Tevya: Now More Than Ever

Old Friends

2008-06-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

We went to a wedding last weekend. Meghan was in the wedding, and looked beautiful, of course. Second wedding for us this summer--I performed the wedding of our nephew, Sean, to his bride, Emily, in mid-May. Both were wonderful events because we got to see family and friends. It is these wonderful people with all their warts and worries (and their willingness to overlook mine) that make life as wonderful as it can be.

Sue and I have moved a lot in our 27+ years of marriage. As a result, we've had to form friendships quickly. Sometimes we've been successful, and at other times, we've come up short. We like our new friends. And, we think they like us. But, the best kind of friends are old friends (which as we get older, seem to be the only kind we've got).

How long do you have to know someone to consider him/her an old friend? I'm not really sure, but I'm beginning to think that old friends are not just people we've known for a long time. No, old friends are the people we click with. They are the sort that we feel comfortable with after only a short time. They are the ones to whom we can say anything, and usually do, often before we even realize we're doing it. Old friends are the ones that make us feel at home, even when we're not. A "new old friend" is someone we want to introduce all our other old friends to because we're so sure that all of us together can have the most wonderful time.

Through the years, I've noted that I do not need a lot of friends to be happy. As I sit in this little bagel place and reflect, I think I need to amend that statement. I don't need a lot of friends that I barely know after 20 years, but I'll take as many old friends as I can get.

Confession #3

2008-06-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I know, probably too many confessions, but it really is good for the soul.

Since when does being committed to Christ come with a membership card in the NRA? I have read and re-read the second amendment, and I cannot escape the idea that the focus of those words is on the preservation of a well-armed militia. Moreover, since one of the things I teach my students is that context, context, context is the first rule of biblical interpretation (and really of all literature), it seems appropriate to read the constitution's words in light of its original context too. Once we do that, we find that the framers were most concerned more about the common defense of the colonies, a fact that leaves our sometimes rabid defense of the right to keep and bear arms misplaced in this era of a professional and highly-trained military.

Be all this constitutional mumbo jumbo as it may, let's ask the religious question. What does Jesus think about the ready availability of so many guns? Oh, if only we knew. If only He had spoken directly to the issue, we wouldn't have to derive his opinion from other statements! I just have a hard time imagining Jesus, who steadfastly refused to enter into armed conflict (even in the Garden on the night of his trial!), counseling me to take up arms against another human being. Where do we find warrant in the words of the New Testament for the view that self-defense with guns, which almost never happens, is warranted? I think of the words from Revelation 12: They loved not their lives even unto death. Or, those of Acts 14: Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God. Or, maybe of Matthew 5, if someone strikes you on one cheek, give him the other one too.

Now, some may say that these statements all refer to suffering for the sake of the gospel. That may in some sense be the case. Yet, Jesus consistently preached about the need to let this life go, and to embrace another life with a different ethic. That ethic, like the hyppocratic oath, is to do no harm. Oh, but I almost forgot the now-familiar retort--Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Actually, I think it goes like this--People with guns kill people (who also may have guns, as it turns out). All in all, I just don't see Jesus strapping on a sidearm and heading into Jerusalem for a showdown with Caiaphas.

Confession #2

2008-06-13T08:14:00.001-07:00

The poor are always with you.

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, who were questioning him about why he allowed Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, to anoint him with costly perfume shortly before his death. They contended, rightly I might add, that the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Yet, Jesus knew, as Mary apparently did to some extent as well, that what was in the offing was a crisis of as-of-yet unseen potential. Theologically speaking, it would be a trinitarian crisis as the Son of God suffered torture and death for the sake of us humans and our salvation (so says the Nicene Creed).

So, was Jesus preoccupied? Were his true colors coming out? Was working among the poor not really as important as he had led his followers to believe? Certainly not! Rather, this unique moment in history legitimated Mary's actions.

So, what about the poor? What does Jesus expect of us, his followers, all these years later? At least two things. First, he expects us to read his words honestly, appreciating the context in which they were spoken. Saying that the poor are present always simply means that, ouside of the uniqueness of Jesus' death and resurrection, there is (and always will be) ample opportunity and demand to work for the alleviation of poverty. Second, Jesus demands that resources be given to stem the tide of poverty. The disciples' assessment of the situation would have been correct in any other circumstance. When you think about it, they really had learned this lesson well.

