Every night she posts a new video of her singing onto her myspace page. To her, fame is everything. “Now days, being anonymous is worse than being poor. Fame is the most important thing in our culture now.” Rachael sums up the attitude of our culture so well. Everyone wants to be famous. It doesn’t matter what for. And with youtube and facebook and twitter and everything else, it’s easier and easier to achieve that. But is that where we find fulfillment?
How is it that we can only look at this quote and think about the new found prevalence of being know. We have always wanted to be know incidentally and there have been many movies about how bad it is to be anonymous. But it is almost like saying that we would like to go back to the "good old days" when poor people were the lowest rung in our society.
The life boat now kicks out a new person, the anonymous surely in addition to the poor. The humble and those who do not self promote get left behind. We've got to have the most comments on our facebook updates, the most views or at least the right views on our youtube videos. Texts in the right amount.
And now that things are all out there we can see everything that we were not at or invited to. O, three of my friends just had "the best night with their best friends". Awesome for you. Not. Sucks for me. It makes us feel "out". What does it mean to be in? Accepted? To belong?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
self care
"he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide." Proverbs 18
Great conviction to take care of self for the sake of others.
Jeremiah 8:11
"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace."
Great conviction to take care of self for the sake of others.
Jeremiah 8:11
"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace."
Monday, May 9, 2011
Relaxation techniques
Blissing Out: 10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot
If your hectic lifestyle has got you down, experts say relaxation techniques can bring you back into balance -- some in five minutes or less.
By Jenny Stamos Kovacs
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
The kids need a ride to school, your husband can't find his shorts, your boss has just scheduled an online meeting, and your best friend desperately needs your help -- all at the same time.
Is it any wonder that you can't find a minute for relaxation? In fact, if you're like most women, you may have even forgotten how to relax.
And while experts say that some stress is good for you -- it can sharpen your senses and your mind -- too much stress is bad for your mental and physical health. At the same time, relaxation can do wonders to restore balance in your life -- and may even reduce some of the health risks associated with stress.
WebMD talked to the experts to learn more about relaxation -- and how to attain it. What follows are 10 on-the-spot techniques you can use -- any time and almost anywhere -- to reduce the tension in your life.
1. Meditate
If you're thinking meditation means twisting your body into an uncomfortable position and uttering "oohs" and "omms" for an hour, guess again. Any repetitive action can be a source of meditation, says Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response anddirector emeritus, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This includes walking, swimming, painting, knitting -- any activity that helps keep your attention calmly in the present moment.
When you catch yourself thinking about your job, your relationship or your lifelong to-do list, experts say to simply let the thought escape, and bring your mind back the repetition of the activity. Try it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day and watch stress levels drop.
2. Picture Yourself Relaxed
Is your mind too talkative to meditate? Try creating a peaceful visualization, or "dreamscape." To start, simply visualize anything that keeps your thoughts away from current tensions. It could be a favorite vacation spot, a fantasy island, that penthouse in New York City -- or something "touchable," like the feel of your favorite silk robe or cozy sweater.
The idea is to take your mind off your stress, and replace it with an image that evokes a sense of calm. The more realistic your daydream -- in terms of colors, sights, sounds; even touch and feel -- the more relaxation you'll experience.
3. Breathe Deeply
Feeling stressed evokes tense, shallow breathing, while calm is associated with relaxed breathing, says Michael Lee, author of Turn Stress into Bliss and founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in Bristol, Vermont. So to turn tension into relaxation, he says, change the way you breathe.
Try this: Let out a big sigh, dropping your chest, and exhaling through gently pursed lips, says Joan Borysenko, PhD, director of Harvard's Mind-Body Clinical Programs. Now imagine your low belly, or center, as a deep, powerful place. Feel your breath coming and going as your mind stays focused there. Inhale, feeling your entire belly, sides and lower back expand. Exhale, sighing again as you drop your chest, and feeling your belly, back and sides contract. Repeat 10 times, relaxing more fully each time.
4. Look Around You
"Mindfulness is the here-and-now approach to living that makes daily life richer and more meaningful," says Claire Michaels Wheeler, MD, PhD, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress. It's approaching life like a child, without passing judgment on what occurs. Mindfulness means focusing on one activity at a time, so forget multi-tasking! Staying in the present-tense can help promote relaxation and provide a buffer against anxiety and depression.
Practice it by focusing on your immediate surroundings. If you're outdoors, enjoy the shape and colors of flowers, hear a bird's call or consider a tree. In the mall, look at the details of a dress in the window, examine a piece of jewelry and focus on how it's made, or window-shop for furniture, checking out every detail of pattern and style. As long as you can keep your mind focused on something in the present, stress will take a back seat.
5. Drink Hot Tea
If you're a coffee-guzzler, consider going green. Coffee raises levels of the notorious stress hormone, cortisol, while green tea offers health and beauty, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.
Chamomile tea is a traditional favorite for calming the mind and reducing stress. And black tea may be a stress-fighter, too, researchers from University College London report. Participants who drank regular black tea displayed lower levels of cortisol, and reported feeling calmer during six weeks of stressful situations than those who drank a placebo with the same amount of caffeine.
6. Show Some Love
Induce the relaxation response by cuddling your pet, giving an unexpected hug to a friend or family member, snuggling with your spouse, or talking to a friend about the good things in your lives, says psychologist Deborah Rozman, PhD, co-author of Transforming Stress. When you do, you'll be reducing your stress levels.
