There are SO many wonderful songs by Uncle Charlie! After we moved from Lubbock to Oklahoma City in 2006, Shelly was able to help bring Uncle Charlie, Rachel Sanchez, and their praise band to our new church, First Presbyterian of Edmond, again through Children’s Ministries and her work with Kristin Leard, who was the Director of Kids Ministries at the time and served with her husband, David Leard, who was one of our Associate Pastors. I’m sure everyone who has ever heard Uncle Charlie sing remembers his song, “The Fruit of the Spirit,” and may even be able to sing the words from memory! I know I can. That song and many more videos are featured in their VBG smartphone app. Many are also previewed on the official Uncle Charlie YouTube channel.
I LOVE so many songs by Uncle Charlie and Rachel Sanchez. “Sanctuary” is definitely another one of my favorites. Their “Making Melodies” music album was one of our favorites to play in the car and at home as our kids were growing up.
Driving to Sunday School and church this past weekend, Shelly played the 14 minute video, “Life is Like a Puzzle.” Uncle Charlie is not only a master storyteller, but also a gifted communicator with kids as well as adults. Those gifts really shine through in this video, which “connected the dots” for me as I wanted to understand what happened to Uncle Charlie soon after he came to our church in Edmond, Oklahoma in the late 2000s. The video, “My Miracle Story” which Uncle Charlie recorded in 2015, 7 years after he had a near-fatal car accident that changed the course of his life forever, also provides more background about these dramatic as well as miraculous events.
As a result of related Facebook discussions, Shelly shared about Uncle Charlie and his amazing VBG app. This “good news” is too good to keep to myself, so I decided to share this blog post today before school!
I hope you will take some time to download the VBG smartphone app and listen to some of the songs and videos by Uncle Charlie. There are lots of bad things going on in our world, but as Christians we have GOOD NEWS to share EVERY DAY. Uncle Charlie reminds me and reminds us that GOD LOVES US, God is real, God values YOU, and God still acts in MIRACULOUS ways through both the good times and bad times of our lives.
Frequently in the Gospels of the Bible, we hear Jesus call himself, “The Son of Man.” The December 2018 video from The Bible Project, “Why Jesus Called Himself the Son of Man,” provides an outstanding overview of how Jesus’ use of this phrase references the Old Testament book of Daniel and foretells the roles he will play in both “defeating the forces of evil / darkness” (the “beast”) on earth, and ultimately rule with God and the Holy Spirit, as a co-equal part of the Holy Trinity which we understand as “God: Three in One.” The video presents important yet sometimes confusing theology in an effective, animated storytelling style. In this post, I’d like to reflect a bit more on this video specifically as well as the Bible Project videos more generally. The video is just 6 minutes long, and I encourage you to check it out and watch it first:
I first learned about The Bible Project from Tim Sean Youmans, at the time (and currently) the head Vicar (priest) at Casady School in Oklahoma City, the Episcopal Day School where I worked and served in various roles for 7 years, from 2015 to 2022. My first blog reference to “The Bible Project” dates to October 2018, in my post, “Gospel Encounter: The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-35).” Tim Sean is the author of “Blessed to Bless: An Introduction to the Bible,” which is used a guiding text in Bible classes taught at Casady. Father Youmans would often use Bible Project videos in the homilies and messages he shared with students, faculty and staff at Casady.
My wife, Shelly, has always been an extremely discerning and spiritual follower of Jesus, and has taught me a great deal over our 28 years of marriage about Biblical values like love, grace, forgiveness, humility, sacrifice, and service. Shelly has been using videos from “The Bible Project” more recently in her own morning devoitions, and she shared the video, “Why Jesus Called Himself the Son of Man,” about a week ago with me via text.
As you may know, I’m a confessing “digital over-sharer” In my life. Slowly over time, in part due to encouragement from my spiritual director, Curt Gruel, I’ve become a more “integrated person” when it comes to my spiritual / Jesus-following / “Sunday morning side” and my “rest of the week” / more secular / professional educator side. This is reflected in several ways, including the ways I now share different kinds of media (most often “Bible Verse InfoPics.”) via the different social media channels I maintain.
Sharing a simple hyperlink can be a powerful and potentially TRANSFORMATIVE act. I credit Tim Sean Youmans with not only introducing Shelly and I, and eventually our FPCE adult Sunday School class, to The Bible Project, but also to the absolutely INCREDIBLE TV series, “The Chosen,” which is soon about to release Season 4. Those videos continue to shape my own understanding and visualization of the characters and narratives in The Bible / Holy Scripture, but also the faith journey of (at least) one of our own children, who has been particularly captivated by watching the series this past year.
