Of Knowledge and Understanding

When I was a freshman in college I took a class called "Intro to Christian Ministry". The end of the semester had come and it was time for the dreaded final; we all gathered early in the class room to do some last-minute studying before we through ourselves into the winds of fate. All of us, that is, except one. For the sake of kindness and protection of identity we shall refer to him as "Jay".

Jay had a knack for Bible knowledge. He had trivia and facts down...but that was about it. He knew the stories and where various passages could be found, but when it came to application and deeper understanding of scripture he was found lacking. Additionally, he was academically lazy. He preferred to play video games than to study, and it definitely showed when it came down to presentations and quizzes. 

But this was IT, the final that would make or break it for most of us. It wasn't just any final either...it was a "Randle final"! Despite the fact that he was about to take a test worth of fear and utter terror, Jay proceeded to voice his opinions out loud and complain about how the "test is ridiculous" and that "we should be tested on Bible knowledge and on scriptures". After a lengthy exposure to this my friend Nick finally spoke up. Nick put a swift and timely end to Jay's rambling on about what the test "should" be about and told him that the class was not about Bible stories and scriptures but instead about Ministry and the application of the scriptures. Nick told him to be quiet so that the rest of us could study for what the test was actually about. Needless to say...Jay didn't do so well on the test. 

When I think back to that memory it brings a smile to my face every time! It also reminds me that it is one thing to have knowledge and another thing entirely to have understanding. Many neglect the importance of study and intellectual pursuit, thereby handing themselves over to the consequences of ignorance. It is not possible to know everything and our ability to understand will always be limited, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Jay was satisfied with his knowledge and did not open himself up to the teachings that our professor offered, and as a result he was ill equipped, not only for the test, but also for future ministry.  Jay ended up dropping out for poor grades and the like. 

That event also sticks out to me because of my friend Nick's reaction. Nick is an inspiration because he was willing to speak out against something that needed to be addressed, but he did it in a respectful and gracious way. Nick is making a difference in the lives of many because he refused to be satisfied with his knowledge and sought understanding. Nick is currently living with his wife in New Orleans, LA working to get his M. Div. and serving as an assist pastor.

Understanding of scripture isn't the only thing we need. The fact of the matter is that there are hundreds of topics that we neglect to seeking understanding in and remain satisfied with what we already know. Even worse is that we treat people like this! There are thousands of opportunities that Christ gives us to serve and make a difference, but we often miss them because we fail to be understanding of one another. People need grace, mercy, and love. Others need to be told to shut up and let the rest of us study for the test they don't want to take. The ability to properly choose the corresponding action that best fits requires us to have at least a measure of understanding.

For example, I had a friend call me the other day who gave me quite the lecture and called me out on my actions/inactions. He was able to do this because he did it in understanding. He has come to know me, but he sought to understand and from there he made a judgment call that led him to say what he did. He gave me the words that, even though less than pleasant, were what I needed to hear and motivated me. It also reminded me that there are people out there who really do care. Haha, enough to even be rough with ya. 

May we all learn to seek understanding, not only of scripture, but also in each other so that we may better serve each other. 

Peace be with you,

Stephen

TedTalk Tuesday: The Power of Introverts

I am an introvert. 

As a result, I found myself most inspired by this video! I hope that if you are an introvert you will also be inspired, and if you are not...then perhaps you will learn to appreciate us a little better ;)

Enjoy!

Peace be with you,

Stephen

"Oh, Logic, Where Hath Thou Gone?"

Allow me to tell you a story of a woman. Not just anyone mind you, but an odd and reclusive woman who only ever comes out of her apartment to walk her two medium-sized, brown-furred dogs. If you lived in the same apartment complex as I, you would find that it would hold true that you will see her, day in and day out, being dragged by her two dogs who appear desperate to escape their leash-bearing dictator.

