Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 31
November 10, 2024
Oración de Restauración
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Padre Dios,
Toda alabanza y honor, poder y gloria, verdad y justicia son tuyos, porque nos ofreces un refugio que nos permite crecer y convertirnos en adultos en un mundo más acostumbrado a jóvenes raquíticos y relaciones amargas. Estar siempre cerca.
Perdónanos nuestra arrogancia juvenil, nuestra rebelión orgullosa y nuestra codicia desenfrenada.
Gracias por el regalo de tu hijo, nuestro salvador Jesucristo, que vivió enseñándonos a amarnos unos a otros, sanó nuestras heridas, murió en la cruz por nuestros pecados y resucitó de entre los muertos para que tengamos vida.
En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, enséñanos a modelar la gracia y el amor de Jesucristo para todos los que encontramos. Concédenos un espíritu de verdad y santidad.
En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.
Oración de Restauración
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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November 8, 2024
Contending Grace
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money.
(Luke 16:13)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
The Lazarus and the Rich Man is a parable in the form of a lengthy story of two men: a poor beggar named Lazarus and a rich man, who is not named. This parable appears only in Luke 16 and it follows another story about an unfaithful and unscrupulous manager. This prior story concludes with the above proverbial statement: You cannot serve God and money. The context of this prior story suggests that money-obsessed Pharisees are the ones in view being criticized in the above story and also the rich man in our parable.
If grace is an undeserved blessing, then the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is a story of contending acts of grace. We read:
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores.” (Luke 16:19-20)
Neither acts of God’s sovereign grace are initially explained, but we learn more about the rich man as the story unfolds. We read:
“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.” (Luke 16:22-23)
For a Jew accustomed to blessings for adhering to the law and curses for disobeying the law in this life and the next, as outlined in Deuteronomy 28, we sense bewilderment in the rich man’s eyes as he looks up from Hades to Lazarus enjoying Abraham’s bosom. This role reversal is unexpected and comes as a shock that the rich man questions Abraham and asks Abraham to warn his five brothers, to which Abraham responds: ”They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”(Luke 16:29)
Curiously, we are never told why Lazarus warranted heaven, only that the rich man failed to heed Moses and the Prophets’ teaching on how to deal with divine judgment. Given the context of the parable, however, we can surmise that we are to love God, not money (Luke 16:13), unlike the Pharisees. The quality of our relationship with God is the key.
Grace in the Parable
For Lazarus, grace means a reversal of fortunes in death. God takes pity on him in death for his undeserved suffering in life.
For the rich man, grace means prosperity in life with the caveat that he love God, not money, and heed Mose’s and the Prophets.
The story is silent on Lazarus’ relationship with God and attitude towards Moses and the Prophets, which reinforces the perception that the parable is directed at and critical of the Pharisees, as with the prior story.
Grace in Relationship
The idea that God’s grace is dispensed in the context of relationship is explicit in the Parable of the Two Sons, usually called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In the parable, the younger son asks for his inheritance early and uses it to engage in riotous living in a foreign country while the old son remains at home and works for this father. At this point, neither son loves his father. After ending up destitute, the younger son returns home to ask his father’s forgiveness which leaves the older son even more bitter, both at his brother and at his father for accepting him back. For the younger son, this episode represents a coming-of-age story where he learns to love his father, something that his older brother never manages (Luke 15:11-32).
In the Parable of the Two Sons, the father models God’s grace in two paragrammatical cases represented by the two sons. In both cases, the father offers restorative justice—grace designed to allow growth—where he might have rendered criminal justice, had the sons not been in relationship.
Restorative justice makes sense to Christians because we have known Christ our entire lives, but it was new to Jesus’ audience, as we read: “This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones.” (Deut 21:20-21) One reading of the passage—“but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)—is that the father was protecting his son from a community more accustomed to stoning rebellious sons than offering them restoration. Against this backdrop, the father’s response is unexpected, a radical departure from local custom.
The grace that Jesus displays in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is transformative because it allows renewal of relationship and the opportunity of personal growth.
Contending Grace
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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Gracia Contendiente.https://t2pneuma.net/2024/11/08/graci...
Ningún siervo puede servir a dos señores,
porque o aborrecerá a uno y amará al otro,
o se apegará a uno y despreciará al otro.
No pueden servir a Dios y a las riquezas.
