Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 27

Oración por Paciencia

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Padre Amoroso,

Toda la gloria y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos, porque nos creaste ex-nihilo, de la nada, y, cuando nos desviamos, pacientemente enviaste a tu hijo, Jesucristo, para rescatarnos de nuestro quebrantamiento y pecado, como la paciente oración de la madre de San Agustín, Mónica.

Perdona nuestra impaciencia, nuestra falta de voluntad para seguir tu ejemplo y nuestro constante reproche por las malas decisiones que hemos tomado.

Gracias por tus muchas bendiciones y tu paciente disponibilidad para ofrecernos luz en la noche de nuestra obstinada juventud.

En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, vuelve nuestros corazones a tu ejemplo de paciencia. Quita las anteojeras de la juventud decaída y concédenos ojos que vean, oídos que oigan y manos que sirvan en medio de muchas dificultades.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Oración por Paciencia
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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Applying Patience

You also, be patient. 

Establish your hearts, 

for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

(Jas 5:8)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

In the parables examined, we begin to see the importance of God’s patience.

In the Parable of the Two Builders, we find patience associated with good planning and expert workmanship. The expert builder plans for the flood that, though unexpected, is expected over the long haul. Laying a foundation on a rock speaks directly to the current concern about global warming because greater turbulence in weather is at the heart of the concern.

In the Parable of the Sower, we see that the occupation of the farmer requires patience. Farming requires patient planning and a willingness to invest time and effort in a crop that is from the outset hidden. What impatient person would save the seed from the previous harvest, prepare the soil, weed around the plants, and wait for months for a new harvest?

In the Parable of the Talents, we learn to take risks to advance the Kingdom of God while we wait patiently for the Lord’s return. Attitude matters. A fearful person is not likely to take risks for an uncertain outcome and the rate of return is substantially diminished just because of their fear. God’s abundant generosity allays our fear and permits us to prosper in good times and bad.

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, we again see the need to plan patiently for every contingency. The urgency of our patient planning is shown to be the key to entrance into the wedding feast, a metaphor for heaven. Anyone who has helped prepare a wedding can attest to the eagerness and foolishness of emotionally-charged young people. Even in periods of utter spontaneity, we are cautioned to plan ahead.

Patience in the Early Church

Lessons about patience played an important role in the history of the church. Alan Kreider (2016, 1-2) observes:

“Patience was not a virtue dear to most Greco-Roman people and it has been of little interest to scholars of early Christianity. But it was centrally important to early Christians…The sources rarely indicate that the early Christians grew in number because they won arguments instead they grew because their habitual behavior (rooted in patience) was distinctive and intriguing. Their habitus…enabled them to address intractable problems that ordinary people faced in ways that offered hope.”

Think about it. The upper class of Roman society was known, not for patience, but for drunken orgies. In such a society, people offering sober, patient assistance to those victimized by such leaders would stand out and garner admiration. Kreider (2016, 19) writes:

“When people seek to follow Christ, according to Origen. God forms them into people who embody this patience. Christ’s followers are not in a hurry; they listen carefully the the word is read and preached, and they patiently call to account straying Christians who attend worship services irregularly. Patient believers trust God. When they are subjected to peritential discipline, they patiently bear the judgments made about them, where they have been rightly or wrongly deposed.’”

The nature of Christian worship is to engender patience and habits that improve daily life.

While worship can impart good habits, Donald Dayton (2005, 122-123) observed that periods of revival of the faith are often followed by reversals as “children growing up under such restraints experience them primarily as factors aliening them from their peers and society.” In seminary I noticed a stark difference in the attitude of preachers kids from missionary kids in which the preachers kids exhibited the response noted by Dayton while the missionary kids more clearly witnessed the fruit of their parent’s sacrifices and developed a strong faith of their own.

