Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 205
June 29, 2018
A God Who Listens
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
I sometimes joke that when we talk to God, secular people call that prayer, but when God talks to us, they call it psychosis. While Christians are accustomed to God answering prayer, one of the most astonishing attributes of God is that he listens. For example, in the Book of Judges we read:
“And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand.” (Jdg 3:7-10)
Pattern in Judges
Brueggemann (2016, 59) records this pattern: “(1) doing evil, (2) angering YHWH enough to produce historical subjugation, (3) crying to the Lord in need, and (4) raising up a deliverer.” Crying out to the Lord may seem like a strange prayer, but the point is that God listens to people in their suffering, even when it is well-deserved. As the Apostle Paul writes: ”God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)
Why does this hearing attribute of God astonish us? Well, if you do not believe that God exists or that he exists but is aloof (only transcendent), then God’s attentiveness comes as a complete surprise—why would an almighty God pay attention to an insignificant, little me? The short answer is that he loves you—enough to die for you—like a parent loves their child because you are created in his image.
Biblical Accountability
God’s willingness to listen also denotes accountability, as we read:
“You shall not wrong a sojourner [immigrant] or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” (Exod 22:21-27)
Mistreating the immigrant, the widow, the orphan, or the poor can evoke the wrath of a listening and compassionate God. Note the penalty for mistreating widows and orphans—you will die by sword and your wives and children will suffer without you. Thus, we see that ignoring God does not imply that you can do anything that you want.
The pattern in the Book of Judges is especially interesting because we read: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Jdg 17:6) This description might equally apply to our own times.
Modern Examples of Accountability?
Modern example of this accountability might be found in the life of Friedrich Nietzsche, who could described as the patron saint of postmodernism. Nietzche, the son of a pastor, philosophied that “God is dead,” which implied that the Christian foundations of Western morality no longer had any relevance (Hendricks 2018). His work served as the philosophical foundation of the Third Reiche in Germany and communism throughout the world. Both atheist regimes brought about enormous suffering particularly through the Second World War, but also through concentration camps and widespread starvation, even as we witness today in North Korea.1
Could the defeat of Nazi Germany (1945) and the collapse of communism with the fall fo the Berlin Wall (1989) be viewed as the wrath of God being poured out because of the suffering caused? Was Nietzche’s own insanity2 (1889) a random events?
Personally, I think that we serve a God who listens.
References
Brueggemann, Walter. 2016. Money and Possessions. Interpretation series. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Hendricks, Scotty. 2018. “God Is Dead: What Nietzsche Really Meant.” Online: http://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/what-nietzsche-really-meant-by-god-is-dead. Accessed: June 8.
McGrath, Alister. 2004. The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. New York: DoubleDay.
Footnotes
1 While some see atheism still on the march, Alister McGrath (2004, 1) dates the heyday of atheism from the fall of the Bastille (1789) to the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989).
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedri....
A God Who Listens
Also see:
A Roadmap of Simple Faith
Christian Spirituality
Looking Back
A Place for Authoritative Prayer
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Hebrew_Heart
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June 26, 2018
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 2
Michael W. Cuneo. 2001. American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty. New York: DoubleDay.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
In 2012 as a chaplain intern, the social worker that I worked most closely with referred me to an eighty-year old resident in the retirement center who was bed-ridden. After several visits, the woman confided with me that her dead mother occasionally visited and warned her that she could not trust her siblings in dealing with the estate. Proud of these visits, she broke off contact with her siblings and found herself alone in this world.
Interns are normally expected to be little more a comforting presence and the woman was too old for a psychiatric referral so I decided on a pastoral approach. Because she professed to be a good Baptist, I asked if she was aware that the Bible teaches that the dead are not supposed to talk to the living and vice-versa.Because of the obvious harm perpetrated by this lingering spirit, I advised her: “The next time that your mother visits, ask her—what are doing here?”
In part one of this review, I present an overview of Cuneo’s book. Here in part two, I will examine key issues that he raises about the practice of exorcism.
What is an Exorcism?
