The Ubiquity of Tension
I have been sick this week, a strep infection, which meant I only worked one day and that because of absolute necessity. As an administrator I had some papers to sign and fires to stamp out Thursday, but otherwise I was resting. The headache, cough, fatigue, muscular pain, throat burning, and congestion were miserable. Today, Sunday, I feel human.
Reflections: Ricolas are amazing. Cefuroxime works, I guess, but doesn't like my disgestive tract or taste buds. I am not a good sick person, at all, and pray God will protect me from another bout like this one throughout the year.
However, one thing being sick means is that I can read a lot. I finished Crime and Punishment (had read it before but understood it better this time, which proves my point that literature is written for people who have a life of experience. It is brilliant, but very Russian! In Russian novels every character has three names. I've read several scholarly articles on gratitude, a research interest; it's amazing how little is written about gratitude in the communication literature.
I just finished Two Wings: Integrating Faith and Reason by Clayton and Kries, two philosophy profs at Gonzaga who are, of course, Roman Catholic. (Gonzaga always sounds to me like the name of a Muppet character.) I recommend the book highly, although its best use would probably be as a textbook for a philosophy or apologetics class. The Catholicism angle wasn't overdone, although they depend more on Aquinas than Augustine (and we Reformation folks lean toward Augustine, as good old Martin did). It got me, in my illness boredom, thinking about a lot of things, one of them being tension.
A Christian must, as early as possible in his/her journey, recognize the inherent, ubiquitous tension in just about everything we experience. Faith and works. Free will and sovereignty. And many others. I firmly believe that the tension of Christianity is its strength. It means we have to think. It means we can't be absolutely certain about every matter, and we have to be on guard for hubris in thinking some of our positions are unassailable (and of course I'm not talking about core historical doctrines). Most people don't want to think or do the hard work of study and consideration and reflection, but that's really not an option for an obedient Christian. Obedience in the Christian walk is not being an automaton. It is learning a new way of thinking.
`
Not to change the subject entirely, but any discussion of tension ubiquity has to include one of the most annoying yet pressing matters of the day.
Donald Trump and our moral conscience.
I am not satisfied using the word tension, because it implies a moral equivalency, or logical equivalency. on both sides. Perhaps Paul's injunction to walk circumspectly, as if on the top of a narrow wall, works better, since there are dangers of falling on either side (just falling in general could be a danger). I do not mean that there is a moral equality between Trump and our consciences or convictions, at least there shouldn't be.
Even the most ardent never-Trumper conservatives among us have to admit he has done some good things. For example, I was impressed that he didn't back down on Kavanaugh and kept his mouth shut for two weeks. However, when he opened it, oh, my. How callous and crude. He could have praised Kavanaugh without even mentioning Dr. Ford, but he is incapable of that. Instead, he poured calumny on her (translation, dissed her).
Although I didn't really find her all that credible, I am concerned that any public criticism of her might lead young (or even older) women who are truly abused but have low self-esteem to avoid reporting abuse. It's a real concern. So, as usual, Trump couldn't leave well enough alone and had to be a jerk.
I find him a vile and dishonest human being, yet he broke the diplomacy bank to get political prisoners home and to investigate the Arab journalists' killing. He's obnoxious and the world's worst communicator, yet I'm all for less government regulations. He probably will go down in a corruption scandal, but at least we got two SCOTUS judges who will pay attention to the text. (I doubt they will overturn Roe v. Wade, but I would celebrate if they did, and the laws could go back to the states. They essentially have anyway, since there are many states where abortions are almost impossible to get.)
So this is the tension we live in. It is far less satisfying than the tension of Christian doctrines, since those are about life and love and these political ones are about holding one's nose and shaking our heads at his latest antics. At times I admit to finding his outlandishness funny, and like the WWE career he had, I think he doesn't take himself seriously sometimes--and other times he acts like a president and is serious and even grave. (Having Kanye there was not one of those times, but Kanye out-Trumped Trump.) This presidency is one that will be studied for years, but I hope we go back to a more boring and statesmanlike person rather than a disrupter for the sake of disruption.