I encourage you to not only watch the 6 minute video, “Why Jesus Called Himself the Son of Man,” from The Bible Project, but also check out more of the resources from bibleproject.com. Download the YouVersion Bible app and explore the words of Holy Scripture through its well designed interface, using multiple translations and interpretations of the Bible in your languages of choice. I also encourage you to SHARE these resources and your own experiences with them.
The words of God, expressed in the Holy Bible, are powerful and can be transformative in our lives. We live in an era of challenges and opportunities, and it is vital that we focus our minds DAILY on the words and messages of Jesus Christ, to maintain our hope in a world filled with dangers, fears and perils.
I pray God will bless you this day. I know God continues to bless me through my wife and spouse, Shelly, in many ways… Including the ways she shares helpful resources that assist me in my ongoing journey to deepen my relationship with and understanding of Almighty God. To God be the glory!
These are my notes from today’s Sunday School lesson and worship service at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 21, 2024.
“Praying The Hours” is a Catholic prayer ritual / method one of the members of our Sunday School class uses / follows.
”Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.“
From ChatGPT 4: My prompt: “Tell me background about these Bible verses: ”Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.“ Amos 5:23-24 RSV”
The verses you’ve quoted, Amos 5:23-24 from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible, are part of the Book of Amos, which is one of the books of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. Amos, the author, was an early prophet of Israel, active around 750-760 BCE.
These particular verses are part of a larger passage where Amos is delivering a message of judgment and warning from God to the people of Israel. The primary context here is a critique of ritualistic worship that lacks sincerity and justice. Amos is essentially telling the Israelites that God is not interested in their music and worship if they are not also pursuing justice and righteousness in their society.
Verse 23 (“Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen”) indicates God’s rejection of worship that is disconnected from ethical living. In verse 24 (“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream”), the imagery of flowing water symbolizes the continuous and abundant practice of justice and righteousness that God desires.
This passage reflects a common theme in the prophetic books of the Old Testament, where the prophets call for social justice and true, heartfelt worship, as opposed to mere ritualistic practices. It emphasizes that religious ceremonies are meaningless to God if they are not accompanied by moral and ethical behavior, especially towards the less fortunate and marginalized in society.”
How are we acting to come out of our places of privilege to:
Provide access to health care for those who don’t have it?
Where are we acting ourselves to channel God’s righteousness?
”Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”“
I don’t think God calls us to be overwhelmed by the enormity of needs and suffering we see in the world. I think God calls us to do the work in front of us, to do the work he has prepared in advance for us to do. We are called to walk and live in faith, that God calls us to do this work together.
“The mission of Crisis Assistance Ministry is to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency.
Our vision is to inspire our community to justice and generosity as we provide help, hope, and understanding to people struggling with limited financial resources.”
”“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves; therefore I will take you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.“
Consider the way Eugene Peterson expressed these ideas and sentiments of the prophet Amos:
”I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.
This Sunday is the celebration of the holiday of Epiphany, which in Christian traditions celebrates “the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana.” Rev Killian reminded us that as a society and in our culture, “We also follow stars!” Whether pop stars like Taylor Swift of Beyoncé, or sports starts like NFL or NBA athletes, we often pay an undue amount of attention to these “stars.” However, it’s important to consider, “Where are those stars leading?” Who and what are these stars attempting to “point us to” in our lives? Where do these stars lead? By encouraging us to consider “Whose star we are following?” Rev Killian powerfully juxtaposed the sermon text from Matthew 2:1-12 with ominous headlines from contemporary news and popular culture.
Rev Killian encouraged us to “NOT be afraid to ask for signs & directions.” We should be continually watchful for God, for He is present and at work all around us! We can see God in the beauty and wonder of His creation, but also in the ways we love and care for each other in this troubled world. God calls us to invite his Holy Spirit to provide us with directions for our lives, and he provides guidance when we seek Him in prayer, through Bible study, and through fellowship with other Christian followers of Jesus Christ.
Rev Killian received applause during her sermon when she pulled out an “old school” paper map, and reminded the congregation, “When we encounter the living God, we reset our GPS.” Whether we are using analog or digital tools to find our way in the world. encounters with God can have a powerful and positive re-directing and “re-orienting” influence on us. As an undergraduate geography major and someone who grew up learning about maps and orienteering in Boy Scouts as well as in Air Force survival training at the Air Force Academy, this analogy really resonated with me!