Cuneo writes:
“The rite of exorcism itself, according to [Malachi] Martin, is also a process consisting of several more or less distinct stages. At the outset the priest-exorcist is forced to contend with the pretense, a baffling (and sometimes protracted) state in which the demonic present attempts to disguise its true identity and intentions. The breakdown occurs when the demon abandons subterfuge and begins to speak in its own voice; and during the next stage—what Martin refers to as the clash—the exorcist and demon become locked in a harrowing contest of wills for the soul of the possessed. Finally, if everything goes according to plan, the process concludes with the expulsion of the demonic presence.”(20)
Martin was a “breakaway”Jesuit and the author of numerous books, especially Hostage to the Devil. The formal process of exorcism in the Catholic church is found in the Roman Ritual (259-260), which is a formal ceremony requiring the services of a priest and normally requires the approval of a bishop. Outside the Catholic church, exorcism can take a number of forms when performed by Pentecostals, Charismatics, and other Evangelicals as Cuneo chronicles. Muslims and Jews also practice exorcism, but Cuneo limits his research to practices among white American Christians (xiv).
The Issue of Transcendence
The strong influence of secular atheism on the institutional church in our time questions all references to transcendence in scripture and church life. If the physical world is all there is, then how can spiritual beings, such as angels and demons, even exist? Cuneo reports:
“The rite of exorcism, in fact, is the only Catholic rite in which the officiating priest is advised to take an initial stance of incredulity. Rather than assuming possession straightway and proceeding with an exorcism, the priest is supposed to rule out all other possibilities—from organic disorder to psychological pathology to outright fraud.”(12)
The level of skepticism after the Second Vatican Council that Cuneo reports that: “As recently as the mid-nineties here was only one officially appointed priest-exorcist in the entire country…”(257) Informally, however, some priests have always quietly performed exorcisms and some Evangelical groups treat demonic oppression (not formal possession) as a common problem. The most common response of liberal Protestants and Catholics, however, is to view a request for exorcism as akin to requesting a psychiatric referral.
Cuneo’s Experience
In Cuneo’s experience, having observed more than fifty exorcisms, he reports:
“Some of the people who showed up for exorcisms seemed deeply troubled, some mildly troubled, and some hardly troubled at all. The symptoms they complained of—the addictions and compulsions, the violent mood swings, the blurred self-identities, the disturbing visions and somatic sensations—all of this seemed to me fully explainable in social, cultural, medical, and psychological terms…The same with the antics I sometimes witnessed while the exorcisms were actually taking place, the flailing and slithering, the shrieking and moaning, the grimacing and growling—none of this, insofar as I could tell, suggested the presence of demons.”(275-276)
He suggested that exorcism may have a kind of placebo effect (277).
Assessment
Michael Cuneo’s American Exorcism is a fascinating read. His story telling, literature review, and personal interviews surpass anything that I have read about exorcism practices. The more typical author writing in this genre focuses on their own methods and experiences, which leaves the reader wondering whether the author’s work is typical, reliable, authoritative. Practitioners may find helpful advice owning to the wide scope of Cuneo’s work. In any case, Cuneo writes from the perspective of a skeptical Jesuit with a background in sociology. And that’s okay.
References
Marin, Malachi. 1976. Hostage to the Devil. New York: Reader’s Digest Press.
Montenegro, Marcia. 2006. Spellbound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids. Colorado Springs: Life Journey.
Footnotes
Deut 18:10-12 (Montenegro 2006, 26). Also: 1 Sam 28.
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 2
Also see:
A Place for Authoritative Prayer
Wicks Seeks Availability Deepens Faith
Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Hebrew_Heart
The post Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 2 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
June 25, 2018
Monday Monologues: More Caught than Taught, June 25, 2018 (podcast)
Stephen W. Hiemstra, 2017By Stephen W. Hiemstra
In today’s podcast, I share a sermon, More Caught than Taught, translated from the Spanish (Más Atrapado Que Enseñado)
To listen, click on the link below.
