C.H.E. Sadaphal's Blog, page 6
July 28, 2016
EPHESIANS, COLOSSIANS & PHILEMON INTERPRETATION by RALPH P. MARTIN
The bottom line: Solid academic analysis with a preference for broad themes and teaching points.
In this commentary, Ralph Martin equips readers with a more profound and insightful understanding of three Bible books.
In Ephesians, he illuminates the cosmic, Christological dimensions of the church and how this animates the Christian life. In Colossians, he examines Paul’s argument (against heresy) that the divine Christ is the organizing principle of creation. In Philemon, he does an excellent job of depicting the social, political and theological currents that all converge in a brief but powerful chapter in the Bible. What you walk away with is the satisfaction that you have a firm sense of what the text “really means” and are able to communicate that understanding to others.
The approach that Ralph P. Martin takes in this book is to spend a significant amount of time “setting up” the formal commentary and making sure the reader is cognizant of the story behind the story on paper.
Subsequently, extrapolating general themes of the whole Bible book is usually the preferred approach of analysis as opposed to getting into the minutiae of the text. In my personal opinion, this helps to sharpen and re-focus the lens that the reader can use to exegete the text on his or her own. It also in a few instances works against the author because it may fail to give preferred attention to a unique topic. I, for example, would have like to have read more on the armor of God in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) and significantly less on the Colossian heresy, since the particular content of the heresy is not explicit in the Bible itself.
As a Bible teacher and a preacher, I certainly found the book to contain many more pearls for teaching as opposed to preaching. Especially for the commentary on Ephesians and Colossians, while the academic analysis is solid, it remains quite theological and thus isn’t necessarily readily transferable to the pulpit on Sunday. In my personal opinion, the most preachable material is located in the section on Philemon, yet for obvious reasons this section is much shorter than the rest (Philemon is one page in most Bibles).
I have read over 15 books in the Interpretation Series and the series in general is very solid. As with the other books in the series, this is not a word-for-word technical commentary.
Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon Interpretation is easy to get through and written on a very accessible level. Recommended for seminarians, preaches, teachers or anyone serious about their Bible study.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
July 21, 2016
PLATFORM: GET NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD by MICHAEL HYATT
The bottom line: Plenty of actionable advice in a very noisy book.
Platform was written based upon the premise that social media is a tool anyone can use as an accessible podium to promote a product or an idea; long gone are the days when you had to know an insider or a gatekeeper.
Subsequently, what the book ends up doing is showing you how to build your podium step-by-step. This guide is drawn by someone who has already successfully leveraged social media to carve out a particular niche and sustain a relevant voice. The only downside to all of this is that the author makes a lot of his own noise during the process.
Platform is divided into five sections: starting, preparing, building, expanding and engaging. Each revolves around a particular component of assembling your brand, so whether you are a novice or looking to rebuild you can easily pick up at any spot. The chapters were derived from blog posts so they are each no more than a few pages. Every chapter tends to provide a handful of action items so after I was done reading, I had amassed a checklist of 50-60 things that I either was lacking, never thought of, or needed to do in order to build upon my existing platform.
On a negative note, Platform is very noisy because there is a seemingly endless supply of references to external resources that the author either strongly recommends or is a “must-have.”
For the free resources, this is welcome noise, but there are so many references to paid resources that you begin to wonder if the book serves a primary purpose of being a referral base.
I couldn’t help escape the intuitive feeling that this book was designed to nudge me to buy a few more books, register for a seminar, or to pay hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars to enroll in a course.
Without a doubt, this will be a profitable resource for someone who has something to sell or to say, but people who write and speak in public will derive the most actionable advice. Of course without valuable content or a beneficial product, many of the strategies simply will not work but Platform will serve as a useful guide to get noticed.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
July 17, 2016
THE BLOG IS MOVING TO HUBPAGES (FOR NOW)
To all my subscribers:
By now you have figured out that for the past two weeks, some posts have been missing.
That’s because for now and for the foreseeable future, I will no longer be posting my typical Saturday blog on CHESadaphal.com. (The only posts that will remain exclusive to this site are the lessons from What Christians Should Know.) Instead, I will be publishing exclusive content on Hubpages, an online portal where you are free to discover original content from other people and create posts of your own called “hubs.” Hubpages is 100% free to use. The site also has topical forums and question-and-answer threads where you can choose a topic of your liking and exchange ideas with people from all over the world.