I also loved Rev Killian’s encouragement to “Look for God and listen for His voice.” For over 10 years now, I’ve been blessed to participate in “Spiritual Direction” with Curt Gruel, through HeartPaths OKC. Even after we moved to North Carolina in 2022, my monthly meetings with Curt have continued via Zoom! “Spiritual Direction” is all about “looking for God,” and meeting with a mentor who can help us identify, see, and interpret “God sightings” in our lives. This is an important message every day, but seems particularly appropriate as we start 2024 and a new calendar year with different ideas for resolutions and new habits to adopt.
Rev Killian’s final exhortations were to ask “Who are the ‘Herods’ in your life? Who is sowing fear in your journey of faith and life?” As I consider the ways I want to develop the “Heal Our Culture” project in the weeks and months ahead, these questions are both challenging and prescient. There are many voices on YouTube, in mainstream news, and in social media which encourage us to adopt a spirit of fear rather than an attitude of joy, hope, and abiding faith.
I want to follow the star of Jesus, and I’m thankful for these words of encouragement from Rev Killian today!
Through the YouVersion Bible app for iPhone, Shelly (my wife) has discovered the “Eyewitness Bible Series” of videos. This morning, on her recommendation, I watched the 11.5 minute video, “Topics 07 Gratitude,” which features the Biblical character Cornelius the Centurion. In this post, I want to reflect a bit on the theme of “human hierarchy” and how we are called to REJECT it as a “cultural norm.” This is vital to understand as a follower of Jesus Christ. This links directly to two books I have read (or listened to on Audible) in recent years, and I’ll also share some links to past posts reflecting on these themes more deeply.
Here’s the “BIG BIBLICAL IDEA” I took away from this excellent video as well as my (relatively) recent related theological readings: Through Jesus Christ, God calls us to reject the human hierarchies imposed and enforced by authorities and cultural influencers. As we read in the closing verses of the third Chapter of Galatians, written by the Apostle Paul:
‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Rejecting the cultural norm of “hierarchies” is both challenging and radical. Most societies “teach” that hierarchies are real, natural, and should be both expected and embraced. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, rejects this. Throughout history, including the Jewish faith and the Christian faith, however, we see how many church authorities and leaders have MISSED this critical idea and value from Jesus, Instead, these “authorities” have worked to impose hierarchy and establish it as a universally accepted constant. As a follower of Jesus Christ, however, I understand that perspective to be heresy / heretical.
I’ll try to explain what I mean.
In this context, when I speak of “hierarchy” I’m talking about a perception or understanding that human beings are NOT equal and should not be accorded equal treatment. This is a cultural value in most human societies. In the infamous words George Orwell from Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Orwell was literally writing about animals, but he was metaphorically explaining hierarchy in human as well as animal societies / communities. Hierarchy is common and often accepted, even when it is (often) oppressive and destructive to the goal of human flourishing.
According OxfordReference.com: hierarchy is:
A type of social organization in which individuals are ranked according to their status or dominance relative to other group members. This affects their behaviour in various ways, e.g. by determining their access to food or to mates. Many vertebrate animals and some invertebrates live in hierarchical social groups.
Although Jesus Christ taught his disciplines to love one another without regard to hierarchical status or privilege, human authorities relatively quickly moved to co-opt Christianity, make it a “state religion,” and pervert it so it enforced rather than dissolved hierarchical divisions and separations in society. 2 years ago, for fun, I read Paul Stephenson’s 2010 book, “Constantine: Unconquered Emperor, Christian Victor,” I wrote a lengthy reflection about the book and things I learned from it, titled, “Lessons about Constantine & Ancient Rome.” As I highlighted and attempted to explain in that post, these ideas relate directly to conceptions of “Christian Nationalism” and the ways we see Christianity continue to be perverted and mis-represented in contemporary U.S. politics.
As a follower of Jesus Christ and a student of the Bible seeking to be led by God’s Holy Spirit, I understand that:
God does not condone or support the enslavement of human beings.
God does not bless or endorse the oppression of women, or the patriarchal discrimination of women by men.
Here’s my main connection to this book and the topic of hierarchy in the Christian faith: As followers of Jesus, we are NOT called to be disciples of oligarchy or hierarchy. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to view every human being on our planet as a child of God, a unique and miraculous creation of our Heavenly Father both deserving of love as well as every right and privilege as everyone else. We are all sinners, and all fall short of the grace of God. We all stand as equals, WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATING HIERARCHY, before the throne of God.