Why? Experts say social interaction helps your brain think better, encouraging you to see new solutions to situations that once seemed impossible, she says. Studies have also shown that physical contact -- like petting your dog or cat -- may actually help lower blood pressure and decrease stress hormones.
7. Try Self-Massage
When your muscles are tense and you've no time to visit a pro, try this simple self-massage technique from Darrin Zeer, author of Lover's Massage and Office Yoga. Relax, and travel straight to Zen-land.
Place both hands on your shoulders and neck.
Squeeze with your fingers and palms.
Rub vigorously, keeping shoulders relaxed.
Wrap one hand around the other forearm.
Squeeze the muscles with thumb and fingers.
Move up and down from your elbow to fingertips and back again.
Repeat with other arm.
8. Take a Time-Out
Adults need time-outs, too. So when you sense your temper is about to erupt, Jeff Brantley, MD, author of Five Good Minutes In the Evening, suggests finding a quiet place to sit or lie down and put the stressful situation on hold. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on releasing tension and calming your heartbeat. Quiet your mind and remember: Time is always on your side, so relax. The stress can wait.
9. Try a Musical Detour
Music can calm the heartbeat and soothe the soul, the experts say. So, when the going gets rough, take a musical stress detour by aligning your heartbeat with the slow tempo of a relaxing song. And you might want to make that a classical tune. Research shows that listening to 30 minutes of classical music may produce calming effects equivalent to taking 10 mg of Valium.
10. Take an Attitude Break
Thirty seconds is enough time to shift your heart's rhythm from stressed to relaxed, Rozman says. The way to do that: Engage your heart and your mind in positive thinking. Start by envisioning anything that triggers a positive feeling -- a vision of your child or spouse, the image of your pet, that great piece of jewelry you're saving up to buy, a memento from a vacation -- whatever it is, conjuring up the thought will help slow breathing, relax tense muscles and put a smile on your face. Rozman says that creating a positive emotional attitude can also calm and steady your heart rhythm, contributing to feelings of relaxation and peace.
If your hectic lifestyle has got you down, experts say relaxation techniques can bring you back into balance -- some in five minutes or less.
By Jenny Stamos Kovacs
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
The kids need a ride to school, your husband can't find his shorts, your boss has just scheduled an online meeting, and your best friend desperately needs your help -- all at the same time.
Is it any wonder that you can't find a minute for relaxation? In fact, if you're like most women, you may have even forgotten how to relax.
And while experts say that some stress is good for you -- it can sharpen your senses and your mind -- too much stress is bad for your mental and physical health. At the same time, relaxation can do wonders to restore balance in your life -- and may even reduce some of the health risks associated with stress.
WebMD talked to the experts to learn more about relaxation -- and how to attain it. What follows are 10 on-the-spot techniques you can use -- any time and almost anywhere -- to reduce the tension in your life.
1. Meditate
If you're thinking meditation means twisting your body into an uncomfortable position and uttering "oohs" and "omms" for an hour, guess again. Any repetitive action can be a source of meditation, says Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response anddirector emeritus, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This includes walking, swimming, painting, knitting -- any activity that helps keep your attention calmly in the present moment.
When you catch yourself thinking about your job, your relationship or your lifelong to-do list, experts say to simply let the thought escape, and bring your mind back the repetition of the activity. Try it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day and watch stress levels drop.
2. Picture Yourself Relaxed
Is your mind too talkative to meditate? Try creating a peaceful visualization, or "dreamscape." To start, simply visualize anything that keeps your thoughts away from current tensions. It could be a favorite vacation spot, a fantasy island, that penthouse in New York City -- or something "touchable," like the feel of your favorite silk robe or cozy sweater.
The idea is to take your mind off your stress, and replace it with an image that evokes a sense of calm. The more realistic your daydream -- in terms of colors, sights, sounds; even touch and feel -- the more relaxation you'll experience.
3. Breathe Deeply
Feeling stressed evokes tense, shallow breathing, while calm is associated with relaxed breathing, says Michael Lee, author of Turn Stress into Bliss and founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in Bristol, Vermont. So to turn tension into relaxation, he says, change the way you breathe.
Try this: Let out a big sigh, dropping your chest, and exhaling through gently pursed lips, says Joan Borysenko, PhD, director of Harvard's Mind-Body Clinical Programs. Now imagine your low belly, or center, as a deep, powerful place. Feel your breath coming and going as your mind stays focused there. Inhale, feeling your entire belly, sides and lower back expand. Exhale, sighing again as you drop your chest, and feeling your belly, back and sides contract. Repeat 10 times, relaxing more fully each time.
4. Look Around You
"Mindfulness is the here-and-now approach to living that makes daily life richer and more meaningful," says Claire Michaels Wheeler, MD, PhD, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress. It's approaching life like a child, without passing judgment on what occurs. Mindfulness means focusing on one activity at a time, so forget multi-tasking! Staying in the present-tense can help promote relaxation and provide a buffer against anxiety and depression.
Practice it by focusing on your immediate surroundings. If you're outdoors, enjoy the shape and colors of flowers, hear a bird's call or consider a tree. In the mall, look at the details of a dress in the window, examine a piece of jewelry and focus on how it's made, or window-shop for furniture, checking out every detail of pattern and style. As long as you can keep your mind focused on something in the present, stress will take a back seat.
5. Drink Hot Tea
If you're a coffee-guzzler, consider going green. Coffee raises levels of the notorious stress hormone, cortisol, while green tea offers health and beauty, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.
Chamomile tea is a traditional favorite for calming the mind and reducing stress. And black tea may be a stress-fighter, too, researchers from University College London report. Participants who drank regular black tea displayed lower levels of cortisol, and reported feeling calmer during six weeks of stressful situations than those who drank a placebo with the same amount of caffeine.
