving into place. I just needed to be patient. It takes time for things to come together. Time takes time.
"Time after sometime..."
Anyway. That gives me hope. I can't see the destination. All I can see is the journey. But that's all I need to see right now.
So that's okay.
Apologies.
So the past few weeks have made me wonder. God has a will and a plan, right? As followers of God, we should do our best to follow the road map, right? Of course. And if we stay in line with the plan, then things are peachy. And if we don't, we're...
Screwed?
Forever?
And then once we get to that state of screwed-ness, we have to bust our little tail to get back on the road. Follow the plan. Get back in the game. And until we do, we're...
Screwed?
The problem is, how do we know when we're off? Out of the plan? That's a tricky question. High school Bible class taught me that I should follow the peace of God at all times. Whatever I have peace doing, I should do.
I really don't have a peace about paying that traffic ticket I got last week...
Anyway, some things feel better than others. I feel good about grad school. I feel good about my living situation. I think God has lined things up right there, that I'm where I'm supposed to be. It's a great feeling.
Last week felt like hell. Therefore, we can conclude that last week, I was out of God's plan, right?
Wrong.
So what happened? If I'm in God's will, shouldn't life be all about gumdrops, marshmallows, fuzzy towels, Christmas Day, applesauce cake, wicked sweet guitars, and anything and everything else that makes me happy? If it is, then I really got gypped.
Man. What's Heaven's Customer Service number? I need to register a complaint...
So where did we get this idea? That trying to serve God as best as we can, follow his will as best as we can, and be good little Christians means we get to live happy, perfect lives? It sounds good. It's a great idea. In fact, it's an awesome idea. There's just one problem.
I can't find it in the Bible.
The Scriptures lead me to believe that life won't be perfect. As far as I have read, they don't mention applesauce cake once. However, they also lead me to believe that whatever I go through, God is there with me. Sometimes we feel God more than at other times. Sometimes, we have no doubt that God is standing right next to us. On the other side of that coin, sometimes we have no doubt that he isn't.
So then. Is what I feel an accurate indicator of whether or not I'm in the will of God? While they can help, I don't think it should all be based on feelings. Sometimes being in the will of God means that we buckle up, burrow down, bite the bullet, get some bruises, and be where we don't want to be.
But God wants us there... So that means that sometimes, being exactly where I'm supposed to be means that it will feel like I'm supposed to be somewhere else.
Which drives us crazy. Here we go, pulling out the road map of our lives, trying to figure out where exactly we left the Stairway to Heaven and jumped on the Highway to Hell (because that's what it feels like). Where did we go wrong? How do we make it right?
Yes, it is possible to be in the wrong. To be out of God's will. And when you are, you'll find out about it. He's that kind of God. But sometimes, we're not supposed to look at the roadmap of life. We're supposed to look at the face of God. And when we do, we don't find out the next five highways we're supposed to be on, what exits we're supposed to take, and when we need to take a break to use the restroom. When we look at God's face, we get the strength for another day. Sometimes we get more. Sometimes that's all we get.
But we never get any less.
The last month has been hell. But in the last three days, things have flown together. I know that things are right. And about that period of time when I didn't feel that way? Things were moving into place. I just needed to be patient. It takes time for things to come together. Time takes time.
"Time after sometime..."
Anyway. That gives me hope. I can't see the destination. All I can see is the journey. But that's all I need to see right now.
So that's okay.
9.17.2006
The Futility of Xanga and What Makes Someone Great
So I've got a Xanga. You're welcome to check it out if you like. Just click here. However, I've noticed something. When I post fairly deep things, the comments and eprops seem to drop off. (What exactly is an eprop, anyway? Someone answer me that.) One would think that Xangans have a natural aversion to intellectual stimulation. I once observed to a friend, "I made the little Xangans think... And it killed them."
