Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 50
February 9, 2024
Large-T Transcendence
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
(Isa 40:28)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
A popular question floating around today, thanks to the influence of a Hindu sect called Janism, is: How many paths are there up the mountain to God? The presumption in this question is that all religions are equally relevant and subject to personal preferences, nothing more. For the Christian, however, this is a trick question—there are no paths up the mountain to God because God, having created time and space, stands outside of both. We cannot approach God; he must approach us and he did so in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
Postmodern Context
The spirit of the times refuses to recognize this reality. The prevailing attitude is ABC, anything but Christian. Postmodernism is radically post Christian. Much like the Roman Empire was polytheistic, so is postmodern culture. Any religion that claims exclusivity is openly treated with contempt. This contempt is practiced in the media, schools, and every other public forum.
Often people will argue that ABC is just Christian paranoia because public school sometimes teach from the Bible. The problem is that when people argue that schools teach the Bible, it is to make sure that kids know alternatives to the biblical accounts, like creation, Noah’s flood, and other supernatural events. Before kids have time to develop a faith of their own, they are confronted with alternatives that even their parents cannot sort out. Thus, the multiple-paths-up-the-mountain becomes a focus for teenage rebellion just when secular temptations start to look attractive.
Large-T Transcendence
Before the Big Bang Theory was introduced, creation and science seemed at odds. If you search the Internet for information on the Big Bang Theory (not the television show), the NASA website provides this explanation:
“The big bang is how astronomers explain the way the universe began. It is the idea that the universe began as just a single point, then expanded and stretched to grow as large as it is right now—and it is still stretching!”
The theory dates back to 1927 and an astronomer named Georges Lemaître. This theory gained credibility after another astronomer, Edwin Hubble, observed that other galaxies were moving away from us and the ones farther away were moving away faster.1
While people still debate the relationship between the biblical creation accounts and science, the chief thing to know is that the creation accounts focus on the who question, not the how question that is the focus of science. Genesis states that God created everything (heaven and earth) and then describes a list of things that he has authority over enumerated by days (Niehaus 2014, 39-41). Much like Congress passes laws on a timetable while in session, the timetable and the implementation need not be tightly linked. Nevertheless, if the Big Bang Theory is correct, God can create a surprising number of things in a very short period!
The question of transcendence in the case of creation arises because God cannot be part of the created order. A carpenter is not part of the desk that he fashions. This is why God cannot be pictured as a bearded gentleman sitting on top of mountain. God created both time and space so he must stand apart from both. This is why our entire lives are within his view much like when one stands on the street in front of an apartment building, one can see all the rooms at once—a perspective not available standing in any room in the apartment.
Creation Implies Authority
The exclusivity of Christ arises because God created the heavens and the earth. Unlike other creation accounts in the Ancient Near East, God does not contend with monsters to win the universe. Neither does he buy or barter for the universe; neither does he inherit it or find it in a quest. God is sovereign over the universe because he created it.
Because God stands outside time and space, and we do not, we cannot approach God without him coming to us—the very definition of Big-T Transcendence. As Christians, we believe that God sent Jesus Christ to bridge this ontological gap. In the biblical witness, Jesus could be described as Jacob’s ladder bridging heaven and earth (Gen 28:12), which is the source of his exclusively. Only someone divine can bridge such a gap. Another gap arises because of God’s holiness, which is a restatement of the same ontological gap because holy means set apart as well as sacred. Being set apart in time and space is just one example of the concept of holiness.
God’s authority in creation is a problem for anyone contending to control other people. Deconstructionists are sensitive on this point because authority denotes power. This is why they challenge every source and manifestation of power as equally illegitimate: family, church, and society. God’s authority is particularly galling for them because it is inherently legitimate. Thus, the creation accounts in Genesis are the focus of the deconstructionists efforts to overthrow God’s authority. If that sounds Satanic, it is because it is.