All this makes me wonder about my own life, my priorities, my pursuit of raises and advancement in work. What am I doing to alleviate poverty? Not feeling particularly guilty here, but, honestly, I do not do enough. I do not give enough, to be sure, but I also do not spend enough time among the poor. And, yet, no matter how much I try to ignore poverty, it's always there.

Guess this makes me a liberal too.

Confession #1

2008-06-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make, actually several confessions, which I plan to be making in this very open forum. I am a liberal. (It's kind of liberating to see it in print, and not just think it.) I believe freedom of speech is sacrosanct. It's no accident that this freedom is first in the Bill of Rights. In my opinion, freedom of speech is the liberty that we Americans should guard more carefully than any other. Without it, freedom begins to ebb from our grasp as sand through even the most tightly clinched fist. Indeed, the others all depend on the constitutional guarantee to express ourselves in the ways we see fit.

In fact, I hesitate to endorse any restriction on our right to express ourselves. Of course, this means that even unpopular and vulgar speech has a right to exist, constitutionally speaking. Do I like that kind of speech? No. Do I think vulgar speech has any intrinsic value? Again, no. As a Christian, I cannot and will not endorse such speech. But, do I believe it is my job to stamp out such speech? NO! What should do I do then if I find vulgar speech, well. . . vulgar? I must compete and overcome the profane in the marketplace of ideas because my experience leads me to believe that the sordid nature of the human mind cannot be overcome with more legislation. Thus, the task for Christians is to allow the light and love of Christ to transform the person from the inside out, replacing the desire for the sewer with a yearning for the sublime.

Problem is, this is an extremely hard task, and a long one too. However, I would contend (1) that this task yields the greater results and (2) that this is where Jesus Himself competes. If Jesus had intended to form a new political regime wherein He ruled with an iron fist and subjugated all of humanity to him the first time around, he could have done so. He chose to take a redemptive course instead, a course wherein he competes for and wins the hearts and minds of his followers, if they be His followers. And, then, he commited this same agenda to us, His co-laborers. Thus, the task before us is not passing a legislative agenda in which people's rights (even their rights to do evil) are restricted, but overcoming evil with good, especially good ideas.

I guess this makes me a liberal.

Exodus and Action

2007-04-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've been making my way through Bruce Birch's Let Justice Roll Down: The Old Testament, Ethics, and Christian Life (WJK, 1991). On pp. 127-28, Birch writes: "God does not liberate without also calling us to the vocation of liberation."

WOW! Well said, Bruce!

It seems that in Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity (the communities of faith I call home) we spend so much time talking about people's souls, that we spend too little time talking about their lives--real, lived life. It is true that many, and perhaps most, of the problems people have in the physical world are related to spiritual issues (unforgiveness, anger, compulsiveness, etc.). And, thus, there is a distinct need to address the interior issues that cause us to behave badly. However, that does not obviate the need to work toward the relief of the oppressed. Truly, biblical salvation endeavors to alleviate the pain of both kinds of suffering.

The constant challenge, it seems to me, is to find the means to do both with the limited time we have. I wonder if doing both is simply a matter of getting out our calendars and scheduling time for "the vocation of liberation."

They shook my hand and called me Doctor.

2007-04-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Did not mean to sign off with four days to go and write nothing else. Oh well.

The defense went really well. The committee was generally convinced of the worthiness of the argument, so they did not spend a lot of time questioning me about that. Rather, they were more interested in getting the manuscript ready for publication and in getting at the trajectory of my argument. Where do I want to go from here? That approach made for a kind of celebratory atmosphere.

I'll write more after I recover a bit more and get back into the swing of things here at work.

4 Days Left

2007-03-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Although I could post once more about the angst I feel going into the dissertation defense, I will spare you. Rather, I'll talk for a few moments about Paul's perspective on the word of God. The Bible is often thought of as the inspired word of God, and perhaps that formulation is adequate. What is inadequate, however, is maintaining that confession without fully embracing the power of the word. Tom Wright points out much the same thing in a little book published in 2005 entitled (Man, I wish I could remember the name of that book). As I stood in the aisle of Barnes and Noble last night perusing its pages, I was struck by two facts. One, Wright's formulation sounded very much like Karl Barth's view of the word, though I think Wright would maintain a greater degree of fealty to the idea that the words (read or not) are inspired by God. Two, this kind of Barthian view that the word of God is the word of God in a far fuller sense when it is preached and mixed with faith in the heart of the hearer (the Aha! moment) seems pretty consistent with Paul's idea that the preached word is the means to save sinners (1 Cor 1).