After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
https://t2pneuma.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Monday_monologues_sermon_caught_taught_06252018-62118-2.50-PM.mp3
Monday Monologues: More Caught than Taught, June 25, 2018 (podcast)
Also see:
Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Hebrew_Heart
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June 24, 2018
Prayer Against Dark Shadows
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty Father,
We praise you for your love in creating us in your image,
confess that we are unworthy of this high honor, and
thank you for the faith that you have given us to endure suffering knowing that until you return in glory “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3-4 ESV).
Knowing also that for those whose faith is weak you are ever-present and offer us dominion over every creeping thing (Gen 1:28),
we claim this promise in the strong name of Jesus Christ,
who died on the cross and was raised from the dead.
In Jesus’ name, we bind every dark shadow,
break the power of every curse, every abuse, every evil thought, and
cast every spirit of self-destruction and resignation into the fiery pit.
We raise up the cross and say: no more, be gone.
Fill every heart with your Holy Spirit, that life might echo your joy, your light,
and every child confess that Jesus is Lord until you return in glory.
In his holy name, Amen.
Prayer Against Dark Shadows
Also see:
Giving Thanks
A Place for Authoritative Prayer
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Hebrew_Heart
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June 22, 2018
Sermon: More Caught than Taught
Stephen W. Hiemstra, 2017By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Sermon presented in Spanish at El Shadai, Manassas, Virginia, June 21, 2018. (Sermón: Más Atrapado Que Enseñado)
Prelude
Good evening. For those who do not know me, my name is Stephen W. Hiemstra. I am a volunteer pastor and Christian author. My wife, Maryam, and I live in Centreville, Virginia and we have three grown children.
Today we continue our study about co-workers in evangelism. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. And Christians we know that we can best bless others when we share the Gospel through our daily lives.
Prayer
Let’s pray.
Almighty Father:
We praise you for creating us in your image and love us as your children. Be especially present with us in this time and place. In the power of your Holy Spirit, bless our praise and send your Holy Spirit ahead of us as we extend your light in the Georgetown South Community. In the precious name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Scripture
Today’s scripture lesson comes from the Book of Genesis 12:1-3. Hear the word of the Lord:
“Now the LORD said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3 ESV)
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Introduction
Which of you have had mysterious problems with your computer or, perhaps, your telephone?
This past week as I was writing this sermon, my system began, without any input on my part, to use a different keyboard, the international standard, ISO, when in the USA the ANSI standard is normally used. After three or four hours of research, I could not correct the problem. It is difficult to change the default configuration of this system because at this point I am not an expert in this field.
Because we have complex personalities, we also have default configurations. (2X) It is difficult to change them, even when we do not want to accept our default configurations. Our default configurations consist of our daily habits and hopefully of our Sunday habits (Smith).
In the writing of the Apostle Paul, this is the difference between the new person in Christ and the old person of the fleshly nature. (2 Cor 5:17) Our default configuration is exactly the same concept as Paul’s old person of nature. This was the source of much pain for Paul, as he wrote: “Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Rom 7:20 ESV) But, our hope arise because we were created in the image of God and want to become like God in Jesus Christ, our role model.
Today’s Scripture
We are blessed to bless others (2X, McDonald)
We discover this concept of blessings in the covenant of Abram and God in Genesis 12:1-3. This covenant is interesting because Abram needed to leave his family, his tribe, and his country—all the sources of security—at a time when the world was very dangerous. And for the most part, Abram never experienced the promises of God during his life. (2X) He traveled around the Promised Land, observed it, and was buried there. It is like being promised a barbecue to receive only the sweet aroma of it. Yet, “he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6 ESV) We receive the same promises of God through Abram and we need to bless others, exactly the same as Abram.
How do we know this? We know it because we are created in the image o God and Christ has told us: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (2X; John 20:21 ESV)
We are blessed to bless others (2X)
More Observations
For many years it has been said that Christianity is more caught than taught (2X). At lease three stories make this point.
The first story concerns the first letter of Peter, where the most famously quoted verse is: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15 ESV) The thing is that the rest of the book focuses on lifestyle evangelism, as it says.