Implications
God’s authority over creation impacts everything we do—past, present, and future. For me, the goodness of God and his love means that I do not need to worry about the future—I only need to focus on my faith and relationship with God.
This simplifies everything. Death still stings, but it does not disable. Challenges in work and family life still break my heart, but I am not paralyzed. I am careful to read, understand, and live my Bible, but I do not obsess about prophecies and when God will do all that he does—it is all in hands of someone powerful that I trust.
References
Niehaus, Jeffrey J. 2014. Biblical Theology: Volume 1: The Common Grace Covenants. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Footnotes
1 https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/big-bang/...!
Large-T Transcendence
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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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February 6, 2024
Wilbers: Keys to Great Writing
Stephen Wilbers. 2000. Keys To Great Writing. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
Seminary taught me many lessons, many of which took the form of words. Of course, many words in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin were entirely new to me. But even in English seminary gave me new words to express ideas which were previously unformed and unattended. Writers may find themselves similarly challenged in Stephen Wilbers book: Keys to Great Writing.
Introduction
What are the keys here? Wilbers lists five keys: economy, precision, action, music, and personality. Let me say a few words about each.
Economy. “Make every word count.” Wilber illustrates his point by chunking up a poem by Langston Hughes, “Harlem”, and asking the reader to edit it by bracketing out unnecessary verbiage. Then, he brackets the verbiage himself. The word count falls from 112 to 54, but the power in the poem rises as the word count falls (11-13). He then moves on to offer fourteen techniques for eliminating wordiness.
My favorite technique was number 5: “Delete ‘hollow’ hedges and meaningless intensifiers” A hollow hedge is an unnecessary qualifier. For example, in the expression, “rather surprised”, the word, surprised, is sufficient which makes the word, rather, a hollow hedge. Likewise, an intensifier normally adds emphasis, but not all emphasis is necessary. For example, the word, very, is everyone’s favorite unnecessary intensifier. Wilber recommends that if the meaning of the expression is unchanged when omitting hedges and intensifiers, then leave them out (21).
Precision. “Use the right word.” Prefer action verbs and concrete nouns; appeal to the five senses; be careful with modifiers; avoid sexist language; speak plainly and directly. (37-47).
Action. “Use action and movement to engage your reader.” Wilbers reinforces his earlier comments here about action verbs and cautions about pompous nouns—nominalizations. What makes this presentation differ from a typical treatment is that Wilber includes punctuation in this discussion and outlines rules for using both nominalizations and the passive voice. For example, he offers five reasons to use passive voice:
To emphasize the receiver of the action.
To de-emphasize the performer of the action.
To avoid responsibility.
To create smooth connections between sentences.
To maintain a consistent point of view or sequence of subjects (56-57).
His treatment here stresses the principle that a skilled writer uses language forms appropriately rather than blindly following rules.
Music. Wilbers advises the reader to “listen to your voice”. Language is simply a representation of the spoken word (67-68).
In representing the spoken word, Wilbers classifies punctuate marks into three categories: marks of clarification (hyphens, quotation marks, and parentheses), marks of inflection (question marks and exclamation marks) and marks of separation (periods, commas, semicolons, and dashes) (72). He then offers a rhythmic interpretation of separation marks. Think of a period as a whole note rest; a colon as a three-quarter note rest; a semicolon as a half-note rest; and a comma as a quarter-note rest (73-75).
Another important way to represent the spoken word is through using different sentence structures. Wilber classifies twelve sentence types in three broad categories: functional (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory) sentences, grammatical (simple, compound, complex, and compound complex) sentences, and rhetorical (periodic, loose, balanced, and antithetical) sentences (89). Some of these sentence types are familiar; others require definition. A sentence type new to me, for example, was a periodic sentence which is defined as a compound sentence where the subordinate clauses precede the main clause creating a sense of expectation. A loose sentence does exactly the opposite having the main clause precede the subordinate clauses (89).
