January/February 2004 issue

THE RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE NEWSLETTER
Volume 5, Issue 1 -- January/February 2004
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The Religious Language Newsletter is written and published every other month by Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D. (linguistics), from the Ozark Center for Language Studies (OCLS), PO Box 1137, Huntsville, AR 72740-1137 USA; e-mail OCLS@madisoncounty.net. It's available by e-mail only, in plain text, and is free to members of the Lovingkindness Network; thanks to generous donations, all issues are posted at http://www.forlovingkindness.org. To join the network and receive its newsletter, send $5.00 (annual dues for each calendar year) to OCLS; please be sure to include your e-mail address with your check, money order, or credit card information. (Supporting Memberships are $15.00.) Donations to Lovingkindness are tax-deductible. For more information, or to request a free sample issue, e-mail OCLS.
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IN THIS ISSUE: Editor's Note; Network Input; Booknote; Open/Openness Theology Update; Quotes & Comments; Cyberspace; From Other Media

EDITOR'S NOTE

A very Happy New Year to you one and all, and may 2004 treat you gently! Thank you for your membership renewals, for your donations, and for all the useful materials that you've been sending me for the newsletter. My thanks also to all who've been recommending that I watch "Joan of Arcadia" (which I'm told is like _Peacetalk 101_ in involving strangers on a bus); I haven't been able to find time for that yet, but now that the holidays are over I hope to be able to get to it soon.

NETWORK INPUT

1. When I asked for input on the idea that seeing an irrefutable miracle would destroy faith because it would make it impossible for someone _not_ to believe, Douglas Dee wrote:

"I'm not sure that 'faith' in the sense of 'belief in the existence of something (in this case, God) despite lack of evidence' is really the essential component of religious 'faith.' ... It seems to me that many highly religious people are not relying on 'faith' in the sense of belief-without-evidence. They think they do have convincing evidence through their own experience of God. I suspect that if God did perform an irrefutable miracle, it wouldn't make humanity much happier. We'd still argue over which religion was correct, and people would be even more annoyed that God did not explain Himself, or wave an almighty hand and eliminate all suffering from the world. From God's decision so far not to perform such a miracle, I can only conclude that He prefers _not_ to prove His existence to us."

**Exactly. The most predictable response to an irrefutable miracle would be a horrendous worldwide argument over _"which God"_ had performed it. Suppose the miracle were daylight everywhere on Earth simultaneously, something that everyone (perhaps, by deliberate divine intervention, even the blind) could see, and that no one could explain other than as a miracle. Unless that occurred with God carefully identifying Godself -- "I, the God of [Faith X], have performed this miracle!" -- the existence of some Power capable of setting aside natural laws would have been proved, but things would otherwise be in their usual muddle or worse. To the members of every earthly faith it would be self-evident that only _their_ God could perform such a miracle, and there we'd be, with a brand new spoon for stirring up religious wars with. May we all be allowed to pass on that, please.

BOOKNOTE

I'd like to recommend to you a beautiful children's book called _Spirit Child: A Story of the Nativity_, with glorious illustrations by Barbara Cooney. It comes from SeaStar Books (1984); the ISBN is 1-58717-087-6; the publisher's website is at http://www.northsouth.com. The cover copy tells us that John Bierhorst "found the story of Spirit Child among 16th century Aztec texts while doing research for an Aztec-English dictionary" and that it was originally written "in the Aztec language" by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, "who had the assistance of Aztec poets," and printed in de Sahagun's _Psalmodia Christiana_. The book has no page numbers (which mystifies me), so I will reference my quote as from the page where the angels are telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus....

"The angels came down from the sky like birds. Their voices were bells. They sounded like flutes. 'Praise God in heaven, alleluia.' They came flying out of the sky, singing, 'Peace on earth, alleluia.' Sweet-smelling song-flowers were scattering everywhere, falling to earth in a golden rain."

From the cover flap: "Beneath the light of a brilliant star in Bethlehem, a newborn spirit child rescues the world from the Devil's grasp. He is Jesus... ... Composed in the mid-1500s in the language of the Aztecs, _Spirit Child_ draws upon Nativity stories from medieval folklore, the Christian Gospels, and traditional Aztec lore. Originally chanted in Mexico City to the accompaniment of drums....