(Lucas 16:13)
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Lázaro y el Hombre Rico es una parábola en forma de una larga historia de dos hombres: un pobre mendigo llamado Lázaro y un hombre rico, cuyo nombre no se menciona. Esta parábola aparece sólo en Lucas 16 y sigue otra historia sobre un administrador infiel y sin escrúpulos. Esta historia privio concluye con la declaración proverbial anterior: “No pueden servir a Dios y a las riquezas.” El contexto de esta historia anterior sugiere que los fariseos obsesionados con el dinero son los que están siendo criticados en la historia anterior. También se critica al hombre rico de la parábola.
Si la gracia es una bendición inmerecida, entonces la parábola de Lázaro y el Hombre Rico es una historia de actos de gracia contendiente. Leemos:
¨Había cierto hombre rico que se vestía de púrpura y lino fino, celebrando cada día fiestas con esplendidez. Y un pobre llamado Lázaro que se tiraba en el suelo a su puerta cubierto de llagas.¨ (Lucas 16:19–20)
Inicialmente no se explican ninguno de los actos de la gracia soberana de Dios, pero aprendemos más sobre el hombre rico a medida que se desarrolla la historia. Leemos:
“Sucedió que murió el pobre y fue llevado por los ángeles al seno de Abraham; y murió también el rico y fue sepultado. En el Hades (la región de los muertos) el rico alzó sus ojos, estando en tormentos, y vio a Abraham a lo lejos, y a Lázaro en su seno.” (Luca 16:22–23)
Sentimos desconcierto en los ojos del hombre rico mientras mira desde el Hades a Lázaro disfrutando del seno de Abraham. Este reverso de roles es inesperado y sorprende. El hombre rico interroga a Abraham y le pide que advierta a sus cinco hermanos. Abraham responde: ¨Ellos tienen a Moisés y a los Profetas; que los oigan a ellos.” (Lucas 16:29)
Curiosamente, nunca se nos dice por qué Lázaro merecía el cielo, sólo que el hombre rico no prestó atención a las enseñanzas de Moisés y los profetas sobre cómo lidiar con el juicio divino. Sin embargo, dado el contexto de la parábola, podemos suponer que debemos amar a Dios, no al dinero (Lucas 16:13), a diferencia de los fariseos. La calidad de nuestra relación con Dios es la clave.
Gracia en la Parábola
Para Lázaro, la gracia significa un reverso de suerte en la muerte. Dios se apiada de él en la muerte por su sufrimiento inmerecido en vida. Esta es una expectativa común de lo que significa ir al cielo.
Para el hombre rico, la gracia significa prosperidad en la vida con la condición de que ame a Dios, no al dinero, y preste atención a Moisés y a los Profetas. Esta expectativa del juicio divino es rechazada por la mayoría de las personas hoy en día, que prefieren creer en la salvación universal.
La historia no dice nada sobre la relación de Lázaro con Dios y su actitud hacia Moisés y los profetas. Esto refuerza la percepción de que la parábola está dirigida a los fariseos y los critica, como ocurre con la historia anterior.
Gracia en Relación
La idea de que la gracia de Dios se dispensa en el contexto de la relación es explícita en la Parábola de los Dos Hijos, generalmente llamada Parábola del Hijo Prodigo. En la parábola, el hijo menor pide su herencia anticipadamente y la utiliza para vivir desenfrenadamente en un país extranjero, mientras que el hijo mayor permanece en casa y trabaja para este padre. En este punto, ninguno de los hijos ama a su padre.
Después de quedar indigente, el hijo menor regresa a casa para pedir perdón a su padre. Esto deja al hijo mayor aún más amargado, tanto con su hermano como con su padre por aceptarlo de nuevo. Para el hijo menor, este episodio representa una historia de mayoría de edad en la que aprende a amar a su padre, algo que su hermano mayor nunca logra (Lucas 15:11–32).
En la parábola de los dos hijos, el padre modela la gracia de Dios en dos casos arquetípicos 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.
La justicia restaurativa tiene sentido para los cristianos porque muchos de nosotros hemos conocido a Cristo durante toda nuestra vida, pero era nueva para la audiencia de Jesús. La expectativa en ese momento era: ¨Este hijo nuestro es terco y rebelde, no nos obedece, es glotón y borracho. Entonces todos los hombres de la ciudad lo apedrearán hasta que muera.” (Deut 21:20–21) Una lectura del pasaje—¨Cuando todavía estaba lejos, su padre lo vio y sintió compasión por él, y corrió, se echó sobre su cuello y lo besó¨ (Luca 15:20)—es que el padre estaba protegiendo a su hijo de una comunidad más acostumbrada a lapidar a los hijos rebeldes que a ofrecerles restauración. En este contexto, la respuesta del padre es inesperada: un alejamiento radical de la costumbre local.