Personality. Wilbers advises writers to “be lively, unpredictable, playful, and genuine” (107). For example, Wilbers writes: “A good metaphor has three qualities: aptness, novelty, and simplicity” which might satisfy each of these conditions. (114) More generally, this chapter pulls together elements from the previous chapters and talks about how to use them.
Organization
The five keys are discussed in the first five of Wilbers’ eleven chapters. The complete list of chapters are:
Part One: Keys to Great Writing 1. Economy. 2. Precision. 3. Action. 4. Music. 5. Personality.
Part Two: Elements of Composition 6. Purpose. 7. Point of View. 8. Organization. 9. Support. 10. Coherence.
Part Three: Drafting and Revising 11. The Writing Process.
Part one described above accounts for 126 of 262 pages, or about half of the book.
Part two is perhaps of the most interest to experienced writers. For example, Wilbers reviews six purposes for writing:
1. To inform the reader. 2. To entertain the reader. 3. To persuade the reader. 4. To transact business (or accomplish a task). 5. To express oneself. 6. To create a literary work (131).
Note that the first three purposes focus on the reader and the last three focus on the writers—the more that you know about why you write, the more precise the writing will be. Clearly, how you write informs what gets written.
Having offered a flavor of Wilbers’ writing, let me sum up.
Assessment
Stephen Wilbers book, Keys to Great Writing, outlines the major themes of writing without narrowing the focus to a particular genre. While this makes his book suitable as a composition textbook for college students, it has an engaging style which does not feel like a textbook. Authors serious about moving their writing style to a higher level will want to take notice.
Footnotes
In another review (posting March 8, 2016), I give some back ground on Stephen Wilbers (Wilbers Offers Writing Tips to Remember; http://wp.me/p3Xeut-1p0)
Wilbers: Keys to Great Writing
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
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February 5, 2024
Awareness: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 5, 2024
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Self-Awareness. 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!
Awareness: Monday Monologues (podcast), February 5, 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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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February 4, 2024
Self-Awareness Prayer
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty and Merciful Father,
All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you engender our maturity and encourage our autonomy within the context of your love and protection.
Forgive us when we question legitimate sources of authority and power within our daily lives, not caring for the chaos that may result. Be ever near.
Thank you for the gifts of creation and salvation in Christ that we might live in the majesty of the universe that you created and come to you confident of your goodness and love. Guide us in all we think and do.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, demolish all strongholds of evil in our world, be they malevolent people, structures, or philosophies (2 Cor 10:3-6). Protect our families, churches, and communities.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Self-Awareness 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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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February 2, 2024
Self-Awareness
Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field
and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.
And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
(Gen 2:19)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Transcendence is a basic human quality that has recently come under attack. Transcendence starts, not with our understanding of God, but our understanding of ourselves. Self-awareness is the ability to distinguish the self from surroundings, starting with our mothers and extending to our fathers, siblings, and everyone else. As a father myself, I was always happy to hold my kids, but found it off-putting when they grew old enough to recognize that I was not their mother and would look at mom and cry when I held them. Imagine how God, our Father, must feel when we squirm in his presence and focus on other things.
Confusing the Self
The human mind naturally transcends the body. The human being is one of the few animals that when confronted with their own image in a mirror recognizes that the image is of themselves. A healthy self-image is necessary for normal relations with others and with God. An important problem arises when the boundary between the self and others is fuzzed or the self is extended to include others or other things.
The attack on transcendence arises because after self-awareness, the question arises as how we will relate to the things not contained in the self. For the deconstructionist working hard to deconstruct all power-structures, the power of the self to distinguish itself from others is the beginning of hegemony and, as such, it comes under suspicion. By refusing to recognize legitimate sources of authority, such as God, and undermining the authority of the family, church, and society, deconstructionism is a clearly demonic philosophy offering no hope to those afflicted by its influence. The deconstructionist is more comfortable with unnatural co-dependencies and narcissism where hegemony is harder because the boundary between the self and others is fuzzed.