”But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—“
Here’s one final reflection, returning to the words of Paul in Galatians 3. In verse 23 we read, “nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Let’s consider what that means in the context of our ongoing culture wars in the United States. There is an enormous focus by some political actors on hierarchies based on gender and sexual preference. Those individuals and groups repeatedly preach a false and heretical gospel of hierarchy and condemnation of fellow citizens and human beings on our planet. Those voices proclaiming these divisions and perspectives, “endorsing hierarchical values,” do NOT speak for God or Jesus Christ. Rather, they are false prophets, and need to be called out as such.
”But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.“
Go in peace. My God’s Holy Spirit fill our hearts and minds this day, and may we all speak and act in kindness and love, representing the radical and transforming grace of Jesus Christ in a suffering world in desperate need of His embrace.
As has happened multiple times in the past 10 months, I was blown away by the speed, accuracy, and quality of the AI result to my query. Here’s a link to the 2 page handout Claude helped me create this evening, which includes:
A short summary of Chapter 2 of the book
Some main ideas
Some vocabulary terms
Some suggested discussion questions
AI truly can give each of us “superpowers” relative to the skills and abilities we had without it. Teaching (and learning) will never be the same, IMHO.
To learn more about AI, AI tools, and my analysis of what this means for teaching, learning, our culture and society, check out and SUBSCRIBE to the (almost) weekly podcast I co-host with Jason Neiffer, “The EdTech Situation Room.”
Addition: I also asked Claude (in the same chat thread” the following question: “Please analyze chapter 2 of the attached PDF, and list the Bible verses which are specifically mentioned by author Kevin Nye in that chapter.” Claude’s answer:
Here are the Bible verses specifically mentioned by Kevin Nye in Chapter 2 of the book “Grace Can Lead Us Home”:
Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it”
1 Corinthians 10:26 – “For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it'” (Partial quote)
Philippians 2:6-7 – “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.”
Romans 5:20 – “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 – “Test everything; hold fast to what is good”
In this chapter, Nye references these Bible passages to support various points in his discussion of housing and theology. Psalm 24:1 and 1 Corinthians 10:26 establish that the earth belongs to God, not individuals, which relates to his arguments around property and land ownership. Philippians 2:6-7 highlights Christ’s example of giving up power and privilege for others, which Nye connects to housing justice issues. Romans 5:20 supports the idea of responding to homelessness with grace rather than judgment about who deserves help. And 1 Thessalonians 5:21 encourages taking what is good from existing programs and philosophies while leaving behind what is unhelpful.
This should be obvious to all people in all modern cultures, but sadly it is not and some groups are working to “turn back the clock.
Women are full human beings and should be accorded FULL human rights. This goes for ALL people by the way. Check the Universal Declaration of Human Rights if you or someone you know is unclear about this:
Both in secular and religious contexts, women have full rights (just as men do) to live, lead, and serve as human beings irrespective of their sexuality or gender identification. HUMAN RIGHTS. These rights are foundational, unconditional and irrevocable.
Jesus did not come to our earth, live among us for 30 years, willingly submit to crucifixion and death on a cross, and bodily resurrect from the dead so that His followers could “keep women in their place” or His followers would act as legalistic jurors presiding over tribunals on the basic rights of fellow humans.
Jesus came to our earth for many reasons, but principal among these was to teach us (as humans on this planet) how to LOVE and better care for each other. He also came to free us from the legalistic and oppressive rule of religious groups like the Pharisees, and offer us a NEW covenant based on grace, love, forgiveness and community.
It’s really quite remarkable and wonderful. We can all even read about it in our own language today!
Some Southern Baptist Protestants “need a heads up” on these topics.
Southern Baptists’ Fight Over Female Leaders Shows Power of Insurgent Right (NYTimes, 16 June 2022) – Gift Link 🎁:
This is another ChatGPT 4 “theological and historical coaching” example today, in my continuing quest to better understand the historic roots and contemporary flavors of American Christian fundamentalism. If any of you / anyone reading this can identify any factual errors in these presented ideas, please let me know!
Briefly summarize “the Baconian tradition in Scottish Common Sense Realism.”