“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Pet 2:12 ESV)
Works like hospitality speak directly to the heart without words. As you know, works speak louder than words alone. (2X)
The second story arose in the fourth century when we see that Saint Patrick was famous as the first successful evangelist in Ireland. His success was not anticipated because Patrick, as a teenager sixteen year old, was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. For the next six years he worked as a slave caring for his master’s cattle in the Irish wilderness. Later, he escaped and traveled to France to study to become a priest. Much later, he returned to Ireland as Bishop and evangelized the Irish out of love for them. His love of the Irish was obvious and his evangelism focused on offering hospitality. In the end, Patrick and his companions planted more than 700 churches in Ireland (Hunter).
The third story is more recent. In the city of Rio de Janeiro there are many young people caught up in the gangs of the drug culture. In Brazil they call young people with mixed blood (blacks and Indians) as the “killable people.” Many of them die from the violence, but those that survive and are incarcerated by the police don’t have much hope. In the jails, the police do not feed them or offer medical care. For the most part, the gangs control daily life in the prisons. In this hellish world, there are few visitors, not even Christians, but those that come are mostly Pentecostals who provide food, medicine, and worship services. As a consequence, the gangs respect the Pentevcostals, providing security for their services and allowing young people who really come to Christ to leave the gangs (2X; Johnson)—the only option other than a body bag.
As we have seen, hospitality can be more than just food. In these stories, it can be a faith journey.
Summary
Finally, we are blessed to be a blessing to others. Because our blessing is Christ Jesus, when we share the evangelism in our daily life, we bless others most effectively. After all, the Gospel is more caught than taught.
Prayer
Let’s pray.
Holy Father,
Thank you for your forgiveness and your presence in our daily lives. In the power of your Holy Spirit, grant us strength for life and the wisdom to share your living Gospel. In the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
References
Hunter, George G. III. 2000. The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
Johnson, Andrew. 2017. If I Give My Soul: Faith Behind Bars in Rio de Janeiro. New York: Oxford. (Review)
Suzanne McDonald. 2010. Re-Imaging Election: Divine Election as Representing God to Others & Others to God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. (Review)
Smith, James K. A. 2016. You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, Grand Rapids: Brazos Press. (review part 1; part 2 ).
Sermon: More Caught than Taught
Also see:
Blackaby Expects Answers to Prayer
Christian Spirituality
Looking Back
Other ways to connect:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Transcendence_2018
The post Sermon: More Caught than Taught appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
June 21, 2018
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 1
Michael W. Cuneo. 2001. American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty. New York: DoubleDay.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
The Exorcist, a 1973 film by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, came out during my freshman year in college and I saw it by myself about a year later. I remember the profanity, the projectile vomitting, the crawling around on the ceiling, and the two priests sprinkling holy water and offering incantations. I also remember the ending and the staircase in Georgetown, which still gives me the creeps every time I drive down Canal Road. After the film, I shook with fear all night—I still do not enjoy going to the theater alone.
Introduction
In his book, American Exorcism, Michael Cuneo writes:
“American Exorcism is based on my personal interviews with exorcists and their clients, and my firsthand observation of more than fifty exorcisms…My primary concern is with exorcism as it’s practiced among mainstream, predominantly middle-class Christians—the white-bread sector of American society…I am concerned simply with assessing the cultural significance of exorcism-related beliefs and practices in the contemporary United States, not with passing judgment on their ultimate validity.” (xiv)
Cuneo teaches sociology and anthropology at Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York.
