Can We Handle It?

As I read through the whole Bible here at Rivendell, I am seeing the Father as the most bold character we have ever known, bolder than Achilles, Alexander, Napoleon, even Zeus. Along with this, the Son and Holy Spirit seem to be revealed in distinctly different ways throughout Scripture.

The Father, as revealed in the OT, is strikingly fiery. He is the Dad that gets stuff done. He is the LORD (translated Yahweh) almighty, maker of heaven and earth. He is the Dad of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He progressively reveals himself as a highly passionate Person who cares that humanity is responsible for themselves. The Father then is the one who reveals Himself first.

The Son comes along with a bit less testosterone, though we see him imitating the Father through his interaction with the Pharisees and of course at the Second Coming. His life on earth in the Gospels, however, is a much more toned down character than his Father in the OT. He is the suffering servant instead of the shekinah glory. He is repeatedly showing mercy to the poor, children, widows, and sick instead of destroying nations and influencing kings or setting them up. The Son, Jesus, is sacrificed as a lamb. His Father set the sacrificial system up; the Son fulfilled it.

Just when you think a God couldn’t get more personal, Jesus leaves and the Holy Spirit is given. The Spirit is uncanny. Perhaps the most gentle of the Three, the Spirit cares, comforts, and guides in us all. Truth and translation are It’s goals: teaching us truth and translating our prayers, not to mention so many other attributes of It’s character. All this to say, the Spirit seems to be simultaneously the most gentle and the most personal.

So there you have it. I hope it’s not heresy. The Persons of the Trinity, from Father to Spirit, are progressively revealed to humanity in a more personal and gentle way. We could not handle the Father’s intensity (remember Moses’ veil), so He backed out and the Son stepped in. We, then could not handle the Son (remember the Cross). Now the Spirit is here, interacting on behalf of the Father and the Son. Can we handle It?

Is the Gospel dependent upon personalities?

What does God’s authority over me have to do with the Gospel and personalities? I am reminded of this only because Jesus doesn’t choose people based on personalities to enter the Kingdom. And if we are to be about the Kingdom, then we work with anyone, anywhere, anytime. My wonderful wife was told a couple of months ago that she had “the right personality to believe.” The atheist who was telling her this was assuming, among many other things, that belief and truth is dependent upon personality. Truth has nothing to do with whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, whether you’re an ottter or a lion, INFJ or ISFJ. Truth, Justice, Mercy, Prudence, Love, Joy and Peace are not dependent upon whether you are organized or a night owl. They are dependent on our reception and desire for God to transform our lives through the living work of Christ’s redemption on the cross. That’s all. Christ is King and Lord. He is our authority and our Truth. The Spirit leads us into that Truth. The Father welcomes us and stands sovereign over all.

In short, it seems the answer the title question is no. In long, no. Bottom line, bad question. For one thing, “personalities” have only been around for the history of psychology, which is really not that long. This makes it tenuous to argue the importance of personalities in the context of discipleship and daily life in the Kingdom. Another thing is the Gospel speaks to the holistic human condition, not just to personalities. Have personalities been transformed by the Gospel? Yes. Is the Gospel dependent upon a “mercy” speaking to a “mercy?” No. If someone is raising this issue, then the issue is probably that one or both sides are not depending on the Gospel.

Scripture argues the Gospel is brought to fruition through the Word of God and the Spirit, not through matching the right personality. Those who follow our King are those who desire to worship in spirit and in truth. How is the Gospel preached? It is preached through those who are willing to confess Jesus as Lord.

Recently, I’ve been challenged that sin is actual rebellion against my Lord. Before recently, I generally thought of sin as another path, obviously against God, but simply another path. This did not mean I misunderstood sin to be without consequences or anti-God. This simply means that Calvin showed me that sin is directly disobeying God’s authority over me.

Please do not misunderstand me. Personalities are Good and reflective of the image of God. They are reflective of gifts and endowments for specific functions, surprises and paths. Personalities, however, are not an excuse to get out of discipleship or the Kingdom. All personalities rest under the Gospel. Rest. They find peace only in discipleship and in serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Amusing Ourselves to Death

So anything by Postman is worth the read, but this book is by far a must. When students ask me what books they should buy in our Summit bookstore, I tell them three: this one, Love Your God with All Your Mind by Moreland, and Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live? Below is a review of Postman's book that I wrote back in 2007 at Bryan College.