La gracia que Jesús muestra en la Parábola del Hijo Pródigo es culturalmente inesperada. Es transformador porque permite la renovación de la relación y la oportunidad de crecimiento personal. Debido a que la iglesia típicamente ha interpretado esta parábola alegóricamente, el padre es un sustituto de Dios y se espera que nos identifiquemos con el hijo menor. Por lo tanto, la relación renovada se considera nuestra relación con Dios y, por inferencia, un modelo para nuestra relación con todos los demás.
Gracia Contendiente
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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November 5, 2024
Warren Grows Characters
Susan May Warren. 2016. The Story Equation. Minneapolis: My Book Therapy.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
What makes the character in a novel come to life? Why do some readers behave like crack addicts with lives consumed in reading? Why do some writers obsess with feeding this addiction, like wannabe drug pushers, and, in the process, finding fame and fortune? While these groups encompass a lot of people, my own interest is more personal—as I write my own memoir, how am I to understand my own character development? These questions brought me to focus on Susan Warren’s book, The Story Equation.
Introduction
Warren writes:
“How well your readers connect with and care about this character determines the success of a story. In other words, if they’re emotionally gone on the journey with the character, suffered with and experienced the joys and triumphs of the character, as well as learned the lessons and truths, only then have you, the author, done your job.” (10)
She calls her method for accomplishing and maintaining this connection the Story Equation (13), which she describes as a multi-tier recipe (33-34). Her emphasis on the inner journey rather than the outer journey of her characters (plot) helps place her method in the genre of inspirational fiction.
Outline of Technique
In broad strokes, Warren sees a story having four acts, each with its own emotional purpose, which she describes as a character change journey (16).
Act 1
In act 1, the author introduces the main character who confronts an inciting incident. She writes: “your key job is to help readers identify with the character, feel his journey, and triumph with him” (19). The character’s biography should be revealed through stories that illustrate character but do not slow the action (20-21). The inciting incident challenges the character both to step out of his normal routine and to grow out of the previous mindset.
Act 2
In act 2, our character meets obstacles that must be overcome; otherwise, the story dies as our hero melts before the challenge. Warren calls the motivation to rise and overcome the obstacles a noble quest (23).
Act 3
In act 3, our character must fight to overcome both internal and external obstacles (25). Warren writes:
“at that moment we are forced to confront the lies we believe, our broken behaviors (flaws), and our fears. This is called the Black Moment Effect … [and] we see the truth.” (26)
This Black Moment Effect is critical in inspirational plot development because the character must see that to triumph, he must sacrifice to overcome the lie that has held him back—the person he was must die in order for him to move forward and both become a new person and triumph against his obstacles (27).
Act 4
In act 4, we witness the character’s triumph. To show change, a character must “make a Grand Gesture, sacrifice something, engage in a Final Battle” (28). Because changes remain difficult, it can be no less complicated or dramatic for our characters. The whole point of an inspirational novel, however, is to show that change is, in fact, possible but it cannot happen without sacrifice (27).
Multiple Passes Through Text
In case you thought writing inspirational fiction was easy and straightforward, Warren makes two more passes through these four acts. First, the focus is on the internal journey; second, the focus shifts to the external story (plot) structure; third, the focus shifts to how the internal and the external story relate to one another. Warren refers to this second pass as the Story Equation, which she defines with an acronym (LINDY HOP); she refers third pass as the character change journey. Clearly, it would take a small book to explain her approach adequately, even in a review.
Susan May Warren grew up in Wayzata, Minnesota, studied Mass Communications at the University of Minnesota, and spent eight years working in missions in Siberia, Russia. She is the author of numerous books and works as a writing coach. She is also a great speaker and very approachable person.
Assessment
Susan May Warren’s The Story Equation is an intriguing book—easy to read, but worthy of deep reflection. I found myself adding new chapters to my memoir, as I reflected on my own life’s journey. Her insights into the human condition are profound, leaving me curious to read more of her work. She is also readable, illustrating points on character development with movie examples, such the internal life of Benjamin Martin from the film, The Patriot.
Footnotes
http://www.SusanMayWarren.com, www.MyBookTherapy.com, and www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com.
Because stories are typically said to have three acts, she divides act 2 into two parts: 2A and 2B. For simplicity’s sake, I stick with four acts in this review.
