Post #7 Parables as Theology

Parables as Theology

All throughout the Gospels, Jesus uses parables to help depict the kingdom of God. These parables hid Truth from some, but revealed Truth to others.

"the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

"'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never 

understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be 

forgiven!'" (Mark 4: 11-12; Isaiah 6:9-10)

Jesus speaks in parables to:

1. Reveal Truth to His disciples ; they were then stewards of the revealed Truth. 
2. Hide His ministry to non-believers until He fulfilled prophecies made about Him -- until He accomplished all He came to accomplish. 
3. To reveal all who "had ears to hear" and those who did not. 

The way Jesus chooses to communicate with the large crowds gathering around Him is done in a way that would allow for many to not understand anything He is saying. They would hear the words, hear the story, but that's all they would hear. There is no deeper meaning behind the words that would impact their life from an eternal perspective. God chooses to reveal Himself in the manner, for as Lane speaks of in His first axiom on the sacred, is that it chooses, and God reveals Himself as He wills. Taken at word-value, the parables Jesus speaks of mean little, but deeper in the communication there is spiritual and eternal significance.

Landscapes of the Sacred: The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy, Blog #5

Landscapes of the Sacred p. 65-72

Mythic Landscapes: The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy

            The majority of this book focuses around the central idea of these ordinary places, that when seen through faith and spiritual connections are made extraordinary like the second axiom states. This idea relates to the idea of incarnation in the Christian faith. In incarnation, something that was regarded as ordinary and simply is no longer what it appears to be. Since the ordinary has now become holy in Jesus Christ, the everyday common things, actions, and relationships are regarded as newly defined extraordinary things. In this section, the author states, “Christianity is simply the process whereby men and women are restored to normal humanity, reclaiming everyday existence (p. 66).” This way of describing the incarnation is an interesting one to me, because I have never heard it explained so simply. I like this saying, because it is a way to help connect the ordinary to the extraordinary or supernatural that so many people are uncomfortable with or cannot do. Some people are uncomfortable with this relation, because it seems dishonorable or like they are defying the sacred complexity of the two sides to their faith. Defining or trying to set the boundaries for describing this relationship is difficult and not one which many people can seem to figure out quite yet. The book refers that in order to simplify this schema and retain the sacredness of the relationship at the same time, a theologian needs to look at it with a poet’s ear. That is because the theory is that a theologian will better be able to construct this idea of the cosmos between the holy and sacred life or place.

Ben Pearce: Natural Experience 1 Post 7

Sacred Communication in Nature

Natural Experience

Starry Night Experience

            A short time ago, I set out with a few good friends to take photos of the night time sky. I had been taking a photography class to satisfy my college degrees demand for creativity. I interested in doing a project called “In the Beginning…”. It would be a project based upon the first few chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Genesis tells the story of creation. On the fourth day of creation, God created the stars in the sky. To retell this part of the story, I would need to photograph a beautiful series of stars. We set out on a dock of a river and tried pointing our cameras upwards, but few stars could be seen. My two friends were photographic experts, so they knew it would take a while to capture the right shot. We waited and waited and changed the setting on the camera an uncountable amount of times. During this time we enjoyed the dock and the stars in the sky. I never captured the right shot. The stars were either too far away, or there was too  much distraction from the lights of the inhabited areas around the river. Eventually, we were just sitting there and talking about our lives. This would be a relaxing experience, and, although there wasn’t much sacred about it, it caused a certain amount of natural communication between the three of us.

Ben Pearce: Personal Topic 4 Post 6

Sacred Communication from God

Student Topic

Communication from God

            How does God speak with us today? Does he speak with audible words? Does he give us certain feelings when he wants us to do something? Or has he already spoken and will no longer speak? This is a vital issue within Christianity. What is the basis for what we should believe and how we should act? The answer is simple: Holy Scripture. Every doctrine we believe must come from scripture.

            Jesus Christ, while on Earth, used scripture to support everything which he was saying. Whenever anyone would disagree with him, he would use the phrase “Is it not written” to introduce his citation of a particular passage. In Mark 12:36, Jesus discusses how when David spoke in his writings, he was speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus upheld the scriptures as a standard which the people of that time should have been living by, even if they did not understand the context of something which was supposed to instruct them. In Matthew 19:4, Jesus cited the words of Moses in Genesis, and attributed those same words as coming from God’s mouth. In the New Testament, the apostles also consider each other’s writings to be written by God through them as scripture (2 Peter 3:16).

            The Early Church believed this as well. Clement of Alexandria (150-215) said, “They that are ready to spend their time in the best things will not give over seeking for truth until they have found the demonstration from the Scriptures themselves”. Irenaeus (175) said, “They [heretics] gather their views from other sources than the Scriptures. We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith”. Ambrose (330-397) said, “For how can we adopt those things which we do not find in the Holy Scriptures?”