Recently, however, the woman has been seen out and about with two little girls of shockingly similar hair color to that of the fur on the previously mentioned dogs. Additionally, the two girls (as it has been noted by many) have been rather fearful little creatures and seem quite bent on keeping their distance from their overseer. Finally…it all makes sense.

Now that it is known that the woman is not merely odd but is, in fact, a witch, we other tenants are striving to stay away from her as much as possible to avoid offending the transmutilator as best as possible. Sadly, we have not the sufficient evidence to present to the police so as to have her arrested, nor to the Vatican to have her burned…instead we must endure with hideous fear for our beings and watch with curiosity as to whether the two poor girls are turned back into dogs…

Wasn’t that a delightful tale? I know it warmed MY heart! Let’s talk about it…

The moral of the story is…use logic! Think before you speak. Everyone fails at this from time to time (myself doubly included), but some excel at being illogical! There are a whole slew of reasons as to why people do this, including (but not limited to) laziness, ignorance, pride, selfish and/or manipulative intent, fear, boredom, etc.

The logic of the narrator and the “other tenants” was that A) the woman was odd and had two brown-furred dogs and B) the woman suddenly had two little girls with brown hair running around and no dogs, therefore C) the woman is a witch and has transformed her dogs into girls (further speculation might lead one to ask if the origin of the dogs were originally human or if they started as dogs…or perhaps they were 60 ft purple platypus-bears. Who knows?!). The line of logic here is absurd! But isn’t that something we do with theology and scripture all the time?

I recently had a discussion online with a man I used to go to church with quite a few years ago. He and I have not spoken in nearly 7 or 8 years, but it came to my attention (as I was scrolling through Facebook) that he had posted a status of questionable, theological teaching. The statement was that he was woken up that morning by a voice that “sounded as if someone was in [his] house saying ‘GABRIEL’S LIPS ARE ON THE TRUMPET’”.

 I shrugged and moved on, figuring it was nothing more than a passing thought and wouldn't be something to concern myself about; just another status about “hearing something in the Spirit” that led one to cry and pray. I believe that the Holy Spirit still speaks to His people and I’m not against crying and praying, but later that day I saw a second status from the same person that pushed the issue further and I felt the need to say something. His second status stated that “it is believed that in the last days the Archangel Gabriel will blow the trumpet” and then he stated the verse from I Thessalonians that refers to Christ’s return. After that he stated that many have falsely interpreted it as Michael the Archangel (the only one in the Bible to actually be entitled as such, by the way) and referenced Jude 9.

Upon reading this I jumped in and asked if there was a scripture verse that stated that Gabriel was the one to blow the trumpet…to which I was met with a load of responses, some I found unpleasant, and a couple even heretical. While it was confirmed that there wasn't a verse stating such a thing as Gabriel being a trumpeter, I was asked “why not?”

Before I answer the “why not”, I will first discuss the reasoning displayed by a couple of the people who responded to my questioning. I’ll condense the conversation a little bit and hit the main points in the line of logic presented to me: A) Gabriel was most common of the angelic beings mentioned in the Bible and B) Gabriel is seen as a messenger. C) Michael is an angel of war. D) There are no other angels whose names are mentioned, therefore E) it must be Gabriel because that’s who God would choose and also F) this random guy from North Georgia woke up to hear the “Holy Spirit” say it so it must be true.

Give me a second. *takes in 3 slow, deep breaths and counts to 10* Ok, hopefully if you are reading this you are understanding a bit of my frustration in this issue. I cannot blame them (not fully at least) for their conclusions. Most of what they believe came from being taught by others that they respect as spiritual leaders and the responsibility falls to the pastors and teachers who did not check their teachings before they led people astray. They are however, responsible for not studying themselves and for not testing what they hear.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail with the “why not” since that would be another post entirely, but I will throw out the points that stand out the most. 1) Scripture is our authority for testing spirits, for doctrine, and for right teaching, 2) the Holy Spirit in all of His divine, infinite wisdom and understanding is going to sync up with the words that He inspired the Biblical authors to write, 3) Gabriel is never…NEVER called an archangel in the entirety of the Bible (this is a teaching that was brought about by the writing of Pseudo-Dionysius who wrote the unbiblical angelical hierarchy commonly recognized throughout much of Christendom today), 4) Michael being of War makes more sense in light of the fact that the event of Christ coming back is as the conquering King, and 5) the verse that was mentioned in the status implies that it is Christ that holds the trumpet and does the shouting.

