Spirituality: Heavenly or Earthly?

From the start of the Christian movement to the present day, various segments within the Christian community have given expression to a pallid kind of aesthetic, otherworldly spirituality. In popular religious terminology, to be “spiritual” has usually connoted the idea of otherworldly piety. We have been taught that a “spiritual” person is one whose inner eyes are cast heavenward in prayer and contemplation, focusing on the joys of the life to come. To be “spiritual” implies that one is life-denying; it suggests communing with one’s heavenly Creator by focusing upon the invisible realities and eternal mysteries of God’s holiness. To live “spiritually” is often thought of in terms of passive detachment from this person is really consumed with one agenda: to win souls for the kingdom of heaven. All other activity, such as that which seeks to address the physical, material, and social needs of this world, is inferior and lacking in priority.

The above teaching about spirituality derives largely from the Greek understanding of the psyche, the “soul” or “spirit.” The Greeks taught that the psyche is the nonphysical, immortal part of a person. At death it espcapes the body and makes its way back to the world of eternal reality. Though Paul was a Jew of the Diaspora and hence doubtless familiar with the Greek perspective concerning the psyche, he “never conceives of the salvation of the soul apart from the body. Salvation means the redemption of the body of the whole created order as well (Rom. 8:21-23).”

In Hebrew thought, a person is a body-soul. He is viewed as a unity, a single entity, an indivisible whole. To the Hebrews, a person is not a soul or spirit which now inhabits and will at death desert a body. None of the Hebrew terms translated “soul” or “spirit” refers to the nonphysical part of a human being; this is dualistic Greek thinking, which, unfortunately, has influenced our understanding of these English terms. In Hebraic thought, “soul” or “spirit” refers to the whole person or the individual as a living being. It stands for the person himself. “The Old Testament view of man is that he is an animated body rather than an incarnated soul.” In short, human beings live as souls; they do not “have” souls.

[Here he goes into a brief study of the Hebrew words for soul and spirit. The primary point being “Man’s ‘soul’ is primarily his vitality, his life—never a separate ‘part’ of man.” Spirit carries the idea of animation, that which invigorates and brings to life the total person, body and soul. “[True piety] meant to be fully human, every fiber of one’s being alive, empowered in passionate and inspired service to God and humanity.”]

Westerners often define spirituality as denying oneself, being detached from earthly concerns, and being intent on otherworldly values. By contrast, the Hebrews experienced the world of the spirit as robust, life-affirming, and this-worldly in character. Such was the “spiritual” orientation of the Hebrews. So-called spirituality did not come by negating the richness of life’s experiences or withdrawing from the world. Instead, they affirmed creation by finding a sense of holiness in the here and now. There was no division between the sacred and the secular areas of life. It was all God’s world, and it was to be enjoyed without a sense of shame or guilt. In Paul’s words, “to the pure, all things are pure” (Tit. 1:15). As trustees and stewards of God’s world, human beings were to live within it and use it in accord with divine directives. Again, in Paul’s familiar Hebraic idiom, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3:23; cf. Eccl. 9:10).

Unfortunately, the history of the Church reveals that when Christians have become fixated upon finding the God of that other world to come, they have often missed finding the God of earth and history, the Creator of this world, in the here and now. Unlike the Hebrews of Bible times, who looked up to heaven but kept both feet squarely on the ground, Christians have not always learned so to balance themselves. It is the age-old problem of how we can keep the invisible from consuming the visible, the spiritual from negating the material, the theoretical from eliminating the practical, and belief from making us blind to behavior.

- Our Father Abraham, Ch. 10 “Where The Church Went Wrong” by Marvin R. Wilson

Was it worth it?