6. Show Some Love
Induce the relaxation response by cuddling your pet, giving an unexpected hug to a friend or family member, snuggling with your spouse, or talking to a friend about the good things in your lives, says psychologist Deborah Rozman, PhD, co-author of Transforming Stress. When you do, you'll be reducing your stress levels.
Why? Experts say social interaction helps your brain think better, encouraging you to see new solutions to situations that once seemed impossible, she says. Studies have also shown that physical contact -- like petting your dog or cat -- may actually help lower blood pressure and decrease stress hormones.
7. Try Self-Massage
When your muscles are tense and you've no time to visit a pro, try this simple self-massage technique from Darrin Zeer, author of Lover's Massage and Office Yoga. Relax, and travel straight to Zen-land.
Place both hands on your shoulders and neck.
Squeeze with your fingers and palms.
Rub vigorously, keeping shoulders relaxed.
Wrap one hand around the other forearm.
Squeeze the muscles with thumb and fingers.
Move up and down from your elbow to fingertips and back again.
Repeat with other arm.
8. Take a Time-Out
Adults need time-outs, too. So when you sense your temper is about to erupt, Jeff Brantley, MD, author of Five Good Minutes In the Evening, suggests finding a quiet place to sit or lie down and put the stressful situation on hold. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on releasing tension and calming your heartbeat. Quiet your mind and remember: Time is always on your side, so relax. The stress can wait.
9. Try a Musical Detour
Music can calm the heartbeat and soothe the soul, the experts say. So, when the going gets rough, take a musical stress detour by aligning your heartbeat with the slow tempo of a relaxing song. And you might want to make that a classical tune. Research shows that listening to 30 minutes of classical music may produce calming effects equivalent to taking 10 mg of Valium.
10. Take an Attitude Break
Thirty seconds is enough time to shift your heart's rhythm from stressed to relaxed, Rozman says. The way to do that: Engage your heart and your mind in positive thinking. Start by envisioning anything that triggers a positive feeling -- a vision of your child or spouse, the image of your pet, that great piece of jewelry you're saving up to buy, a memento from a vacation -- whatever it is, conjuring up the thought will help slow breathing, relax tense muscles and put a smile on your face. Rozman says that creating a positive emotional attitude can also calm and steady your heart rhythm, contributing to feelings of relaxation and peace.
Why Counseling
Awareness
Alignment- beliefs with actions
articulation
accountability;
rewriting schema or core beliefs
resources
experiences
relationship
Alignment- beliefs with actions
articulation
accountability;
rewriting schema or core beliefs
resources
experiences
relationship
Friday, May 6, 2011
Mangum's thoughts on Bell
Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins
Some impressions offered by R. Todd Mangum, PhD
Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Theology
Biblical Seminary
Hatfield, PA
Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, has become a sensation, seemingly overnight. Already a wellknown
pastor, of one of the few churches that people debate whether it should be called an
emergent church or a mega-church (it’s kind of both), Bell’s entire career has been built on his
astute ability to find the heartbeat of the average person’s deepest questions and concerns about
God, religion and theological truth. He also has been blessed with shrewd media-savyiness;
churches of all denominations, shapes and sizes have used his “NOOMA” videos in some
capacity, often to stimulate conversations in small groups or serve as audio-visual illustrations
for Sunday morning sermons.
Incredibly, Love Wins has managed already to dwarf the publicity that all Bell’s work has
garnered before now. Not all the publicity has been positive – a week before the book was even
published, John Piper tweeted, “Farewell, Rob Bell,” sounding the alarm against Bell’s crossing
the line into heresy; Brian McLaren lamented that Bell, like himself, was being pilloried by
witch-hunters merely for raising legitimate questions (http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog
/some-surprises.html); Scot McKnight and Mark Galli cite some points of concern, but both urge
everyone to take a deep breath and calm down a bit (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/
god/church/features/24878-universalism-and-the-doctrine-of-rob-bell; http://www.
christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/lovewins.html?start=6). Such proclamations by Christian
“celebrities” on all sides have served only to heighten the attention given to the book. The result?
Last week, Bell and his book made the cover story of TIME.
There is no question that the questions Bell raises are crucial ones. What is the nature of God?
Are the criteria for salvation such that the mass of humanity (including Gandhi, no less) will be
tortured (by God, no less) in hell forever? Is “the gospel” as commonly understood and portrayed
by evangelicals flawed at its core? And, is God commonly understood and portrayed by
evangelicals as overly mean, miserly, and vindictive – thus serving unnecessarily to turn people
off to God and the gospel as actually revealed in the Bible? For anyone who takes their Christian
faith seriously, few questions are more central, more fundamental, more challenging than these.
One can hardly teach theology as one’s vocation and avoid comment. Here, then, are a few
thoughts of mine on the book.
Bell gets some things right, and they needed to be said by someone. For instance:
1. It is true that, where there is ambiguity in scriptural teaching, it is a mistake to insist on
the most harsh, most off-putting view possible on the spectrum of plausible options.
2. Traditional evangelicalism has emphasized too much the role of correct doctrinal
cognition as the basis of justification before God.
2
3. The Bible permits some legitimate questions about the last judgment, and what exactly
will determine who gets in, and who will be barred from glory; among them: “Is it
possible for some people to be followers of Christ without knowing it is Jesus they are
following? Is it possible for some people to be children of the Kingdom without
explicitly knowing that it is Jesus that is the King?” The “sheep and goats” judgment of
Matthew 25:31-46, for instance, is an example of a passage that lends itself to such
questions.
