Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 26
January 3, 2025
La Parábola de Los Dos Hermanos
La suave respuesta aparta el furor,
Pero la palabra hiriente hace subir la ira.
(Prov 15:1)
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Jesús cuenta la historia de un hombre que tenía dos hijos, ninguno de los cuales amaba a su padre. El hijo menor se le acercó un día y le pidió su herencia en efectivo. Luego tomó el dinero, abandonó la ciudad y empezó a vivir con estilo en un país extranjero.
Este estilo de vida imprudente no duró mucho y pronto el joven tuvo que conseguir un trabajo y tuvo que aceptar obra degradantes. Cuando la mente del hijo comenzó a divagar, recordó su buena vida en casa y decidió rogarle a su padre que lo aceptara nuevamente como sirviente de la casa. Cuando el padre vio que su hijo venía, salió a su encuentro y lo abrazó. Cuando el hijo comenzó a disculparse por su horrible comportamiento, su padre no quiso escuchar nada. Tomó a su hijo, lo limpió y le compró ropa nueva (Gén 3:21). Posteriormente, organizó una fiesta para su hijo. Más tarde, cuando su hermano mayor llegó a casa y descubrió la fiesta, se puso celoso y empezó a portarse mal. Pero su padre le recordó: ¨Pero era necesario hacer fiesta y regocijarnos, porque éste, tu hermano, estaba muerto y ha vuelto a la vida; estaba perdido y ha sido hallado. (Lucas 15:32)
La Parábola de los Dos Hermanos, a menudo llamada la Parábola del Hijo Pródigo, muestra a un joven atravesando una serie de desafíos— transiciones—que le permitieron ver a su padre con nuevos ojos y aceptar su ayuda. Sin estos desafíos, él—al igual que su hermano mayor—no habría podido cerrar la brecha entre él y su padre. Sin la aceptación de su padre, no habría podido regresar a casa.
Aquí vemos el amor del padre por su hijo como el catalizador de su crecimiento y madurez, un tipo de historia sobre la mayoría de edad. Los adolescentes rara vez crecen y maduran rápida o fácilmente. Muchos hoy en día experimentan con drogas, comportamientos sexuales exóticos y malas compañías. Aquellos que sobreviven a menudo resultan ser adultos funcionales, pero no todos sobreviven o encuentran la manera de superar estas tentaciones.
A diferencia del hermano menor, el hermano mayor permaneció enojado y estancado.
No es capaz de amar a su hermano ni a su padre, un patrón que hoy podría describirse como codependencia. Podríamos especular que la ausencia del niño menor ayudó al padre a ir más allá de un estilo de crianza más estricto que obviamente no logró generar crecimiento en el hermano mayor.
Gracia como Amor
En la Parábola de los Dos Hermanos, el padre modela la gracia de Dios en dos arquetipos representados por los dos hijos. En ambos casos, el padre ofrece justicia restaurativa—gracia diseñada para permitir el crecimiento—donde podría haber impartido justicia penal si los hijos no hubieran tenido una relación.
El amor que Jesús destaca en la parábola es transformador porque permite la renovación de la relación y la oportunidad de crecimiento personal, que recuerda la petición de Dios a Abraham:: ¨Vete de tu tierra, de entre tus parientes y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que Yo te mostraré.¨ (Gen 12:1) El crecimiento de las relaciones es un alejamiento radical de una sociedad tradicional que normalmente valora la lealtad en relaciones estáticas y bien definidas, no la independencia y el crecimiento en relaciones dinámicas.
En mi propia familia, históricamente se esperaba que los hijos sirvieran a sus padres en la granja hasta la mediana edad. Mi abuelo quería romper esta tradición asistiendo a la universidad y estudiando para ser pastor. Esta ambición no fue bien recibida, por lo que siguió a su padre a la agricultura, fuente de mucho resentimiento.