The case of the narcissist is one example of a fuzzed boundary between self and others. It either projects the self onto others or rejects any image other than the self. Robert Graves (1972, 115) gives this account of the myth of Narcissus:
“The Goddess Aphrodite [goddess of love] punished Narcissus for being so obstinate [refusing the love of women]. She let him see his own reflection in a pool, as he lay down on the verge to drink, and fall violently in love with it. Whenever he tried to kiss himself, he only got his face wet and spoilt the reflexion. Yet he could not bear to leave the pool. At last, in grief and disappointment, he killed himself.”
The story of Narcissus is perhaps the extreme example of someone who loved the wrong things. If we cannot distinguish self from others, the prospects of a normal love life are nipped in the bud.
Healthy spiritual boundaries begin with distinguishing the self from others and classifying the others as not-self. In the creation account, God makes a number of separations: “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Gen 1:3-4) Creating light and declaring it to be good and separating it from darkness begins the process of establishing boundaries—distinguishing the self from other things. Adam’s naming of the animals continues this process (Gen 2:19). When God creates Eve and introduces her to Adam, Adam neither confuses her with himself nor with animals. Instead, he falls in love (Gen 2:23).
The Autonomous Self
Why the excursion into psychology? Three reasons stand out. First, an autonomous self is a prerequisite and a product of faith. It is a prerequisite because a person cannot give themselves away to a spouse or to God if they are not in control of themselves. The chains of Satan—addiction, trauma, abuse, fear, fascination with power or the occult, co-dependency, and other psychiatric illnesses—all work to undermine the autonomous self and limit self-control.
Second, an autonomous self is a requirement for freedom in a larger context. Democracy requires that voters make up their own minds independently of one another—if they do not, then an election is nothing more than a census of interest groups. The same logic applies to demand theory in economics—unless consumers operate independently of one another, there is no competition among suppliers and prices are indeterminant. Addiction likewise works to undermine the autonomy of the mind over the body rendering one a slave to an addictive substance.
Third, an autonomous self is a product of faith in the sense that autonomy is always at least partially aspirational. Listen to the words of the skeptical father of an epileptic son requesting that Jesus heal him:
“And Jesus said to him, If you can! All things are possible for one who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)
If faith were easy, we would all have perfect faith, but none of us do. The journey of faith begins with acknowledging that our own knowledge is limited.
Attacks on the Autonomous Self
The creation account includes one of the first attacks on the autonomous self. In speaking with Eve, Satan tries to twist God’s word and create doubt in Eve’s mind: “He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” (Gen 3:1) By creating doubt in her mind, Satan is acting like the first deconstructionist to undermine God’s authority and Eve’s faith in God’s goodness. Doubt and confusion undermine autonomy by engendering fear and uncertainty, and with it, a heightened propensity to sin under the guise of a false autonomy.
Eve does not sin on her own, but only under the influence of Satan. Satan tempts her with false autonomy leading her to believe that she is autonomous when she, in fact, traded a loving God for Satan, who hates human beings and glories in their destruction. As Jesus says: “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) Only a good and loving God offers his children the security to make real choices and live under his protection.
Sin’s attractiveness is why Christ—the son of God—needed to die on the cross to redeem us from sin and Satan’s pernicious control. The curse of death imposed by God for sin is a divine curse. Only a divine sacrifice can undo a divine curse.
Self-Awareness
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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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January 30, 2024
Sedler: Wisdom With or Without Words
Michael D. Sedler. 2003. When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up: Principles for Conversations You Won’t Regret. Minneapolis: Baker Publishing Company (Chosen).
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
Years ago I made a promise to myself not to give up on life for lack of courage. Courage involves things like trying something different to keep growing; being available to my family (and to others) even when it hurt; finishing the race one step at a time—even if the race is a marathon. Courage—often it has meant being fully present in my own life when important words are spoken. So when I ran across Michael D. Sedler’s book, When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up, I knew that I needed to order a copy.