4. God is capable of surprises; and some of the surprises that Bell muses about as what
could be in store for human beings on judgment day are consistent with the kinds of
surprises Jesus talks about, too. Jesus warned religious leaders of His day that they were
going to weep and gnash their teeth when they see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
Kingdom they have so longed for, but they themselves cast out (Matt. 8:12; Luke 13:28).
Might Jesus also say to some in our day that they will weep and gnash their teeth when
they see Augustine and Aquinas, or Luther and Calvin in the Kingdom, but they
themselves cast out?
5. Bell is also right to point out that the majority of Bible-believing theologians through
history have not embraced an all-or-nothing judgment that results in a zero-sum verdict
consisting of only two choices: 1) all-bliss or 2) all-agony – for all eternity. There are
some “difference-in-severity-of-judgment” passages (e.g., Luke 12:47-48’s “many
lashes” vs. “few lashes”) as well as “difference-in-degree-of-reward” passages (e.g.,
Matt. 25:14-30) by which traditional Protestant accounts of judgment allotment, in either
direction, could rightly stand to be challenged.
However, Bell also includes some unnecessary distractions in his handling of already serious and
controversial issues. For instance:
1. He frequently engages in reductio ad absurdum concerning some points that traditional
evangelicals have commonly embraced or cherished. Here’s a paragraph from my class
notes on logic and proper reasoning, written without Bell’s book in mind (in fact,
composed a good 15 years before Bell’s book was written!):
reductio ad absurdum (Lat. “to reduce to the absurd”) – The fallacy of this
technique lies in how much one has to “reduce” the view to make it seem absurd.
The rhetorical technique can be employed non-fallaciously (if the view itself is
absurd, or has previously unrecognized absurd ramifications). Even then,
though, it's awfully hard to pull off without sounding cocky or belittling.
Note: Don't be fooled into dismissing reductio ad absurdum arguments
as “just jokes” or “just humor.” Reductio ad absurdum is often used for comic
value, but it is humor that encourages one to dismiss a position so thoroughly as
to laugh at it. . . . And, that's pretty serious.
I suspect part of the reason Bell’s critics have responded with such fury may be because
they sense that views they hold firmly and dearly have not only been challenged, but
ridiculed by Bell’s work. Bell is at least partly to blame for this impression, both
unfortunate and unnecessary.
3
2. Is Bell’s book really to be regarded as poetry? He frequently formats the words on the
page as to convey that impression. The problem is, other than the formatting, the
composition bears precious little resemblance to actual poetry; little attention has been
paid to meter, parallelisms of words, phrases or imagery. It’s not really poetry . . . so,
what is it?
And, herein lies one of the other points of distraction: it is quasi-sermonic material, quasilecture
material pretending to be poetry. . . . Count that assessment as overstatement for
sake of the point. Even so, Bell’s treatise feels too often like it’s a piece wanting to say
some dramatic things about some serious, controversial matters, but rather than doing the
hard work of engaging plausible alternative stances or opposing views with
thoughtfulness and care, it takes short-cuts to the drama and seeks to cloak it in the
profundity of poetry. For those who are not thereby enamored, it comes off as just
pretentious.
3. What he did not say. This is the most distracting point of all. Bell focuses on texts that are
the most “reader-friendly” and “coddle-the-wayfaring sinner” oriented; along the way, he
rebukes harsher, more traditional portrayals of God, without ever engaging the biblical
evidence that prompted such traditional views in the first place. This gives the impression
that those harsher, traditional understandings of God’s character and ways are simply
conjured from the air, apparently by inexplicably mean-spirited people.
Bell refers obliquely to the fact that Jesus “tells stories” designed to challenge the sinner
and abuser of his ways, and comfort the abused and oppressed that God is watching and
working. That hardly says it, though, given that Jesus talked more about judgment,
Hades, and “Gehenna” (i.e., “hell”) than He did heaven. In his entire treatise (including
an entire chapter on “hell”), Bell never even mentions the “fires of torment,” in which
those put there “get no rest day or night, but the smoke of their torment goes up forever”
of Revelation 14 and Revelation 20.
Bell mentions that the word translated “hell” in Jesus’ teaching refers originally to
imagery based on the “land-fill” in the Valley of Gehinnom (“Gehenna”). That’s fair
enough, but that imagery does not necessarily suggest that the whole concept is mere
imagery; nor is that terminology the only way Jesus talks about the judgment on the
wicked. Jesus also mentions the weeping and gnashing of teeth of those cast into “outer
darkness” and the “furnace of fire.” At one point, Jesus mentions that this place of fiery
doom to which the judged are sent was a place originally “prepared for the devil and his
angels” (Matt. 25:41). (Note that it is prepared for the devil and his angels, not by same,
nor by the judged themselves. It is also worth asking – if we really need to ask –
“prepared by whom”? . . . )
The best that one could say about such omissions is that Bell has ducked the hard
questions, and evaded the hard passages that would most significantly challenge his
thesis. Given that he also pokes fun at viewpoints built on taking these imageries more
seriously, it’s not hard to see why some have regarded Bell’s book as a snide puff piece
4
that misleads people, rather than a thought piece to help people engage the hard questions
seriously.