Noted scholar John Bierhorst rediscovered this story and produced the first translation in any modern language."

I searched the Net, trying to find something that would explain why this book has been remaindered (Daedalus has it for less than $5.00), but found nothing helpful. I will hazard a guess that the problem may be the first few pages, which present not English but Aztec theology -- "For five thousand years after the world began, the devil was king," for example. It might have been wiser in commercial terms to start with the third page of the existing text: "There was a certain Joseph who was very wise and whose heart was good." The picture-book format keeps adults and scholars from noticing the book, and the text keeps people from buying it for their children; that's unfortunate. (If you know any of the back-story here, I'd welcome your input.)

OPEN/OPENNESS THEOLOGY UPDATE

In the 5/00 issue of this newsletter I discussed "open theology," (also called "open theism"), saying that: "If I'm understanding the openness-theology people correctly -- which I certainly don't guarantee -- their position goes like this. (1) God knows how things will turn out eventually, and knows a number of things which must take place to ensure that outcome, and will intervene when necessary in order to make certain of those two aspects of the future. (2) But God does not know the exact details of how we will get from A to the foreordained B. (3) This is not because God doesn't have the power to specify those details, but because God voluntarily refrains from using that power and allows human beings to do their best or worst for as long as God doesn't perceive the ultimate outcome as threatened by what they're doing." I've been keeping my eye on the controversy, and thought it was time for an update.

My particular focus on this topic continues to be (a) its relevance for the definition of free will, and (b) its implications for the theory of prayer. It strikes me as the most interesting theological controversy that has come along in the past quarter century. (You can find an abundance of material on the topic by doing a Google search using the terms "open theism," "open theology," and "foreknowledge theology.") Here are the update items.

1. From _PCA News_ for 11/26/03:

"On November 19, 2003, at its 55th annual meeting, the Evangelical Theological Society voted not to expel theologians Clark Pinnock and John Sanders from ETS membership. Both men had been the subject of a year-long inquiry because of the charge that their writings in the area commonly referred to as Open Theism were outside the pale of the society's doctrinal statement. Every year, members of ETS must reaffirm their continued belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. While swearing this oath, both Pinnock ... and Sanders ... have been active proponents of Open Theism -- believing that God limits himself in his relationship with humans, and is limited in his knowledge of future events. Those charging Pinnock and Sanders with error believe that any embrace of Open Theism, by definition, places one outside of the society's commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible."

[For an interesting discussion of this event by Bill Broadway titled "Redefining Omniscience," go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A14257-2003Nov7.html. (Sample: "Sanders says that God's promises are always conditional, in much the way a parent promises to take his children to the movies, but cannot do it because a grandmother gets sick and the parent need to rush her to the hospital. The conditions do not have to be spelled out every time...") For the ETS charges against Sanders and Pinnock, and for their rebuttals, go to http://www.etsjets.org.]

2. The World Reformed Fellowship has a thorough and informative brief article reviewing Gregory A. Boyd's _God of the Possible_, by Cornelis P. Venema (4/02) at http://www.wrfnet.org/articles/printarticle.asp?ID=403. Venema very clearly and concisely summarizes Boyd's arguments for open theology and what Boyd sees as its benefits; Venema warns that if open theology is correct "it will undoubtedly lead to a radical revision of many aspects of Christian doctrine."

3. A short checklist of "the basic tenets of open theism" is online at http://www.carm.org/open/tenets.htm, posted by the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. They list seven basic propositions of open theism and then conclude that it "presents a view of God contrary to classical and historic Christianity."

4. Three more: "God and the Future: Examining The Open View of God," by Rick Wade, at http://www.probe.org/docs/openview.html; "The Foreknowledge of God," by Bob DeWaay, at http://www.twincityfellowship.com/cic/articles/ issue58.htm (interesting, but very weakly argued); and a page of links to all sorts of online resources, at http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/ foreknowledge.html (not a neutral source).