Una Interpretación Estructural
Craig Blomberg (2012, 197) clasifica las parábolas de Jesús por su estructura, no por su contenido. Comienza con un análisis de parábolas, como la Parabola de los Dos Hermanos, escribiendo:
“Muchas de las parábolas de Jesús tienen tres personajes principales. Muy frecuentemente, estos incluyen una figura de autoridad y dos subordinados contrastantes. La figura de autoridad, normalmente un rey o un amo, juzga entre los dos subordinados, quienes a su vez exhiben un comportamiento contrastante. Éstas han sido llamadas parábolas monárquicas”.
Aquí la figura de autoridad es un padre quien tiene dos hijos. Blomberg (2012, 200–201) ve un punto para cada personaje:
“1. Así como el pródigo siempre tuvo la opción de arrepentirse y regresar a casa, así también todos los pecadores, aunque sean malvados, pueden confesar sus pecados y volverse a Dios en contrición.
2. Así como el padre hizo todo lo posible para ofrecer reconciliación al hijo pródigo, así también Dios ofrece a todas las personas, por indignas que sean, un generoso perdón de pecados si están dispuestas a aceptarlo.
3. Así como el hermano mayor no debería haber lamentado la reinstalación de su hermano, sino más bien regocijarse por ello, aquellos que dicen ser el pueblo de Dios deberían estar contentos y no enojados de que él extienda su gracia incluso a los más indignos.”
El extraordinario amor del padre es inesperado, lo que deja entrever que la parábola es alegórica (Blomberg 2012, 204). Las parábolas de Jesús a menudo muestran un giro que se desvía sutilmente de las expectativas culturales del siglo I. El amor ofrecido por el padre también es incondicional, contrariamente a la tradición judía.
Debido a que crecer y abandonar el hogar implica muchas formas de pérdida que deben ser lamentadas, ese crecimiento es difícil en las mejores circunstancias (Mitchell y Anderson 1983, 51). Esto hace que el camino de fe de Abraham y el nuestro sea aún más notable en esta época en la que muchos han convertido el sustantivo adulto en verbo.
La Parábola de Los Dos Hermanos
Also see:
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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December 31, 2024
Seger Adapts Stories into Film
Linda Seger. 1992. The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film: How to Transform Novels, Plays, and True-life Stories into Screenplays. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
Since 2021, I have written three novellas and adapted them into screenplays. Following advice from writers, editors, and industry-standard software, I have been able to adhere to screenwriting conventions and formatting, but the adaptation process itself remained a mystery. Even famous authors, like William Faulkner, have struggled to move from novelist to screenwriter. When I stumbled on Linda Seger’s book, The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film, I knew that I needed a copy.
Introduction
In her preface, Seger writes: “Whether you are a seasoned writer or a novice, I hope this book will help you clarify the key concepts that can make the difference between an adaptation that works and one that doesn’t.” (xiv) Later she adds: “By its very nature, adaptation is a transition, a conversion, from one medium to another.” (2) In her examples, Seger compares theater with film, novels with film, and past films with recent films. This sort of comparative analysis is most helpful in honing in on what makes film unique in translating among performance mediums.
The commercial viability of a film implies that it reaches a broad audience and meets the expectations of that audience. In particular: “Creating a commercial and viable adaptation means giving the story a clearer structure [than a typical novel or theatre piece] so audiences can easily follow it.” (7) Also, Seger notes: “Most successful American films have a main character who is likeable, sympathetic, and identifiable.” (5) American moviegoers prefer happy endings while Australians not so much. (6)
Background and Organization
Linda Seger is a graduate of Colorado College (Colorado Springs, Colorado). She received her master’s in arts from Pacific School of Religion (Berkeley, CA). Her doctorate is from the Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, CA). She is the author of numerous books and the recipient of numerous awards.
Seger writes the Art of Adaptation in ten chapters:
PART ONE: What’s the Problem?
Why Literature Resists Film
Why Theatre Resists Film
Why the True-life Story Resists Film
From Film into Film
PART TWO: Creating the Second Original
Find the Story
Choosing the Characters
Exploring the Theme
Creating and Shading Style, Mood, and Tone
PART THREE: Twice Told—Twice Sold
Optioning a Story
Writing a Docudrama for Television
These chapters are preceded by a preface and introduction, and followed by an afterword. She includes appendices listing award-winning films and both a bibliography and index.