            In my opinion, the only conclusion that we can come to is that God mainly speaks to us through the scriptures alone. There are of course instances where he could audibly talk to us, as is seen in the scriptures. He also leads us through his Holy Spirit which has been given to us. He may very well appear to us as well. These are all good things and certainly happen, but they must be compared with the backdrop of scripture.

Ashley Irving - Outside Reading #1

Outside Reading #1

by Ashley Irving

A sacred place evokes change. Change is defined as to make or become different. The sacred place has the power not only to change individuals and their lives, but to change a society and the culture of that society. In her article, "Exploring Everyday Altars", Christine Ballengee-Morris writes of the ways in which the people of New York and the city of New York as a whole experienced change as a result of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the sacred space that resulted from those attacks.

Ballengee-Morris writes that "what began as photographs and posters taped to walls requesting information about lost loved ones, lit candles began to appear; poetry was written and taped to walls; flowers were placed on the sidewalks in vases or loosely arranged; personal items of survivors or items of lost love ones were added; visitors offered their special items; and performances transformed the parks, streets, and objects into physical manifestations of emotions and created healing spaces". Her observations of these actions being taken by the citizens of New York demonstrate the effect that sacred places can have upon people.

As a New Yorker, I know that more often than not, in the city in particular, the stereotype that New Yorkers are self-centered, unsympathetic people is true. Its just the way of life in the Big Apple. Most individuals who live there are busy with their families and jobs and what their upcoming plans are. There are very few instances in which people who are native citizens of the city, not tourists, are paying closer attention to their surroundings other than to locate the nearest taxi or subway station. Everyone has their own agenda and are all doing their own thing. In the city, this translates to focus on your destination and don't worry about the happenings around you.

The fact that after the horrendous attacks occurred at the World Trade Center, people were able to pay closer attention to those around them and to care for their neighbors is miraculous. Not because New Yorkers are cruel people who only care for themselves and don't wish for the well-being of others, but because New Yorkers are more private individuals who keep to themselves and mind their own business, not getting involved in others' affairs. The sudden camaraderie found between citizens of New York City at the locations that were made sacred by the attacks, between those whose loved ones were involved and those simply trying to help demonstrates the ability of sacred places to change individuals. 

Unfortunately, I feel that without those terrible events that occurred on September 11, 2001, the citizens of New York would not have undergone the change that was witnessed by Christine Ballengee-Morris. While these changes may not be visible today and New Yorkers may appear to be just as self-centered and unsympathetic to others as they did prior to the attacks, the change that was witnessed after 9/11 serve as proof that they are capable of not being a callous society, all thanks to the sacred place and the power that it gave to those who entered it. 

Phenomenology of Prayer: Prayer as Kenosis Notes, Blog #4

Phenomenology of Prayer

Prayer as Kenosis Notes:

When I read this section of the book, I was very surprised to see that prayer is one of the most common human activities, regardless of whether it is a private or public act. This fact makes it hard to believe that people have trouble with the “petition” aspect of the principles of prayer. Mensch in his writing says that part of the reason this happens is because people pray for things like winning or losing, getting a reward or consequence. Ultimately, someone will have to lose the competition, making it seem as though God did not answer someone’s request. Rene Giarard says, “Our socialization involves imitating others. It thus leads us to desire what they desire and hence to compete with them, often in violent ways, for possessions of a desired object.” When we suggest these things to God in prayer, it is all too evident that people are offering something to God in place for this favor, whether intentional or not. This indicates that we are trying to “trade” with God hoping for mutual benefits. This begs the question what could the gods want from us?

Two Concepts of the Sacred

1.     Phenomenology is the study of appearing, but the sacred seems to signify what cannot appear.

The Greeks narrowed this down to our dependence in a constant process with the world. The Greek word “sacer” means ‘safe’ in the way of being kept separate especially for the gods.

2.     The sense of the sacred as coming into the world by incarnating itself.

For example, it is believed that Zeus can come back to earth and wander, but if someone sees him, it is their duty to show him hospitality. The most popular example of incarnation is Christ, which involves the idea of kenosis. This is a prime example of kenosis, because Christ emptied himself and took the burden and sins of the world by becoming slave like.

This concept of Jesus practicing and being the central theme behind the act of kenosis fascinates me. Many times in the Bible we are being told to do something or act a certain way, but here Christ is just using Himself as the ultimate example for this fundamental idea of kenosis.