I have been on Hubpages for a few weeks, and it is a great place to engage with like-minded people or to participate in a spirited debate with those who do not share your viewpoints. I often find myself in the “Religion and Philosophy” areas, and you would be surprised how many divergent ideas and doctrines exist among people who classify themselves as “Christian.” You’d also be very surprised at how many people who label themselves atheist or agnostic aren’t hostile to the idea at all—they simply are not fans of the people and institutions who have hurt them in God’s name.
To get things started, you can click here to begin reading a hub on “How to know God’s Will.” For those who have subscribed for a while, this expands upon the section on God’s will that I wrote about in the WCSK lesson on prayer. In this fresh, new hub you will find much more practical information and helpful infographics.
So once again I invite everyone to check out Hubpages. Once you are there follow me and let me know you have transitioned over. I look forward to seeing you there!
P.S. The book reviews will continue for now.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
July 14, 2016
FREE WILL by SAM HARRIS
The bottom line: A provocative book that grows the intellectual imagination while also dismissing reason to reach desired conclusions.
In my view, this is an extremely rare and unique book because it manages to do two contradictory things quite well.
On the one hand, Free Will brilliantly engages all of your mental faculties in order to illuminate and alternative perception that will most certainly persuade you to view the world, people, society and ethics differently. On the other hand, the author’s same sharp intelligence often abandons reason and takes a leap of faith into the realm assumption to draw some troublesome and destructive conclusions.
The main argument of the book is that free will is an illusion. This assertion is based on scientific evidence that reveals physical, biological activity in our brain which precedes conscious thought and behavior. Resultantly, while we may “feel” as if we are making a choice, this choice is the result of background phenomena that we are neither aware of nor over which we exert any control. Essentially then, we are passive, biochemical drones that succumb to the whims of neurons firing in our brains. Positively, this does persuade us to embrace science in how we think, for example, about social Darwinism and how justice is employed.
A paramount question then becomes where these unconscious background phenomena come from (and how they develop and why they develop), and this is where Harris jumps from what is known and can be readily tested into speculation: that is, because these background phenomena are “perfectly mysterious” and difficult to map to reality, then we should just stick with what we can presently quantify and disregard what informs what we are largely ignorant about.
I found this approach puzzling from an author with such a high intellectual standard. Mystery should not persuade conjecture but should compel us to keep on investigating and searching for clarity. Is that not the rational thing to do?
Of course, investing in the illusion of free will is a gamble that carries with it stakes that are very, very high.
So in a negative sense, one of the ultimate conclusions of Free Will is subjective morality where responsibility is contingent upon the biochemical makeup of the mind, and moral institutions fade because people aren’t actively choosing to do something “right” or “wrong.”
And while I wholeheartedly agree with Harris that illusionary free will does not force us to abandon our treasured social and political freedoms, I also have to admit—based on the logic the book presents—that our sense of freedom and morality are meaningless side effects of the felt illusion of neurotransmitters hopping within our skulls.
Ultimately, I think this book is a worthwhile read. Of course, many will disagree (or simply just feel uncomfortable) will many of the conclusions, but some of the truths clearly and succinctly described by Harris are worth contemplation. Although this book is short (the main text is less than 70 pages), the writing style is very dense so this is by no means a quick read. If for nothing else, Free Will provides much fuel for smart debate and the development of mature ideas.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
July 7, 2016
THE TRUE INTJ by TRUITY
The bottom line: For INTJs, become more self-aware and feel confident knowing how to win life.
Knowing yourself is a crucial component of maximizing your potential, and if you are an INTJ, The True INTJ will provide you with a well-defined picture of who you are, how you think, how you relate to people, and the optimal environments in which you excel.
Of course, this book is not for everyone, but if you are an Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judgmental (one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types) this book is a valuable resource that will likely yield dividends well into the future. Being an INTJ, what this book taught me the most are the unique ways in which I perceive and interact with the world, thus equipping me with the right language to express this perspective to others and maximize what I do best to shape my own path.
The True INTJ has chapters titled, “The Inner Lives of INTJs” (this is important because there is a lot going on in our minds), “INTJs in Relationships,” “INTJs at Work,” and “INTJs and Development.” These chapters answer crucial questions such as what motivates and guides INTJs, ideal performance environments, why they prefer autonomy, strengths, weaknesses, and tasks for self-improvement.
