Great writing Ross, and puts into words many thoughts I've had or questions I've pondered on. I especially like how it builds upon your previous essays.
The Orthodox/Catholic groundedness in tradition and God's glory and seeing ourselves as part of a continuum of tradition certainly had its benefits. One of which is it forces us to see our small time on earth as part of something larger, instead of as a television drama where I am the main character.
I'm closer to Evangelical Christianity in lots of ways, but there does seem to be a need to find a balance between tradition and personal ways of relating to God.
Thanks man! Well said. That’s exactly it: as Chesterton has said, the story is better when we become small in it. And yes, a balance between traditional and personal ways of relating to God is definitely what I’m going for. Thanks so much for reading and responding.
taking some time to digest all of these thoughts and will return again later but I must say, you are, I think, a writer whose words from your blogs will impact generations similarly to C.S. Lewis, John MacArthur etc. Your clearly communicated ideas such as the blank-slate vs continuity is something others will use as a tool for understanding Scripture with depth that myself--and others-- have never been able to grasp before! I have always found theology to be intimidating and become easily turned away when writers use confusing ideas or concepts that only a small niche of people understand (I am currently trying to read Biblical Critical Theory which is a big pill). I have found over and over that your style of writing is very easy to articulated but educating and accurate to Scripture.
Madeline, this is FAR too kind. So glad my writing has been helpful to you. This encourages me to keep doing it! Let me know if you have further thoughts about it.
Where do some of these ideas originate from in your research? Or is this primarily your formulation? Because blank-slate vs continuity is just about the best framework I’ve ever read for articulating these ideas in a clear and easy to understand fashion. An excellent vocabulary for this conversation.
Because these ideas are very important for understanding how sanctification works, as well as the place of moral effort in relationship with grace.
Hi Cole, thanks for the comment. Well, I'm definitely indebted to Lewis, Chesterton, and MacDonald for most of my thinking (and obviously just the Bible). Nothing is new under the sun! But yes, blank-slate vs. continuity theology is my own formulation. Been dwelling on it pretty consistently for the last 6 months or so, and I'm finally starting to write it down. Agreed, I think it's very important for understanding salvation, sanctification, agency, and grace. So glad it was helpful to you. I've had mixed reviews, as I think my writing isn't quite clear enough on the subject yet. Haha.
Thank you! And I look forward to reading more of your work. Do you have any book suggestions from Lewis, Chesterton or Macdonald for this topic? I have read some Lewis and Chesterton, but nothing at all from Macdonald.
Good question. It's tough to say. Part of what I'm trying to do, in fact, is give voice to things they didn't talk directly about (otherwise I would just quote them, because they're wiser and more articulate!), BUT...Lewis and MacDonald's work both point to a kind of paradox which makes salvation and sanctification pretty much the same thing. i.e. There is a patient, even purgatorial aspect to "being saved." In Lewis, check out The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain. As for MacDonald, you could start with his sermon, "The Consuming Fire" or his short story "The Light Princess." I have written translations of both, but if you're used to reading old things, obviously go straight to the source!
I'll look into those thank you! And I am familiar with old books haha, most of my favorites are really old. But I'll take a look at your adaptations too.
Great article. You could mention tattoos in the same breath, Christians have never gotten them in the past due to the coming resurrection of our bodies. We’ve adopted a pagan practice without thinking much about it.
I’m very concerned by what we are preaching through cremation. I also don’t think it’s a sin, but it goes hand in hand with the “sky religion” that does not believe in the resurrection of the body. Platonism w Jesus…and I guess that would be Gnosticism.
To be honest, I did not see the resurrection of the body until I was in my 20’s. Then, I realized that Jesus was still a man w a resurrected body. Mind blown!! Partly spiritual blindness but partly how we were preaching the gospel in evangelical circles. There was so much emphasis on “going to heaven”. I do see a lot of trend lines that we are course correcting on this though.
Make the gospel earthy again indeed. Thank you for these thoughts, Jonathan. Well said. And yes, I agree we seem to be course correcting, which is good.
Wow! Great insights Ross. It sounds like you've given this a lot of thought. I agree with all of what you said here. As usual, your thoughts have pushed beyond mine but in the direction I'm inclined to go as well. I, too, am confused by this phenomenon and think you're on to something with your theory of disembodiment. Maybe that's why it's harder for older folks like me to understand, as we grew up before the digital and social media revolutions. Maybe we'd follow this same trend had we been born two or three decades later. I hope you do some writing on these topics in the future, particularly on your thoughts about AI and where you see it taking us.
Love it, Ross! As a simple man, I love the simple analogies like the Mexican food one. It’s simple but powerful. You’ve challenged me and I’m sure many others on cremation. I now feel the need to examine it further. As someone else commented, I’m wondering what your thoughts are on tattoos. I would also add the more “radical” piercings, ear gauging, etc.