Current Backsliding

If modeling God’s patience is of immediate personal benefit, as demonstrated in research associated with the Marshmallow Test, and long term benefit to the church, as argued in Kreider’s study of the early church, why is our society so negligent in teaching personal discipline to our own children? This backsliding on patience can be attributed to the influence of cell phones, advertising to promote mindless purchasing, and the coronavirus pandemic on children’s own behavior. Or it may be simply a byproduct of inattention and parental prioritizing of other goals. One way or another, the impatience that we routinely observe today is clearly detrimental to the spiritual life and to the prudence use of resources in daily living. And our children’s test scores show it.

Example of Saint Augustine

Rather than end this reflection on a sour note, let me turn back the clock to another period when impatience seemed rampant.

Saint Augustine lived in the fourth century in North Africa and was the model of crass Roman debauchery by his own admission as a young man. Augustine (Foley 2006, 10) pictures himself as an initially lazy student who received frequent beatings, but we are quickly introduced to a pious Monica, his mother, who seeing her son engaging in self-destructive and sinful behavior resorted to unceasing prayer. Augustine writes:

“The mother of my flesh was in heavy anxiety, since with a heart chaste in Your faith she was ever in deep travail for my eternal salvation, and would have proceeded without delay to have me consecrated and wash clean by the Sacrament of salvation.” (Foley 2006, 12)

Still, it is paradoxical to observe one of the great philosophers of the church saying: “I disliked learning and hated to be forced to it.”(Foley 2006, 13). Although Augustine was schooled in rhetoric, like todays attorneys, he was by his own admission not converted with arguments, but by the patient prayers of a devout mother, Monica.

Reference

Dayton, Donald W. 2005. Discovering An Evangelical Heritage (Orig. Pub. 1976). Peabody: Hendrickson.

Foley, Michael P. [editor] 2006. Augustine Confessions (Orig Pub 397 AD). 2nd Edition. Translated by F. J. Sheed (1942). Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Kreider, Alan. 2016. The Patient Ferment of the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Applying 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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Aplicando la Paciencia

Sean también ustedes pacientes. Fortalezcan sus corazones, 

porque la venida del Señor está cerca.

(Jas 5:8)

En las parábolas examinadas, comenzamos a ver la importancia de la paciencia de Dios.

En la Parábola de los dos Constructores encontramos la paciencia asociada con la buena planificación y la mano de obra experta. El experto constructor planifica la inundación que, aunque inesperada, se espera a largo plazo. Colocar una base sobre una roca habla directamente de la preocupación actual sobre el calentamiento global porque una mayor turbulencia en el clima es el núcleo de la preocupación. De manera más general, construir sobre la roca de nuestra salvación se refiere a prestar atención a nuestro caminar de fe con el Señor.

En la Parábola del Sembrador, vemos que la ocupación del agricultor require paciencia. La agricultura requiere una planificación paciente y la voluntad de invertir tiempo y esfuerzo en un cultivo que desde el principio está oculto. ¿Qué persona impaciente guardaría la semilla de la cosecha anterior, prepararía la tierra, quitaría las malas hierbas alrededor de las plantas y esperaría durante meses una nueva cosecha?

En la Parábola de los Talentos, aprendemos a correr riesgos para hacer avanzar el Reino de Dios mientras esperamos pacientemente el regreso del Señor. Es poco probable que una persona temerosa corra riesgos por un resultado incierto y la tasa de rendimiento disminuye sustancialmente debido a su miedo. La abundante generosidad de Dios disipa nuestro miedo y nos permite prosperar en los tiempos buenos y malos.

En la parábola de las Diez Vírgenes vemos nuevamente la necesidad de planificar con paciencia cada contingencia. Se demuestra que la urgencia de nuestra paciente planificación es la clave para entrar en el banquete de bodas, una metáfora del cielo. 

Cualquiera que haya ayudado a preparar una boda puede dar fe del afán y la necedad de unos jóvenes cargados de emociones. Incluso en períodos de absoluta espontaneidad, se nos advierte que planifiquemos con antelación.

La importancia de la paciencia y la planificación para el futuro en la fe sugiere por qué los cristianos siempre han valorado e invertido más en la educación que otros grupos.