In addition, this idea resonates well with Pentecostals like myself, though we often don't want to have anything to do with Barth because we've been told for so long that he's liberal and bad, which is, of course, a huge load of hooey (How's that for a theological term?). At any rate, these ideas resonate with me, not because I have abandoned inspiration, but because I embrace the Aha! moments. It is in those times that I come into my closest contact with the ultimate Word, the one that was made flesh.

Blessings to all!

5 Days and Counting

2007-03-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday, March 24, 2007. I feel the stress in my back and in my chest. I'm probably making more of this than I need to, but what I feel is what I feel. I told Sue I thought it would be fun for her to take my blood pressure everyday this week, just to see what it does. She assured me that would be a bad idea because that would just give me something else to worry about. She's right, of course, I don't need anything else to worry about at present.

I started reading my dissertation again today. Of course, I found a couple of typos! And, 20% through, I see a couple of places where the argument should be fleshed out a bit more. I wonder what the committee will say. I wonder where their comments will match my own critiques of my work.

One of my friends is dealing with the rejection letters he got from grad schools to which he applied. I'm wondering if I'll have to deal with another kind of rejection in a week. I'm not sure what I'll do if I get shut out, which I know probably will not happen. There are a couple of things I do know though. First, life will go on. There's actually something a bit freeing about saying that--My life will continue. The things I value most will stay as they are presently--the love of my wife and children. Second, I have gained a tremendous amount from this experience, and that education will have an effect (a good one I hope) on the people with which I come in contact. Neither of those things change. My job may change, but who I am doesn't.

I feel better. Bet my BP is down to 160 over 112. Cool!

6 Days to Go

2007-03-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

What an excellent day! I am tired and feeling a bit anxious about the defense, but I had such a good experience in my Greek class today. Early in the first semester, I told my students of a seminary experience in which I parsed some verb in the book of Romans as a future subjunctive. Now, anyone who has taken a little Greek would know that there is no future subjunctive in Greek. I told my students this story as a way of disarming their fears about gaining mastery of all this material. Since then, one of my students (a young man I have quite a lot of affection for) has teased me about the future subjunctive. We've all had good laughs at my expense, which is great fun.

A few weeks ago I introduced the subjunctive mood to my students. Since doing that, this particular young man has come close to parsing verbs as future subjunctives. But today was the day! Today he suggested parsing a verb with those words I have been waiting to hear--future subjunctive. I banged on the table and exulted over his mistake like a three year old--Yes, I was very mature. My arms were raised in triumph as I proclaimed myself the king of the world. I have won, and my young apprentice has not.

So, it's a good day. . . .

7 days to go

2007-03-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

So, what happened to eight days away? S-T-R-E-S-S!!!! Actually, I wasn't so much stressed about the defense as much as I felt some stress about other stuff in life. I think we all wish life were simpler some days. Yesterday was one of those days.

In the words of John Astin in his Night Court role, I'm feeling much better now.

It is indeed seven days from my defense. A week from now I will be pacing nervously, eating cheetos, and most probably spilling coffee all over the one dress shirt I bring to Milwaukee with me. I'll probably actually pack seven of them, just to be safe.

I plan on reading the dissertation once or twice more between now and then. I want to try and read it from an examiner's point of view, which may (or may not) help me anticipate questions. I have three Old Testament profs on the board, one New Testament prof, and one systematics prof. I'm glad I have a systematician as a reader, but I really am not sure what to expect from him. In addition to being a systematics teacher, he's brilliant. My hope with his questions will be to understand them. Giving a coherent response is undoubtedly beyond my range. I suspect the NT prof will look at relating my work to Luke-Acts, an area in which he has published a bit. That should be fairly easy to deal with. I think one of the OT profs will question me a bit about my approach to source-critical questions in the Saul narratives of 1 Samuel. I wasn't particularly comfortable writing that section, so I am just hoping that my lack of confidence on some of those points does not show through too badly. The other two, one of which is my director, will be interested in the theological issues presented in the dissertation itself--the argument. That, of course, is the area about which I feel most secure. We'll see if that confidence is warranted in a week.

9 Days to Go

2007-03-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am not one of the stars in my department. It's taken me an incredibly long time to write my dissertation. I even had to start over once--not a new topic, just the writing. When I think about it, I get exhausted. I'm talking years here (7 to be exact). You'd think I had a tome-like work to present after all that time. No. Just 175 pages or so.