Thanks John! Good question. Gosh, yeah tattoos and piercings are a complex topic. There appears to be a new tattoo phenomenon sweeping the culture right now, which is so current, it's hard to step back and see fully what it represents. I think, in part, tattoos have become a pretty clear sign of our expressive-individualist way of forming identity. As we have seen in the military and elsewhere, the traditional use of tattoos (like circumcision!) has been as a usually painful mark of tribal identity, Like a brand which says, "I am a part of this. We have been through the fire together. This is our collective scar, but also our collective badge." Then, in more anti-establishment "punk" cultures, we see tattoos being used as a way of marking yourself as *outside* the tribe. Such tattoos are idiosyncratic--too each his own--and are meant to represent what makes you uniquely you. Biker tattoos and prison tattoos are an interesting mix of the two opposites, because they tend to be both anti-establishment *and* tribal--just marking oneself out as the tribe that is outside the establishment tribe. And in the end, punk and emo tattoos end up having much the same function, just (more comically) on accident. The punk or emo or goth kid gets certain tattoos in certain places to mark himself out as unique and original and not "obeying" anyone else, and yet, the punk/emo/goth subculture is subject to certain very recognizable tropes which the vast majority of its adherents share. The not-tribe tribe is often still a tribe. But now we're in a new era, at least from what I've seen, where it seems to be just standard practice for the majority of normie young people, even young conservative Christians, to get an idiosyncratic tattoo of some kind. These tattoos are usually meant to represent "me," "who I am," and/or "what I believe." So obviously self-expression is driving things, but this culture of tattooing still confuses me a bit. It's just strange how it's become so mainstream--a distinctive, very noticeable mark, which people KNOW is permanent, yet usually they get on a whim. I have no deep moral judgement against it, but I cannot help but think that much of it comes from the fact that we are a culture which has functionally devalued the body, which has spent so much time pouring our "selves" into digitil, disembodied avatars, that we have actually come to believe (again, at least functionally) that our bodies in themselves have very little value compared to our avatars. In one sense, the body is becoming a mirror of our instagram feeds, which we mark up casually with all our cool ideas and designs to express ourselves. But at the same time, our feeds and profiles may have become replacements for our bodies, so that what we do to our bodies simply doesn't matter as much. Bodies are secondary, at best. And this, of course, relates to cremation and our blank-slate theology, which has traded the hope of resurrection for a hope of instantaneous, disembodied re-invention. Anyway, that's a few thoughts.
Great writing Ross, and puts into words many thoughts I've had or questions I've pondered on. I especially like how it builds upon your previous essays.
The Orthodox/Catholic groundedness in tradition and God's glory and seeing ourselves as part of a continuum of tradition certainly had its benefits. One of which is it forces us to see our small time on earth as part of something larger, instead of as a television drama where I am the main character.
I'm closer to Evangelical Christianity in lots of ways, but there does seem to be a need to find a balance between tradition and personal ways of relating to God.
Thanks man! Well said. That’s exactly it: as Chesterton has said, the story is better when we become small in it. And yes, a balance between traditional and personal ways of relating to God is definitely what I’m going for. Thanks so much for reading and responding.
taking some time to digest all of these thoughts and will return again later but I must say, you are, I think, a writer whose words from your blogs will impact generations similarly to C.S. Lewis, John MacArthur etc. Your clearly communicated ideas such as the blank-slate vs continuity is something others will use as a tool for understanding Scripture with depth that myself--and others-- have never been able to grasp before! I have always found theology to be intimidating and become easily turned away when writers use confusing ideas or concepts that only a small niche of people understand (I am currently trying to read Biblical Critical Theory which is a big pill). I have found over and over that your style of writing is very easy to articulated but educating and accurate to Scripture.
Madeline, this is FAR too kind. So glad my writing has been helpful to you. This encourages me to keep doing it! Let me know if you have further thoughts about it.
Where do some of these ideas originate from in your research? Or is this primarily your formulation? Because blank-slate vs continuity is just about the best framework I’ve ever read for articulating these ideas in a clear and easy to understand fashion. An excellent vocabulary for this conversation.
Because these ideas are very important for understanding how sanctification works, as well as the place of moral effort in relationship with grace.
Hi Cole, thanks for the comment. Well, I'm definitely indebted to Lewis, Chesterton, and MacDonald for most of my thinking (and obviously just the Bible). Nothing is new under the sun! But yes, blank-slate vs. continuity theology is my own formulation. Been dwelling on it pretty consistently for the last 6 months or so, and I'm finally starting to write it down. Agreed, I think it's very important for understanding salvation, sanctification, agency, and grace. So glad it was helpful to you. I've had mixed reviews, as I think my writing isn't quite clear enough on the subject yet. Haha.
Also I just saw the title of your Substack: "Treasures Old and New." Perfect title. And goes well with this subject matter. I'll have to check it out!
Thank you! And I look forward to reading more of your work. Do you have any book suggestions from Lewis, Chesterton or Macdonald for this topic? I have read some Lewis and Chesterton, but nothing at all from Macdonald.