Paciencia en la Iglesia Primitiva

Las lecciones sobre la paciencia jugaron un papel importante en la historia de la iglesia. Alan Kreider (2016, 1–2) observa:

La paciencia no era una virtud apreciada por la mayoría de los grecorromanos y ha sido de poco interés para los estudiosos del cristianismo primitivo. Pero fue de fundamental importancia para los primeros cristianos, … Las fuentes rara vez indican que los primeros cristianos crecieron en número porque ganaban discusiones, sino que crecieron porque su comportamiento habitual (arraigado en la paciencia) era distintivo e intrigante. Their habitus … enabled them to address intractable problems that ordinary people faced in ways that offered hope.”

Piénselo. La clase alta de la sociedad romana era conocida, no por su paciencia, sino por sus orgías de borrachos. En una sociedad así, las personas que ofrecieran asistencia sobria y paciente a las víctimas de tales líderes se destacarían y ganarían admiración.  Kreider (2016, 19) escribe:

“Cuando las personas buscan seguir a Cristo, según Orígenes, Dios las forma en personas que encarnan esta paciencia. Los seguidores de Cristo no tienen prisa; escuchan atentamente mientras se lee y predica la palabra, y pacientemente piden cuentas a los cristianos descarriados que asisten a los servicios de adoración de manera irregular. Los creyentes pacientes confían en Dios. Cuando son sometidos a disciplina penitencial, soportan con paciencia los juicios que se les hacen, cuando han sido depuestos con razón o sin ella.”

La naturaleza de la adoración cristiano es generar paciencia y hábitos que mejoren la vida diaria.

Si bien la adoración puede impartir buenos hábitos, Donald Dayton (2005, 122-123) observó que los períodos de reavivamiento de la fe suelen ir seguidos de reveses, ya que “los niños que crecen bajo tales restricciones las experimentan principalmente como factores que los alejan de sus pares y de la sociedad.” En el seminario, noté una marcada diferencia en la actitud de los hijos de los predicadores y de los hijos de los misioneros: los hijos de los predicadores exhibieron la respuesta observada por Dayton, mientras que los hijos de los misioneros presenciaron más claramente el fruto de los sacrificios de sus padres y desarrollaron una fe fuerte en sí mismos.

Retroceso Actual

Si modelar la paciencia de Dios es de beneficio personal inmediato, como lo demuestra la investigación asociada con la Prueba del Malvavisco, y de beneficio a largo plazo para la iglesia, como se argumenta en el estudio de Kreider sobre la iglesia primitiva, ¿por qué nuestra sociedad es tan negligente en la enseñanza de la disciplina personal? a nuestros propios hijos? Este retroceso en la paciencia puede atribuirse a la influencia de los teléfonos móviles y la publicidad para promover compras sin sentido. O puede ser simplemente un subproducto de la falta de atención y de la priorización de otros objetivos por parte de los padres.

De una forma u otra, la impaciencia que hoy observamos habitualmente es claramente perjudicial para la vida espiritual y para el uso prudente de los recursos en la vida diaria.

Ejemplo de San Agustín

En lugar de terminar esta reflexión con una nota amarga, permítanme retroceder el tiempo hasta otro período en el que la impaciencia parecía rampante.

San Agustín vivió en el siglo IV en el norte de África y fue el modelo del craso libertinaje romano, según admitió él mismo cuando era joven. Agustín (Foley 2006, 10) se describe a sí mismo como un estudiante inicialmente perezoso que recibía frecuentes palizas, pero rápidamente se nos presenta a una piadosa Mónica, su madre, quien, al ver a su hijo involucrado en un comportamiento autodestructivo y pecaminoso, recurrió a una oración incesante. Agustín escribe:

“La madre de mi carne estaba en gran ansiedad, ya que con un corazón casto en tu fe estaba siempre en profundos dolores de parto por mi salvación eterna, y habría procedido sin demora a consagrarme y lavarme con el sacramento de la salvación”. (Foley 2006, 12)

Aún así, resulta paradójico observar a uno de los grandes filósofos de la iglesia decir: “No me gustaba aprender y odiaba que me obligaran a hacerlo”. (Foley 2006, 13) Aunque Agustín fue educado en retórica, como los abogados de hoy, él mismo admitió que no se convirtió a la fe cristiana con argumentos, sino gracias a las pacientes oraciones de una madre devota, Mónica.