The book even provides a sample list of careers for consideration. So essentially, whether you are a teenager wondering what to do with life, a middle-aged manager contemplating how to best lead your team, or an elderly person reflecting on the life, this book will have something for you.
This succinct booklet is noticeably brief but doesn’t waste time with fluff or filler material. It gets straight to the point and delivers clear, actionable advice as well as plenty of points of reflection. Likely, most readers will get through the book in one sitting but will refer back to The True INTJ as they begin dating, progress in relationships and their career, and make strides in their life in general. A must-read for all “masterminds” and “architects.”
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
July 1, 2016
CAN EVOLUTION EXPLAIN MORALITY?
This week’s post is a follow-up to a discussion that I started on Hubpages.
Recently, while reading The Magic of Reality (2012) by Richard Dawkins, I came upon this interesting proclamation in the chapter titled, “Why Do Bad Things Happen?”:
“Bad things happen because things happen. Whether they are bad or good from our point of view doesn’t influence how likely it is that they will happen. Some people find it hard to accept this. They’d prefer to think that sinners get their comeuppance, that virtue is rewarded. Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t care what people prefer.”
So yes, as harsh as it sounds, the universe is indifferent to humankind. It is without emotion, has no sense of right and wrong, and is without the ability to be concerned for life. Let us, then, take this observation and apply it to how Darwin’s evolutionary theory possibly interacts with human morality. The question that puzzles my mind is, “How can natural selection and the raw materials of an indifferent universe be able to facilitate the evolution of human beings who do, in fact, have morals—or, at minimum, have a basic sense of right and wrong?”
Certainly, using Mr. Dawkins’s logic, a very easy answer would be to say that because the universe does not concern itself with this question, neither should we. The only problem with this line of thinking, however, is that we all know morality is real because we can experience it using our senses—one of the best gauges of what is real in the first place. And what do our senses, based on real experience and evidence, tell us? That some things are inherently better to do than others (e.g., giving a stray cat a cup of milk instead of poking it with a knife). When faced with a moral dilemma, we feel internal angst and tension. This tension persuades us either to act or not to act. Morality, then, is so real that it can change how we behave or even what we intend to do. And indeed, there are non-biological (and therefore non-evolutionary) reasons to behave or not to behave in certain ways: legal consequences, group identity, and peer shame are a few examples. Here, I am more concerned with the core (and relatively static) essence of morality that people tend to share across time and culture (e.g., that taking innocent life is wrong).
So, natural selection works with uninterested building blocks to assemble interested beings in a universe that doesn’t give a toss. The world is independent of my wishes or will, which is why the sun will rise tomorrow regardless of whether I want it to or not. I may have a psychological need for the sun to rise and a logical basis for it to rise (because, for me, it has happened every day for the past thirty-five years), but the universe still does not care. The event may happen or not happen exclusive of my preference. If I harmed someone or saved someone’s life, the universe does not care. I may have a psychological need for my actions to be “bad” or “good,” or a logical yearning for good works to “count” for something, but the universe still does not care.
The bedrock of science is the derivation of rules and laws from the observation of the universe using human senses or senses augmented by instruments. So, if the rules of the universe inform us that, ultimately, it does not care, nor does it assign fault or virtue, does this mean that our morality is meaningless? Because if the universe does deem it so, are we not then forced to engage in an irresolvable dilemma in which our senses tell us that what is, in fact, real (morality) is not, in fact, worth anything? Does this persuade us to challenge our senses or the model that ascribes value to reality using our senses? Or both?
Ultimately, all of these questions cannot be logically resolved using naturalism because the answer that is derived is senseless—it requires human beings to reject their physical senses as hollow while relying on those same senses in order to ascertain what is real. An argument in favor of worthless reality is put forth by Sam Harris in his 2012 book Free Will. Here, the author boils down our felt experiences of conscious choices into seemingly random, impersonal, physical events in the brain. So while we may feel as if we are making choices, in fact, what we do (and think) is predetermined by subliminal neurochemical phenomena. So, as the author posits, free will is an illusion. It naturally follows, then, that if we cannot trust what happens in our own heads, then what anyone thinks or believes cannot be trusted either.
