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.