The Problem
The core challenge in adaptation arises because: “Fiction uses words to tell a story, describe character, and build ideas. Films use image and action.” (27) Theatre likewise has a different focus than film. “Film is a director’s medium, dependent upon the images and contexts that surround the actor. Theatre is the writer’s and actor’s medium.” (40)
The great monologues of Shakespeare seldom work well in film because the relationship between actor and audience is missing, and long speeches simply slow down the action. Stories from life experiences are often too complex to be boiled down to a coherent story with a clear beginning, middle, and end (49). Remakes of old stories must be true to the new context, including new values (69).
The New Original
Understanding the problem is first step in seeking a solution. Seger sees film and television as focused on the story. She writes: “A good film story has direction. It moves toward a climax, with most scenes advancing the action.” It also has dimensionality, which she describes as “revealing characters and developing themes” (77). She sees European films frequently neglecting the story, while American films neglect the dimensionality (78).
A key insight that Seger offers is that adaptations frequently require narrowing the focus on the original work. This is why screenwriters frequently personalize broad themes and cut out or combine multiple characters in their source (119). Seger summarizes by saying: “For a film, it’s often necessary to simplify the story” (107).
The film is not about the Second World War, it is about a particular solider or unit that fought in the war. By narrowing the subject matter, the goals and character arc become more accessible to the writer and the audience. A recent German film about the war (not sympathetic) pictured the war through the eyes of one Austrian soldier who befriended a young fox (sympathetic to animal lovers).
Frequently, the timeline is also compacted to focus on a particular event. Think about your favorite fairy tale ending. The young hero rescues the maiden and they live happily ever after. Happily, ever after may account for ninety percent of their lives, but the story is only about the rescue, which is dramatic.
Assessment
Linda Seger’s The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film: How to Transform Novels, Plays, and True-life Stories into Screenplays is a helpful and accessible guide to adapting novels, plays, and life stories into screenplays. She illustrates her points with case studies of adaptations made into famous movies. Unlike typical screenwriting books, she discusses the pros and cons of choices about storylines and characters in alternative settings, like theatre versus film, which makes these choices in both mediums more obvious. Most screenwriters and novelists might find the contrasts helpful in strengthening their storylines and characters.
Seger Adapts Stories into Film
Also see:
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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December 30, 2024
Love: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 30, 2024
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Good Samaritan. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
To listen, click on this link.
Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!
Love: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 30, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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December 29, 2024
Prayer for Love
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty Father,
All glory and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you first loved us for while we were yet sinners you sent Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8).
Forgive our hardened hearts. Our unwillingness to love as Jesus taught.
Thank you for the many blessings of this life: our families, our health, our work, and the many benefits of modern technology.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts, enlighten our thoughts, strengthen our hands in your service.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer for Love
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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Oración por Amor
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Padre Todopoderoso,
Toda la gloria y la honra, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos, porque tú nos amaste primero, cuando aún éramos pecadores, enviaste a Cristo a morir por nosotros (Rom 5:8).
Perdona nuestros corazones endurecidos, nuestra falta de voluntad para amar como Jesús enseñó.
Gracias por las muchas bendiciones de esta vida: nuestras familias, nuestra salud, nuestro trabajo y los muchos beneficios de la tecnología moderna.
En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, abre nuestros corazones, ilumina nuestros pensamientos, fortalece nuestras manos en tu servicio.
En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.
Oración por Amor
Also see:
El Rostro de Dios en las Parábolas
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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December 27, 2024
The Good Samaritan Revisited
O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God
who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those
who love him and keep his commandments.