I don't have a very high opinion of Xanga's target crowd, in case you hadn't noticed. I do have some friends on Xanga that will engage on that level, but for the most part, a random post about my goldfish dying will get more comments than a post regarding the oft-unconsidered questions of everyday life. Ah, well. Let 'em have it.
They can have my dead goldfish, too.
I copied this post from my Xanga. While it may not get comments here, I know people will at least read it, engage it, and take something from it.
(And if you don't... Don't tell me. I'd rather not know.)
*commence posting*
So I started reading philosophy again... The flavor of the month is "Fear and Trembling" by Soren Kierkegaard. In this work, Kierkegaard talks about Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. Why did Abraham do it? What could he possibly hope to gain? What good could possibly be done for anyone at all? He is sacrificing his only son... It isn't likely that he'll have another. No one benefits by Abraham doing this. And yet... We remember Abraham and respect him. Even if the ram hadn't shown up, and God hadn't spared Isaac's life, we still would remember Abraham as a patriarch, a hero of the faith. Why? Here is what Kierkegaard says... May we learn from Abraham's example.
"No one shall be forgotten who was great in this world; but everyone was great in his own way, and everyone in proportion to the greatnesss of what he loved. For he who loved himself became great in himself, and he who loved others became great through his devotion, but he who loved God became greater than all. They shall all be remembered, but everyone became great in proportion to his expectancy. One became great through expecting the possible, another by expecting the eternal; but he who expected the impossible became greater than all. They shall be all be remembered, but everyone was great in proportion to the magnitude of what he strove with. For he who strove with the world became great by conquering the world, and he who strove with himself became great by conquering himself; but he who strove with God became greater than all. Thus there was strife upon earth: there was he who conquered everything by his own strength, and he who conquered God by his powerlessness. There was one who relied upon himself and gained everything, and one who, secure in his own strength, sacrificed everything; but greater than all was the one who believed God. There was one who was great in his strength, and one who was great in his wisdom, and one who was great in love; but greater than all was Abraham, great with that power whose strength is powerlessness, great in that wisdom whose secret is folly, great in that hope whose outward form is insanity, great in that love which is hatred of self."
I don't have a very high opinion of Xanga's target crowd, in case you hadn't noticed. I do have some friends on Xanga that will engage on that level, but for the most part, a random post about my goldfish dying will get more comments than a post regarding the oft-unconsidered questions of everyday life. Ah, well. Let 'em have it.
They can have my dead goldfish, too.
I copied this post from my Xanga. While it may not get comments here, I know people will at least read it, engage it, and take something from it.
(And if you don't... Don't tell me. I'd rather not know.)
*commence posting*
So I started reading philosophy again... The flavor of the month is "Fear and Trembling" by Soren Kierkegaard. In this work, Kierkegaard talks about Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. Why did Abraham do it? What could he possibly hope to gain? What good could possibly be done for anyone at all? He is sacrificing his only son... It isn't likely that he'll have another. No one benefits by Abraham doing this. And yet... We remember Abraham and respect him. Even if the ram hadn't shown up, and God hadn't spared Isaac's life, we still would remember Abraham as a patriarch, a hero of the faith. Why? Here is what Kierkegaard says... May we learn from Abraham's example.
"No one shall be forgotten who was great in this world; but everyone was great in his own way, and everyone in proportion to the greatnesss of what he loved. For he who loved himself became great in himself, and he who loved others became great through his devotion, but he who loved God became greater than all. They shall all be remembered, but everyone became great in proportion to his expectancy. One became great through expecting the possible, another by expecting the eternal; but he who expected the impossible became greater than all. They shall be all be remembered, but everyone was great in proportion to the magnitude of what he strove with. For he who strove with the world became great by conquering the world, and he who strove with himself became great by conquering himself; but he who strove with God became greater than all. Thus there was strife upon earth: there was he who conquered everything by his own strength, and he who conquered God by his powerlessness. There was one who relied upon himself and gained everything, and one who, secure in his own strength, sacrificed everything; but greater than all was the one who believed God. There was one who was great in his strength, and one who was great in his wisdom, and one who was great in love; but greater than all was Abraham, great with that power whose strength is powerlessness, great in that wisdom whose secret is folly, great in that hope whose outward form is insanity, great in that love which is hatred of self."