Aplicando la Paciencia
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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Stanley: Sex is Easy—Not so Relationships

Andy Stanley. 2014. The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Life has become increasingly complicated in the new millennium, in part, because American culture has thrown out “the rule book”. Some blame the pill; some blame the feminists; some blame the media.  Whoever you blame, the irony is that the emotional and financial costs of broken relationships have never been higher.

Introduction

In his new book, The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating, Andy Stanley writes:

“I’m not all that interested in why things are the way they are.  I’m more interested in helping you navigate the way things are. My purpose in writing is to increase your relational satisfaction” (14).

Fair enough. But then Stanley then offers a rather rare insight:

“I’ve met with many struggling married couples who would describe themselves as having ‘marriage problems.’ But in all my years I’ve never talked to a married couple that actually had a marriage problem. What I have discovered is that people with problems get married and their problems collide. What was manageable as a single person eventually becomes unmanageable within the context of marriage” (20).

Wow.  Instead of looking for that perfect person to solve all your problems, Stanley says—hey, look in the mirror!

Background and Organization

Andy Stanley is a pastor who does not sound or write like a pastor. He describes himself as a communicator, author, and pastor and founder of North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. His book is written in 10 chapters, including:

The Right Person Myth;
Commitment is Overrated;
Becoming the Right Person;
So Becoming;
Love Is;
Gentleman’s Club;
The Way Forward;
The Talk;
Designer Sex; and
If I were You (7-8).

These chapters are preceded by acknowledgments and an introduction.  They are followed by conclusions, notes, and a small group discussion guide.  A DVD video study is also available.

Wisdom

This is a book filled with a lot of wisdom.  For example, Stanley’s discussion of 1 Corinthians 13 in chapter 5 is priceless—he describes it as your list of suggestions on becoming the person that you would want to meet (76).  One item on this list is patience:  Love is patient (1 Cor 13:4). Stanley notes that impatience is an emotion, not a decision, and patience does not come naturally.  We all have a natural pace and get angry when others don’t go along.  Stanley explains that love means deferring to someone else’s pace—in time, space, and margin—just as much as they need (79).

Summarizing all the wisdom would be hard. The cliff notes version of Stanley’s advice is found in chapter 10 which he describes as the “hard sell”.

Stanley knows his audience.  He starts this chapter by repeating a challenge that he made earlier: “Beginning today, take a year off from all romantic and sexual pursuits” (170). This is the hard sell part. Bad habits take two weeks to break;  psychiatrists tell us that addictions are forever—abstinence is the only prescription that truly works.  Bad sexual habits fall somewhere in-between a bad habit and an addiction.  While this might sound like a high price to pay for moral clarity, but the life you save may be your own.

Stanley suggests that you spend this year off doing some important things…working to become yourself the kind of person that you would want to meet.  He suggests 5 things:

Address your past—face up to your issues;
Break some bad habits (substance abuse, bad attitudes, poor fashion choices…);
Set some standards—how far is too far?
Get out of Debt—don’t expect to dump debt on a potential spouse; and
Go (back) to church—hang out in the right place (172).

Remember the mirror mentioned earlier?  You cannot change someone else but you can change yourself and become someone that your Mr/Ms perfect might actually want to meet.

This is not a preachy book, but it is an in-your-face book.  Although my wife, Maryam, and I have been married for 30 years, I was already 30 when I got married.  In other words, I was single for a long time—it seemed like forever at the time.  Reading Stanley’s book back then would have saved me a lot of pain.  In today’s social context where learning how to engage in healthy relationships can no longer be learned by osmosis and errors are costly, how does one intentionally learn the lessons needed?

Buy and read this book. Single or not, you will be glad you did.