The Backstory on The Exorcist
Cuneo begins his research on exorcism by summarizing the backstory on Blatty’s film. The exorcism recounted in the film took place, reported in a Washington Post article in August 1949 (Brinkely) and involved an unidentified, fourteen-year-old boy from Mount Rainer tormented by bizarre phenomena:
“There were scratchings and rappings on his bedroom walls, pieces of fruit and other objects were sent flying in his presence, and his bed mysteriously gyrated across the floor while he tried to sleep.” (5-6)
The parents took the boy to a Protestant minister, but as things worsened they brought him to the Jesuits who had him medically and psychologically evaluated and placed under around-the-clock observation. After no natural causes found, a Jesuit priest was assigned who performed more than twenty exorcisms in Washington and St. Louis. In all but the last of these, the WP reported:
“The boy broke into a violent tantrum of screaming, cursing, and voicing of Latin phrase—a language he had never studied—whenever the priest reached those climatic points of the 27-page [exorcism] ritual in which he commanded the demon to depart.” (6)
After a two-month ordeal, the symptoms disappeared and the boy’s health returned. (5-6) Blatty later sought instruction on the Catholic church’s teaching with respect to demons and tracked down a diary kept by the priest who assisted in these exorcisms, which became background for his film. (6-7)
The film itself raised awareness of the practice of exorcism within the Catholic church and, according to Cuneo, portrayed the priest in a new light as the hero-priest, who placed his own life on the line to rescue those trapped under the influence of Satan. After the reforms under the Second Vatican Council, the priesthood itself badly needed the status upgrade that exorcism provided. (4-5)
Organization
Cuneo writes in sixteen chapters, preceded by acknowledgments and an introduction and followed by conclusions, notes, and an index. These chapters are further divided into these six parts:
The Exorcist as Hero
Entrepreneurs of Exorcism
Charismatic Deliverance Ministry
The Rough-and-Ready School
The Rise of Evangelical Deliverance
Roman Catholic Exorcism (vii-viii)
What is interesting here is that Cuneo explores a wide-range of exorcism practices across different denominations and faith groups.To my knowledge, no one else has written this kind of comprehensive overview of exorcism practices in America through literature review, case studies, interviews, and eye-witness reporting of exorcisms.
Assessment
In part one of this review, I present an overview of Cuneo’s book. In part two, I will examine key issues that he raises about the practice of exorcism.
Michael Cuneo’s American Exorcism is a fascinating read. His story telling, literature review, and personal interviews surpass anything that I have read about exorcism practices. The more typical author writing in this genre focuses on their own methods and experiences, which leaves the reader wondering whether the author’s work is typical, reliable, authoritative. Practitioners may find helpful advice owning to the wide scope of Cuneo’s work. In any case, Cuneo writes from the perspective of a skeptical Jesuit with a background in sociology. And that’s okay.
References
Blatty, William Peter. 1974. William Peter Blatty on ‘The Exorcist’ from Novel to Film. New York: Bantam Books.
Brinkley, Bill. 1949. “Priest Frees Mt. Rainers Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.” Washington Post, August 20. (Cited in Blatty 1974).
Footnotes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exo....
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 1
Also see:
A Place for Authoritative Prayer
Wicks Seeks Availability Deepens Faith
Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Transcendence_2018
The post Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 1 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
Sermón: Más Atrapado Que Enseñado
Stephen W. Hiemstra, 2017Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Sermón presentó por El Shadai, Manassas, Virginia, 21 de junio, 2018.
Preludio
Buenos tardes. Para aquellos que no me conocen, me llama Stephen W. Hiemstra. Soy pastor voluntario y autor cristiano. Mi esposa, Maryam, y yo vivimos in Centreville, Virginia y tenemos tres hijos crecidos.
Hoy día continuamos nuestro estudio sobre colaboradores en el evangelio. Somos bendecido para bendice los demás. Y como cristianos sabemos que bendecimos los demás lo más mayor cuando compartimos el evangelio por medio de nuestras vidas de cada día.
Oración
Vamos a orar.
Padre Todopoderoso,
Alabamos que creaste nos en tu imagen y ama nos como tus niños. Sea especialmente presente con nosotros en este tiempo y este lugar. En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, bendice nuestra alabanza y manda tu Espíritu Santo a ir antes nuestros esfuerzos a extender tu luz aquí en el pueblo Georgetown South. En el precioso nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Escritura
El texto de hoy viene del libro de Génesis 12:1-3. Escuchan a la palabra de Dios.