Introduction
What does it mean to be fully present in our own lives?
After recounting a marriage counseling session where he [as the counselor] let himself down for not speaking up and defending his own values, Sedler writes:
“This truly is a book about love . . . loving one another enough to understand when we should remain silent and when we should speak…” (16)
He further observes that:
“Our very lives, both physical and spiritual, depend upon our ability and willingness to speak out at the proper moment. And by the same token, silence can bring pain, destruction, and the inevitable onslaught of sin.” (16)
This onslaught of sin is not a throwaway comment; Sedler asks: “Was the ‘original sin’ Eve’s eating the forbidden fruit or was it Adam’s silence while his wife was deceived?” (21) Phrased in this way, Eve can be seen transgressing (doing bad) the law of God while Adam committed iniquity (failure to do good)—technically, both are sins.
David and Goliath
An important lesson that Sedler offers comes from the story of David and Goliath found in the first book of Samuel, chapter 17. In the ancient world where battles were crudely fought and carried a horrible penalty for all involved, it was common to delegate the battle to a champion who fought on behalf of the entire nation. The Philistine champion was a giant named Goliath and he made this proposal:
“He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” (1 Sam 17:8-9 ESV)
No one in the army of Israel dared to fight him, except for a young shepherd boy named David (1 Sam 17:32).
Sedler sees 4 principles for speaking up or remaining silent in David’s response to Goliath that enabled him to gain the confidence of King Saul who allowed him to become Israel’s champion. These principles are:
David was prepared (30). As a shepherd, David had battled with bears and lions in protecting his father’s sheep (1 San 17:34-36)
David had a servant heart (33). Today we would say that he had a great attitude—he wanted to encourage his brothers, serve King Saul, and honor God.
David asked questions (34). In preparing to battle Goliath, he asked others about the situation and checked out the reason for their fears.
David concentrated on the problem (Goliath’s challenge), not on criticizing his brothers who appeared to lack courage (37). David was not trying to show off and worked to encourage his brothers (1 Sam 17:45, 47).
What Sedler sees in this account of David and Goliath is that David was a problem-solver and a team player. He was also courageous—he spoke up and stood his ground.
The Problem of Silence
Standing up to giants is one thing, but silence can also be golden. Sedler suggests asking a few questions in contemplating silence:
Why am I silent?
What is my motivation—is it of God?
Will silence further God’s kingdom, clarify the issue, or allow me or others to grow?
Am I second-guessing myself?
Did I suppress the urge to speak? If so, why? (92)
Here again we see Sedler engaging in problem solving and reflection in his decision process rather than reacting hastily.
Background and Organization
Sedler describes himself as an ordained pastor, consultant, and adjunct professor at several universities. His degrees are in political science (BA), social work (MS), and ministry (DMin). He has also taught public school and has a Jewish background. He lives and works in Spokane, Washington. Sedler writes in 10 chapters:
Never Again,
When Silence Isn’t Golden,
A Kingly Voice,
Communication Breakdown,
A Question of Authority,
The Code of Silence,
The Purpose of Silence,
Walking in Peace,
Taking a Stand,
Winning the Race (7).
The appendix recounts the story of Sedler’s conversion to Christianity at age 22.
Assessment
Michael D. Sedler’s When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up is a short (156 pages with appendix), accessible, and an interesting read. He targets a Christian audience. Small groups might find this book a helpful resource in discussion.
Footnotes
Later, he cites the wisdom of Solomon: [there is] “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Eccl 3:7; 17)
Sedler: Wisdom With or Without Words
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
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January 29, 2024
Small-t: Monday Monologues (podcast), January 29, 2024
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Small-t Transcendence. 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!