Footnotes

 Stanley writes:  “ever purchase something from a big box retailer and open the box to find a card that reads something along these lines?  If this product is defective or a piece is missing, do not return to the place of purchase.  Instead, contact us at 1-800-ITS-YOUR-FAULT.” (59)

The leading cause of suicide among young people is a broken relationship

Stanley: Sex is Easy—Not so Relationships
Also see:
The Christian Memoir 
Karr Voices Memoir Clearly 
Books, Films, and Ministry
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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Virgins: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 16, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Parable of the Ten Virgins. 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!

Virgins: Monday Monologues (podcast), December 16, 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/Thanks_24,   Signup



 

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Prophecy Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you teach how to live today with stories about the future.

Forgive us our unwillingness to listen, to reform our lives in view of your teaching, and to share our lessons with those around us.

Thank you for the example of Jesus Christ, he spoke in parables to inform us about your person and the things we need to know to grow closer to you.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, guide us on the path to salvation today, tomorrow, and always.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Prophecy Prayer
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/Thanks_24,   Signup

 

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Oración de Profecía

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Padre Todopoderoso,

Toda alabanza y honor, poder y dominio, verdad y justicia son tuyos, porque enseñas a vivir el hoy con historias sobre el futuro.

Perdónanos nuestra falta de voluntad para escuchar, reformar nuestras vidas en vista de tus enseñanzas y compartir nuestras lecciones con quienes nos rodean.

Gracias por el ejemplo de Jesucristo que habló en parábolas para informarnos sobre tu persona y las cosas que necesitamos saber para acercarnos más a ti.

En el poder del Espíritu Santo, guíanos por el camino de la salvación hoy, mañana y siempre.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Oración de Profecía
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/Thanks_24,   Signup

 

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The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Therefore you also must be ready, 

for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

(Matt 24:44)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The Olivet Discourse (e.g. Mark 13; Matt 24) describes a series of prophetic statements that Jesus shares with his disciples just before his arrest and crucifixion. Prophecy is often taken as a forecasting activity that describes future events, but Jesus almost always talks about the future as a way to describe how life should be lived today. Two words that describe how to live today might be: Patient expectation. Theologians talk about the Kingdom of God being both already here and not yet (Ladd 1991, 68-69).

Olivet Discourse

Consider this brief part of the Olivet Discourse:

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” (Matt 24:44-46)

Here Jesus counsels his disciples to watch for his return, patiently attending to household duties and not chasing after various crises that he itemizes:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matt 24:6-7).

This message is repeated over and over in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ most lengthy prophetic statement. Patient expectation suggests being aware of the times and seasons, but not losing one’s head the midst of chaos. The focus in the Olivet Discourse in on faithfully attending to one’s duties as Christ’s disciples, not obsessing about future revelations or the second coming.

Old Testament Prophecy

In the Old Testament we see two kinds of prophets: Covenantal prophets and covenant-lawsuit prophets. Covenantal prophets are like Moses and King David who interact with God to introduce new covenants. When Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exod 20) or Nathan shares his dream with King David (2 Sam 7), they are functioning as covenantal prophets. Covenant-lawsuit prophets, like Elijah and Elisha, remind the people and their king of their obligations under the covenant, especially the blessings and curses found in Deuteronomy 28. While the covenant-lawsuit prophets that prophesy fire and grindstone gather the most attention, Jesus clearly functioned as both types of prophets in the Olivet Discourse.

One of the key statements of the role of a prophet distinguishes Moses from prophets who are only given visions and dreams:

“Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Num 12:6-8)

Here the prophet only repeats the words given him by God, whether received in a vision or in person. More generally, the idea of a prophet as a soothsayer, fortune teller, or forecaster of future events motivates the Greek word: prophet. More typically in the New Testament the preferred reference to the prophetic role is Apostle, which means messenger or one who is sent, to avoid confusion with the Greek concept of a prophet.