Finally, there are a few points – some of them repeated or which serve as central points to his
thesis – that Bell overstates or just gets wrong. Here are the major examples on my list:
1. It’s just not true that the only people who go to final judgment are those who insist on it,
who deliberately choose it for themselves. Bell – like C.S. Lewis before him – is trying to
accentuate the biblical teaching that “God desires everyone to be saved and that all
should come to repentance” (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9); and that God “takes no pleasure in
the death of the wicked,” but desires “rather that he should turn from his ways and live”
(Ezek. 18:23). And, that’s a good note to sound.
However, that is not the only chord Scripture strikes, nor is that quite the same as saying
that the only way one can end up in judgment is by persisting in the insistence on it.
Likewise, God’s being slow to anger is not the same as saying God is absent any anger at
all. The wrath of God is demonstrated towards the inhabitants of earth, as well as His
love (Rom. 1:18). As Jesus Himself observes and warns, some people are sent to
judgment kicking and screaming, arguing all the way that they are not deserving of the
punishment meted out to them – see Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 8:11-12; Luke 13:23-28;
and Matthew 25:41-46.
2. In a similar vein, Bell – like McLaren before him – dismisses the idea that Jesus “saves
us from God” (from God’s wrath?). The problem is, the wrath of God really is a major
theme of the Bible – not just God’s love, mercy, and grace. “The wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” is where
Romans starts its explanation of what “salvation” is about. Jesus, too, warns of the
judgment of God coming on people unawares, like it did in the days of Noah or in the
days of Lot.
Bell may be right to suggest that “Jesus saves us from God” is a sloppy way of phrasing
it. On the other hand, shutting down consideration of our need for “rescue from
God/God’s wrath” introduces (further) distortion, rather than clarification, of biblical
teaching overall. One does not have to diminish God’s vigorous intent to judge sinfulness
to accentuate also His missional character, His desire to redeem human beings and thus
restore harmony and justice. God judges those who resist and refuse, even beyond
allowing them to live in the hell of their own creation.
3. At least three times in so many pages (from pp. 182-184), Bell asserts, “We shape our
God and then our God shapes us.” Even with due acknowledgement to social
construction theory about how we understand religious truth and how that understanding
“shapes” who we are, Bell’s thrice-repeated assertion fares poorly as a theological
statement. The emphasis of it, which forms the basis of Bell’s theological point, is just
the reverse of Psalm 135. In this classic psalm that sets Yahweh apart from other gods,
Yahweh is above all other gods because He does as He pleases, judges rightly, even
while having compassion on His people, whereas “the gods of the nations are idols,”
5
having eyes but do not see, having ears but do not hear, and so on – noting, finally, that
“those who make them will be like them.”
In biblical teaching, then, the difference between a Yahweh-worshiper and an idolworshiper
is that those who worship Yahweh worship someone who is real, and who
transforms His people into godliness. The “we shape our God” stuff is the stuff of
idolatry at its heart.
The best that could be said of Bell’s point here is that he has a point, but he’s framed it
poorly, become overly enamored with it, and thus repeated it and made it central to a
point of supposed poetic emphasis.
That last point of assessment could pretty much summarize my assessment of the book. He does
have some points worth raising and contemplating. It’s a shame there is so much distraction to
those points worthy of the conversation he’s sparked with the book. In the end, I find myself
agreeing with Mark Galli (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/lovewins.
html?start=6), that Love Wins broaches some worthwhile questions and makes some insightful
points along the way, but in the end goes a bridge too far.
Some impressions offered by R. Todd Mangum, PhD
Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Theology
Biblical Seminary
Hatfield, PA
Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, has become a sensation, seemingly overnight. Already a wellknown
pastor, of one of the few churches that people debate whether it should be called an
emergent church or a mega-church (it’s kind of both), Bell’s entire career has been built on his
astute ability to find the heartbeat of the average person’s deepest questions and concerns about
God, religion and theological truth. He also has been blessed with shrewd media-savyiness;
churches of all denominations, shapes and sizes have used his “NOOMA” videos in some
capacity, often to stimulate conversations in small groups or serve as audio-visual illustrations
for Sunday morning sermons.
Incredibly, Love Wins has managed already to dwarf the publicity that all Bell’s work has
garnered before now. Not all the publicity has been positive – a week before the book was even
published, John Piper tweeted, “Farewell, Rob Bell,” sounding the alarm against Bell’s crossing
the line into heresy; Brian McLaren lamented that Bell, like himself, was being pilloried by
witch-hunters merely for raising legitimate questions (http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog
/some-surprises.html); Scot McKnight and Mark Galli cite some points of concern, but both urge
everyone to take a deep breath and calm down a bit (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/
god/church/features/24878-universalism-and-the-doctrine-of-rob-bell; http://www.
christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/lovewins.html?start=6). Such proclamations by Christian
“celebrities” on all sides have served only to heighten the attention given to the book. The result?
Last week, Bell and his book made the cover story of TIME.
There is no question that the questions Bell raises are crucial ones. What is the nature of God?
Are the criteria for salvation such that the mass of humanity (including Gandhi, no less) will be
tortured (by God, no less) in hell forever? Is “the gospel” as commonly understood and portrayed
by evangelicals flawed at its core? And, is God commonly understood and portrayed by
evangelicals as overly mean, miserly, and vindictive – thus serving unnecessarily to turn people
off to God and the gospel as actually revealed in the Bible? For anyone who takes their Christian
faith seriously, few questions are more central, more fundamental, more challenging than these.
One can hardly teach theology as one’s vocation and avoid comment. Here, then, are a few
thoughts of mine on the book.
Bell gets some things right, and they needed to be said by someone. For instance:
1. It is true that, where there is ambiguity in scriptural teaching, it is a mistake to insist on
the most harsh, most off-putting view possible on the spectrum of plausible options.