LINDY HOP = Life, Inciting incident, Noble quest, Disappointments, Y in the road, Help, Overhaul, and Perfect ending.
As an undergraduate at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, the graduate school at University of Minnesota tried to recruit me at one point but I told them that I had enough cold weather in Ames! Later I regretted turning them down, because it was a great school.
For a list of books, either check with Amazon.com or visit her official website, cited earlier.
I met Susan at a conference sponsored by the American Christian Fiction Writers fellowship in Woodbridge, Virginia on October 22, 2016.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187393/v...
Warren Grows Characters
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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November 4, 2024
Great Physician: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 4, 2024
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Great Physician. 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!
Great Physician: Monday Monologues (podcast), November 4, 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/Bos_24 , Signup
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November 3, 2024
Prayer for Spiritual Healing
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty God, Great Physician, Spirit of Truth,
All power and dominion, honor and glory, and truth and justice are yours because you hear our afflictions, heal our diseases, and free us from fear. Be ever near.
Forgive our weaknesses, our gullibility, and inability to say no to sin. Be ever near.
Thank you for the many blessings, the blessings we see, and the blessings hid from our eyes when we are simply faithful. Be every near.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, turn our eyes away from sin, heal our bodies, and bring us closer to you in good times and bad.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Prayer for Spiritual Healing
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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Oración para la Curación Espiritual
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
Dios Todopoderoso, Gran Médico, Espíritu de Verdad,
Toda alabanza y honra, poder y dominio, verdad y justicia son tuyos, porque escuchas nuestras aflicciones, sanas nuestras enfermedades y nos liberas del temor. Sea siempre cerca.
Perdona nuestras debilidades, nuestra credulidad y nuestra incapacidad para decir no al pecado. Sea siempre cerca.
Gracias por las muchas bendiciones, las bendiciones que vemos y las bendiciones ocultas de nuestros ojos cuando simplemente somos fieles. Sea siempre cerca.
En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, convierte nuestros ojos fuera de pecados, sana nuestros cuerpos, y tráenos más cerca a ti en buen tiempos y mal.
En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, aparta nuestros ojos del pecado, sana nuestros cuerpos y acércate a ti en los buenos y en los malos momentos.
En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.
Oración para la Curación Espiritual
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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November 1, 2024
Sin as Sickness
Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance.
(Luke 5:31-32)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Jesus’ Parable of the Doctor and the Sick is found in three Gospels (Mark 2:17. Matt 9:12-13, Luke 5:31-32). In each case, the parable is paired with a statement about his mission: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” This pairing converts the parable into a doublet, a form of Hebrew poetry, where the first phrase is rephrased by the second. In other words, the healthy are righteous while the sick are sinners. Jesus’ role in this parable doublet is that of a physician.
We witness another example of this pairing of healing and forgiveness of sin in the healing of the paralytic, also found in three Gospels (Mark 2:9, Matt 9:5, Luke 5:23) and in each case found close to the Parable of the Doctor and the Sick. The key phrase in each account is: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your bed and walk?” (Mark. 2:9) The argument is from the greater (physical healing) to the lesser (forgiveness of sin). The question is rhetorical because Jesus already knows what he will do.
The grace extended to the paralytic serves an important didactical point: Jesus has the power to forgive sins, as suggested in the Parable of the Doctor and the Sick (Luke 5:32). This is a claim to divinity, as noted in Mark’s Gospel: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7) This is an example of a miracle functioning as a sign of God’s presence because only gracious and loving God would countermand the rules of the universe to heal someone. The only request made of the paralytic was to: “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (Luke 5:24)
Sin as an Illness
It is interesting that Jesus treats sin as an illness, much like the modern parallel of treating addictions as an illness. If sin is an illness, the shame is relinquished and the sinner is allowed to accept forgiveness. Shame is normally a barrier to healing and forgiveness as those responsible are excluded from normal relationships with family and community.
Georges (2017, 10-11) sees three spiritual cultures that appear as responses to sin: guilt, shame, and fear:
Guilt-innocence cultures who focus on an individual’s response to law breaking and the pursuit of justice.
Shame-honor cultures who focus on fulfilling group expectations and restoring honor when norms are violated.
Fear-power cultures who focus on fear of evil and seek power over the spiritual world through magic, spells, curses, and rituals.
Treating sin as a sickness in a guilt-innocence culture relieves one of a legal violation, in an honor culture one is relieved of shame, and in a fear culture one is relieved of a curse. In each case, treating sin as an illness allows healing to take place that might otherwise not be possible as those in power loose their claim on the sinner.