I've had a couple of people ask me if college was what I expected it to be or was it better or worse. Guess I might as well write on it and then anyone can read it if they really want to know. Well, I'm not entirely sure what my expectations were. There's all the stuff you see in movies and on tv about college and the little bit your friends tell you, but I knew that wouldn't be my experience. After all, I was going to a tiny Christian, liberal arts school, not the ivy league giant of my dreams. Not to mention I went in knowing there was something wrong with me and after less than a month there, I knew that there was no way I was going to have the "normal" college experience. I suppose my expectations were that it would be very hard, my grades would drop some, and it would be difficult for me to make close friends. In regard to those, it was hard, my grades have taken a hit but not really dropped overall, and I made some close friends but they aren't always what I expect. I, of course, didn't expect to be so sick and had no idea the way it would change my life. But what I really didn't expect was the incredible amount of grace that has been extended to me. The grace of my family when I have been obnoxious, unreasonable, grumpy, and emotional. The grace of my professors for exams and papers and leaving class. The grace of my friends for trying to understand, listening to me complain, and meeting me where I am at even when it is a long way from where they are. The grace of God as I backed away from him and as I make hesitant and often bumbling steps back. The person who has extended the least amount of grace to me is myself. My perfectionist tendencies and my strict ideals have not allowed much grace for my short-comings. Part of my learning experience at college has been finding that not everything I thought was a fault is one and the ones that are won't be fixed by beating myself up. It is hard to become a graceful young women that extends grace to others when you cannot extend that same grace to yourself. So, to answer the original question. I didn't have enough expectations to have them broken or fulfilled. College, however, was incredible. I haven't regretted going for a single moment.

Once a queen of Narnia...

Warning: This has a few vague spoilers if you haven't seen the movie. I also take the Chronicles of Narnia kind of seriously so if you don't, just stop reading here.

So last night I went to see the premier of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Altogether, I loved it, possibly more than the first film. Yes, they did deviate from the book, but in most places that didn't bother me. The one place it did was with Susan. I loved Susan's character. She is the warrior queen, strong and beautiful. There aren't always enough of those kind of good characters in movies and books. There was also the romance between Caspian and Susan which didn't really bother me all that much either. However, as much as loved Susan's character, what bothered me was it wasn't Susan. Some of the very reasons she was my favorite character were done away with in the film.

It all started with me listening to the Chronicles of Narnia on my iPod this past year. The last time I had read any of them was a good ten years ago and I didn't remember anything. So, when I found out that Susan doesn't go back to Narnia in the end, it made me sad. I know it doesn't say anything about her future and I firmly believe that she makes it eventually, but I found so much of myself to be similar to her that it disappointed me. My impression of Susan from the books is that she is a very practical, mothering person. She is hesitant because she is careful and sensible. Susan is the one who is ready to turn back from Narnia and go home, to wish they never came, and to think it is a bad idea to chase the stag. Adventure is risky so it is better to turn back and be safe. I see that in myself. I want adventure but I am afraid to go forward. She is called Queen Susan the Gentle. That is why it bothers me that she is fighting. Not because I don't think she shouldn't participate in the battle but because that is not what Susan would do. She doesn't fight because she can't stand to harm anything. Perhaps my "gentleness" would arise more from fear, but I can't stand to watch fights and if it came to war I could be hiding inside, thank you very much. Susan is a practical, sensible, logical person and I can't say that I would have been much more likely to have believed Lucy. In The Last Battle we find out that she has become more interested in clothes and being the wrong kind of grown up and is "no longer a friend of Narnia." I don't think there was a time when I haven't been in danger of that myself. So why do I want Susan to remain as she was in the books even though she is "better" in the movie? Because in the book, I can be Susan. Me, who is not brave, who does not like fighting, who will turn back, who is too practical, who doesn't alway believe, who sometimes wants to be too grown-up, who cares too much about the way I look-that person can be a queen in Narnia. And for that same reason, I must believe that she makes it to Narnia in the end.

As for the romance, that's not why we go to Narnia and the movie could have been just as good without it.



What I did absolutely love about the movie that surprised me was Edmund. You could see the story of his redemption continuing. Now we see what Aslan knew all along-the person Edmund could become. He is a courageous and forgiving person who has learned from his mistakes. Edmund was easily my favorite person in the movie.



Though I must say that Lucy would have been a close second. She was absolutely wonderful. I think Georgie Henley captures the character of Lucy magnificently.