2. Traditional evangelicalism has emphasized too much the role of correct doctrinal
cognition as the basis of justification before God.
2
3. The Bible permits some legitimate questions about the last judgment, and what exactly
will determine who gets in, and who will be barred from glory; among them: “Is it
possible for some people to be followers of Christ without knowing it is Jesus they are
following? Is it possible for some people to be children of the Kingdom without
explicitly knowing that it is Jesus that is the King?” The “sheep and goats” judgment of
Matthew 25:31-46, for instance, is an example of a passage that lends itself to such
questions.
4. God is capable of surprises; and some of the surprises that Bell muses about as what
could be in store for human beings on judgment day are consistent with the kinds of
surprises Jesus talks about, too. Jesus warned religious leaders of His day that they were
going to weep and gnash their teeth when they see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
Kingdom they have so longed for, but they themselves cast out (Matt. 8:12; Luke 13:28).
Might Jesus also say to some in our day that they will weep and gnash their teeth when
they see Augustine and Aquinas, or Luther and Calvin in the Kingdom, but they
themselves cast out?
5. Bell is also right to point out that the majority of Bible-believing theologians through
history have not embraced an all-or-nothing judgment that results in a zero-sum verdict
consisting of only two choices: 1) all-bliss or 2) all-agony – for all eternity. There are
some “difference-in-severity-of-judgment” passages (e.g., Luke 12:47-48’s “many
lashes” vs. “few lashes”) as well as “difference-in-degree-of-reward” passages (e.g.,
Matt. 25:14-30) by which traditional Protestant accounts of judgment allotment, in either
direction, could rightly stand to be challenged.
However, Bell also includes some unnecessary distractions in his handling of already serious and
controversial issues. For instance:
1. He frequently engages in reductio ad absurdum concerning some points that traditional
evangelicals have commonly embraced or cherished. Here’s a paragraph from my class
notes on logic and proper reasoning, written without Bell’s book in mind (in fact,
composed a good 15 years before Bell’s book was written!):
reductio ad absurdum (Lat. “to reduce to the absurd”) – The fallacy of this
technique lies in how much one has to “reduce” the view to make it seem absurd.
The rhetorical technique can be employed non-fallaciously (if the view itself is
absurd, or has previously unrecognized absurd ramifications). Even then,
though, it's awfully hard to pull off without sounding cocky or belittling.
Note: Don't be fooled into dismissing reductio ad absurdum arguments
as “just jokes” or “just humor.” Reductio ad absurdum is often used for comic
value, but it is humor that encourages one to dismiss a position so thoroughly as
to laugh at it. . . . And, that's pretty serious.
I suspect part of the reason Bell’s critics have responded with such fury may be because
they sense that views they hold firmly and dearly have not only been challenged, but
ridiculed by Bell’s work. Bell is at least partly to blame for this impression, both
unfortunate and unnecessary.
3
2. Is Bell’s book really to be regarded as poetry? He frequently formats the words on the
page as to convey that impression. The problem is, other than the formatting, the
composition bears precious little resemblance to actual poetry; little attention has been
paid to meter, parallelisms of words, phrases or imagery. It’s not really poetry . . . so,
what is it?
And, herein lies one of the other points of distraction: it is quasi-sermonic material, quasilecture
material pretending to be poetry. . . . Count that assessment as overstatement for
sake of the point. Even so, Bell’s treatise feels too often like it’s a piece wanting to say
some dramatic things about some serious, controversial matters, but rather than doing the
hard work of engaging plausible alternative stances or opposing views with
thoughtfulness and care, it takes short-cuts to the drama and seeks to cloak it in the
profundity of poetry. For those who are not thereby enamored, it comes off as just
pretentious.
3. What he did not say. This is the most distracting point of all. Bell focuses on texts that are
the most “reader-friendly” and “coddle-the-wayfaring sinner” oriented; along the way, he
rebukes harsher, more traditional portrayals of God, without ever engaging the biblical
evidence that prompted such traditional views in the first place. This gives the impression
that those harsher, traditional understandings of God’s character and ways are simply
conjured from the air, apparently by inexplicably mean-spirited people.
Bell refers obliquely to the fact that Jesus “tells stories” designed to challenge the sinner
and abuser of his ways, and comfort the abused and oppressed that God is watching and
working. That hardly says it, though, given that Jesus talked more about judgment,
Hades, and “Gehenna” (i.e., “hell”) than He did heaven. In his entire treatise (including
an entire chapter on “hell”), Bell never even mentions the “fires of torment,” in which
those put there “get no rest day or night, but the smoke of their torment goes up forever”
of Revelation 14 and Revelation 20.
Bell mentions that the word translated “hell” in Jesus’ teaching refers originally to
imagery based on the “land-fill” in the Valley of Gehinnom (“Gehenna”). That’s fair
enough, but that imagery does not necessarily suggest that the whole concept is mere
imagery; nor is that terminology the only way Jesus talks about the judgment on the
wicked. Jesus also mentions the weeping and gnashing of teeth of those cast into “outer
darkness” and the “furnace of fire.” At one point, Jesus mentions that this place of fiery
doom to which the judged are sent was a place originally “prepared for the devil and his
angels” (Matt. 25:41). (Note that it is prepared for the devil and his angels, not by same,
nor by the judged themselves. It is also worth asking – if we really need to ask –
“prepared by whom”? . . . )
The best that one could say about such omissions is that Bell has ducked the hard
questions, and evaded the hard passages that would most significantly challenge his
thesis. Given that he also pokes fun at viewpoints built on taking these imageries more
seriously, it’s not hard to see why some have regarded Bell’s book as a snide puff piece
4
that misleads people, rather than a thought piece to help people engage the hard questions
seriously.