Reflections: Ricolas are amazing. Cefuroxime works, I guess, but doesn't like my disgestive tract or taste buds. I am not a good sick person, at all, and pray God will protect me from another bout like this one throughout the year.
However, one thing being sick means is that I can read a lot. I finished Crime and Punishment (had read it before but understood it better this time, which proves my point that literature is written for people who have a life of experience. It is brilliant, but very Russian! In Russian novels every character has three names. I've read several scholarly articles on gratitude, a research interest; it's amazing how little is written about gratitude in the communication literature.
I just finished Two Wings: Integrating Faith and Reason by Clayton and Kries, two philosophy profs at Gonzaga who are, of course, Roman Catholic. (Gonzaga always sounds to me like the name of a Muppet character.) I recommend the book highly, although its best use would probably be as a textbook for a philosophy or apologetics class. The Catholicism angle wasn't overdone, although they depend more on Aquinas than Augustine (and we Reformation folks lean toward Augustine, as good old Martin did). It got me, in my illness boredom, thinking about a lot of things, one of them being tension.
A Christian must, as early as possible in his/her journey, recognize the inherent, ubiquitous tension in just about everything we experience. Faith and works. Free will and sovereignty. And many others. I firmly believe that the tension of Christianity is its strength. It means we have to think. It means we can't be absolutely certain about every matter, and we have to be on guard for hubris in thinking some of our positions are unassailable (and of course I'm not talking about core historical doctrines). Most people don't want to think or do the hard work of study and consideration and reflection, but that's really not an option for an obedient Christian. Obedience in the Christian walk is not being an automaton. It is learning a new way of thinking.
`
Not to change the subject entirely, but any discussion of tension ubiquity has to include one of the most annoying yet pressing matters of the day.
Donald Trump and our moral conscience.
I am not satisfied using the word tension, because it implies a moral equivalency, or logical equivalency. on both sides. Perhaps Paul's injunction to walk circumspectly, as if on the top of a narrow wall, works better, since there are dangers of falling on either side (just falling in general could be a danger). I do not mean that there is a moral equality between Trump and our consciences or convictions, at least there shouldn't be.
Even the most ardent never-Trumper conservatives among us have to admit he has done some good things. For example, I was impressed that he didn't back down on Kavanaugh and kept his mouth shut for two weeks. However, when he opened it, oh, my. How callous and crude. He could have praised Kavanaugh without even mentioning Dr. Ford, but he is incapable of that. Instead, he poured calumny on her (translation, dissed her).
Although I didn't really find her all that credible, I am concerned that any public criticism of her might lead young (or even older) women who are truly abused but have low self-esteem to avoid reporting abuse. It's a real concern. So, as usual, Trump couldn't leave well enough alone and had to be a jerk.
I find him a vile and dishonest human being, yet he broke the diplomacy bank to get political prisoners home and to investigate the Arab journalists' killing. He's obnoxious and the world's worst communicator, yet I'm all for less government regulations. He probably will go down in a corruption scandal, but at least we got two SCOTUS judges who will pay attention to the text. (I doubt they will overturn Roe v. Wade, but I would celebrate if they did, and the laws could go back to the states. They essentially have anyway, since there are many states where abortions are almost impossible to get.)
So this is the tension we live in. It is far less satisfying than the tension of Christian doctrines, since those are about life and love and these political ones are about holding one's nose and shaking our heads at his latest antics. At times I admit to finding his outlandishness funny, and like the WWE career he had, I think he doesn't take himself seriously sometimes--and other times he acts like a president and is serious and even grave. (Having Kanye there was not one of those times, but Kanye out-Trumped Trump.) This presidency is one that will be studied for years, but I hope we go back to a more boring and statesmanlike person rather than a disrupter for the sake of disruption.
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