9.15.2006
MY Results
Here it is... Hopefully I won't be cast out of the community.
You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.
What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com |
Coleridge on Reading Your Flippin' Bible
The following is taken from a volume of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's works, specifically Volume 6 of his Collected Works, entitled "Lay Sermons." This work is addressed to the upper class of his time, the intellects, the elders, the statesmen, the so-called "smart people." The people who have the Bible, can read the Bible, and at the same time do not. Even though written in 1816, it is still remarkably applicable today. How many people do we know that have a Bible, call themselves Christians, and rarely touch the Word of God? That describes me all too often. Here we go... Hang onto your hats, kids.
"Alas!-the main hindrance to the use of the Scriptures... lies in the notion that you are already acquainted with its contents. Something new must be presented to you, wholly new and sholly out of yourselves; for whatever is within us must be as old as the first dawn of human reason. Truths of all others the most awful and mysterious and at the same time of universal interest, are considered as so true as to lose all the powers of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of the soul, side by side, with the most despised and exploded errors. But it should not be so with you! The pride of education, the sense of consistency should preclude the objection: for would you not be ashamed to apply it to the works of Tacitus, or of Shakespear? Above all, the rank which you hold, the influence you possess, the powers you may be called to wield, give a special unfitness to the frivolous craving for novelty. To find to contradiction in the union of old and new, to contemplate the ANCIENT OF DAYS, his words and his works, with a feeling as fresh as if they were now first springing forth at his fiat-this characterizes the minds that feel the riddle of the world and may help to unravel it! This, most of all things, will raise you above the mass of mankind, and therefore will best entitle and qualify you to guide and controul them! You say, you are already familiar with the Scriptures. With the words, perhaps, but in any other sense you might as wisely boast of your familiar acquaintance with the rays of the sun, and under that pretence turn away your eyes from the light of Heaven."
*coughs*
Um... I'm gonna go read my Bible.
"Alas!-the main hindrance to the use of the Scriptures... lies in the notion that you are already acquainted with its contents. Something new must be presented to you, wholly new and sholly out of yourselves; for whatever is within us must be as old as the first dawn of human reason. Truths of all others the most awful and mysterious and at the same time of universal interest, are considered as so true as to lose all the powers of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of the soul, side by side, with the most despised and exploded errors. But it should not be so with you! The pride of education, the sense of consistency should preclude the objection: for would you not be ashamed to apply it to the works of Tacitus, or of Shakespear? Above all, the rank which you hold, the influence you possess, the powers you may be called to wield, give a special unfitness to the frivolous craving for novelty. To find to contradiction in the union of old and new, to contemplate the ANCIENT OF DAYS, his words and his works, with a feeling as fresh as if they were now first springing forth at his fiat-this characterizes the minds that feel the riddle of the world and may help to unravel it! This, most of all things, will raise you above the mass of mankind, and therefore will best entitle and qualify you to guide and controul them! You say, you are already familiar with the Scriptures. With the words, perhaps, but in any other sense you might as wisely boast of your familiar acquaintance with the rays of the sun, and under that pretence turn away your eyes from the light of Heaven."
*coughs*
Um... I'm gonna go read my Bible.
9.04.2006
The "Christian" Plague.
So I was sitting with my mother at a restaurant yesterday. We were discussing TLC and various events, and I mentioned that Spence was going to be playing at a coffeeshop later this week. And Mom asked me the following question: "Is it a Christian coffeeshop?"
Normally, I wouldn't bat an eye at such a question. Not even give it a second thought. But for some reason, this stuck in my head.
A "Christian coffeeshop?"
What the deuce is that supposed to mean?