So can evolution explain morality? No, at least as it pertains to objective morality. Plausibly, it can “produce” subjective morality, which, as I’ve now described, has no real meaning. Here, morality is simply an illusion that is the by-product of indifferent neurons firing in our brains, and just like the universe, those neurons have no interest in what is right and wrong. Hence, within the natural world, all existence and happening is accidental. For morality to have any value, that value must be assigned, and that assignment comes from outside the realm of naturalism. Outside the realm of naturalism lies supernaturalism, where morality is now non-accidental and has a legitimate, inherent value. Supernaturalism validates the sense of right and wrong that everyone has written on their consciences, and no one ought to reject his or her felt tension when navigating a moral dilemma.
So indeed, evolution cannot explain morality because morality is transcendent.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
June 30, 2016
THE MAGIC OF REALITY by RICHARD DAWKINS
The bottom line: A book that is “magical” when it sticks to objective science and quite ordinary when it dives into subjective opinion.
At its core, The Magic of Reality successfully accomplishes what it sets out to do: take a broad approach to clearly explain natural phenomenon and clarify what makes the world work the way that it does. Yet ironically, the book’s purity becomes tainted when it acts quite unlike a scientist and delves into the realm of subjective speculation to answer questions where the scientific evidence isn’t as compelling.
The Magic of Reality begins with a chapter titled, “What is Reality? What is Magic?” which sets the rules for how we ought to determine what is true. This is based on our senses, evidence, and scientific models that both make reality-predictions and are dynamic in order to accommodate new information. Resultantly, the author affirms that “how we know what’s really true” is based on a system that is neither infallible nor does it offer exact explanations for everything that can be observed.
The book then proceeds to answer several pressing questions. Chapters such as “What are Things Made of?”, “What is a Rainbow?” and “What is the Sun?” offer illuminating and simple explanations to explain everyday observations. Dawkins excels at using practical language and illustrating concrete examples. Other chapters such as “Why do Bad Things Happen?” provide answers, but those answers ends up being wholly unsatisfying.
Apart from the frequent unwelcome detours, I think anyone who is genuinely curious and wants an easy-to-read scientific elucidation of the wonders of science will find much value in this book. And, even though The Magic of Reality clocks in at just over 250 pages, it is an extraordinarily quick read that will not in any way slow you down with overly technical jargon or complicated vernacular.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
June 24, 2016
June 23, 2016
THE SABBATH by ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL
The bottom line: A paradigm-shifting look into the holiness of time that illuminates an alternative, theocentric reality.
The Sabbath seeks to find meaning of the weekly celebration for the servant of The Lord in a contemporary setting. This quest does not inject new meaning into the observance but persuades readers to take a step back and earnestly contemplate how an eternal God invites those whom He loves to sanctify time, who in turn therefore demonstrate their love for God.
In my opinion, the greatest value of this book is that it challenges you to rethink the reality you have become accustomed to and to scrutinize the assumptions that animate the spiritual status quo. The modern world focuses its attention on gaining more space—that is, things that occupy literal space such as money, land and resources—yet time is what stands above that space. The realm of space turns people and things into commodities. The realm of time invites people to simply be and begins to understand the vast ocean of limitless time that characterizes God. The book elucidates that an eternal God made a certain segment of time holy, and thus explains how we can build a sanctuary of time—a figurative structure concerned with internal convictions and sacred moments that is separate and distinct from a world of outward possessions.
The Sabbath certainly is not a book that prescribes specific behaviors, nor does it burden the reader with endless spiritual rules for Sabbath observance. Rather, it equips the reader in the process of formation so that proper meaning and understanding can be found. It is from this stance that individuals are left to decide how to execute their Sabbath freedom.
Despite the fact that this book is written from the Jewish perspective, Heschel draws upon timeless Biblical truth in order to make readers aware of God’s imperative in drawing our attention to an alternative consciousness. Hence, as a Christian and one who instructs others in Christian doctrine, The Sabbath is readily applicable to contemporary Christianity and will certainly act as a catalyst to in the transformative process that God orchestrates in our lives. It re-centers readers on the peace found in God in the midst of a distracting world—a focus similar, for example, to books such as Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination and Sabbath as Resistance.
Read this book in order to be enlightened, inspired, and energized by a revolutionary new theological imagination.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