(Neh 1:5)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
The fourth characteristic of God in Exodus 34:6 is love. The word, hesed (חֶ֥סֶד), translated as steadfast love (ESV), long-suffering (KJV), or lovingkindness (NAS) means: “obligation to the community in relation to relatives, friends, guests, master and servants; unity, solidarity, loyalty” (HOLL). Alternatively, it can be translated as “goodness, kindness.” (BDAG 3279) The meaning of the Greek word used to translate hesed in the Septuagint, πολυέλεος, is unknown.
The Greek word for love (ἀγαπάω) in the New Testament is the same in John and Matthew’s Gospels, and means: “to have a warm regard for and interest in another, cherish, have affection for, love” (BDAG 38.1). The Hebrew word for agape love is: אָהַ֙בְתָּ (ahabet Gen 22:2), not hesed. Agape love is clearly distinguished from romantic (eros) and brotherly (philos) love, because the Greek language has separate words for each, but agape love and philos love both serve an erotic usage in the Song of Solomon (Sol 1:2-1:3), which adds to the confusion over love’s definitions.
Covenantal Love
The covenantal context of Exodus 34:6 makes it clear that the hesed love in view here is not a generic agape love, but a more specific covenantal love focused on keeping one’s promises (Hafemann 2007, 33). We honor God and our neighbor by treating them with respect and keeping our word, especially when it hurts. Just like when we get married we assume a heart-felt relationship, but we depend on our spouse to keep their promises.
The ethical image of God is a hot-button issue today because of the proclivity of many pastors and Christians to view God exclusively through the lens of love, as we read repeatedly through the writings of the Apostle John: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8). Matthew’s double love command is likewise frequently cited:
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matt 22:36-40)
Agape love is less helpful in understanding God’s character because of the wild definitions of love floating around in postmodern culture (e.g. Rogers 2009, 52-65) and the wide scope in Hebrew and Greek usage. Confusion over the meaning of love was already present in the first century, which we know because the Apostle Paul devoted an entire chapter to its definition in his letter to the church at Corinth (1 Cor 13), a city infamous for prostitution.
In the Old Testament, God interacts with his people primarily through the giving of covenants. Hafemann (2007, 21) writes:
God’s relationship with the world and his people is not a theoretical abstraction, not is fundamentally a subjective experience. Rather, with salvation history as its framework, this relationship is expressed in and defined by the interrelated covenant that exist through the history of redemption.
Among the many allusions to covenant making in the Bible, none is more detailed than covenant with Moses.
God’s Mercy Precedes His Love
Bonhoeffer (1976, 50) offers an important insight here: “No one knows God unless God reveals Himself to him. And so none knows what love is except in the self-revelation of God. Love, then, is the revelation of God.” The fact that mercy, not love, is the first characteristic of God reinforces the idea that love requires an interpretation beyond the agape love that so many cherish. When we say that Jesus died for our sins, we experience his love by means of (or through the instrument of) his mercy. The point that mercy is more primal in the biblical context than love is also reinforced in Jesus’ Beatitudes: mercy is listed; love is not (Matt 5:3-11). When we experience God’s love through his mercy, covenant-keeping love, not agape love, is in focus.
The Good Samaritan
Jesus introduces the Parable of the Good Samaritan in response to a question posed by an attorney over how to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25). Jesus asks the attorney to answer his own question and the attorney cites the double-love command: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Jesus accepts this answer, but the attorney wants to know more, picking nits and asking: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
This context is important because it specifically addresses the problem with interpreting God’s love. When the Samaritan stops to attend to the wounds of the man beaten by robbers, it is an example presumably of offering love to an enemy, because the man beaten is presumed to have been a Jew and Jews hated Samaritans (Matt 5:43-46). Because the Samaritan is still likely at risk of suffering the same fate and there is no presumption that the Samaritan would serve as a first-century emergency medical technician, the parable has an eschatological tinge to it—it is like the clouds part and we briefly glimpse heaven itself.
The parable is more than a simple metaphor or simile because whole groups of people are symbolized—robbers, Samaritans, priests, Levites, innkeepers—making the parable more of a brief morality play. In the core story there is also an echo of the story of Cain and Abel (Gen 4) because Samaritans and Jews can be thought of as estranged brothers who have been reunited in love (1 Kgs 12).