The focus of the Old Testament prophet is on adhering to the covenant, not on forecasting future events, which suggests that the Old Testament prophet and the New Testament prophet share a common focus on patiently adhering to a faithful livestyle, especially in confusing times.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

We see this prophetic framework modeled in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. We read: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” (Matt 25:1) The wise virgins brought extra oil; the foolish did not. When the bridegroom is delayed, the foolish virgin’s lamps ran out of oil and they were excluded from the wedding, an analogy to heaven. In this parable patience is modeled in the idea of being prepared for whatever comes to pass.

The lamps in this parable are reminiscent of the Menorah candles found in the temple, a symbol of Judaism. The parable is more widely an analogy to the language of Revelation where the church is described as the bride of Christ, who is the bridegroom: “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7) The importance of the marriage feast of the Lamb to Christian eschatology places the character trait of patience, one of the Apostle Paul’s fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22), at the heart of the Gospel

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
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/Thanks_24,   Signup

 

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La Parábola de las Diez Vírgenes

Por eso, también ustedes estén preparados, 

porque a la hora que no piensan vendrá el Hijo del Hombre.

(Mateo 24:44)

El Discurso del Monte de los Olivos (por ejemplo, Marcos 13; Mateo 24) describe declaraciones proféticas que Jesús comparte con sus discípulos justo antes de su arresto y crucifixión mientras estaban en el Monte de los Olivos y contemplaban Jerusalén. La profecía a menudo se toma como una actividad de pronóstico que describe eventos futuros, pero Jesús casi siempre habla del futuro como una forma de motivar cómo se debe vivir la vida hoy. Dos palabras que describen cómo vivir hoy podrían ser: Expectación paciente. Los teólogos hablan de que el Reino de Dios ya está aquí y aún no (Ladd 1991, 68–69). La palabra proléptico captura esta idea de que el futuro se revela hoy (Ferguson 1997, 177).

Discurso del Monte de los Olivos

Considere esta breve parte del Discurso del Monte de los Olivos:

¨Por eso, también ustedes estén preparados, porque a la hora que no piensan vendrá el Hijo del Hombre. ¿Quién es, pues, el siervo fiel y prudente a quien su señor puso sobre los de su casa para que les diera la comida a su tiempo?  Dichoso (Bienaventurado) aquel siervo a quien, cuando su señor venga, lo encuentre haciendo así.¨ (Mateo 24:44–46)

Aquí Jesús aconseja a sus discípulos que estén atentos a su regreso, atendiendo pacientemente a los deberes del hogar y no persiguiendo las diversas crisis que detalla:

Üstedes van a oír de guerras y rumores de guerras. ¡Cuidado! No se alarmen, porque es necesario que todo esto suceda; pero todavía no es el fin.  Porque se levantará nación contra nación, y reino contra reino, y en diferentes lugares habrá hambre y terremotos.¨ (Matt 24:6–7)

Este mensaje se repite una y otra vez en el Discurso del Monte de los Olivos, la declaración profética más extensa de Jesús.

Expectación paciente sugiere ser consciente de los tiempos y las estaciones, pero no perder la cabeza en medio del caos. El enfoque del Discurso del Monte de los Olivos es atender fielmente a los deberes de uno como discípulos de Cristo, sin obsesionarse con las crisis actuales o futuras, las profecías fantásticas o la segunda venida.

Profecía del Antiguo Testamento

En el Antiguo Testamento, vemos dos tipos de profetas: los profetas del pacto y los profetas de pleito del pacto. Los profetas del pacto son como Moisés y Natán, quienes interactúan con Dios para introducir nuevos pactos. Cuando Moisés recibe los Diez Mandamientos en el Monte Sinaí (Éxodo 20) o Natán comparte su sueño con el Rey David (2 Sam 7), se funcionan como profetas del pacto. Los profetas de pleito del pacto, como Elías y Eliseo, recuerdan al pueblo y a su rey sus obligaciones bajo el pacto, especialmente las bendiciones y maldiciones que se encuentran en Deuteronomio 28. Si bien los profetas del pleito del pacto que profetizan fuego y azufre atraen la mayor atención, Jesús claramente funcionó como ambos tipos de profetas en el Discurso del Monte de los Olivos.