Is it for Christians only? Is it owned/operated by Christians? Will John 3:16 be stamped on my coffee mug? Will someone hand me a tract with my scone? Is it a place where the name of Jesus is lifted high? Does a church meet there? Will Benny Hinn be expertly crafting my iced caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream? Who says it's Christian anyway? Does someone just arbitrarily make these decisions?
And on the flipside, just to be fair, are there "Heathen coffeeshops?" Do the pagans have a place they can feel comfortable? Gotta be fair, ya know...
It seemed to be a silly distinction to make. True, there are Christian establishments. I'm thinking specifically of bookstores, though other places do exist. Car dealerships. Financial institutions. Consulting firms. You get the idea.
But it's just the concept that kinda bugs me. If there are Christian establishments that deserve to be patronized simply because of their religious affiliation, what logically follows?
There are non-Christian establishments that should be avoided because of a differing religious affiliation.
"Whoa, Seth, hang on. You can't mean that!"
Think about it. I used to take my car to a place called Christian Brothers Automotive. They play KXOJ in the lobby, have Christian magazines on the coffee tables, an IXOYE fish on the wall, etc. Somehow, I feel good about taking my car there because I'm putting money "back into the Kingdom."
Except for a single problem. I was putting a lot of money into the Kingdom, if you catch my drift. The repairs didn't last; the mechanics missed obvious problems. So I started taking my car to a heathen garage. And whaddaya know. Things stayed fixed. I wasn't charged rediculous sums of money for them to just take 15 minutes, look things over, and tell me what was wrong. May I highly recommend Cartec Automotive at Harvard and the BA. Those pagans do good work. They only work on domestics though; and since I now drive a VW, I had to part company with Jerry and his crew.
Jerry did recommend another sinner to me, though; and since Jerry had always been fair, and never steered me wrong, I followed his advice. My car now goes to Mike's Auto Haus. There's no Mike there; it's all done by a guy named Ralph. And if Jerry was a sinner, Ralph is a reprobate. Cusses like a sailor, has a girlie poster hanging in his garage, cracks all manner of crude jokes, and listens to classic rock all day long. It doesn't faze him in the least that I'm an ORU grad that majored in New Testament. "Sh*t, that's great, man!"
And you know something? Ralph does good work. He doesn't cost an arm and a leg. He calls it like he sees it and he tells me how it is. I feel that I can trust this guy. I'm more comfortable giving him my money than re-re-reinvesting it "into the Kingdom."
I like Ralph. He's a good man.
So why do we differentiate between "Christian" and "secular" establishments? What makes a coffeeshop "Christian," anyhow? Are they roasting Jesus beans? Does the espresso pray in tongues?
Who cares?
And if we start separating our bookstores and coffeeshops from those dirty pagans, what's next? Supermarkets? Restaurants? Gas stations? Banks? Residential areas? I get emails from Christian associations all the time urging me to boycott certain things due to certain coroporate decisions to support a certain cause. If I followed the counsel of these fellow believers, I would be boycotting Disney, Paramount, New Line Cinema, ExxonMobil, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, GM, Ford... Sheesh, I'd be boycotting the world! Which wouldn't be bad, since I can get everything I need from Christian sub-cultures anyway.
But I was commanded to go into the world. And not just that, but to preach the Gospel. And preaching takes time.
Honestly, Christians don't need the world; we can get along without "secular" things. And we take great pains to pat ourselves on the back for doing so.
But the world needs Christians. We've got something to contribute to the world. I can't deny the world a cure to a disease based solely on the assumption that they're not good enough for it. But all too many times, that's what our actions say.
So the next time you're craving a cup of joe, go buy it from your friendly neighborhood heathen. He'll appreciate your business.
Who knows... he may even appreciate you bringing Jesus into his world.
Normally, I wouldn't bat an eye at such a question. Not even give it a second thought. But for some reason, this stuck in my head.
A "Christian coffeeshop?"
What the deuce is that supposed to mean?
