The Brothers K Aftermath

I just finished reading David Duncan's novel The Brothers K this morning. I am amazed at the way some stories seem to be able to suck us in. The last few days I have spent quite a bit of time working my way through the story, and I even dreamed about it last night. I was amazed by how the people in one family were so different from one another. I think this applies at many levels. I am quite different from the other members of my family, and I sometimes think they don't understand me. But then again it seems arrogant of me to assume that I understand them, but they don't understand me. I guess this is part of what makes a family function: the ability to love even though you don't totally understand. Beyond that, are we able to truly understand ourself? I mean at a deep level. Possibily, but not often at the pace we live. This understanding requires reflection and silence, something that we don't easily find and must intentionally seek.

Are good novels all that different from real human experience? I think they are often not that removed. However, we see our life and the experiences in a novel from a different perspective. Maybe it would be helpful to consider our own lives and experiences from different angles. It might help us from taking ourselves too seriously and help us deepen our compassion and understanding of others.

Patristic Exegesis and the Pre, Modern, and Postmodern

As theological and biblical studies approaches this modern/postmodern standoff, it is interesting to consider how things were done before we arrived at this point. The ancient writings of the church fathers offer an interesting juxtaposition to our current situation. They did not have the same presuppositions and preoccupation with methodology that we have today. They didn't even have the fully developed doctrines of this or that that we have today. Biblical interpretation was a different beast then and one that cannot be easily cornered.

In Sanctified Vision, which I am currently reading, John O'Keefe and R. Reno discuss the exegetical practices of the fathers, not simply seeking to explain their methodology but to present the logic and assumptions that they held. This book is helpful for sifting through some of the modern day interpretations of what the fathers were doing and seeks to avoid anachronism.

Hot hot hot

This was one of the hottest weekends in Chicago in years. My church doesn't have air conditioning, so it was a hot sermon (and it wasn't even about hell). Of course I had also planned to spend the afternoon/evening at Ravinia with some friends. We didn't let the weather stop us, so there we were in the shade of the trees, listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 100 degree weather -- what every sane person does on the hottest day of the year. It's still pretty hot today, but fortunately there is milder weather on the way in the next day or two.

Library Animals

For those of us who spend large portions of time in the library reading, writing, and researching there is a need for humor. This morning a friend and fellow researcher told me how a squirrel entered the university library and was treated to the time of his/her life. After chasing the poor creature all around the stacks of books, they pursuers finally cornered the animal and it fell over the ledge from the main floor to the basement level, apparently injured. It was placed in a bucket, but what happened after that is purely speculation.

Now the suffering of the animal is not the humor (relax), but the chase by the humans was the amusing part. Image the absurdity of grown men running after a little squirrel with brooms and rakes, as if they were chasing dirt and leaves. If you have seen Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you will probably have more of a context for the power of the little squirrels.

Hermeneutics and the Holy

Hermeneutics has in many ways become a catchword in theological circles. Add a bit of the modern/postmodern conflict, and you have a full fledged argument. In a recent discussion with a friend the issue of hermeneutics came up as it relates to the issue of women in ministry. She was trying to reconcile her community oriented belief with a literal interpretation of Paul. Unfortunately the two were at odds, and her attempt was less than successful.

While this particular issue has been the subject of many books, articles, and tears, it is not the focus of the discussion. The focus is what has authority. Does Scripture have authority or does the belief of a particular community have authority? Are they mutually exclusive? What also about the role of tradition? It is unlikely that one can argue for a purely biblical authority because Scripture has to be interpreted and applied, and communities are the ones who interpret and apply Scripture. Is this simply relativism? No, because there are standards and established methods for interpretation, there is a text, there is history, and there are orthodox bounds. So, the specifics of Christianity may look somewhat different in various times and places, but it is the same good news and the same Spirit at work.

What is the method we use for interpretation? Do we consider the propositional statement of scripture to the exclusion of narrative or other genres? Well, this question requires more than a single comment, so I will take it up again at another time.

Blogging Black Hole

Today you can find just about anything you want on the web, and you can find it with great speed. However, the one thing that seems to get away in this search is time. Where does it go? It is easy to spend a lot of time reading and posting. I wonder how the internet plays into statistics that tell us how much time an average person spends doing things like eating and waiting in traffic.

Questions that Provoke

A couple weeks ago a friend from church asked me what I knew about the Emergent Church (EC). For the next hour or so we discussed the EC, D. A. Carson's book on the EC, postmodernity, and related subjects. While it was an interesting discussion, it pretty much exhuasted what I knew about the EC and set me on a search to learn more. I have found several places online that have been great resources for learning more about this discussion and am now intrigued in how this movement (although they do not see themselves as a "movement") will impact Christianity.

Fiction and Academics

Normally I don't have much time for pleasure reading because of the amount of reading I have to do for classes and papers. And when I do have time to read what I want to read, I generally do not turn to fiction. However, this summer has been different, and I would assert that the time I am taking to read fiction will benefit my academic work in the future for several reasons.

First, fiction (specifically novels) is a different type of writing than academic writing. I can read good fiction for hours a day and not become bored or tired while a dry academic book can put me out in less than 30 minutes. Spending time reading well written fiction helps writers recognize good writing style and hopefully improve their own academic writing. I have read some well written academic works, such as Stephen Neill's Interpertaion of the New Testament, 1861-1986. So, hopefully my break from the purely academic will improve my writing.

Second, fiction helps us enter into different worlds. Much of biblical studies is concerned with understanding and interpreting different worlds: those of the Old and New Testament. As we improve our skill in entering unfamiliar places, we will hopefully improve our ability to enter into and understand ancient worlds.

Third, fiction stimulates a different part of our being. It speaks to our imagination and creativity. It calls us to different ways of thinking, asking us to visualize in our minds the story that we find on the pages. In read fiction there is refreshment and a break from the tedious work or academics.

So, for these reasons I read with joy, realizing that the various genres of books I read develop and sharpen different parts of my mind and creativity. But take heed -- not all books are equal. Choose wisely.

The Book, El Libro, Das Buch, Le Livre

There always seems to be more to read than time available to read. In addition, the more I read the more I realize there is to be read. This can be quite distressing. So now, during a bit of a summer "break," I have entered into the worlds of fiction (Pride and Prejudice), the gospel of Matthew, synoptic studies, pneumatology, the Apocrypha, French, Nouwen, et al. It is a great challenge to know which to pick up and read because all draw my attention in different ways. I hope the philosophy of my college chemistry teacher, "divide and conquer," applies here and not the biblical concept of "a house divided cannot stand." If the latter applies, I am in trouble.