Peter, on the other hand, was obnoxiously arrogant. It was his turn to learn a lesson. I didn't like him but I didn't mind that they did it. What I found to be very realistic was his fight in the train station. When Susan reminds him that they are kids, Peter's response is that he wasn't always. I think that's exactly how he would be. Once you have been the high king of a nation, why would you want to bow and scrape before others? For the same reason, I can sympathize with Susan when she says that she has just adjusted to life in England again. She had done the sensible thing and learned to make the best of the life she was left with. I can think of many times when a good thing has been denied and I resign myself to it and then it is thrust on me. It annoys me. Why couldn't I be given it before I had resigned myself? Of course I am happy, but still annoyed.



This was a great movie and I'm sorry that this has been really long. Kudos to you if you made it through the whole thing.

Winter Ball

Here are some pictures of the winter ball that my school held the Friday right after we came back. It was at a yacht club near here. I was too tired to dance very much but everyone else kept it up the whole time. We hit the cheesecake factory afterwards, of course. :)

The crazy dancing ladies (minus Steph who was still dancing)

Ali, need I say more?

This is what we really do on the weekends.

New Fashion trend...I'm all for it

I'm thinking "Where in the world did I find these two?"

(Part of) my lovely floor

Great advertisement for Gordon College right there...yup..

We love Ali!

My date :)

My roommate(s)

Something of a life update

I'm always disappointed when I visit a friend's blog and they haven't updated in a while. So, in case there are some reading my blog who feel the same sometimes, here is an update on my life.

Those of you who know about my recent bout of illness might being wondering how that is going. Weeeell, I wish I could say that the medicine worked instantly and that I am marvelously all better, however, reality has a way of bursting that bubble. In view of some lingering symptoms we are guessing that the medicine either hasn't built up in my system yet or the dosage needs to be upped or both. Also, I am still learning to adjust to this body that is now mine and accept that it will probably never be the one I had just a year and a half ago. It requires me to deal with things I had hoped to put off for a good twenty or thirty years and that is frustrating for someone whose body has always be able to do what she's told it to and sometimes even more than she's asked of it. Don't worry though, it hasn't been a waste. As a teenager I have learned what very few do...that I am not invincible. And now that I have lived, if only for a short time, with a body that felt (and was in many respects) about forty years older than it should have been, I appreciate every step I take that brings me closer to being nineteen again. It is true that you rarely know what a good thing you have until it is gone. If any of you can run, jump, play sports, exercise, breathe, feel your heart beat steadily, have a pillow fight, drive a car, walk in the woods, climb stairs, go a day without taking a pill... then thank God for it. Ok, I've finished my melodramatic sermon. Hey, I'm entitled to one every now and then.

On a completely different topic...I must admit that very pathetically I haven't been able to give anyone a satisfactory answer as to who my candidate is for this election. Honestly I don't have an opinion that I can call my own at this point. I've tried to refrain from discussing it since I haven't done my research yet. I do plan on voting this November, but I don't plan on making a decision before I have carefully looked at all of my options. At this time, I'd only be parroting the opinions of my family and that doesn't allow for intelligent conversation. So, for those who have asked, please be patient with me and I will be happy to share my opinions with you when they actually have some substance behind them.

As to what I have been doing on my break....nothing. Or almost nothing. I didn't really expect it to be productive but I was hoping I might have something to show for it. Sadly enough I really don't think I do. I have gotten to hang out with some great people and had a lot of fun with them. I've even read a book or two and started a load more. People keep telling me I deserve to be lazy for a while (my body has a way of agreeing with them) but laziness just doesn't sit well with me. I'm going to get too used to it and next week the craziness ensues once more. If I can get past my dread of new professors, harder classes, and sleep deprivation, then I am really looking forward to being at Gordon again. The challenges scare me but I know that the grace of God will get me through the next four months just as he got me through the last four. I absolutely loved my last semester and I'm very proud of what I accomplished. Hopefully I can say the same come the end of May.

I'll leave you with this picture of my (mostly) adorable girls. If only they could be this cute all of the time....