El SEÑOR le dijo a Abram: «Deja tu tierra, tus parientes y la casa de tu padre, y vete a la tierra que te mostraré. Haré de ti una nación grande, y te bendeciré; haré famoso tu nombre, y serás una bendición. Bendeciré a los que te bendigan y maldeciré a los que te maldigan; ¡por medio de ti serán bendecidas todas las familias de la tierra!» (Gen 12:1-3 NVI)
La palabra del Señor. Gracias a Dios.
Introducción
¿Quien de ustedes han tenido problemas misteriosos por tu computador o, tal vez, tu teléfono?
Esta semana pasada cuando empiece a escribir este sermón, mi sistema comenzó, sin cualquiera entrada de mi, a usar un teclado diferente, la estándar internacional, ISO, cuando en USA normalmente se use ANSI estándar. Después tres o cuatro horas de investigaciones, no pude corregir este problema. Es muy difícil a cambiar la configuración predeterminada de este sistema por causa que en este tiempo ya no soy experto en este campo.
Como personas muy complexo, tenemos también configuraciones predeterminadas. (2X) Por que es difícil a cambiarlos, aun cuando no queremos aceptar nuestras configuraciones. Tus configuraciones predeterminadas consisten de sus habitudes de cada día y ojalá de cada domingo (Smith).
En el escrito del Apóstalo Pablo, este es la diferencia entre la nueva persona en Cristo y la vieja persona de la naturaleza (2 Cor 5:17). Nuestras configuraciones predeterminadas son exactamente este mismo concepto de la vieja persona de la naturaleza de Pablo. Por que este fue un causo de mucha pena en la vida de él. Pablo escritó: “Y si hago lo que no quiero, ya no soy yo quien lo hace sino el pecado que habita en mí.” (Rom 7:20) Pero, nuestra esperanza viene por que fuimos crecido en la imagen de Dios y querremos estar como Dios en Cristo, nuestro modelo.
Escritura de Hoy
Somos bendecido a bendice los demás. (2X, McDonald)
Encontramos este concepto de bendiciones en el pacto entre Abram y Dios. Esto es interesante por que Abram necesitaba salir su familia, su tribu, y su país—todas las fuentes de seguridad—a un tiempo cuando el mundo allí fue muy peligroso. Y por lo mayor parte, Abram nunca experienció las promesas de Dios durante su vida. (2X) El viajaba rededor la Tierra Prometida, vi lo, y fue enterrado allí. Es como estar prometido una barbacuá para recibir sólo el dulce aroma de la misma. Pero, “Abram creyó al SEÑOR, y el SEÑOR lo reconoció a él como justo.” (Gen 15:6) Recibimos las mismas promesas de Dios por media de Abram y también necesitamos bendecir los demás, exacto como Abram.
¿Para que sabemos esto? Por que fuimos creado en la imagen de Dios y Cristo nos dijó: “Como el Padre me envió a mí, así yo los envío a ustedes.” (2X; Juan 20:21)
Somos bendecido a bendice los demás. (2X)
Más Observaciones
Durante muchos anos se observe que el cristianismo es más atrapado que enseñado. (2X) Al menos que tres historias muestran este principio.
La primera historia aparece en el premier libro de Pedro, donde lo más famoso versículo es:“Estén siempre preparados para responder a todo el que les pida razón de la esperanza que hay en ustedes.” (1 Pet 3:15) Pero todo el libro enfoque en el viviendo evangelio, como se dice:
“Mantengan entre los incrédulos una conducta tan ejemplar que, aunque los acusen de hacer el mal, ellos observen las buenas obras de ustedes y glorifiquen a Dios en el día de la salvación.”(1 Pet 2:12)
Obras como hospitalidad habla directamente al corazón sin palabras. Como sabemos, obras hablan más fuerte que palabras. (2X) La secunda historia surgió en el siglo cuatro cuando vimos que San Patricio fue famoso como el primer evangelista exitoso en Irlanda. Su éxito no fue anticipado porque Patricio como joven de dieciséis años fue secuestrado por piratas irlandeses por su hogar en Britania y fue vendido como esclavo en Irlanda. Por seis años trabajó como esclavo en el campo cuidando bovinos para su maestre. Después, el escapo y fui a Francia para estudiar a ser sacerdote. Más tarde, regresó a Irlanda como bispo y evangelió los irlandeses por su amor de ellos. Su amor para la gente irlandeses fue obvio y su evangelismo enfoqué por la hospitalidad. Por fin, San Patricio y sus compañeros plantaron más que siete cien iglesias en Irlanda (Hunter).
