The definition of holy has certainly seen its share of conflict and controversy in the last 100 plus years. But also it has high level of importance in the Bible and in terms of personal interest and its potential connection to a very timely topic - healthy. The personal interest is seen in its close connection with a person's name, as for an example, God's name of Yahweh. "Holy be your name" is part of the opening in the Lord's Prayer. The topic of being whole or being healthy is currently one of major importance. With the possible definition of "moral wholeness", it could tie directly into healthy as one of the hot topics of the 21st century. So the overall or total approach to determining a word's meaning is looking at all four areas of interest or concern: 1) translate to an equal, 2) transfer from and to a location and time, 3) total to avoid need gaps, 4) train in the skills for application, and 5) teach what is what.
So far in my entries this week, I have dealt with translation and transfer. Today, I will be spending some time beefing up 1) translate and 2) transfer. I will also use today to look ahead to 3) training and 4) teaching elements. This is what I call the total. It keeps me from leaving gaps in my attempt to persuade others of the meanings for Yahweh, blessed, and holy.
In the Western world, we usually associate the total of something with the opening and closing of what we say, but I want to take a more Eastern approach and place it primarily in the middle. This approach I learned from Mary Douglas, a rather famous anthropologist, who has written on the different structural pattern found in Hebrew writings in the Bible. This does not mean that I will not also have the total of all the parts in the opening and closing, as is usually found in the West. Rather it means I will keep my eye on the whole of the process also in the middle of my writing like the Hebrews.
I value the total so much, because without it things are not complete or total and can therefore easily fail. One writer in speaking of the persuasion cascade pointed out that his method would not work, if it was not completed through the whole of the steps. He understood that there would then be gaps in the persuasion process which then could lead to persuasion failure. I think this also applies to defining words and trying to make a good case for a particular view.
The greatest example of the opposite of what I am saying is the view that the context is THE key to understanding the meaning of a word. Now that the etymology of holy in the Hebrew, the Aramaic, and the Greek is seen as a matter of conflict and controversy; context is now being promoted as THE way to resolve its meaning. I find that very unsatisfactory. It is only one part of at least four perspectives in the total reading and understanding process of reading the Scripture.
That is critical to understanding my approach. Context alone for defining a word will not work in my view. It requires a much more comprehensive approach. Then from that larger perspective, a person can see the convergence of perspectives hopefully all pointing to the same thing.
My goal through this blog is to give people another choice in the area of meaning that they have not previously been aware of as people, who desire to know the meaning of key words in their Bible. I am trying to shed light on the topics of God's name, blessing, and holy that have been hidden in the darkness. Beginning with a choice is critical in reaching the ultimate goal of celebration.
The 5 step persuasion process is like this for the one trying to persuade others:
1) choice by helping people see,
2) chance by enabling people to do,
3) connect by a willing opportunity,
4) change by filling empty hands to satisfaction, and
5) celebrate by people enjoying the experience of not having gaps in fulfilling their needs.
My goal through these 5 steps is to get people to seeing, able, willing, and ready. It takes all of that to reach full blown personal eagerness.
Here's another way to express in words what is desirable for those seeking answers to questions:
1) A choice that you see,
2) A chance for you to be able,
3) A connection that you willingly embrace,
4) A change that fills you up to ready, and
5) A celebration that is all that you need rather even one need short.
Here's Jesus' purpose and goals for similar kinds of things (in Luke 4:18):
1) to restore sight to the blind, who are those not seeing,
2) to free the oppressed, who are those unable,
3) to liberate the captives, who are those unwilling,
4) to tell the gospel to the poor, who are those unready, and
5) to fulfill the whole of the purposes or goals (ex. Jesus' bucket list or ministry goals), and not even one less than this to those suffering, who are those not eager due to a purpose gap.
If you are not eager, then you are suffering. If every one of the criteria is met: seeing, able, willing, and ready, then suffering is relieved. The point is that you only have to be missing one of those things to suffer and not be eager.
If you are not eager,
then you are suffering.
So why are you not eager for work? Have you ever thought about it lacking one or more of these goals or purposes? Why are you not eager to go to church? Could it be that this organization that is supposed to be built around Jesus' goals has lost its bearings?
If you fulfill all these things on Jesus' bucket list of goals, then you will eliminate or at least alleviate suffering. So you might ask this: "So how do I become eager?" It is through finishing the goal list that Jesus laid out.
If we changed all things to the direction of Jesus' goals, then I believe people will be so eager they will be breaking down the doors to churches. We can then return to standing room only and people waiting outside to get in.
Here's how you can become eager (based on the rewards for not just you but others equally):
So now, let's lay out the choices :
20th ct. choice - the definition of holy is set apart, and it has less to do with purity or with wholeness compared to what was previously thought.
21st ct. choice - the definition of holy is moral wholeness, the implication is purity, and the significance is that this is what sets us apart (the definition and the implication altogether).
Let's lay out the chances:
20th ct. chance - not much of a chance, but the only real chance we have to draw people back to the church is through being contemporary in terms of music and technology.
21st ct. chance - the practical aspect of making things morally whole or physically whole means that we can do things that were impossible previously
Let's lay out the connections:
20th ct. connect - the various denominational and non-denominational teams on the landscape will continue to be tied to the same leaders of the past in Protestantism and there will be little future hope of reconnecting in a tightly formed team
21st ct. connect - there will now be a real chance to join together in a way that is tightly bound to one another rather than in a loose alliance
Let's lay out the changes:
20th ct. change - the continued changes in technology will drive us to the greatest changes we are capable of making
21st ct change - the change will happen on a personal level with human beings and their moral character resting on a new quality standard and accomplishment.
Let's lay out the celebration:
20th ct celebration - the best of that optimism happened in the 1950s and is unlikely to be revived to a higher pitch going forward
21st ct. celebration - the biblical stories of "it felt like we were dreaming" will be the same kind of reason we are celebrating.
So as I go forward the next couple of days I hope I can demonstrate the value of training and teaching in terms of new capabilities and possibilities and also new sight and a reduction in blindness. May God bless the remainder of your day and please visit all 5 blog entries this week to grasp the whole picture.
In Christ,
Jon
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