Good question. It's tough to say. Part of what I'm trying to do, in fact, is give voice to things they didn't talk directly about (otherwise I would just quote them, because they're wiser and more articulate!), BUT...Lewis and MacDonald's work both point to a kind of paradox which makes salvation and sanctification pretty much the same thing. i.e. There is a patient, even purgatorial aspect to "being saved." In Lewis, check out The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain. As for MacDonald, you could start with his sermon, "The Consuming Fire" or his short story "The Light Princess." I have written translations of both, but if you're used to reading old things, obviously go straight to the source!
I actually posted my adaptation of The Light Princess here on Substack not long ago (with audio form): https://www.patientkingdom.com/p/the-light-princess
And here's an audio version of my adaptation of The Consuming Fire: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-consuming-fire/id1514279395?i=1000475129327
I'll look into those thank you! And I am familiar with old books haha, most of my favorites are really old. But I'll take a look at your adaptations too.
Great article. You could mention tattoos in the same breath, Christians have never gotten them in the past due to the coming resurrection of our bodies. We’ve adopted a pagan practice without thinking much about it.
I’m very concerned by what we are preaching through cremation. I also don’t think it’s a sin, but it goes hand in hand with the “sky religion” that does not believe in the resurrection of the body. Platonism w Jesus…and I guess that would be Gnosticism.
To be honest, I did not see the resurrection of the body until I was in my 20’s. Then, I realized that Jesus was still a man w a resurrected body. Mind blown!! Partly spiritual blindness but partly how we were preaching the gospel in evangelical circles. There was so much emphasis on “going to heaven”. I do see a lot of trend lines that we are course correcting on this though.
Let’s make the gospel earthy again!
Make the gospel earthy again indeed. Thank you for these thoughts, Jonathan. Well said. And yes, I agree we seem to be course correcting, which is good.
Wow! Great insights Ross. It sounds like you've given this a lot of thought. I agree with all of what you said here. As usual, your thoughts have pushed beyond mine but in the direction I'm inclined to go as well. I, too, am confused by this phenomenon and think you're on to something with your theory of disembodiment. Maybe that's why it's harder for older folks like me to understand, as we grew up before the digital and social media revolutions. Maybe we'd follow this same trend had we been born two or three decades later. I hope you do some writing on these topics in the future, particularly on your thoughts about AI and where you see it taking us.
Thanks! Yes I've thought about it. The AI thing is a whole other behemoth!
Love it, Ross! As a simple man, I love the simple analogies like the Mexican food one. It’s simple but powerful. You’ve challenged me and I’m sure many others on cremation. I now feel the need to examine it further. As someone else commented, I’m wondering what your thoughts are on tattoos. I would also add the more “radical” piercings, ear gauging, etc.
Thanks John! Good question. Gosh, yeah tattoos and piercings are a complex topic. There appears to be a new tattoo phenomenon sweeping the culture right now, which is so current, it's hard to step back and see fully what it represents. I think, in part, tattoos have become a pretty clear sign of our expressive-individualist way of forming identity. As we have seen in the military and elsewhere, the traditional use of tattoos (like circumcision!) has been as a usually painful mark of tribal identity, Like a brand which says, "I am a part of this. We have been through the fire together. This is our collective scar, but also our collective badge." Then, in more anti-establishment "punk" cultures, we see tattoos being used as a way of marking yourself as *outside* the tribe. Such tattoos are idiosyncratic--too each his own--and are meant to represent what makes you uniquely you. Biker tattoos and prison tattoos are an interesting mix of the two opposites, because they tend to be both anti-establishment *and* tribal--just marking oneself out as the tribe that is outside the establishment tribe. And in the end, punk and emo tattoos end up having much the same function, just (more comically) on accident. The punk or emo or goth kid gets certain tattoos in certain places to mark himself out as unique and original and not "obeying" anyone else, and yet, the punk/emo/goth subculture is subject to certain very recognizable tropes which the vast majority of its adherents share. The not-tribe tribe is often still a tribe. But now we're in a new era, at least from what I've seen, where it seems to be just standard practice for the majority of normie young people, even young conservative Christians, to get an idiosyncratic tattoo of some kind. These tattoos are usually meant to represent "me," "who I am," and/or "what I believe." So obviously self-expression is driving things, but this culture of tattooing still confuses me a bit. It's just strange how it's become so mainstream--a distinctive, very noticeable mark, which people KNOW is permanent, yet usually they get on a whim. I have no deep moral judgement against it, but I cannot help but think that much of it comes from the fact that we are a culture which has functionally devalued the body, which has spent so much time pouring our "selves" into digitil, disembodied avatars, that we have actually come to believe (again, at least functionally) that our bodies in themselves have very little value compared to our avatars. In one sense, the body is becoming a mirror of our instagram feeds, which we mark up casually with all our cool ideas and designs to express ourselves. But at the same time, our feeds and profiles may have become replacements for our bodies, so that what we do to our bodies simply doesn't matter as much. Bodies are secondary, at best. And this, of course, relates to cremation and our blank-slate theology, which has traded the hope of resurrection for a hope of instantaneous, disembodied re-invention. Anyway, that's a few thoughts.