Reflections

I have been doing a lot of papers for seminary and sometimes, actually most of the time, I don't have the time to properly reflect on the things that I have written. More often than not, I am more worried about my marks than learning every single thing I can out of the readings and research I am doing. I'm trying to change that this year. It has been a difficult journey of switching priorities but I know that in the long run, this is what I'm supposed to do and the attitude I need to take. My marks will be useless in ten years, but the lessons I learn would hopefully stand the test of time.

One of the things that I have really thought about and in the process of grappling with is the following Hebrew word (hesed) חֶסֶד. It is roughly translated as steadfast love, loyalty, kindness, love, and goodness. Yet these translations pale in comparison to describe the extent and the fullness hidden and expressed by this word. For this, Michael Knowles' unpublished book Tell Me Your Name is a great resource. Reading and meditating on what this means for me, it brought me to a place of deep awe and love for the God Who has this type of love for me. This is the love that pursues, the love that fights for me, the love that follows me all the days of my life. What a beautiful word! This is something I wrote on hesed:

One of the things that stood out to me as I read and reflected on this chapter is the notion of God’s love as the love that pursues us till no end. His love knows no bounds. The example of Psalms 23 stands out to me. Because of the popularity and familiarity of this psalm to me, I have viewed this passage in a very monolithic way. God will be there to comfort me when things are bad. While that interpretation is still true, I think it misses out on some key salient points within the passage that can only be understood within the hesed paradigm.

In v. 1 and 3, we read “He leads me in right paths on account of, for the sake of his name”. Professor Knowles in his book points out that “in other words, God’s primary concern is for his own reputation, a point that is easy to overlook given the psalm’s recurrent images consolation, rescue, and generous provision, all of which cause readers to consider their own situations of need. God’s purpose in showing mercy, in caring for his people like a shepherd for sheep, is to demonstrate his own true nature, and to keep them from misunderstanding what kind of God has taken charge of them. God’s concern for his own name is a frequent Old Testament motif recalling for Christian readers the initial petition of the Lord’s prayer, “May your name be sanctified.”

Another thing that I've been thinking about lately is the beautiful, blessed Trinity. James Torrance Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace is an amazing book that talks about regaining the centrality of the Trinity in our understanding of worship. The following is taken from a book review I wrote on this book:

Christian worship, as it is defined and proclaimed in this book, is not only viable but is a much-needed application point in the life of many Christians. Too often, worship and community are seen within a very individualistic paradigm. An experiential event model of salvation that emphasizes the personal nature of salvation can cause a false doctrine of entitlement and works-based theology among its followers. In many of the Evangelical Protestant churches that I have attended, worship is often viewed as something that an individual does to please God or as an act that must be performed because it is commanded by God. It puts the onus on the individual to create the worship towards God. Yet, if Torrance is correct in stating that worship is based on our awareness of who God is and what He has done, then the primary character in the drama of worship is God. We, in response to what God has done, reciprocate by giving worship. There is nothing that I can personally do to create or manufacture worship. Likewise, my worship to God is not caused by my own will. Once we can move out of the individualistic paradigm of worship, we can finally see worship as an act that happens in true community with God. As much as God is the object of our worship, He is also the subject of our worship.The perichoretic unity found in the Trinity provides us with a model of what true worship and community should look like: united, humble and loving.

I'm really thankful that I have this time and opportunity to study the Word of God and think about theological things. I know that when I leave seminary the time I would have to devote on such things would be infinitely lesser than the time I spend on them now. I really want to take advantage of this time that God has given me. I pray that instead of focussing on just getting better marks, I would focus instead on the important things like encountering and being encountered by God!

and scene...

Poem

Here's a poem I wrote on the bus the other day.

Eyes opening,
Taking in the sights all around me
Staring at a ceiling, a blank, white ceiling

Ears opening,
Listening to the sounds of the street
The humming of cars, a familiar beat
Faintly heard, almost imagined

Mind thinking,
Wondering why I ever saw this world alive,
Hoping that the miseries of life would come to a halt,
Though some may say the answer comes at too high a cost

Slowly I get up
Go through the motions of life
Walking out to a world that I daresay I loathe.

Good morning.

Thoughts

This summer, I got an internship with Micah Challenge Canada, a Christian organization that aims to equip and mobilize churches to be advocates for social justice issues. I'm about halfway done, and I have definitely learned a lot. I've had the unique experience of working with other like-hearted organizations like Make Poverty History and it's always energizing when you're surrounded by like-minded and like-hearted individuals. It doesn't necessarily mean that you will agree on the same methodology, but there is a similar purpose that unites us all.

I've also had the opportunity to take a summer course called "Theology of the Holy Spirit." This course has revolutionized my thinking about Christianity and my life in general. It has opened my eyes to things I normally wouldn't have a problem with and now am faced with trying to answer those questions that a transformative doctrine forces you to do.

I still need to get my readings done. There are a couple of books that I would like to read. One of them is John Locke's "Two treatises on government" and the other is Charles Taylor's "Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition." Hopefully, I'd be able to read at least one of them this summer! I would love to read more for sure!

I don't know what my future looks like. I'm quite scared to face it, to be honest. But, I have to rely on Someone Who is wiser than I am, and I trust that He will carry me through.

and scene...