Is it for Christians only? Is it owned/operated by Christians? Will John 3:16 be stamped on my coffee mug? Will someone hand me a tract with my scone? Is it a place where the name of Jesus is lifted high? Does a church meet there? Will Benny Hinn be expertly crafting my iced caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream? Who says it's Christian anyway? Does someone just arbitrarily make these decisions?
And on the flipside, just to be fair, are there "Heathen coffeeshops?" Do the pagans have a place they can feel comfortable? Gotta be fair, ya know...
It seemed to be a silly distinction to make. True, there are Christian establishments. I'm thinking specifically of bookstores, though other places do exist. Car dealerships. Financial institutions. Consulting firms. You get the idea.
But it's just the concept that kinda bugs me. If there are Christian establishments that deserve to be patronized simply because of their religious affiliation, what logically follows?
There are non-Christian establishments that should be avoided because of a differing religious affiliation.
"Whoa, Seth, hang on. You can't mean that!"
Think about it. I used to take my car to a place called Christian Brothers Automotive. They play KXOJ in the lobby, have Christian magazines on the coffee tables, an IXOYE fish on the wall, etc. Somehow, I feel good about taking my car there because I'm putting money "back into the Kingdom."
Except for a single problem. I was putting a lot of money into the Kingdom, if you catch my drift. The repairs didn't last; the mechanics missed obvious problems. So I started taking my car to a heathen garage. And whaddaya know. Things stayed fixed. I wasn't charged rediculous sums of money for them to just take 15 minutes, look things over, and tell me what was wrong. May I highly recommend Cartec Automotive at Harvard and the BA. Those pagans do good work. They only work on domestics though; and since I now drive a VW, I had to part company with Jerry and his crew.
Jerry did recommend another sinner to me, though; and since Jerry had always been fair, and never steered me wrong, I followed his advice. My car now goes to Mike's Auto Haus. There's no Mike there; it's all done by a guy named Ralph. And if Jerry was a sinner, Ralph is a reprobate. Cusses like a sailor, has a girlie poster hanging in his garage, cracks all manner of crude jokes, and listens to classic rock all day long. It doesn't faze him in the least that I'm an ORU grad that majored in New Testament. "Sh*t, that's great, man!"
And you know something? Ralph does good work. He doesn't cost an arm and a leg. He calls it like he sees it and he tells me how it is. I feel that I can trust this guy. I'm more comfortable giving him my money than re-re-reinvesting it "into the Kingdom."
I like Ralph. He's a good man.
So why do we differentiate between "Christian" and "secular" establishments? What makes a coffeeshop "Christian," anyhow? Are they roasting Jesus beans? Does the espresso pray in tongues?
Who cares?
And if we start separating our bookstores and coffeeshops from those dirty pagans, what's next? Supermarkets? Restaurants? Gas stations? Banks? Residential areas? I get emails from Christian associations all the time urging me to boycott certain things due to certain coroporate decisions to support a certain cause. If I followed the counsel of these fellow believers, I would be boycotting Disney, Paramount, New Line Cinema, ExxonMobil, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, GM, Ford... Sheesh, I'd be boycotting the world! Which wouldn't be bad, since I can get everything I need from Christian sub-cultures anyway.
But I was commanded to go into the world. And not just that, but to preach the Gospel. And preaching takes time.
Honestly, Christians don't need the world; we can get along without "secular" things. And we take great pains to pat ourselves on the back for doing so.
But the world needs Christians. We've got something to contribute to the world. I can't deny the world a cure to a disease based solely on the assumption that they're not good enough for it. But all too many times, that's what our actions say.
So the next time you're craving a cup of joe, go buy it from your friendly neighborhood heathen. He'll appreciate your business.
Who knows... he may even appreciate you bringing Jesus into his world.
8.29.2006
Did He Just Say What I Think He Did?
So here's a question I want to pose to you all. It's a thinker, and it may not make sense right away. But hopefully it will by the time this post is over.