The impact of treating sin as an illness is particularly important in dealing with besetting sins. These are sins with the characteristics of addiction that trap and enslave us over long periods of time. Here we find things like sexual sins, sins involving money and power over others, and attitudes that preclude forgiveness.
Seeing Jesus as a dispenser of grace, healing, and forgiveness places him at a cultural-spiritual vortex, which remains illusive even today. It is no wonder that Jesus’ life was in danger the more real his healing miracles became (e.g. Mark 3:1-6).
References
Georges, Jayson. 2017. The 3-D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures. Time Press.
Sin as Sickness
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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Pecado como Enfermedad
Los sanos no tienen necesidad de médico, sino los que están enfermos.
No he venido a llamar a justos, sino a pecadores al arrepentimiento.
(Lucas 5:31–32)
Por Stephen W. Hiemstra
La parábola de Jesús sobre el Médico y los Enfermos se encuentra en tres evangelios (Marco 2:17, Mateo 9:12–13, Lucas 5:31–32). En cada caso, la parábola va acompañada de una declaración sobre su misión: “No he venido a llamar a justos, sino a pecadores al arrepentimiento.” Este emparejamiento convierte la parábola en un doblete, una forma de poesía hebrea, donde la primera frase es reformúlada por la segunda. En otras palabras, los sanos son justos mientras que los enfermos son pecadores. El papel de Jesús en esta parábola es el de médico.
Otro ejemplo de este binomio de curación y perdón de pecados lo presenciamos en la curación del paralítico, que también se encuentra en tres evangelios (Marcos 2:9, Mateo 9:5, Lucas 5:23) y en cada caso se encuentra cerca de la Parábola del Médico y del Enfermo. La frase clave en cada cuenta es: ¨¿Qué es más fácil, decir al paralítico: Tus pecados te son perdonados, o decirle: Levántate, toma tu camilla y anda.¨ (Marco 2:9) El argumento es de lo mayor (curación física) a lo menor (perdón de pecados). La pregunta es retórica porque Jesús ya sabe lo que hará.
La gracia extendida al paralítico cumple un importante punto didáctico: Jesús tiene el poder de perdonar los pecados, como se sugiere en la parábola del médico y los enfermos (Lucas 5,32). Esta es una pretensión de divinidad, como se señala en el Evangelio de Marcos: ¨¿Quién puede perdonar pecados, sino sólo Dios?¨ (Marco 2:7) Este es un ejemplo de un milagro que funciona como señal de la presencia de Dios porque sólo un Dios gracioso y amoroso anularía las reglas del universo para sanar a alguien. La única petición que se le hizo al paralítico fue: ¨Levántate, toma tu camilla y vete a tu casa.¨ (Lucas 5:24)
Pecado como una Enfermedad
Es interesante que Jesús trate el pecado como una enfermedad, de manera muy similar al paralelo moderno de tratar las adicciones como una enfermedad. Si el pecado es una enfermedad, entonces se abandona la vergüenza y se le permite al pecador aceptar el perdón. La vergüenza suele ser una barrera para la curación y el perdón, ya que los responsables están excluidos de las relaciones normales con la familia y la comunidad.
Georges (2017, 10-11) ve tres culturas espirituales que aparecen como respuestas al pecado: culpa, vergüenza y miedo:
1. Culturas de culpa y inocencia que se centran en la respuesta de un individuo ante la infracción de la ley y la búsqueda de justicia.
2. Culturas de vergüenza y honor que se centran en cumplir las expectativas del grupo y restaurar el honor cuando se violan las normas.
3. Culturas de miedo y poder que se centran en el miedo al mal y buscan poder sobre el mundo espiritual a través de magia, hechizos, maldiciones y rituales.
Tratar el pecado como una enfermedad en una cultura de culpa y inocencia lo exime de una violación legal. En una cultura de vergüenza y honor lo exime de vergüenza. En una cultura de miedo y poder lo exime de una maldición. En cada caso, tratar el pecado como una enfermedad permite que se produzca una curación que de otro modo no sería posible, ya que quienes están en el poder pierden su derecho sobre el pecador.
El impacto de tratar el pecado como una enfermedad es particularmente importante al tratar con los pecados que nos acosan. Son pecados con características de adicción que nos atrapan y esclavizan durante largos períodos de tiempo. Aquí encontramos cosas como pecados sexuales, pecados relacionados con el dinero y el poder sobre los demás, y actitudes que excluyen el perdón.