Una de las declaraciones clave del papel de un profeta distingue a Moisés de los profetas a quienes solo se les dan visiones y sueños:

¨Oigan ahora mis palabras: Si entre ustedes hay profeta, Yo, el SEÑOR, me manifestaré a él en visión. Hablaré con él en sueños. No así con mi siervo Moisés; En toda mi casa él es fiel. Cara a cara hablo con él, Abiertamente y no en dichos oscuros, Y él contempla la imagen del SEÑOR. ¿Por qué, pues, no temieron hablar contra mi siervo, contra Moisés?¨ (Num 12:6–8)

Aquí el profeta sólo repite las palabras que le dio Dios, ya sea que las haya recibido en visión o en persona. De manera más general, la idea de un profeta como adivino, agorero, o pronosticador de acontecimientos futuros motiva la palabra griega profeta. 

Más típicamente en el Nuevo Testamento, la referencia preferida al rol profético es Apóstol, que significa mensajero o enviado, para evitar confusión con el concepto griego de profeta.

El enfoque del profeta del Antiguo Testamento está en adherirse al pacto, no en pronosticar eventos futuros. Esto sugiere que el profeta del Antiguo Testamento y el profeta del Nuevo Testamento comparten un enfoque común en adherirse pacientemente a un estilo de vida fiel, especialmente en tiempos confusos.

La Parábola de las Diez Vírgenes

Vemos esta forma profeta modela en la Parábola de las Diez Vírgenes: ¨Entonces el reino de los cielos será semejante a diez vírgenes que tomando sus lámparas, salieron a recibir al novio.¨ (Matt. 25:1) Las vírgenes prudentes trajeron aceite extra; las tontas no lo hicieron. Cuando el novio se retrasa, las lámparas de las virgenes tontas se quedaron sin aceite y fueron excluidas de la boda, una analogía con el cielo. En esta parábola, la paciencia se modela en la idea de estar preparado para cualquier cosa que suceda.

La parábola es más ampliamente una analogía con el lenguaje del Apocalipsis donde se describe a la iglesia como la novia de Cristo, quien es el novio: ¨Regocijémonos y alegrémonos, y démosle a él la gloria, porque las bodas del Cordero han llegado y su esposa se ha preparado.¨ (Apo 19:7) La importancia de la Boda del Cordero para la escatología cristiana sitúa el rasgo de carácter de la paciencia—uno de los frutos del espíritu del apóstol Pablo (Gál 5:22)—en el corazón del Evangelio.

La Parábola de las Diez Vírgenes
Also see:
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad 
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
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Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




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Peck Studies Evil

M. Scott Peck. 1998. People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil (Orig Pub 1983). New York: Simon & Shuster.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Villainous characters are often at the heart of good novels that serve to provide a contrast for the story’s protagonist. The protagonist might in turn possess a serious flaw that provides contrast to the grow achieved by the protagonist over the course of the story.  In both cases, it is helpful to know what flaws and villainy look like in real life before writing about them.

Introduction

In M. Scott Peck’s People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil he begins with this objective:

“The purpose of this book is to encourage us to take our human life so seriously that we also take human evil far more seriously—seriously enough to study it with all the means at our command, including the methods of science.” (44)

In this context, Peck defines evil as live spelled backwards, in opposition to life (42). He uses primarily his background in psychiatry and case studies with patients to argue his case.

Background and Organization

Morgan Scott Peck (1936-2005) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University. He wrote a number of books, but is best known for The Road Less Traveled (1978)

Peck writes in seven chapters preceded by an introduction:

Introduction

The Man who Made a Pact with the Devil
Toward a Psychology of Evil
The Encounter with Evil in Everyday Life
Charlene: A Teaching Case
Of Possession and Exorcism
MyLai: An Examination of Group Evil
The Danger and the Hope (vii-viii).

Peck dedicated the book to his wife, Lily. His first page cites Saint Augustine’s advice to hate the sin but love the sinner. (9) He self-identifies numerous times as a Christian (e.g. 37).