Where is meaning found?
I'm thinking specifically in forms of communication, such as conversing, writing, body language, semaphore, smoke signals, monks doodling on grains of rice, you get the idea. It's common knowledge that communication can be misinterpreted.
Example.
The Apostle Paul frequently exhorts his audience to greet each other with a holy kiss. A common greeting in those times, socially acceptable as a salutation or farewell. Completely platonic with no strings attached, frequently practiced between members of the same sex. No biggie at all.
Fast-forward 2000 years.
Someone today reads what Paul says, and thinks: "What a great idea! A platonic kiss is a long-lost tradition of expressing love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I should bring it back." And so our idealistic, albeit naive, friend charges into society and begins to attempt to platonically kiss friends, starting with those of the opposite sex because it feels simpler and less awkward. Once again, let us assume that our friend has the purest of motives.
But something goes wrong. For the most part, people don't like having random kisses foisted upon them, platonic or otherwise. Particularly not if the relationship is casual, or a mere acquaintance. Rumors begin to swirl around our friend, questioning motives, whispering half-truths, and utterly thwarting any hope for reinstating this ancient custom. Dejected, defeated, and disheartened, our friend can only retreat, wondering what went wrong.
Miscommunication. Misinterpretation. Misunderstanding.
Our friend had an intended meaning. A simple kiss, a gesture of love between friends. Nothing more.
The ones being kissed had an understood meaning. This is a sign of romantic love, of something-more-than-platonic-affection. And no amount of explaining could shake this understanding.
So to the totally objective outsider... What did the kiss really mean? Who was right? Should our friend be labeled a creep? Or should the rest of society loosen up a little? Who decides what the kiss really means, the kissee or the kisser? Who's to say?
So what about the Bible? Did the Apostle Paul have a definite meaning in mind when he was dictating all those letters to churches across the Roman Empire? Is the meaning Paul intended the only possible meaning his words can have?
Or can we, reading his words thousands of years later, take something from what he said that he didn't intend to say? And if we can... Are we justified in doing so?
It may be a profound truth. It could be a deep insight.
It might also be something that Paul never meant to say. In fact, perhaps he would even be appalled if he knew that people were interpreting his letter in such a way.
Who can say?
Where is meaning found?
I'm thinking specifically in forms of communication, such as conversing, writing, body language, semaphore, smoke signals, monks doodling on grains of rice, you get the idea. It's common knowledge that communication can be misinterpreted.
Example.
The Apostle Paul frequently exhorts his audience to greet each other with a holy kiss. A common greeting in those times, socially acceptable as a salutation or farewell. Completely platonic with no strings attached, frequently practiced between members of the same sex. No biggie at all.
Fast-forward 2000 years.
Someone today reads what Paul says, and thinks: "What a great idea! A platonic kiss is a long-lost tradition of expressing love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I should bring it back." And so our idealistic, albeit naive, friend charges into society and begins to attempt to platonically kiss friends, starting with those of the opposite sex because it feels simpler and less awkward. Once again, let us assume that our friend has the purest of motives.
But something goes wrong. For the most part, people don't like having random kisses foisted upon them, platonic or otherwise. Particularly not if the relationship is casual, or a mere acquaintance. Rumors begin to swirl around our friend, questioning motives, whispering half-truths, and utterly thwarting any hope for reinstating this ancient custom. Dejected, defeated, and disheartened, our friend can only retreat, wondering what went wrong.
Miscommunication. Misinterpretation. Misunderstanding.
Our friend had an intended meaning. A simple kiss, a gesture of love between friends. Nothing more.
The ones being kissed had an understood meaning. This is a sign of romantic love, of something-more-than-platonic-affection. And no amount of explaining could shake this understanding.
So to the totally objective outsider... What did the kiss really mean? Who was right? Should our friend be labeled a creep? Or should the rest of society loosen up a little? Who decides what the kiss really means, the kissee or the kisser? Who's to say?