Finally, there are a few points – some of them repeated or which serve as central points to his
thesis – that Bell overstates or just gets wrong. Here are the major examples on my list:
1. It’s just not true that the only people who go to final judgment are those who insist on it,
who deliberately choose it for themselves. Bell – like C.S. Lewis before him – is trying to
accentuate the biblical teaching that “God desires everyone to be saved and that all
should come to repentance” (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9); and that God “takes no pleasure in
the death of the wicked,” but desires “rather that he should turn from his ways and live”
(Ezek. 18:23). And, that’s a good note to sound.
However, that is not the only chord Scripture strikes, nor is that quite the same as saying
that the only way one can end up in judgment is by persisting in the insistence on it.
Likewise, God’s being slow to anger is not the same as saying God is absent any anger at
all. The wrath of God is demonstrated towards the inhabitants of earth, as well as His
love (Rom. 1:18). As Jesus Himself observes and warns, some people are sent to
judgment kicking and screaming, arguing all the way that they are not deserving of the
punishment meted out to them – see Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 8:11-12; Luke 13:23-28;
and Matthew 25:41-46.
2. In a similar vein, Bell – like McLaren before him – dismisses the idea that Jesus “saves
us from God” (from God’s wrath?). The problem is, the wrath of God really is a major
theme of the Bible – not just God’s love, mercy, and grace. “The wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” is where
Romans starts its explanation of what “salvation” is about. Jesus, too, warns of the
judgment of God coming on people unawares, like it did in the days of Noah or in the
days of Lot.
Bell may be right to suggest that “Jesus saves us from God” is a sloppy way of phrasing
it. On the other hand, shutting down consideration of our need for “rescue from
God/God’s wrath” introduces (further) distortion, rather than clarification, of biblical
teaching overall. One does not have to diminish God’s vigorous intent to judge sinfulness
to accentuate also His missional character, His desire to redeem human beings and thus
restore harmony and justice. God judges those who resist and refuse, even beyond
allowing them to live in the hell of their own creation.
3. At least three times in so many pages (from pp. 182-184), Bell asserts, “We shape our
God and then our God shapes us.” Even with due acknowledgement to social
construction theory about how we understand religious truth and how that understanding
“shapes” who we are, Bell’s thrice-repeated assertion fares poorly as a theological
statement. The emphasis of it, which forms the basis of Bell’s theological point, is just
the reverse of Psalm 135. In this classic psalm that sets Yahweh apart from other gods,
Yahweh is above all other gods because He does as He pleases, judges rightly, even
while having compassion on His people, whereas “the gods of the nations are idols,”
5
having eyes but do not see, having ears but do not hear, and so on – noting, finally, that
“those who make them will be like them.”
In biblical teaching, then, the difference between a Yahweh-worshiper and an idolworshiper
is that those who worship Yahweh worship someone who is real, and who
transforms His people into godliness. The “we shape our God” stuff is the stuff of
idolatry at its heart.
The best that could be said of Bell’s point here is that he has a point, but he’s framed it
poorly, become overly enamored with it, and thus repeated it and made it central to a
point of supposed poetic emphasis.
That last point of assessment could pretty much summarize my assessment of the book. He does
have some points worth raising and contemplating. It’s a shame there is so much distraction to
those points worthy of the conversation he’s sparked with the book. In the end, I find myself
agreeing with Mark Galli (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/lovewins.
html?start=6), that Love Wins broaches some worthwhile questions and makes some insightful
points along the way, but in the end goes a bridge too far.
Am I excluding myself from heaven on earth for the sake of earthly riches and status
Rest is more than peripheral. It is used as an example of what it will be like in hell.
"And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." Rev 14:11
There will be no rest
Rest is an image of heaven
In Hebrews 3 we see rest as a promised prize or consequence perhaps for those who believe. In Hebrews 4 we see that the rest they were looking for was not found when they entered the good land with wealth. It is not about material things only. God continues to promise this rest after they enter into the promised land.
The best is yet to come and it is so tied with rest that Paul calls it rest. How would this heaven sound to you if there was no work?
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[e] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4
Jesus takes rest
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Jesus promises rest
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew
Jesus puts limits on rest
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners." Matthew
Note: The curse to Adam was about sorrow. It says man shall eat of the soil in sorrow. It mentions work or labor in that we will sweat as a result of the curse meaning maybe that we will have difficult work.
Is sorrow what comes with sin and rest what obedience brings to those in the kingdom?
The curse brought sorrow to both man and woman.
Sorrow- "itstsabown"
"Gen 3:16 Unto the woman 802 he said 559 , I will greatly 7235 multiply 7235 thy sorrow6093 and thy conception 2032; in sorrow 6089 thou shalt bring forth 3205 children 1121; and thy desire 8669 [shall be] to thy husband 376, and he shall rule 4910 over thee.