La tercera historia es más reciente. En la cuidad de Rio de Janeiro hay muchos jóvenes que toda su vida es atrapado en la cultura de pandillas de drogas. En Brasil se llamada estos jóvenes de sangre mezclas como seres matáves(o seres sacrificable). Muchos de estos jóvenes muertan por causa de la violencia asociada de ellas, pero los jóvenes que sobrevivir y están encarcelados por las policías tampoco no tenían muchas esperanzas. En las encarcelados las policías no proveer alimentos, tampoco cuidado medicales y por lo mayor tienen las pandillas control de la vida cotidiarias entre los encarcelados. En este mundo de infierno se encuentran pocos visitantes. Por lo mayor de los cristianos son pentecostales que proveer alimentos, medicinas, y servicios de alabanza. Allí, las pandillas respeto los pentecostales, proveer seguridad para sus servicios y permitan los jóvenes que realmente llegan a cristo a dejar las pandillas (2X)—lo único otra opción para dejar las pandillas es muerte. (Johnson)
Como nos hemos visto, hospitalidad pueda ser más que unos alimentos. En tal maniera, pueda estar un camino a Dios.(2X)
Resumen
Por última, somos bendecido a bendice los demás. Por que nuestra bendición es Cristo, cuando nosotros compartimos el evangelio entre nuestras vidas de cada día bendecimos los demás más efectivo. Por que el evangelio es más atrapado que enseñado.
Oración
Oramos.
Padre santo,
Gracias por tu perdón y por tu presencia en nuestras vidas cotidiaria. En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, darnos esfuerzo para la vida y la sabiduría a compartir tu viviendo evangelio. En el preciso nombre de Jesucristo. Amen.
Referencias
Hunter, George G. III. 2000. The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
Johnson, Andrew. 2017. If I Give My Soul: Faith Behind Bars in Rio de Janeiro. New York: Oxford. (Review)
Suzanne McDonald. 2010. Re-Imaging Election: Divine Election as Representing God to Others & Others to God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. (Review)
Smith, James K. A. 2016. You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, Grand Rapids: Brazos Press. (review part 1; part 2 ).
Sermón: Más Atrapado Que Enseñado
Vea también:
Blackaby Expects Answers to Prayer
Christian Spirituality
Looking Back
Otras maneras de conectar:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Transcendence_2018
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June 19, 2018
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 1
Michael W. Cuneo. 2001. American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty. New York: DoubleDay.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
The Exorcist, a 1973 film by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, came out during my freshman year in college and I saw it by myself about a year later. I remember the profanity, the projectile vomitting, the crawling around on the ceiling, and the two priests sprinkling holy water and offering incantations. I also remember the ending and the staircase in Georgetown, which still gives me the creeps every time I drive down Canal Road. After the film, I shook with fear all night—I still do not enjoy going to the theater alone.
Introduction
In his book, American Exorcism, Michael Cuneo writes:
“American Exorcism is based on my personal interviews with exorcists and their clients, and my firsthand observation of more than fifty exorcisms…My primary concern is with exorcism as it’s practiced among mainstream, predominantly middle-class Christians—the white-bread sector of American society…I am concerned simply with assessing the cultural significance of exorcism-related beliefs and practices in the contemporary United States, not with passing judgment on their ultimate validity.” (xiv)
Cuneo teaches sociology and anthropology at Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York.