Small-t: Monday Monologues (podcast), January 29, 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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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January 28, 2024
Transcendence and Prayer
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty Father,
All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you created us and, when we sinned, you offered us a pathway to salvation through Jesus Christ.
Forgive us our wayward hearts, our idolatrous minds, and our treasonous actions. Help us to love the things that you love.
Thank you for the many blessings in this life—our health, our families, our jobs, and our communities. Give us hearts for you alone.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, lift us above the confusion and drama of this life. Lift our eyes to the cross that we might not stumble or sin.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Transcendence and 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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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January 26, 2024
Small-t Transcendence
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
(John 1:1)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Virtually any Christology (that is, our theology of Christ) can solve the self-referencing problem—the problem that a closed system requires an external reference to maintain stability. The chief requirement is that the image of Christ be external to the self, not a mirror image of self. The New Testament answer to this problem arose in a simple retelling of the Jesus story.
The Apostle Paul’s writing records several of these early church confessions, for example:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve.”
(1 Cor 15:3-5)
Much like the citation above from the Apostle John, Jesus is immediately associated with God, the Father. More recent attempts to chain Jesus to his humanity suggest a clear departure from the early church norm.
The implication of this attempted cleavage between Jesus, the person, and Jesus, the Son of God, makes it helpful to discuss two types of transcendence. The first type I will call small-t transcendence—any image of Jesus that only solves the self-referencing problem. Any image of Jesus external to the self satisfies the need for an external reference.
Today there are many such images of Jesus that merely satisfy this requirement. Erwin McManus (2021) provides a recent example where he describes Jesus as a religious prodigy. This image of Jesus’ humanity renders him palatable to a skeptical generation, but it is like describing Jesus as a prophet or great teacher. It stops short of describing him as divine. Thus, this image of Jesus satisfies only the requirements for small-t transcendence.
The second type I will call large-T transcendence—any image of Jesus that equates him to God the Father, creator of the heaven and earth (Gen 1:1). Here Jesus, as third member of the Trinity, stands outside of time and space because God created both. This is the Jesus of the New Testament who walks on water, heals the sick, exorcizes demons, and rises from the dead.
In this reflection, I will focus on small-t transcendence.
The Slippery Slope
Imagine for a moment a mural with sixteen images of Jesus in four rows. In the top lefthand corner is a silhouette of Jesus penned in black. Working across the first row are the same image in brown, amber, and white colors. In the second row, the silhouette and ordering of colors is reversed. In the third row, the silhouette loses various features of the image and the colors are all shades of grey. In the fourth row, the silhouette morphs step-by-step into an outline of Satan in colors from pink to bright red.
The point of this graphical exercise is to display why the small-t transcendence image of Jesus is dangerous. While the individual is anchored to an external reference, the reference itself is free-floating, not anchored to the story of Jesus given in the New Testament. This is one interpretation of the idolatry problem that we face in postmodern culture.
Another visual contrast between the God who created heaven and earth, and humanly created idols is found in the Psalms:
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” (Ps 115:3-8)
When I read this passage I am immediately reminded of the bobble-head, plastic Jesuses that used to decorate car dashboards. This problem of idolatrous images motivated the writers of the Old Testament to forbid visual images of God (Exod 20:4).
The more insidious images of Jesus are those that we carry around in our heads. While I have focused on the self-reference problem and problem of the free-floating image of Jesus, idolatry can also take the form of false priorities. This happens when we neglect an image of God altogether and make something else our first priority—a person, a job, a philosophy, a political view, a gender, an ethnicity, or a race.
We use our first priority to measure everything else so it functions differently than other priorities. If my job is my number one priority, I think of everything in terms of advancement and money. If my spouse is my first priority, then my spouse’s opinion is my measure of where I work, what I eat and wear, and who I talk to. Saying that God is one our priorities implies that we commit idolatry. If anything other than God is our first priority, we also commit sin, violating the first commandment (Exod 20:3).