So what about the Bible? Did the Apostle Paul have a definite meaning in mind when he was dictating all those letters to churches across the Roman Empire? Is the meaning Paul intended the only possible meaning his words can have?
Or can we, reading his words thousands of years later, take something from what he said that he didn't intend to say? And if we can... Are we justified in doing so?
It may be a profound truth. It could be a deep insight.
It might also be something that Paul never meant to say. In fact, perhaps he would even be appalled if he knew that people were interpreting his letter in such a way.
Who can say?
8.18.2006
Electriwhat?
So here's the situation. (Purely hypothetical, of course.) Let's say we have someone who just graduated from college. He's got a degree in New Testment studies, but was working part-time at his church as the sound guy. The church decides to do a building project, and suddenly our New Testament major finds himself designing sound systems, mapping electrical grids, and assessing wattage loads for the upstairs youth area. Stuff he doesn't have a clue about.
The last time I cracked open my Bible, I read about Christ's sacrifice and how he counted it joy to suffer on the cross. Amazingly profound. Applicable to life.
Unfortunately for our purely hypothetical sound guy, I didn't see anything about amps, ohms, watts, receps, and the like. And the Biblical Literature classes I took certainly didn't mention it.
But our hero has a decent head on his shoulders (I hope), and he calls other people who have some clue about this stuff so he can work things out. These other people give him solid counsel, encouragement, and more than one pat on the back. They say things like, "At least you're calling people who know. You already know more than most people do anyway, but you care enough about the job to be sure it's done right. Don't be scared."
Our hero knows more about this stuff than most people do?
Scary.
Our hero also has two weeks to order, receive, and install his new gear and be ready to show it off.
So back to this whole suffering on the cross thing... Hero or not, this is over my head. But at least I know I can keep my life, which was something Christ knew he wouldn't get to do. And if I believe the writer of Hebrews, Christ joyfully took on the cross. Some people say he lost; I happen to believe that he won. Either way, he did it with joy.
Joy. The experience of gladness. Christ took on the cross with gladness. Can I take on this project, inadequate as I am, and count it joy to do this? If Christ counted the cross as joy... Pass the pencils and graph paper.
We won't know if I'm a hero until everything is ready to go and we flip the switch, but I've got grace to make it there.
The last time I cracked open my Bible, I read about Christ's sacrifice and how he counted it joy to suffer on the cross. Amazingly profound. Applicable to life.
Unfortunately for our purely hypothetical sound guy, I didn't see anything about amps, ohms, watts, receps, and the like. And the Biblical Literature classes I took certainly didn't mention it.
But our hero has a decent head on his shoulders (I hope), and he calls other people who have some clue about this stuff so he can work things out. These other people give him solid counsel, encouragement, and more than one pat on the back. They say things like, "At least you're calling people who know. You already know more than most people do anyway, but you care enough about the job to be sure it's done right. Don't be scared."
Our hero knows more about this stuff than most people do?
Scary.
Our hero also has two weeks to order, receive, and install his new gear and be ready to show it off.
So back to this whole suffering on the cross thing... Hero or not, this is over my head. But at least I know I can keep my life, which was something Christ knew he wouldn't get to do. And if I believe the writer of Hebrews, Christ joyfully took on the cross. Some people say he lost; I happen to believe that he won. Either way, he did it with joy.
Joy. The experience of gladness. Christ took on the cross with gladness. Can I take on this project, inadequate as I am, and count it joy to do this? If Christ counted the cross as joy... Pass the pencils and graph paper.
We won't know if I'm a hero until everything is ready to go and we flip the switch, but I've got grace to make it there.
8.16.2006
Welcome To This Universal Blanket...
And now... I have a blog. Yay!
More exciting stuff to follow, I'm sure. But hey, no one really expects that much out of a first post anyway.
More exciting stuff to follow, I'm sure. But hey, no one really expects that much out of a first post anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)