Ver a Jesús como un dispensador de gracia, sanación y perdón lo coloca en un vórtice cultural-espiritual, donde la estructura de poder de la cultura se ve amenazada. Cuando Jesús ofrece gracia, sana y perdona, los normalmente responsables de tales actividades se ven privados de su estatus habitual y se puede esperar que respondan con ataques violentos. No es de extrañar que la vida de Jesús estuviera en peligro cuanto más reales se volvían sus milagros de curación (por ejemplo, Marcos 3:1–6).
Pecado como Enfermedad
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
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October 29, 2024
The Heath’s Stick to Communication
Chip and Dan Heath.[1] 2008. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, Inc.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
When you write and speak so distinctly that—your words enter the dictionary; children grow up repeating your phrases; songwriters plagiarize your work; competing products leave the market; and everyone knows your name—you know that you have reached the Holy Grail of communication…the few, the chosen, the Marines…I had it my way…have it your way…jlo…where entertainers and advertisers and politicians and marketing types all come together.
Introduction
In their book, Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath write:
“We wrote this book to help you make your ideas stick. By ‘stick”, we mean that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact—they change your audience’s opinions or behavior.” (8)
Catch the action words here—understand, remember, and change. Every therapist, teacher, and pastor holds these objectives, but seldom attains them. If you don’t believe me, pick up a pen and write down the main points of the last sermon that you heard—what? You can’t? The point here is that sticky is good.
Sticky is also hard.
The Heaths cite 6 principles of sticky ideas: they are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, [stimulate] Emotions, and [tell a] Story (14-18) which form acronym: SUCCESs. The core chapters of the Heath’s book concentrate on these 6 principles so let me briefly describe each in turn.
Simple.
The Heath’s write:
“Saying something short is not the mission—sound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound.” (16)
Simple means that the core idea is obvious. The core idea could be the “commander’s intent”, if you are in the military, (26) or “the lead”, if you are a journalist, (30) or a memorable phrase like “It’s the economy, stupid”, if you are Bill Clinton running for president (33-34). The Heath’s write: “Core messages help people avoid bad choices by reminding them of what’s important.” (37) They expand saying: “Simple messages are core and compact” (46) which implies that simple messages need to remind you of something basic that you can remember—a metaphor (60). Think: “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” (Not a metaphor, but a simile but the idea is the same). Simple communicates because it is simple.
Unexpected.
The Heath’s write:
“We need to violate people’s expectations. We need to be counterintuitive…For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity.” (16)
Surprise gets our attention; interest keeps it (65). The Heath’s advice sticky artists: “to break someone’s guessing machine and then fix it.” (71) Or, alternatively, to “open gaps” in people’s knowledge and then to “close them” (85). Gaps create curiosity, but only in learning new things are we able to close the gap.
Concrete.
The Heath’s write:
“How do we make our ideas clear? We must explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in terms of sensory information…Our brains are wired to remember concrete data.” (17)
They elaborate:
“…concreteness boils down to specific people doing specific things…World class customer service is abstract. A Nordie [Nordstrum’s employee] ironing a customer’s shirt is concrete.” (104) The concept of a Nordie doing outrageously good things for customers communicates customer service is a priority in a manner like an urban legend.
Credible.
The Heath’s write: “Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials.” (17) Think: lots of gritty details.
Credibility is in the eye of the beholder. Still, we tend to believe our “family, personal experience, faith”, authorities with a “wall [which] is covered with framed credentials”, “celebrities and other aspirational figures”, and “anti-authorities” like the common person on the street (133-134). A Nordie is an anti-hero.
Emotions.
The Heath’s write: “We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.” (18) They elaborate: “…the goal of making messages ‘emotional’ is to make people care. Feelings inspire people to act.” (169)
Story.
The Heath’s write:
“How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell stories…mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation in the physical environment. Similarly, hearing stories acts as a kind of mental flight simulation, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.” (18)
They elaborate: “The story’s power, then, is twofold: It provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act).” (206)
Assessment
Chip and Dan Heath’s book, Made to Stick, communicates in mental pictures and stories what communicates—becomes an urban legend—and what only informs is relegated quickly to the circular file. One of my first applications of Made to Stick was borrow the story of tappers and listeners (tap out the beats to a song and have a friend try to guess the song; 19-20) as a warm-up exercise for a high school group. Anyone interested in communicating effectively will want to pay attention to this book. It is also great reading.
Footnotes
The Heath’s Stick to Communication
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/Bos_24 , Signup
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