The Backstory on The Exorcist
Cuneo begins his research on exorcism by summarizing the backstory on Blatty’s film. The exorcism recounted in the film took place, reported in a Washington Post article in August 1949 (Brinkely) and involved an unidentified, fourteen-year-old boy from Mount Rainer tormented by bizarre phenomena:
“There were scratchings and rappings on his bedroom walls, pieces of fruit and other objects were sent flying in his presence, and his bed mysteriously gyrated across the floor while he tried to sleep.” (5-6)
The parents took the boy to a Protestant minister, but as things worsened they brought him to the Jesuits who had him medically and psychologically evaluated and placed under around-the-clock observation. After no natural causes found, a Jesuit priest was assigned who performed more than twenty exorcisms in Washington and St. Louis. In all but the last of these, the WP reported:
“The boy broke into a violent tantrum of screaming, cursing, and voicing of Latin phrase—a language he had never studied—whenever the priest reached those climatic points of the 27-page [exorcism] ritual in which he commanded the demon to depart.” (6)
After a two-month ordeal, the symptoms disappeared and the boy’s health returned. (5-6) Blatty later sought instruction on the Catholic church’s teaching with respect to demons and tracked down a diary kept by the priest who assisted in these exorcisms, which became background for his film. (6-7)
The film itself raised awareness of the practice of exorcism within the Catholic church and, according to Cuneo, portrayed the priest in a new light as the hero-priest, who placed his own life on the line to rescue those trapped under the influence of Satan. After the reforms under the Second Vatican Council, the priesthood itself badly needed the status upgrade that exorcism provided. (4-5)
Organization
Cuneo writes in sixteen chapters, preceded by acknowledgments and an introduction and followed by conclusions, notes, and an index. These chapters are further divided into these six parts:
The Exorcist as Hero
Entrepreneurs of Exorcism
Charismatic Deliverance Ministry
The Rough-and-Ready School
The Rise of Evangelical Deliverance
Roman Catholic Exorcism (vii-viii)
What is interesting here is that Cuneo explores a wide-range of exorcism practices across different denominations and faith groups.To my knowledge, no one else has written this kind of comprehensive overview of exorcism practices in America through literature review, case studies, interviews, and eye-witness reporting of exorcisms.
Assessment
In part one of this review, I present an overview of Cuneo’s book. In part two, I will examine key issues that he raises about the practice of exorcism.
Michael Cuneo’s American Exorcism is a fascinating read. His story telling, literature review, and personal interviews surpass anything that I have read about exorcism practices. The more typical author writing in this genre focuses on their own methods and experiences, which leaves the reader wondering whether the author’s work is typical, reliable, authoritative. Practitioners may find helpful advice owning to the wide scope of Cuneo’s work. In any case, Cuneo writes from the perspective of a skeptical Jesuit with a background in sociology. And that’s okay.
References
Blatty, William Peter. 1974. William Peter Blatty on ‘The Exorcist’ from Novel to Film. New York: Bantam Books.
Brinkley, Bill. 1949. “Priest Frees Mt. Rainers Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.” Washington Post, August 20. (Cited in Blatty 1974).
Footnotes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exo....
Cuneo Examines Exorcism, Part 1
Also see:
A Place for Authoritative Prayer
Wicks Seeks Availability Deepens Faith
Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Transcendence_2018
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June 18, 2018
Sponsor the Marketing for Writers Conference, September 9, 2018, Fairfax, Virgina
Be a Sponsor!Capital Christian Writers and the Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship have teamed up in 2018 to host a new conference: Marketing for Writers.
Advertise your writing and publishing products and services in our vendor brochure or, for more exposure, sponsor a break or lunch.
For more information about vendor options see: (click here)
Register to attend our conference at (click here)
www.CapitalChristianWriters.org
www.NovaChristianWriters.org
Sponsor the Marketing for Writers Conference, September 9, 2018, Fairfax, Virgina
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Monday Monologues: The Person of Jesus, June 18, 2018 (podcast)
Stephen W. Hiemstra, 2017By Stephen W. Hiemstra
In today’s podcast, I share a Prayer for the Co-Dependent and a reflection on the Person of Jesus.
To listen, click on the link below.
After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
https://t2pneuma.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Monday_monologue_Jesus_06182018.mp3
Monday Monologues: The Person of Jesus, June 18, 2018 (podcast)
Also see:
Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.
Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Transcendence_2018
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