In the first chapter, Postman explores the basic premise to the whole book: the medium is the metaphor. This is essentially the idea of whatever medium is used to translate language, it is so crucial to understand how the message will be translated by that medium. Obviously, the medium he is talking about for the book is television. He claims that television is the way of knowing and communicating now, instead of typography. Of course, this is pursued more in chapter 2, media as epistemology. He says, “ I am arguing that a television-based epistemology pollutes public communication and its surrounding landscape, not that it pollutes everything” (28). While I do think he is right on with his overall thesis, I think he misses something by not addressing the philosophical ramifications of nothingness in media, namely, nihilism. I sometimes felt that he did not go far enough in his critique of media and entertainment. However, I do understand that his overall point was not the segments of entertainment that are actually for entertainment; he merely was worried about when people do not know that they are in fact being entertained. So his focus was on those areas that claim authority yet use the television or any sort of popular media device to inform the public. This brings us to the next chapter.

In Typographic America, he goes into a history lesson to compare and contrast the upcoming analysis of television. He even looks at forms of advertising that were extremely long and logical. In Typographic Mind, he mainly looks at the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He notes how coherent, long, logical, and typographic they were. Then he notes some key religious leaders of the day, namely, Jonathan Edwards. Comparing that culture to ours, he notes: “It is also the difference between living in a culture that provides little opportunity for leisure, and one that provides much” (61). In The Peek-a-Boo World, he looks at the changes in typography from longer news to the short telegraph and the picture. This opened up discourse for irrelevance, impotence, and incoherence. “The photograph documents and celebrates the particularities of this infinite variety. Language makes them comprehensible” (72). All of these changes gave way to our age of show business and television.

In The Age of Show Business, he talks about what I have already mentioned briefly in the first paragraph. Entertainment for the sake of entertainment is fine; education and public discourse as entertainment is not. Really, a big point in this chapter is that television is not made for long discourse of ideas and thinking. This is really the opposite of showbusiness. In order to make his point about incoherence on television, he examines, in “Now…This”, how news’ anchors will report something then say, “Now…we move on to something else.” This sets up a way of communication that contains just short segments and have no context. “I should go so far as to say that embedded in the surrealistic frame of a television news show is a theory of anticommunication, featuring a type of discourse that abandons logic, reason, sequence and rules of contradiction. In aesthetics, I believe the name given to this theory is Dadaism; in philosophy, nihilism; in psychiatry, schizophrenia. In the parlance of the theatre, it is known as vaudeville” (105).

In the next three chapters, he focuses on how the television has changed the face of religion, politics, and education. Of course, he brings up such people as Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Falwell. “Television’s strongest point is that it brings personalities into our hearts, not abstractions into our heads…Which is why he is the star of the show. And why Billy Graham is a celebrity, and why Oral Roberts has his own university, and why Robert Schuller has a crystal cathedral all to himself. If I am not mistaken, the word for this is blasphemy. In Reach Out and Elect Someone, he notes: “The point is that television does not reveal who the best man is. In fact, television makes impossible the determination of who is better than whom, if we mean by “better” such things as more capable in negotiation, more imaginative in executive skill…For on television the politician does not so much offer the audience an image of himself, as offer himself as an image of the audience.” (133). This chapter was very enlightening concerning the idea of politics. Basically, the whole idea in Teaching as an Amusing Activity is to show how simple and incomplex education is through the TV. One cannot talk back to the TV either. It is not a better way of learning when information is presented in a dramatic setting.

He ends the book with The Huxleyan Warning. I wish I would have read the book Brave New World. The ending would have made much more sense, but I think I got the overall idea. We are dying intellectually by not even knowing the ramifications of the ways that we amuse ourselves. It is not necessarily that we are being controlled by others; rather, we are controlling ourselves and we don’t even know it.

While discussing this book with a friend named Winston, he was claiming that we have moved beyond Postman’s criticisms into a much more complex form of entertainment. While I agree that it is more complex today in the form of the internet and audio, I tend to see the basic principles of the book applying to our lives today, apart from those areas of nihilism that need analyzing. There is still a lot of typography, even on the internet. Yes, it is a merging of all forms of medium. I am surprised of the amount of print and time needed to understand current events. I would argue that we are even more decontextualized, being a global community with the internet, but it seems you can work with it. Maybe I am just too optimistic about all of this, but I think Postman is applicable for us in the sense that we can compare and contrast different time periods, knowing the development of thought and changes that have occurred. Knowing that you are being entertained is the important thing. I think Postman is still usable for today with minor improvising. But discussion will flesh this out further, for I am a much better discusser with hours to waste than what a few minutes of reflection can do me.