The Good Samaritan Revisited
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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El Buen Samaritano Revisitado
Te ruego, oh SEÑOR, Dios del cielo, el grande y temible Dios,
que guarda el pacto y la misericordia para con aquéllos
que Lo aman y guardan Sus mandamientos .
(Neh 1:5)
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
La cuarta característica de Dios en Éxodo 34:6 es el amor. La palabra hebrea hesed, significa: “obligación para con la comunidad en relación con parientes, amigos, invitados, amo y sirvientes; unidad, solidaridad, lealtad” (HOLL). Alternativamente, se puede traducir como “bondad, amabilidad” (BDAG 3279). Se desconoce el significado de la palabra griega usada para traducir hesed en la Septuaginta polueleos.
La palabra griega para amor agape en el Nuevo Testamento es la misma en los evangelios de Juan y Mateo, y significa: “tener una cálida consideración e interés por otro, apreciar, tener afecto, amar” (BDAG 38.1). La palabra hebrea traducida para amor agape es: ahabet (Génesis 22:2), no hesed. De manera más general, el amor agape se distingue del amor romántico (eros) y fraternal (philos), porque el idioma griego tiene palabras separadas para cada uno. Debido a que el amor agape y el amor philos tienen un uso erótico en el Cantar de los Cantares (Sol 1:2–1:3), las diversas definiciones del amor causan confusión.
Amor Pactado
El contexto del pacto de Éxodo 34:6 deja claro que el amor hesed al que nos referimos aquí no es un amor agape genérico, sino un amor del pacto más específico centrado en cumplir las promesas (Hafemann 2007, 33). Honramos a Dios y a nuestro prójimo tratándolos con respeto y cumpliendo nuestra palabra, especialmente cuando duele. Cuando nos casamos, asumimos una relación de un corazón sincero, pero dependemos de nuestros cónyuges para cumplir sus promesas.
La imagen ética de Dios es un tema candente hoy en día debido a la tendencia de muchos pastores y cristianos a ver a Dios exclusivamente a través del lente del amor, como leemos repetidamente en los escritos del apóstol Juan: “Quien no ama, no ama”. No conocemos a Dios, porque Dios es amor”. (1 Juan 4:8) El mandamiento de Mateo del doble amor también se cita con frecuencia: ¨Maestro, ¿cuál es el gran mandamiento de la Ley? Y El le contestó: Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma, y con toda tu mente. Este es el gran y primer mandamiento. Y el segundo es similar a esto: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. De estos dos mandamientos dependen toda la Ley y los Profetas.” (Mateo 22:36-40)
El amor ágape es menos útil para comprender el carácter de Dios debido al amplio alcance del uso del hebreo y el griego y a las definiciones descabelladas del amor que flotan en la cultura posmoderna (e.g. Rogers 2009, 52–65). La confusión sobre el significado del amor ya estaba presente en el siglo I, lo cual sabemos porque el apóstol Pablo dedicó un capítulo entero a su definición en su carta a la iglesia de Corinto (1 Cor 13), ciudad imfama por la prostitución. No es necesario definir cuidadosamente una palabra cuando su uso es obvio.
En el Antiguo Testamento, Dios interactúa con su pueblo principalmente mediante el otorgamiento de pactos. Hafemann (2007, 21) escribe:
“La relación de Dios con el mundo y su pueblo no es una abstracción teórica ni es fundamentalmente una experiencia subjetiva. Más bien, con la historia de la salvación como marco, esta relación se expresa y define por los pactos interrelacionados que existen a lo largo de la historia de la redención.”
Entre las muchas alusiones a la realización de pactos en la Biblia, ninguna es más detallada que el pacto con Moisés.
La Misericordia de Dios Precede a su Amor
Bonhoeffer (1976, 50) ofrece aquí una idea importante: “Nadie conoce a Dios a menos que Dios se le revele. Por eso nadie sabe qué es el amor excepto en la autorrevelación de Dios. El amor, entonces, es la revelación de Dios.”