References
McManus, Erwin Raphael. 2021. The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything. New York: Convergent.
Small-t Transcendence
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/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
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January 23, 2024
Wilbers Offers Writing Tips
Stephen Wilbers. 2014. Mastering the Craft of Writing: How to Write with Clarity, Emphasis, and Style. Blue Ash: F&W Media.
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
Gutsy. Stephen Wilbers begins Mastering the Craft of Writing with a challenge—read this book twice. In a world where few people read, even fewer read with any depth, and most treat writing books as a sleep aid, any author encouraging a second read might appear delusional. But, on finishing a first read, perhaps gutsy fits.
Wilbers describes himself as a “writing consultant, award-winning author, and columnist”. He has taught at a number of universities and written a number of books on writing—the other one on my desk is Keys to Great Writing (Cincinnati: F&W Publications, 2000).
Mastering the Craft of Writing focuses on 52 writing tips for weekly study complete with exercises and, frequently, a reflection illustrating the tip of the week. Many of Wilbers’ tips proved helpful in drawing attention to fine points in language usage that I was not—as a writer—sensitive to. Early in his book he focuses on tips relating to clarity; in the middle of the book he focuses on tips about emphasis; and late in the book he focuses on stylistic writing tips. Let me structure my comments accordingly.
Clarity. For example, the tip for week 1 advises the writer reading to: “Listen to Your Language” (5). Picking a few well-known, book titles, like Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, he teases us with alternative word choices (e.g. “The Elderly Man and the Ocean”) to make the point that word choice matters.
Another example of a clarity tip is found in week 19 where Wilbers lists 5 type of mid-sentence shifts to avoid—
Shifts in verb tense,
Shifts in person,
Shifts in subjects,
Shifts in voice, and
Shifts in modified subject (103-104).
—and cites examples of sentences both with the error and with the error corrected. While I was sensitive to the first two shifts (verb tense and person), the others were new to me. Oftentimes in speaking and writing we make these shifts without giving them much thought even though they muddle our message unnecessarily.
Emphasis. Wilbers’ tips on sentence construction and emphasis were interesting, such as in week 27, where he writes:
“In the left part of your sentence, concentrate on topic. In the right part of your sentence, manage your emphasis.” (147)
Building on this discussion, he observes in week 29 that subordinate clauses can be used to put a positive spin on bad news—a talent helpful for writers who have daily interactions with the public (157). This tip makes clear that Wilbers is sensitive to a wider range of writing styles and contexts than most writers, who tend to write for a particular audience and within a particular professional context.
Style. Wilbers offers a number of tips that can add polish to your writing—who can’t use more polish? For someone, like myself, coming out of a technical writing background, these tips are perhaps the least familiar.
For example, in week 40 Wilbers outlines 4 types of compound sentences:
Balanced (or parallel) sentences have a list of similar elements,
Antithetical sentences are balanced sentences with a contrary element,
Loose sentences begin with a main clause and are followed by parallel elements, and
Periodic sentences have the main clause following the parallel elements (223).
What kind of sentence is this line—
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine.” (222)
—spoken by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) in the 1942 movie Casablanca? (Periodic) By placing the parallel elements in the sentence first, a periodic sentence offers a drama introduction to the main clause according to Wilbers (223).
Stephen Wilbers’ Mastering the Craft of Writing is an interesting and accessible read. Even experienced writers are likely to find his advice useful. Wilbers’ challenge to read the book more than once is warranted, if you are like me, because—for the absent minded—practice still makes perfect.
Footnotes
Backcover. Also see: http://www.wilbers.com.
For example, he teaches at the University of Minnesota.
My current writing instructor recommended both books—Keys to Great Writing and Mastering the Craft of Writing.
Wilbers Offers Writing Tips
Also see:
Books, Films, and Ministry
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Turn_Jan24 , Signup
The post Wilbers Offers Writing Tips appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