ChatGPT4’s response:
“The Baconian tradition in Scottish Common Sense Realism refers to the influence of Sir Francis Bacon’s empirical and inductive approach to knowledge on the philosophical movement of Scottish Common Sense Realism. Developed by key figures such as Thomas Reid, George Campbell, and Dugald Stewart in the 18th century, this school of thought emphasized the importance of everyday human experience, common sense, and self-evident truths as the basis for understanding the world. By combining Bacon’s inductive methodology with an emphasis on common sense, Scottish Common Sense Realism aimed to counter the skepticism and excessive rationalism prevalent in other philosophical traditions of the time, such as those associated with Descartes and Hume.”
My follow up query:
“Continue with more details, elaboration and examples of this philosophy’s impact on the overall arc / development of Christian theology and philosophy in the United States.”
ChatGPT4’s response:
“Scottish Common Sense Realism had a significant impact on the development of Christian theology and philosophy in the United States, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Key proponents of the movement, such as Thomas Reid and George Campbell, sought to reconcile religious beliefs with reason and empirical knowledge.
The influence of Scottish Common Sense Realism on American Christian theology can be seen in the following ways:
Princeton Theology: The Scottish Common Sense Realism was adopted and adapted by theologians at Princeton Theological Seminary, which became a major center for American Presbyterianism. Key figures, such as Charles Hodge, Archibald Alexander, and Benjamin Warfield, combined Reformed Calvinist theology with the principles of Scottish Common Sense Realism to argue for the rationality and coherence of Christianity. This approach, known as “Princeton Theology,” influenced generations of American theologians and pastors.
Opposition to skepticism and deism: The reliance on common sense and empirical evidence provided a robust response to the rising influence of skepticism and deism during the Enlightenment. By emphasizing the self-evident truths of human experience, proponents of Scottish Common Sense Realism sought to counter the arguments of skeptics like David Hume and deists like Thomas Paine, who questioned the rationality of traditional religious beliefs.
Moral philosophy: The emphasis on moral sense and innate moral principles in Scottish Common Sense Realism helped shape American Christian ethics. Thinkers like Francis Wayland and William Paley drew on this tradition to argue for the existence of a universal moral law, which they saw as evidence of God’s design and authority.
Apologetics: George Campbell, a prominent figure in the Scottish Common Sense Realism movement, wrote an influential work called “The Philosophy of Rhetoric” (1776), which provided a basis for Christian apologetics. Campbell emphasized the importance of appealing to common sense, reason, and the evidence of the natural world when defending religious beliefs. This approach influenced many American theologians and apologists, including Timothy Dwight, president of Yale College, who employed these methods to defend orthodox Christianity against the challenges posed by the Enlightenment and rationalism.
Education and social reform: The emphasis on reason, empiricism, and morality in Scottish Common Sense Realism influenced American education and social reform movements. Many American educators and reformers, inspired by the ideas of this philosophical tradition, sought to promote moral and religious education and address social problems through rational, empirically informed approaches.
In summary, the Scottish Common Sense Realism movement left a lasting impact on the development of Christian theology and philosophy in the United States, shaping key areas such as Princeton Theology, moral philosophy, apologetics, and education. By promoting the compatibility of religious faith and empirical reason, this tradition contributed to a broader intellectual framework that helped Christianity navigate the challenges posed by skepticism, deism, and the Enlightenment.”
My third / final query in this series:
How do “Scottish Common Sense Realism” and “Princeton Theology” continue to shape contemporary Christian theology and particularly modern conceptions of Christian fundamentalism? How do these philosophical frameworks intersect with conceptions and beliefs about “premillennial dispensationalism,” Biblical literalism, and debates over Creationism and evolution?
GatGPT 4’s answer:
Scottish Common Sense Realism and Princeton Theology, while rooted in the 18th and 19th centuries, continue to influence contemporary Christian theology and shape modern conceptions of Christian fundamentalism in various ways. Their impact can be seen in the areas of biblical interpretation, theological conservatism, and the relationship between faith and reason.
Biblical Literalism: Both Scottish Common Sense Realism and Princeton Theology advocated for the plain, literal interpretation of the Bible. This approach to biblical hermeneutics has been adopted by many modern Christian fundamentalists, who assert the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. By emphasizing the self-evident truths and common sense in interpreting Scripture, these fundamentalists resist allegorical or symbolic readings of the text.