QUOTES & COMMENTS:

1. From St. Francis: "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."

This needs no comment from me; it's wonderful just as it stands. It's quoted on page 117 of Jan Karon's _These High Green Hills_ (Lion Publishing 1997), which is where I tripped over it, and -- as I discovered when I went looking -- everywhere else. That it was new to me is disgraceful; I include it here on the off chance that it's new to you as well.

2. "Evangelicalism is, in a way, a counterculture. Everything from the success of Christian pop and rock groups to the phenomenal sales of the 'Left Behind' novels ... attests to its drawing power. Because the great commission of evangelicals is to bring the 'good news' to others, the matter of drawing power is crucial. It explains why evangelicals put so much money and energy into extensive social-service ministries, and why so many evangelical pastors strive to create 'seeker-friendly' megachurches with nontraditional, multimedia services that reassure and entertain as much as they edify."

This is from an excellent article titled "The New Old-Time Religion," by Jay Tolson, pp. 36-44 of the _U.S. News & World Report_ for 12/8/03, on page 42; my thanks to Pat Mathews for the copy.

3. I'm going to quote the title and title blurb for this piece by Michael Bond (on page 27 of the 4/26/03 _New Scientist_); they summarize it nicely. "Where progress is a lost cause. Science in Islamic countries has all but ground to a halt. Experts cannot agree whether to blame religion or despotic regimes." It goes on to say that experts _do_ agree that "Islamic scientists... laid the foundation for the European renaissance." And then, "But thereafter, a religious establishment that was fearful of alternative interpretations of Islam held sway over those advocating change and growth. ... Science in Muslim countries has never properly recovered. This despite the conviction of many scholars that science and Islam are not in conflict, since the Koran explicitly encourages Muslims to seek knowledge of the world." Thanks to Frances Green for sending the copy.

4. From my _How to Turn the Other Cheek and Still Survive in Today's World_ (Thomas Nelson 1997), pp. ix-x:

"Certainly, turning the other cheek instead of bashing someone is good returned for evil, in the sense of refraining from what might be done, but it's not enough. Just refraining won't do it -- you have to _act_. You are commanded to love your enemies, to bless those who curse you, to do good to those who hate you. The child or adult who is abused by a bully or a thug, physically or in any other way, is supposed to invite the abuser home for a good meal. The businessperson is supposed to send the cheating customer an offer for a bigger discount. This _is_ what the verses appear to say, and we all know it. No matter what nuances they may contain for scholars of Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic, this is the meaning the rest of us have to come to terms with, and this is the problem we're up against every day of our lives. As has rightly been said, the 'eleventh' commandment is, 'You do, too, know what I mean.' "

Which brings me to the _SoJoMail_ "Quote of the Week" for 9/10/03, by Tony Campolo (quoted in _Christian Week_):

"I find it strange that the last place I can really quote Jesus these days is in American churches. They don't want to hear 'overcome evil with good.' They don't want to hear 'those who live by the sword die by the sword.' They don't want to hear 'if your enemy hurts you, do good, feed, clothe, minister to him.' They don't want to hear 'blessed are the merciful.' They don't want to hear 'love your enemies.' "

Well, why _would_ they? It's not surprising that people in many (perhaps most) American churches don't want to hear these things when the governing religious metaphor is "spiritual warfare," and anyone who doesn't cheer for the current nonspiritual warfare is accused of being at best unpatriotic, at worst a traitor. In that context, listening to such propositions is worse than troubling.