If you are going to be so bold as to say “Thus saith the Lord…” then you must be ready to give a defense or call down fire, otherwise you might some verbal stoning will be the adequate response. The Christian community has to be ready to hold each other accountable to be held accountable, especially to those whom God have placed in authority over us. Anyone who refuses to be tested or attacks those who lovingly question one's words are worthy of being labeled a "wolf in sheep's' clothing". Especially if they begin calling those questioners divisive and confrontational or accusing them of weaving doubt about one's ability to hear the Holy Spirit. That's a pride-filled answer and only raises more red-flags.

To avoid questioning, I was asked “why does it matter who blows the trumpet?” It doesn't. What matters is that a man publicly stated the God spoke to him, putting him in a place of spiritual authority and that God told him something that was not supportable by scripture. If the Holy Spirit were to take the time to speak audibly to someone, I believe that He would have a lot more to say than one sentence that brings undue attention to angels, but I do believe crying would definitely be the correct response.

Peace be with you,
Stephen.

Reason For Imagination

This past week I went home for a few days and while there I offered to take my mom's Kindle for the purpose of downloading various free books and the like since she was unsure as to how it was done. Luckily I found the process rather simple. Additionally, I have delighted myself in taking advantage of having the Kindle and have begun reading "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton (yes, it is a free book!).

Chesterton is a delight to read, even if sometimes just a little over my head. His sarcasm mixes beautifully with his arguments and startling defenses. I am still working my way through (and most certainly am taking my time to ensure I grasp all that he is attempting to convey), but already I have been struck by one of his claims. Chesterton argues in favor of imagination and the need for it. Chesterton claims that it is the artist that seldom goes insane and the chess player that most certainly loses his sanity.

"The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits."          -G.K. Chesterton

                                                                                                 
 He makes it clear that he is not attacking logic and reason, but merely stating that logic and reason alone will drive one to insanity. It is the beautiful, healing remedies of the imagination that keep one sane. It is fascinating that our culture drives one to either be a dreamer or to be logically, but not both. Fairy tales and folk lore should stir us to think and to see what is around us for as Chesterton once said elsewhere among his writings "In fairy tales, apples are made of gold so as to remind us of the reality that they are in fact green; rivers run with wine so that for a brief moment we remember that they actually run with water."

Music has long be thought of as a remedy to the soul (as well as a corrupter thereof), and it is through poetry and imagination that we can go beyond the shackles of mere reason and live fuller, happier lives. God is the God of logic and reason, but He is also God of the aesthetic and of imagination.

If God desired that spiders could live unbound by gravity and fly in their already given state in spite of the
lack of a logically explanation as to how they are flying...He could. However, in His being true to His own nature and being loving and merciful He (most appreciatively) chosen not to give spiders flight, though sadly he has given a certain strain of the species known as "snake" the ability to do so...at my dismay.

May we learn to appreciate not only the intellect and ability to reason that we humans have, but also the gift of imagination that allows us to create poetry, music, novels, and the like.

Peace be with you,

Stephen

TedTalk Tuesday: 5 Ways to Listen better!

Hey guys! It's Ted Talk Tuesday! Every Tuesday I select a TedTalk that really stood out to me and made me think or I found enhancing to my life.

This week I selected a video about being a better listener. A significant part of my life is about listening. It is a key element to learning, interacting social, and growing spiritually. May you benefit from this video as much as I have!

 I hope you enjoy the video, and have a great Tuesday!

Peace be upon you,

Stephen