El hecho de que la misericordia, no el amor, sea la primera característica de Dios refuerza la idea de que el amor requiere una interpretación más allá del amor agape que tantos aprecian. Cuando decimos que Jesús murió por nuestros pecados, experimentamos su amor por medio (o a través del instrumento de) su misericordia. El punto de que la misericordia es más primordial en el contexto bíblico que el amor también se refuerza en las Bienaventuranzas de Jesús: se menciona la misericordia; el amor no lo es(Mateo 5:3–11). Cuando experimentamos el amor de Dios a través de su misericordia, el foco está en el amor que guarda el pacto (hesed), no en el amor agape.
El Buen Samaritano
Jesús introduce la parábola del buen samaritano en respuesta a la pregunta de un abogado sobre cómo heredar la vida eterna (Lucas 10:25). Jesús le pide al abogado que responda su propia pregunta y el abogado cita el mandamiento del doble amor: “Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma y con todas tus fuerzas y con toda tu mente, y a tu prójimo. como a ti mismo.” (Lucas 10:27) Jesús acepta esta respuesta, pero el abogado quiere saber más y pregunta: “¿Quién es mi prójimo?” (Lucas 10:29)
Este contexto es importante porque la parábola aborda específicamente el problema de interpretar el amor de Dios. Cuando el samaritano se detiene para atender las heridas del hombre golpeado por los ladrones, es presumiblemente un ejemplo de ofrecer amor a un enemigo, porque se presume que el hombre golpeado era judío y los judíos odiaban a los samaritanos (Mateo 5:43–46). Debido a que es probable que el samaritano todavía corra el riesgo de sufrir el mismo destino que el hombre golpeado (y no hay presunción de que el samaritano serviría como técnico médico de emergencia del primer siglo), la parábola tiene un matiz escatológico: es como las nubes se abren y vislumbramos brevemente el cielo mismo.
La parábola es más que una simple metáfora o símil porque se simbolizan grupos enteros de personas—ladrones, samaritanos, sacerdotes, levitas, posaderos—lo que hace que la parábola sea más bien una breve obra de teatro moral. De hecho, es un cumplimiento simbólico de la misión central de Jesús (Mateo 15:24). Entonces, ¿cómo terminó? Jesús dijo:
¨¿Cuál de estos tres piensas tú que demostró ser prójimo del que cayó en manos de los salteadores? El intérprete de la ley respondió: El que tuvo misericordia de él.¨ (Lucas 10:36-37)
Aquí tenemos un eco de la historia de Caín y Abel (Gén 4), porque se puede considerar a los samaritanos y a los judíos como hermanos distanciados (1 Kgs 12). Sin embargo, la parábola no termina con un asesinato sino con el reencuentro de los dos hermanos en el amor, como se logra a través de la misericordia.
El Buen Samaritano Revisitado
Also see:
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
The post El Buen Samaritano Revisitado appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
December 24, 2024
Covey Teaches Good Habits
Stephen R. Covey. 1989. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York: Simon and Schuster; Fireside Book.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
So much of the time, we want God to solve our problems and to clean up our messes that we should be working on ourselves. Working as a chaplain intern in the emergency department, I started to notice that about half the patients that I saw daily came in complaining of medical problems arising from poor lifestyle choices—addictions, risky sexual practices, obesity related illnesses, and stress related illnesses. When I mentioned my observation to the head surgeon, he corrected me—it was not half the patients, it was three-quarters of them. If we perform so poorly in taking care of our physical bodies, what does that say about our performance in our relationships and careers? (And our need for God…)
In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey presents: “a holistic, integrated approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness.” (9) Effectiveness here means that the biblical teaching is boiled down into principles for living and working effectively, without necessarily understanding how those principles came to be. Since God is sovereign over the whole universe, the principles of the universe are, of course, also his. In this case, Covey is a Harvard MBA with a doctorate from Brigham Young University (a Mormon school) where, at the time of publication, was also a faculty member in the Marriott School of Management.
