#Rethink - February 2020
Hello, February! This month we are going to wonder about the Holy Spirit, introduce an old allegorical fantasy series, and contemplate the book of Genesis. Happy Reading!
Why do we tend to treat the Holy Spirit like a lesser member of the Trinity? And what would happen if we actually acknowledged Him as God?
I feel like there tends to be one of two extremes within the Christianity I've witnessed when it comes to the Holy Spirit. He is either ignored or people try to control and manipulate Him.
Most of my experience has been in the ignored camp. Christians talk about God, the Lord, the Father, and Jesus a lot, but the Holy Spirit gets left out of the mix. However when I read the Bible it seems to clearly say that God the Father and Jesus Christ are currently in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is the part of the Trinity that we actively experience here on earth!
Why don't we pray to the Holy Spirit?
If the Holy Spirit is with us, then why do we feel far away from God?
How would acknowledging the Holy Spirit change our lives?
I've been pondering these things for a while. If you want to hear more of my thoughts, you can find them here on this blog post.
I've recently rediscovered The Archives of Anthropos, an allegorical fantasy series by the late Christian author, speaker, psychiatrist, and pastor, John White. The books are similar to the Chronicles of Narnia in that there are modern(ish) children who enter a fantasy world and encounter God characters. But they are different in that they were specifically written as theological allegories.
I feel like C.S. Lewis wrote fantasy that had some allegory included within an incredible story. John White wrote these stories to specifically share Christian truth.
The spiritual imagery within these books often gives me chills and makes me cry. John White had a very real relationship with Jesus Christ along with his well developed theology and it shows. They are beautiful books!
Although the series was originally written between 1978-2001, the books can still be purchased from Amazon.
Here is one of my favorite passages from book one, The Sword Bearer.
Then came the gentlest rumble of thunder, the thunder of a quiet voice speaking. "Welcome, John Wilson. I am glad you have come."
To his surprise John began to cry. At least tears began to flow down his cheeks silently and his nose began to run a little. He fumbled for his handkerchief and used it.
“Are you afraid, John Wilson?" The thunder boomed majestically, echoing and re-echoing...
"Who are you,...please, sir?"
“I am the Changer, the Unchangeable Changer. I am the Beginner-Who-Never-Began." The words made no sense, and John dared not ask for an explanation but trembled all the more.
The Sword Bearer by John White
Torah class has continued to blow my mind and we've only worked our way through Genesis. As I mentioned last month, our church started an informal Bible School on Sunday nights. The classes are taught by professors who attend our church and basically donate their time. My Torah class is being taught by a brilliant Hebrew scholar who also teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Have you never wondered why the author of Genesis talks about God creating the "greater light to rule the day" and the "lesser light to rule the night" instead of using the words for sun and moon? According to my professor, Moses was specifically avoiding the existing words for sun and moon because in the ancient near east they also stood for the sun and mood gods. He wanted to be clear that the Creator God did not create other gods, just the lights themselves. I love that! The things you can learn when you dig into original language and culture...
Wrapping up Genesis last week, my professor made a potentially controversial statement that I've been mulling over ever since.
"Genesis is primarily a theological book not a scientific one."
What did he mean by that? Genesis tells us that God created the world perfect. He created people with the capacity to know Him intimately. People chose to disobey and go their own way. Although God's perfect world was broken from practically the very beginning, He always had a plan to fix it and restore humanity's relationship with Him. These are vital theological truths that we cannot miss or lose sight of no matter where we stand scientifically.
Thanks for taking a moment to #Rethink some of our religious traditions and beliefs. I know that it can be scary to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith, but finding the Real Jesus is absolutely worth it. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments.
If you know someone who would love to #rethink, please share!
Either forward this email to a friend or take a screen shot for easy sharing on social media. If you share, don't forget to tag me @christylynnewood.