Landscapes of the Sacred Reflection #1

In the chapter, Axioms for the Study of Sacred Place, the author, Belden C. Lane talks about "axioms" that are able to guide the student of American Spirituality in seeking to understand the character of sacred place. Lane states an example of a sacred place he had experienced in the passage, "The Clearing in the Woods." He talks about his sacred experience discovering the clearing, how he stayed completely still when encountering the deer. He writes, "The uncanny thing was that I had been invited to the place, I had felt the deer (I felt some presence) in the clearing a good ten to fifteen minutes before she came. I somehow knew that if I just were still and waited, there would be a meeting. Lane states that based on a narrative like this, we can deprive four rules or "axioms" for the idea of a sacred place and how it becomes known. Here are the four different sacred axioms and some examples of how they are used in context with sacred places in our lives:

First Axiom: Not Chosen, It Chooses

The first out of the four guiding axioms is that sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. To put it into broader terms, this means that you cannot go looking to find a secret place, you must wait for it to find you. You cannot go to a place and say "this is my sacred place", you have to experience something special there, it has to choose you, not the other way around. I will use an example to make this clearer. When Professor Redick was teaching the class about sacred places he used one of his own sacred journeys as an example. He spoke of a time when he went out searching for a sacred place, he went out trying to find a sacred place instead of letting a sacred place choose him. He said that he was unsuccessful when he was searching, but when he decided to stop he found a sacred place when he least expected. A sacred place is not chosen, it chooses.

Second Axiom: Ordinary, Ritually Made Extraordinary

The second of the guiding axioms is as follows, sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary. In other words, a sacred place was once an ordinary place until made sacred by a certain ritual act. A few examples of ritual acts could be prayer, worship, silence, dancing, and blessings. In the text, Lane tries to help us explain the second axiom better by using his own example of the clearing in the woods. He writes, "In the case of my own story, for example, the undistinguished clearing in the woods was made memorable by the ritual act of silence which I had assumed there" (Page 19.) A sacred place is an ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary.

Third Axiom: Tred Upon, Without Being Entered

The third of the four guiding axioms is that sacred place can be tred upon without being entered. This means that you can visit a place many times and never have a spiritual connection with it or find it to be sacred but one day you could visit that same place and it could become sacred. One place doesn't always have to be sacred the first time you go, you could visit it many times and not find it to be sacred and then find it to be after multiple (or many more) times visiting it. Speaking again about the clearing in the woods Lane states, "I had criss-crossed all of the bluffs above the river several times in the past, but it was only on this occasion, from this given perception, that I saw the clearing as distinct and holy ground" (Page 19.) A sacred place can be tread upon without being entered.

Fourth Axiom: Centripetal and Centrifugal

The last, but not least of the four guiding axioms is that the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. This one was the hardest to understand for me, but eventually I understood. When Lane says that sacred places are local and universal it means that God is never confined to a single place. In other words, you can have more than one sacred place because spiritual connection with God and other things can be found anywhere, not just one place.

Some questions came to my mind while reading this chapter:

• Can you have a spiritual connection with a place and it still be sacred without ritualizing it?
• Does a place have to follow each axiom to be known as sacred?

I found this chapter very interesting, I had never thought of the aspect of sacred places to be so complex, yet so simple. There are so many important aspects that go into sacred places when we thing about it, but when we experience it the phenomenon is so simple and enlightening. 

Phenomenology of Prayer Intro & Chapter 1

     Prayer is a very powerful thing in both theistic and non theistic religions. If there were no prayer, then the sensibility of religion would die due to the fact that the act of prayer connects the individual to the Divine or Holly Other. Prayer helps us determine who we are and how we are related to God in any way, which in turn helps us to lead a better life. Many preform the act of prayer in order to "cleanse" themselves of the sins we commit in everyday life. Due to the fact that prayer is such an personal relationship between the inner self and God, it is very hard for other s to understand this personal relationship you have which makes it even more intimate. There are three themes of phenomenology methodology. The first theme is "we do not really know how to pray so we are constantly in the state of learning". Merold Westphal says that prayer should be focused on emptying ourselves before God, while Edward Mooney says that prayer has to do with ones passionate life. The second theme is " our prayers always go beyond". There are many differences in beliefs between individuals, maybe not only because of their religion but also because of their gender, race, ethnicity, social class, etc. The third and final theme is "prayer leaves us with a tricky balance". Prayer cannot be done without direction because one cannot just pray to any nonspecific being or for any nonspecific meaning.
     Prayer is a very sacred aspect of mostly all religions. There are five elements of prayer which are thanksgiving, praise, confession, petition, and intercession. Praise is the perfection of worship and admiration is a form of an exalted state. Samuel's prayer in the holy bible caused us to learn four different specific things about prayer. The first is "the priority of divine speech is redoubled"; God speaks and Samuel responds letting God know he is ready for him to speak again. The second is "prayer if the task of a lifetime", which means there is never a time that we are not learning about prayer in our entire lives. The third is "silence is such a important part of prayer in order to really listen to God". The fourth is "we learn why scripture and prayer are so integrally intertwined", which deals with listening in silence to God who speaks in scripture. Unfortunately, God allows bad things to happen to good people in order to learn from things in life.