tiger story

It was a placid morning. The fog was thick, and all was quiet in the village. Not even the normal morning sounds of roosters and pigs filled the air. Then, it happened. There were startling sounds intermittently emerging from the village--cries here, then there. The village men were quick to respond. They gathered horses and weapons quickly and met at middle of the village. I was there with my horse as well. We knew the tiger was alarmed and fearful. It had already left the village and was lunging away through the forest. With no time to lose, we mounted and began to chase the tiger. It was in full stride, and we were too. For some reason, my horse was fast that day. Very fast. I was at the front of the pack in no time and quickly caught up to the tiger. The forest was free from underbrush, leaving trees as the only obstacles between the tiger and I as we moved in rhythmic motion together. Now I just had to wait for the perfect moment to jump from my horse, in between passing trees, to the tiger only feet away to the left of me. The moment came, and I took it, knife in hand. Barely missing a tree, like turning left on a road without waiting for an oncoming car to pass first, I landed on the tiger. Immediately, we entered a rolling tumble like a snowball. In a moment, all was still. I lay there in silence as the world returned to my senses. The pack of men encircled me. The tiger was motionless, knife still embedded in the ribs. There was simply a quiet affirmation from the men that all was accounted for. It was finished.

So, the story is not true, but there is a funny story behind it. I told Pedro stories at Bryan quite a bit. Well, there was a day, when I was eating lunch, that some of my friends wanted me to tell Pedro stories to friends of theirs that were sitting there. I wasn't up for it. So, their answer to this problem was to make up a story about me on the spot and tell it to their friends. I was sitting right there listening to this thing be concocted. Crazy...but funny, nonetheless. Now, I tell the story and find that most people really like it and are engrossed by it. It just has the essential parts of a story: setting, conflict, climax, and resolution. Those components are found everywhere in all good stories, including the Bible.

Telling the World It's Own Story

This was my article review of Richard John Neuhaus's Telling the World It's Own Story. It is an outstanding piece. Read it if you get a chance. I wrote this back at Bryan College in Contemporary/Cultural Apologetics.

“Even when we are against the world, we must be for the world” (1). I think this sums up the article well. Neuhaus is arguing that the world still needs us and that it is really at a time when people are wanting spiritual help. It is somewhat of a call for the unity of anyone holding Jesus Christ as their personal savior to be aware of the need for Christ in the world. This needs to be done not in an imposing way, but in a proposition. No cramming allowed. Finally, he calls all Christians to follow faithfully who we are; we are the children of the promise who are to persevere.

“When finally our Lord Jesus comes in glory, he is not going to need any PR agents or press releases. Everyone will know, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He will manage it” (3). This makes me examine the whether the need missionaries in the tribes that have not heard or really do not stand a chance to hear of Christ in comparison to the atheist in college is greater than some other ministry anywhere else in a more modern society. I guess the need is the Gospel. Period. But there still seems to be some urgency of reaching those with less of a chance. I am in dilemma.

“I want to tell you the story of the world, which is the story of your life. Let me propose it to you as a lover proposes to a beloved” (6). This is quite a way of putting it. It definitely does seem to be the most effective. I know you can easily back it up scripturally. It really places weight on the whole ‘be holy as I am holy.’

“‘Settle for nothing less than moral and spiritual grandeur’” (7). This hit me hard with all the junk in my life. I have and am struggling with pornography and the like. Anytime I think rationally, spiritually, or biblically about sin, it is so stupid. But when the temptation is there, it is so easy to throw off holiness as meaningless. Even in other areas, why can’t I be content with being blameless before God and putting to death the deeds of the flesh? I long for it. I really do. I also do accomplish in some areas, but not all; so annoying. Then again, I know there are times when I don’t long for it. Therein lies my problem.

a letter to a friend turning 13

Dear Will,

What a glorious occasion this is to mark the first move from being a boy to a man. This marks a transition from being cared for to caring for others. You can now move to a position where more is required of you. You have more responsibility toward your family, friends, and local body of Christ. No more can those around you, in response to some childish action you do, say, “That is just Will being a boy.” You are held to a higher standard now as a young man.

Consider yourself in the stage of life where Timothy and Titus are trained for their usefulness. In a sense, you are where Lois and Eunice were training him up in the faith. This is the important step toward masculinity. In any other part of the world, you would not have this step. You would go from being a boy to a man—none of this adolescence stuff that has only been around for about seventy years. In a day, you would take on courage, valor, and strength. You may even be taken from your house, your mother, and be whisked away with other young men to the house of men. You would not be allowed to return to your house of youth. You would have to think, provide, and fend for yourself. Now, this is not going to happen, but the move, in a sense, does. You now have a sphere of responsibility, action, boldness, and humility.