Writing never really intimidated me (as perhaps it should have) until I started writing this thing. I think it just struck fear in my heart to think that I had to write a book. Even though I now get quite a lot of positive feedback on my writing, I am still rather uncomfortable with it. I'm hopeful that once the dissertation is approved that impediment to my writing will dissolve. We'll see.

One thing's for sure--win, lose or draw, it's over. It's done and I can't do anything about it now. There's a certain comfort in that. I have at least finished the project. And, considering the numbers of people who never finish their dissertations, I am pretty happy with that. I know people who went through the program program at Marquette at the same time I did that never finished. Some of them had full rides too. I did not. Am I bragging? Not really. Don't feel like I'm in a position to do that. Some of those folks were a good deal smarter and more well-read than I. They just didn't finish. So, I sit here today (not ranting about TV preachers) feeling the exhaustion and satisfaction of finishing a project. If it's rejected, Plan B. Just don't ask me what that is.

Blessings!

10 Days to Go

2007-03-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

As my defense date looms ever larger, I think of Elijah's observation of a clouid the size of a man's hand out in the distance. Eventually, this little cloud encompasses Israel and brings a torrential downpour that ends 3 1/2 years of drought. Obviously, neurotic John is writing today as I think about the cloudburst that will sweep me away into a flood of failure. Only a Ph.D. student could get such a fanciful interpretation out of 1 Kings 18!

Actually, I am pretty calm. I know him in whom I have believed, and win, lose or draw, it's OK. We'll see how that holds out.

Today's Rant: (By the way, this happens when I get stressed--disconnected thought)
TV Preachers, particularly Peter Popoff. Flipping around last night, and saw this charlatan. I simply cannot believe people send this guy money. He takes this glorious gospel and reduces it to ruins. Of course, he's not alone, but he is particularly loathsome to me. His ministry reminds me of any number of scams that prey on the fears and ignorance of truly desperate people. I think the Apostle Paul had something to say about those that mistakenly think the Gospel is a source of great [financial] gain.

Years ago, my mentor cautioned me about being too negative about the health/wealth gospel, believing me to throw the baby out with the bath water. I listened to his advice and held my tongue for a very long time. No more! I feel more strongly about this sham of Christianity than I did 20 years ago. In fact, I'll put it this way. It cannot be a health/wealth gospel because it is NOT the gospel, at least not one Jesus, Peter, Paul or John would recognize.

Blessings to all!

My Dissertation

2007-03-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

OK, so the countdown has begun. I defend my dissertation in 11 days. Am I nervous? Yes!! Am I excited? Yes!! The rational side of my brain says that my director, Dr. Sharon Pace, would not let me get to this point if she thought I would go down in a ball of flame and agony. The neurotic side counters with--They have to fail someone sometime! Overall, I think it'll be fine, but . . . .

Not to be overly spiritual, but this whole thing reminds me of my constant need for God's grace. I could not have gotten this thing written without it. I remember times of prayer in which I was at a bit of an impasse concerning a particular problem in the text. I asked for help and got it. Could I have written this work without divine assistance? I think the answer is No. Of course, this conclusion demands we ask the question--does anyone accomplish anything without divine help? Did God do something for me, or was I simply more aware of His help than others are? From there, it's just a hop, skip and a jump until we come face-to-face with the problem of evil. If God helps some in projects of worth, does the Devil help others in projects that lead to destruction? And, is that help something discernible? If so, how do we know?

Again, we are drawn back to the conversation about epistemology. What do we know? And, how do we know we know it? The more I consider these questions, the more I gravitate toward the idea that all knowledge is conditional. If not all knowledge, then a whole lot of it! A huge mound of conditional knowledge! Huge, I tell you!! At any rate, it seems that knowledge has a personal (an existential) side to it. And, it must for it to be something that we ourselves know.

Now, does that suggest that there is no objective truth? No, it just means that we are subjective beings. Thus, we can't really know stuff objectively. We'd like to, but it escapes us. Thus, there are limits to knowledge, all knowledge.

This brings me to passion. Passion is not necessarily wed to objective certainty. In fact, I would say that most of the time passion has nothing to do with objective or "scientific" certainty. Passion is dynamically connected with belief. People are passionate about what they believe to be true, or, sometimes, what they desperately want to be true. So, should we avoid passion? I would say No! What we should avoid is the idea that life is simple, that God is simple, that knowing God is simple, easy or convenient. I guess I'm kind of passionate about that.