Premillennial Dispensationalism: While not directly related to Scottish Common Sense Realism or Princeton Theology, premillennial dispensationalism shares some similarities, such as an emphasis on literal biblical interpretation. This eschatological view, which emerged in the 19th century, divides history into distinct periods (or dispensations) and posits that the Second Coming of Christ will precede a literal thousand-year reign on earth (the Millennium). The literalist approach to interpreting biblical prophecy, often associated with Christian fundamentalism, can be seen as influenced by the hermeneutical principles of Scottish Common Sense Realism and Princeton Theology.
Creationism and Evolution: The commitment to biblical literalism and the belief in the harmony of faith and reason have contributed to ongoing debates over creationism and evolution. Many Christian fundamentalists, drawing on the principles of Scottish Common Sense Realism and Princeton Theology, argue for a literal reading of the Genesis creation account and reject the theory of evolution as incompatible with Scripture. These debates have led to the development of various creationist positions, such as Young Earth Creationism, Old Earth Creationism, and Intelligent Design.
Theological Conservatism: Princeton Theology, in particular, sought to defend traditional Reformed orthodoxy against the rise of liberal theology and higher criticism. This emphasis on theological conservatism and the defense of orthodox doctrines can be seen in the development of modern Christian fundamentalism, which seeks to preserve the core tenets of the faith in the face of perceived threats from secularism, modernism, and liberal theology.
While Scottish Common Sense Realism and Princeton Theology are not synonymous with modern Christian fundamentalism, they have undeniably influenced its development in various ways. The shared emphasis on biblical literalism, theological conservatism, and the harmony of faith and reason provide a philosophical framework that continues to shape contemporary Christian theology and debates over issues such as premillennial dispensationalism, biblical inerrancy, and the relationship between creationism and evolution.
(There ends ChatGPT 4’s responses to my curious questions this morning.)
A final thought from me on ChatGPT, AI, inquiry, truth and curiosity: As a teacher, I strive to encourage my students’ own senses of curiosity, wonder, and desire for inquiry. What a rich and amazing, yet challenging context, AI and ChatGPT presents for this style of “seek and find learning!” We need to remind ourselves, “ChatGPT is a language model, not a truth model or search engine.” Its scope of knowledge and ideas is breathtaking today, however, and that scale and depth will only increase (exponentially, by the way) in the days and months ahead.
We all need to be “playing with ChatGPT” today, to better understand, process and grapple with its capabilities, limitations, and pitfalls.
I created over 40 annotated photos of quotations and excerpts from Chapter 4 in preparation for today’s lesson and discussion, but just talked about six of them during class. All of those annotated photos are available in this Flickr album.
Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood has plans to convert an unused church building into 21 studio apartments over the next two years for people who have experienced homelessness and are very low-income. https://t.co/20llWuMehx
After summarizing and highlighting key points from the chapter in today’s class, I shared some personal connections to the ideas and themes Dr. Dunlap raised. I talked about Positive Tomorrows, which is the non-profit and school serving families in Oklahoma City experiencing homelessness where Shelly (my wife) worked and taught for 4 years. I also shared an audio podcast Shelly recorded with her students in November 2015 at Positive Tomorrows, talking about things for which students are grateful. I didn’t have enough time to fully play the podcast in class today, but I did include it in the 30 minute summary video linked above.
In the after-class video recording, I also mentioned Storychasers and the different types of digital stories highlighted on the Storychasers “Examples” page. I did not mention, but probably should have) the “Christian Digital Storytelling” examples page I created recently. I think there are good possibilities for the ways members of the Caldwell Presbyterian community might use digital storytelling in the weeks and months ahead both to educate their own congregation about the complex issues involving people experiencing homelessness, their needs, and the respectful (as well as safe) ways members of the church community can act in service and support of these marginalized members of our community.
The last thing I will note is that I was able to share a little of my own experiences reading and studying the pedagogy of Paulo Freire, whose ideas about empowering and transforming the minds and lives of the most marginalized and oppressed members of our communities connect directly to the themes and invitations of Susan Dunlap in her book, “Shelter Theology..” In addition to studying John Dewey for a semester with Professor Doug Simpson at Texas Tech University when I was working on my PhD, I also studied Paulo Freire for a semester with Dr. Simpson. It was a challenging and motivating experience, and continues to shape my thoughts as well as aspirations on the subjects of diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice.
Midjourney is one of several generative AI image tools available publicly now, including DALLE-2, Stable Diffusion, and others. The Quick Start Guide to Midjourney can help get you started. You will need to setup a free account on Discord, but you can use the web-based interface if you don’t want to (or cannot) download and install the software. This was my first AI-generative image attempt, using the query, “baptize with fire john the baptist.”