Covey starts with a lengthy introduction where he distinguishes personality from character, writing:
“In stark contrast, almost all of the literature [on how to be successful in life and career] in the first 150 years or so focused on what could be called the Character Ethic as the foundation of success—things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule….
But shortly after World War I the basic view of success shifted from the Character Ethic to what we might call the Personality Ethic. Success became more a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes, and behaviors, skills, and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction.” (18-19)
Covey then goes on to say that the elements of the Personality Ethic are certainly important, they are also second traits; the elements of the Character Ethic, by contrast, are primary traits (21-23). Being primary means that they not only affect our habits profoundly, they also affect our very perception of the world—our worldview or, more importantly, the lens that we use to interpret the things we see and experience (24-31). “Being is seeing” he says (32) His seven habits therefore focus on these primary traits. Covey summarizes saying:
“The Character Ethic is based on the fundamental idea that there are principles that govern human effectiveness—natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, just as unchanging and unarguably ‘there’ as laws such as gravity are in the physical world.” (32)
To make his point, Covey tells the story of a confrontation on a foggy day between an arrogant battleship captain and a lighthouse attendant over who would change course. Who do you suppose ended up changing course? Sometimes, knowing the difference between objective and subjective reality is a matter of life and death, and arrogance is not an option—to be effective we must be willing to start by reforming ourselves and listening to those around us. (33, 37, 42)
Covey defines:
“a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. Knowledge is a theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. Skill is the how to do. And desire is the motivation, the want to do. In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three.” (47)
Covey drives his point home with a Venn diagram showing the intersection of three circles (knowledge, skill, and desire) with habits occupying the intersection of the three circles (48).
Covey does not see effective people working alone; rather, effective people involve the people around them in what he refers to as the maturity continuum, writing:
“On the maturity continuum, dependence is the paradigm of you—you take care of me; you come through for me; you didn’t come through; I blame you for the results.
Independence is the paradigm of I—I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose.
Interdependence is the paradigm of we—we can do it; we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together.” (49)
While it is obvious that team-work is required in any large scale project, Covey makes an observation that is less obvious:
“Interdependence is choice only independent people can make. Dependent people cannot choose to become interdependent. They don’t have the character to do it; they don’t own enough of themselves.” (51)
Unable to control themselves, dependent people cannot perform well in teams; only independent people are free to join teams, not threatened by working harmoniously with others. Consequently, Covey sees the 7 habits of highly effective people including both individual character traits (independent people) and relational characteristics (teamly attitudes). Covey’s seven habits therefore are:
“Be proactive.
Begin with the end in mind.
Put first things first.
Think win/win.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Synergize.
Sharpen the saw.” (53)
Covey lays out his approach in part one of this book, which includes two sections. He then writes the heart of his books in chapters for each of the seven habits. These chapters are preceded by acknowledgements and followed by several appendices and indices.
Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has educated a generation of business and church leaders on how to be effective in working within organizations. Early in my government career, I read this book and I spent much of the rest of my career reaping the benefits. It is hard to accurately access the fruit of Covey’s insights and his habits have each spawned books elaborating his habits, even if unknowingly. Read and study the book—both you and your colleagues will be glad that you did.
Footnotes
Covey Teaches Good Habits
Also see:
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
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December 23, 2024
Applying Patience: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 23, 2024
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Applying Patience. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
To listen, click on this link.
Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!
Applying Patience: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 23, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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December 22, 2024
Prayer for Patience
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Loving father,
All glory and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you created us ex-nihilo, out of nothing, and, when we strayed, you patiently sent your son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our brokenness and sin, like the patient prayer of Saint Augustine’s mother, Monica.
Forgive our impatience, our unwillingness, to follow your example and our perennial blaming of you for bad choices that we have made.
Thank you for your many blessings and your patient willingness to offer us light in the nighttime of our obstinate youth.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, turn our hearts to your example of patience. Remove the blinders of failing youth and grant us eyes that see, ears that hear, and hands that serve in the midst of much hardship.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Prayer for Patience
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024, Signup
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