Didasko: Reguarding Reconciliation

Reconciliation between ethnic groups is an inescapable theme of the Bible.

God’s promise to Abraham is that he would be the father of many gowy (nations/people), and that every people group on earth might be blessed through him. Generations pass from Isaac to Jacob to Moses, with ages beyond that following as Israel is ransomed out of Egypt and re-rescued by judges, governed under corrupt kings, and humbled through eras of foreign rule.

Granted, we do see the future family of God foreshadowed through Rahab, Ruth, and Jonah… yet the Lord’s presence is largely focused within a single Jewish nation. Another four centuries pass between what is a single page dividing our Old and New Testaments, and God is silent as the kingdom crumbles again and again. Has Yahweh finally given up on these stiff-necked sons of Adam?

Then Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church all happen… and what follows is an explosion unraveling two millennia of segregation. Once, we watched whole cities put the sword as the just punishment for their sins, out of God’s jealous protection over Israel. Now we witness the true King who would rather die for His enemies than kill them, so they might be forgiven for their sins and adopted into Abraham’s lineage through a like-minded faith. We’re one unified body, in which ethnic identity (along with gender, socioeconomic status, age, and any other distinction whether of biology or culture) does not affect our worth and belonging.

This is the Good News, and despite how sappy or controversial I will sound for writing this, it does in fact cause significant change to our planet. That said, my question is “how does this affect our own world today?”.

Apologia: Confessions of a TheoloGEEKos

Sometimes... Christianity is just a bunch of nerds in a book club.

Of course, the book we cherish is no ordinary book, and the scope of our fellowship goes far deeper than trivia knowledge. Still, I feel like this descriptor is accurate for one aspect of the ekklesia-- an aspect which might go a long way towards helping us relate with the world around us.

The sacredness of our scriptures do not change the fact: we’re fellow humans with a peculiar fascination for a certain story, which we love to share and discuss and make jokes about.

I was reminded of this while I watched a classmate’s presentation on A Song of Ice and Fire (also known by the name of its first book, Game of Thrones). Personally, I chose against reading the series further; as much as I appreciated the innovative world and developed characters, I felt the fatalistic themes and sexual content were distasteful. You can imagine my surprise, then, when his stated reasons for enjoying the books and my logic for loving the Bible overlapped.

Manthano: To The Land I Will Show You

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him . . .

Genesis 12:1-4 (ESV)

When I was doubting God’s existence and didn’t think anyone could accept me for all that i am, Abraham was the most profound Biblical character for me (...other than but pointing to Jesus).

I was already quite familiar with his story, since my parents once paid me allowance for reading through the Bible. Genesis seemed like a natural place to start, and its rich narratives kept me interested even as a pre-adolescent reader.

The spiritual significance eluded me at the time, only to ambush me in the middle of high school through a certain youth volunteer seeking to know me. He described faith as not necessarily a function of the mind or heart, but a component of the will. Even with my reservations and resentments towards God as a burden, I could freely choose live in a way that acknowledged His being and faithfulness.

The Lord’s voice called me away from everything I’d known, on a step-by-step journey where I may not know the destination until my arrival. I could choose to stay, rationalizing the voice as my own thoughts or settling for the satisfaction of static sameness… or I could choose to go, denying my doubt and resisting my reluctance in every footfall.

i chose to follow.

Historia: Challenge Accepted

I’ve decided to prepare for and pursue a career in teaching history, and I’m learning that this is a subject where my Christian worldview will clash more than in any other.

In mathematics, there is always a formula, and in English, there’s themes, styles, and patterns. Science is chiefly concerned with observations and laws, while even philosophy for all its existential diversity can be broken down into logical structures of premises and conclusion.

History, however, is the narrative of humanity. It urgently demands action, though many are deaf to its voice. It is a story in which we take part, and how we contribute to the unfolding plot will of course be determined by what we believe about our origin, nature, and purpose.

Logikos: An Introduction

I have created something new-- hopefully not only this blog, but renewed growth and discipline through it. Summa Theologikos.

λογικός (Greek) - logikos

adjective

1. pertaining to speech or speaking

2. pertaining to reason or logic
1. spiritual, pertaining to the soul
2. agreeable to reason, following reason, reasonable, logical

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your λογικός worship.”

-Romans 12:1 (ESV)