Dealing with Pain

How people deal with pain often is the key to their descent into evil. In his first case study, Peck introduces us to a patient who he refers to as George who was confronted with psychotic symptoms, like hearing disturbing voices. (16-17) George claims to have made a pact with the devil and, as a consequence, his symptoms went away. After years of therapy, Peck confronts George:

“You’re a kind of coward…because you’ve run away from these things that really inescapable, they come to haunt you in the form of your symptoms, your obsessions, and compulsions.” (32)

George claims that his pact is harmless but relieved his symptoms because he does not believe in God or the Devil.

“But if all you want is the easiest possible relief from pain, then I expect that you are the devil’s man, and I don’t see any way that psychotherapy can help you … because … for you the devil became real. In your desire to avoid pain, t think you called the devil into existence.” (33)

Thus, George played the coward in confronting pain, which enabled his symptoms and his torment. When he eventually confronted his pain, his symptoms disappeared and George returned to a more normal life. (34-35)

Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere

In another case study, a woman who Peck refers to as Billie has a co-dependent relationship with her mother. Co-dependency is a form of symbiosis—when two people act as one. In another case study, a husband and wife were even more tightly bound together.

Billie was promiscuous, mirroring her overbearing mother’s own behavior. The presenting issue was an extreme spider phobia and fear of being alone. Highly intelligent, she never did her homework because studying alone evoked her fear and she got poor grades. (138-140)

Peck suggested that Billie get her own apartment, which her father supported and mother resisted. (141-142) Billie had trouble using the apartment once she got one because of her fear of being alone. Six years into therapy, she began writing poetry and began enjoying her time alone. Then, in therapy she blurted out one day that her mother was like a spider. Her revulsion over her mother’s overbearing behavior she had projected onto spiders and came to realize that she too had become a spider. (146-148) Thus began her road to recovery.

Attributes of Evil People

Sprinkled throughout these case studies and literature reviews Peck developed a list of attributes that characterize evil people. Among these are:

Lack of self-awareness. People unable to accept negative feedback cannot engage in the normal stimulus-response required to correct bad behavior. This lack of an effective feedback loop leads them to repeat painful experiences.
Unable to confront their own pain, they lack empathy in dealing with the pain of others.
Evil people scapegoat others with their problems. Unable to see their own issues, they project them on others and lie about their own behavior.
Children are the primary victims of evil people and, because they cannot defend themselves, frequently mimic evil behavior leading to a transmission between generations.
Groups dilute the willingness of individuals to act on conscience and groups behave more immaturely than individuals, which can have evil consequences. Peck examines this behavior in a case study of the MyLai massacre during the Vietnam War in 1968.

Because lies often characterize evil people, they are often the most obvious tell in unmasking them.

Assessment

Scott Peck’s People of the Lie provides fascinating case studies and reflections on the nature of evil. Because he wrote in the 1980s before much was known about personality disorders, his work likely motivated later diagnoses. For us, the descriptions are likely easier to read than later, more technical descriptions.

The term, evil, arises out of a religious worldview and it denotes the effect that troubled individuals have on the people around them. The psychiatric professional who typically only observes an individual patient is unlikely to observe this behavior and describe it as evil even if patient is tormenting everyone they meet. A clinical diagnosis is easier to pass on with the billing, even if evil is a more apt description.

Personality disorders, as cognitive troubles, remain difficult to diagnosis and treat. Psychiatric patients are often above-average intelligence and the chronic torment that they suffer is often carefully hidden, even from the therapist. Most such people are unlikely to seek treatment voluntarily. Thus, Peck’s case studies are likely to remain interesting both to practitioners and those having to deal with family members so afflicted.

References

Peck, M. Scott. 2003. The Road Less Traveled (OrigPub 1978). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Footnotes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scot....

 One patient I met during my time working as a chaplain in a psyche ward went on and on about voices she heard, but stopped abruptly when I asked if the voices had names.

Peck Studies Evil
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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