Be like Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, Will—wild, but good. Make him one of your heroes. Spend time in nature. Learn how to use a knife. Continue learning how to fight and defend through martial arts. As a young man, you must fight evil. This world is full of evil—evil that kills people and societies, and evil that harms and diminishes life lived fully. The world is at most times “red-tooth and claw.” Unfortunately, the lion cannot lie down with the lamb; the lamb will be eaten. This means that Thomas Kincaid is not a good artist for this world; he only envisions heaven, and heaven is not yet come. We must keep the tension in hand that this world is both fallen and redeemed.

Recognize, also, that evil resides in you—the fleshly nature. You must know yourself. Why are you prone to certain vices? It is because of fallenness and pride. By understanding this, you can see the consequences in the world around you. Pride is the root of sin. Know pride within yourself, and you will know why men around you do what they do. You must develop discipline in your life. Know your tendency toward pride and disrespect. Know how to deal with your anger, for that is only the result of not getting your way.

Don’t see Christianity as a list of dos and don’ts. Remember you were not only saved from something (world, flesh, and the devil, hell) but toward something (life in Christ, freedom, holiness, truth, goodness, beauty, and heaven). Seek to know and act in this way, and you will, as the Psalmist says, “cleanse your path.”

Guard against to the tendency toward peer pressure. You must continue to obey your parents; honor them. Both of them. You ignore your dad; you ignore your Dad in heaven. Learn from him, and you will learn about your Father.

You must continue to read. Master English grammar (putting together sentences and making a complete thought), for this will teach you how language works. Over the next several years and once you master grammar, move to dialectic (how to make sense and form argument). Finally, understand rhetoric (how to write and speak beautifully). If you do this, you will be well on the road to changing the world.

Figure out what your name means. A name is a cup-full of meanings. You may know what your name means from a name etymology, but over time ‘Will’ takes on more meaning. Your father has named you at birth with certain intentions, but for many years now, he has been naming you by telling who are, what you can do, how to be a good child, what you’re good at, and what you’re not good at. This all becomes your identity. Will also means you’re associated with the Plyler family, but it now means you are a part of the global body of Christ. Will has come to mean a louder, witty boy at church, but also one who does well at AWANA and is on a path to sharpness, creativity, and greatness. All these meanings and associations play into the life and meaning of Will.

Now, as you enter the second stage of masculinity, there is a new meaning to your name. Your father, with this event, has knighted you with affirmation. This is another way of showing his love of you and toward you. In a sense, this signifies how God the Father affirmed his Son Jesus at his baptism: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” As a loving and respecting son, you must obey both of your fathers. This new meaning is your responsibility to cultivate.

I’m including with this letter some symbolic items to spur you on toward masculinity. Paul states that we are to be good soldiers for Christ, and at other times, he uses the analogies of a farmer, athlete, and student. All four of these examples show aspects of masculinity. The soldier fights the good fight; the farmer is a hard worker, the athlete trains day in and day out; the student mines for ideas and true knowledge that leads to wisdom and fear of the Lord. The items are yours; use them as you wish. Some are used; some are new. The carabiner represents the athlete who is a rock climber. I have had it for many years and used it for many things. The flower pot, representing the farmer, was intentionally broken to show how sometime we are broken and then built back up. God does a much better job at rebuilding than I do.:) The book of Creeds represents the centuries of the Church from the time of Paul till the present. If you know them, you will know some of the most important ideas in the history of the Church and the Faith. I also included a bookmark that advertises a need to be prepared for the ideas you will face in the world. Finally, water is one of the most important things for good health in the life of the soldier.

I love you, Will. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you. May you grow in wisdom and understanding into this new realm of life. I look forward to seeing you in the future.

Sincerely,

Your Uncle, Brother, Friend,

Jason

P.S. The Bible reading chart is self-explanatory. Upon reading those passages, you will have a working understanding of the God’s story.

shame in serenity of seasons

The weirdest sensation comes over me when I see fall leaves rustle about behind a moving vehicle. A tension rises in my soul when I walk a road through the woods and their leaves are strewn about in the wind and on the floor. Either it is that I grew up in a wood where there was no season change and nothing changed for new or death, or it reminds me that my life is still constantly changing. In the spring, I will be going to infantry school in Fort Benning, GA. On the other hand, there is a sensation of beauty and sublime that only comes in the West this time of year. Now there are some countries that in which I haven’t lived that hold this changing of seasons. However, for some reason I feel shameful for enjoying and desiring this beautiful serenity of seasons.