On the Holy Spirit

Recently, I've been thinking much about the Holy Spirit. A big part of that is because I'm taking a summer course called "Theology of the Holy Spirit." Doing my readings, and the research and the writing I have to do, has caused me to reflect much on the Third Person of the Trinity. I really don't think that I had a very Trinitarian view of God prior to taking this course. In many ways, I haven't really thought of the Holy Spirit. He was more of an aside. Yes, I know that He is a part of the Trinity. Yes, I know that He is very much involved in the sanctification process that every Christian goes through. But in terms of my thinking about who God is, I really think that the term God was mainly limited to thoughts of God the Father. After that, then God the Son. And as some sidekick comes the Holy Spirit. I was struck by this realization as I reflected on my thinking about God and how I definitely did not have a very Trinitarian view of God.

As I reflect on the Holy Spirit, I am more and more amazed by Him. The Spirit is the animating principle of life. He is a veritable part of the Tri-union God. Pretty amazing! He is the giver of life, not only in a spiritual sense, but in a very tangible, physical way. The very thought makes my mind swirl! Oh how I am amazed by You!!!

On a random piece of writing I found while cleaning my room

While I was cleaning my room, I came upon this piece of paper and was wondering for the life of me what essay was I in the process of writing and for what course? Here's a writing that I apparently have written about the role of women in religion. I have no idea when I wrote it but it was probably for my Sociology of Religion class in university.

Women have played an integral part in religion. Although the official religions have often downplayed or gave a more subservient role to women, they still are the major consumers of religion. Of course, because of the distinction between official and non-official religion, we can also see the distinction between the roles that women serve under these two different social spheres. Women in official religion, for the most part, are not fully recognized in the role they play while women in non-official religion are more visible in terms of the power and role that they hold.

Gender roles play an important part in sociology because it explains why people act the way they act. To a large degree, gender roles dominate our interaction between each other. Generations of cultural bias against women have stood the test of time leading us in a an era of female submission to men. This can be seen in how the official religions delegate power within the church. Oftentimes, the position of the deacon, the elder and the pastor in a denomination belong to the males. Females are subjugated to a lesser role. Women are the ones who, by and large, regulate the affairs of the church. They often do the household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and arranging the flowers in the pulpit. They may be involved in organizing meetings between the ladies of the church and formulating a schedule of who should bring snacks during meetings. Seldom is the woman in a position of power. Although there are a greater number of females today who are preaching, their numbers still do not compare with the male majority. Thus, women in official religions, although they possess the informal power within the church, do not, for the most part, occupy positions of formal power within the church.

The fact that women are often in low positions of power have led women to seek "greener pastures." They often find this "greener pasture" in non-official religions. To better understand this argument, it is beneficial to first state the difference between official and non-official religions. Also, the difference between organized and non-organized religions must be stated to further comprehend the argument.

I don't know where the rest of this paper is. I hope I ended up writing this paper. :P

Thoughts? Comments?

On dumb Christians

Dumb Christians are high on the list of my pet peeves. These are the type of Christians who tend to parrot off ideas that they hear from other people without personally appropriating it in their life or who blindly accept any idea that comes from the pulpit or a spiritual authority figure. While I highly value the insights of pastors, theologians and lay leaders, I think that we should always be testing out any idea that we hear against the Bible and what it says. We need to have the Berean spirit, a spirit that thoroughly studies and examines the various claims that a Christian might hold. I don't care if you have the "right" doctrine if you don't know why you believe in what you believe in. There comes a point when your argument should be devoid of the words "but my pastor says that ..." As Christians, we are called to maturity and growth in our faith and our walk with God. As Christians, we are commanded to do things excellently. It is ironic that Christianity is now so closely associated with the words "stupid,"bigoted," and "close-minded." These words are the antithesis of everything that Christianity is and should be!

Paul reminds the Church of how they should remember who they once were (a bunch of messed-up sinners) to stop them from getting too haughty and adopt an attitude of self-righteousness. We, as Christians, do have the annoying tendency to walk with our head held high, looking down on people and being very critical and judgmental. This is exactly the type of attitude that nurtures ideas of moral superiority amongst Christians. Yet, in adopting a morally superior attitude, it does nothing but show that individual's moral bankruptcy!

We are called to be the salt of the earth, not the mace. The fragrance of love and grace should follow us wherever we go, not the stench of legalism and criticism. It's weird to think that most of the meanest people I know self-identify as Christians. A mean Christian is an oxymoron just like a dumb Christian is. Christians should be an example and set an example for the world that it lives in. The example it must set is one of acceptance, of warmth, and a welcoming spirit. We should be marked with humility, forgiveness, and a heart of hospitality. We need to show the world the transformation that Jesus can bring to humans. We need to witness about His mercy and compassion.

Against these things, none can complain.

In The Beginning...

I must admit that this blog was inspired by James Kelly. He had a blog that chronicled his academic journey. I, too, was one of those who was in the process of getting my Masters in Divinity. But, through a series of revelations and examinations, I chose to pursue a Masters in Theological Studies instead. As I read through some of his blog posts, and as I pondered about various issues, I decided that I wanted to dedicate a blog that was dedicated to the advancement of robust and prolific discussion amongst those who come from a variety of cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds.

I love learning. I like the pursuit of knowledge. There are so many things that I would love to learn, explore and study in this world. Alas, I do not have sufficient time to go down all the different avenues that are ever before me. It is my hope that this blog would be a source of knowledge and information for both its author and its audience. (Yes, I did refer to myself in the third person... :P)

Most of what will be posted in this blog are my thoughts and ruminations of issues that I'm engaged with or questions that I'm struggling with. If you have any topic or question you would like me to address, please feel free to let me know.