Language is a many splendored thing
If you've at all noticed how often I blog, you can see that I've lost a lot of my "mojo" for blogging. One reason is that I have too much to say! I just can't sit down and get all my thoughts out easily. It takes enough energy that even though I'm excited by something enough that I want to express it, the expression itself matters enough to me that I tend to see it as a mountain that I just don't have time to climb at the moment.
Anyway, this morning, I was listening to a teaching, as usual, while washing the dishes and I figured, that if I just started typing, I could get some of my excitement out before I thought about how big a task it is! (I'm trying to trick myself! )
I was listening to a series of teachings/discussions by a guy named Skip Moen on the book of Matthew. Skip is a theologian/Bible scholar who, while still teaching various theological courses at a university level, is also endeavoring to reach a broader circle of Christians with the message of what a Hebrew/Old Testament contextualization of the New Testament does to help us better understand Jesus, God, His Kingdom, etc. I learned about Skip Moen because Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding, CA mentioned him in a sermon about 6 months ago or so.
The plug from Bill interested me because he made reference to some word/concept in scripture and then what the Hebrew behind all that really means and it really brought it to life. I've experienced that before when I've discovered the original language meaning and cultural context of something in the Bible - typically something I thought I already knew/understood. I've also experienced that in a more modern context by simply living in another country where another language is spoken - even though there is no disconnect in the temporal context.
Language and cultural context are enormous! I don't know how I can stress that enough - other than to say that I understand as well that it really has to be experienced to be fully understood (which is, itself a concept taken from a Hebraic world view!) These recordings of this study of Matthew are interesting because you can hear the discussion and the questions of the people in the discussion on the recording. When he presents something that creates a cognitive dissonance in them that I don't personally feel, I realize just how far God has brought me these last dozen years or so outside of the American and English context - and how valuable that journey has been.
So, all that to say go have a listen yourself and expand your dimensions of understanding and knowing God and His plan for us and His Creation.
http://skipmoen.com/category/matthew/
The Power of the Backstory
My 18-year-old son is an avid gamer and at this point in his life, aspires to make some aspect of game design into a career. Whether he does or not, who knows, but I've no doubt about his excellent chances for success. One reason is his ability to bring the paradigms of epic gaming into epic reality and vice versa. One of those paradigms is that of the "backstory". My own history with gaming revolves almost solely around one racing game and I only got a charge out of the competition and sense of speed and skill that one can draw from it. First person shooters or RPGs, etc. have never held my interest and I suppose one of the reasons is that I've not "had the time" to really engage with the "backstory."
Most of you probably already know, but I remember that the first context I heard that term mentioned in was in gaming (though wikipedia gives it a broader definition). It refers to the over-arching narrative that has been crafted around the action of the game that can give the player more understanding of what's going on strategy-wise (the "practical" value of the backstory), but it's also a tool that facilitates a more immersive experience in the game. Depending on how alive the imagination is of the gamer, they can really enter into what they are doing and what they are experiencing in the game. It enhances the experience.
Imagine my surprise, having only a gaming context in mind for this word, to hear it come out of the mouth of "learned British theologian" NT Wright. In the this talk that he gave in 2010 as part of the British "The Big Read" project (various churches in Britain all reading through the same portions of scripture during the season of Lent), Wright gives the "backstory" to the Gospel of Luke. It is vintage NT Wright - especially since he's all about "narrative." It brings together many of his best themes and lays a rich foundation for approaching the reading of the Gospels (and indeed the Bible) but with a focus especially on the Gospel of Luke. When he used the term backstory it really made me think of what a backstory does in gaming and how that applies to how we engage with God and His Kingdom and this incredible vehicle of communication that He's given us called the Bible. My impression is that we are all too often stuck in the posture that I had with games. I didn't bother with the backstory or anything else that is really necessary to engage with a game and plumb its depths as an immersive experience…and so it wasn't.
Knowing and appreciating the backstory is a complete game-changer!
Next Page »
About News Prayer Gallery Contact Support