[Select for Copy; Double click to (de-)select all] Gen 3:17 And unto Adam 121 he said 559 , Because thou hast hearkened 8085 unto the voice 6963 of thy wife 802, and hast eaten 398 of the tree 6086, of which 834 I commanded thee 6680 , saying 559 , Thou shalt not eat 398 of it: cursed 779 [is] the ground 127 for thy sake; in sorrow6093 shalt thou eat 398 [of] it all 3605 the days 3117 of thy life 2416;"
Sorrow will come to those who do not follow God
Deu 28:65 "And among these 1992 nations 1471 shalt thou find no ease 7280, neither shall the sole 3709 of thy foot 7272 have rest 4494: but the LORD 3068 shall give 5414 thee there a trembling 7268 heart 3820, and failing 3631 of eyes 5869, and sorrow 1671 of mind 5315:"
"And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." Rev 14:11
There will be no rest
Rest is an image of heaven
In Hebrews 3 we see rest as a promised prize or consequence perhaps for those who believe. In Hebrews 4 we see that the rest they were looking for was not found when they entered the good land with wealth. It is not about material things only. God continues to promise this rest after they enter into the promised land.
The best is yet to come and it is so tied with rest that Paul calls it rest. How would this heaven sound to you if there was no work?
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[e] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4
Jesus takes rest
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Jesus promises rest
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew
Jesus puts limits on rest
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners." Matthew
Note: The curse to Adam was about sorrow. It says man shall eat of the soil in sorrow. It mentions work or labor in that we will sweat as a result of the curse meaning maybe that we will have difficult work.
Is sorrow what comes with sin and rest what obedience brings to those in the kingdom?
The curse brought sorrow to both man and woman.
Sorrow- "itstsabown"
"Gen 3:16 Unto the woman 802 he said 559 , I will greatly 7235 multiply 7235 thy sorrow6093 and thy conception 2032; in sorrow 6089 thou shalt bring forth 3205 children 1121; and thy desire 8669 [shall be] to thy husband 376, and he shall rule 4910 over thee.
[Select for Copy; Double click to (de-)select all] Gen 3:17 And unto Adam 121 he said 559 , Because thou hast hearkened 8085 unto the voice 6963 of thy wife 802, and hast eaten 398 of the tree 6086, of which 834 I commanded thee 6680 , saying 559 , Thou shalt not eat 398 of it: cursed 779 [is] the ground 127 for thy sake; in sorrow6093 shalt thou eat 398 [of] it all 3605 the days 3117 of thy life 2416;"
Sorrow will come to those who do not follow God
Deu 28:65 "And among these 1992 nations 1471 shalt thou find no ease 7280, neither shall the sole 3709 of thy foot 7272 have rest 4494: but the LORD 3068 shall give 5414 thee there a trembling 7268 heart 3820, and failing 3631 of eyes 5869, and sorrow 1671 of mind 5315:"
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Isolate the tensions in coflict
4 tensions.
Living in tension can be good. it is what helps us to grow. It means that we care enough for thoughts, emotions, and the Spirit to act in our lives. But if we are in tension or turmoil between multiple areas of our lives at once it can be overwhelming and steal our confidence or even push us into poor decisions by sucoming to external pressures. Say for example you have an issue with a family member. Going to them to deal with the issue is usually a step in the right direction. But often with family and friends that we have a history there are flooding emotions and unresolved feelings and emotions within ourselves. If we are dealing with the internal tension that these bring at the same time that we are dealing with the tension of the relationship with our family member we will have multiple sources of tension. If we do not bring the issue to God there may be a feeling that we are uncertain of how God wants us to proceed in the situation. This will add a third layer of tension. Conflicts or conversations with other members of the family who have opinions about the issue will add yet another layer to the mix. If all of these are dealt with at once there will be a much greater chance of an eruption, saying things that are regrettable, or becoming a pushover. But if each of these tensions are dealt with on their own they may bring more confidence into the other areas of tension. If we sort our our feeling and bring the situation to God so that we are confident in the approach that we would like to take in the conflict (not in the solution since it should be a conversation but in our approach) then we will enter in with more peace, confidence, and less guilt. This in turn may have positive results in the effects with confronting the family member. Even if the family member does not react favorably there is still confidence that that was a good step to take. Isolating the tensions can be a great tool in dealing more effectively with conflict. (The tensions are spiritual- with God, internal- within our emotions thoughts and beliefs, interpersonal- with yourself and another person, systemic- with you and the family or other system, or cultural with you and the culture).
Living in tension can be good. it is what helps us to grow. It means that we care enough for thoughts, emotions, and the Spirit to act in our lives. But if we are in tension or turmoil between multiple areas of our lives at once it can be overwhelming and steal our confidence or even push us into poor decisions by sucoming to external pressures. Say for example you have an issue with a family member. Going to them to deal with the issue is usually a step in the right direction. But often with family and friends that we have a history there are flooding emotions and unresolved feelings and emotions within ourselves. If we are dealing with the internal tension that these bring at the same time that we are dealing with the tension of the relationship with our family member we will have multiple sources of tension. If we do not bring the issue to God there may be a feeling that we are uncertain of how God wants us to proceed in the situation. This will add a third layer of tension. Conflicts or conversations with other members of the family who have opinions about the issue will add yet another layer to the mix. If all of these are dealt with at once there will be a much greater chance of an eruption, saying things that are regrettable, or becoming a pushover. But if each of these tensions are dealt with on their own they may bring more confidence into the other areas of tension. If we sort our our feeling and bring the situation to God so that we are confident in the approach that we would like to take in the conflict (not in the solution since it should be a conversation but in our approach) then we will enter in with more peace, confidence, and less guilt. This in turn may have positive results in the effects with confronting the family member. Even if the family member does not react favorably there is still confidence that that was a good step to take. Isolating the tensions can be a great tool in dealing more effectively with conflict. (The tensions are spiritual- with God, internal- within our emotions thoughts and beliefs, interpersonal- with yourself and another person, systemic- with you and the family or other system, or cultural with you and the culture).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