5. On page 157 of Mark Juergensmeyer's _Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence_, writing about Protestant Christianity:

"Though the reformed tradition is strongly pacifist, martial images abound in the rhetoric and symbolism of the faith. Protestant preachers everywhere have encouraged their flocks to wage war against the forces of evil, and their homilies are followed with hymns about 'Christian soldiers,' fighting 'the good fight,' and struggling 'manfully onward.' ... What is significant about the popular Protestant talk about war, [Harriet] Crabtree stated, is that the image was meant to be taken more than metaphorically. When the writer of hymns urged 'soldiers of the Cross' to 'stand up, stand up for Jesus,' this was interpreted as a requirement for real, albeit spiritual, combat. Protestant writers such as Arthur Wallis have claimed that 'Christian living _is_ war.' "

Human beings cannot talk and write the English vocabulary of war and combat, and at the same time hold in their minds the vocabulary and principles of peace. It's impossible. The only way to get the war out of "spiritual" warfare is to create a new vocabulary for it that would (a) be entirely free of the semantic contamination of the battlefield metaphor, and (b) would bring with it a new metaphor as compelling as the battlefield one. I've read a dozen articles recently on the topic of "what pacifists should do now," and I've yet to read one that even mentions this task, much less discusses ways of going about it.

6. The 12/22/03 issue of _Time_ (pp. 54-61) had an article by David van Biema titled "The Lost Gospels," about a number of early religious texts which didn't make it into the Bible but have recently become popular. On page 56 van Biema lists the following as evidence of their "rising cultural profile": Dan Brown's novel, _The Da Vinci Code_ (which I haven't yet read); "other reinterpretations of Mary Magdalene"; the _Matrix_ trilogy; church study groups, especially those working with Elaine Pagels' books on the Gnostic texts; and "New-Age Rituals." "More and more people," he writes, "are turning to ancient Christian texts to develop their own religious rites." And he quotes Marcus Borg, who claims that many people "are looking for another way of being Christian." Recommended.

7. On page 54 of "The Bible's Lost Stories," by Barbara Kantrowitz (pp. 49-59, _Newsweek_ for 12/8/03):

"[Phyllis] Trible gives a more egalitarian rendering of a passage that has long troubled many women readers. When God tells Eve, 'Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you,' Trible sees a patriarchy turning description into prescription. In the original Hebrew, Trible insists, 'it doesn't say he shall rule over you. It just says he does rule over you -- a description of the way things are.' In the ancient cultures where the Bible was formed, men did indeed rule over women. They owned and sold them, often as slaves."

This is interesting, but like so many mass-media accounts of scholarly discussions it leads down paths Trible never intended. Trible isn't suggesting that Adam "does rule over" Eve in the Garden of Eden; she's suggesting that the original author of the Bible verse in question lived in a culture in which male rule over females was so taken for granted that it was presupposed, and that that is reflected in the original text and has been distorted by subsequent translations into English. But the reader who believes in the literal truth of the Bible is going to understand the Trible quote as scholarly support for the idea that even in Paradise the rule of men over women is simply "a description of the way things are" and were.

[Note: The focus of the article isn't clear from the title. The title blurb, however, says "Fueling faith and igniting debate, a new generation of scholars is altering our beliefs about the role of women in the Scriptures." And quite a bit of attention is given to the question of the role of Mary Magdalene. Those who grew up with the phrase "a Magdalene" serving as a polite equivalent for "a prostitute" are being advised to retire that phrase. Easy to state as "historial fact"; hard to accomplish as real-world linguistic effect. For a page of links on Mary Magdalene, go to http://www.magdalene.org/linksgeneral.htm. And see also the opinion piece by Kenneth Woodward titled "God's Woman Trouble: Scholars who explore the role of women in the Bible with a political agenda in mind only hurt their cause," that follows the Kantrowitz article, on page 60. ]

8. From page 8 of the 11/4/03 issue of _Sports Illustrated on Campus_ ("Roadtrip: South Bend, Indiana," by John Walters:

"Here, faith and football are intertwined. Thus the 132-foot-tall mosaic of Christ on the south wall of the Hesburgh Library is known as Touchdown Jesus, and a statue that depicts an Old Testament patriarch... is better known as First Down Moses. ... That confluence of God and gridiron even inspires humor. In the heated era of the 'Catholics vs. Convicts' rivalry with Miami, an annoyed Hurricanes chaplain declared that God doesn't care who wins a football game. 'I don't think God cares who wins, either,' agreed then Fighting Irish coach Lou Holtz. 'But His mother does.' "

Pat Mathews sent me this tribute to the power of the LIFE IS FOOTBALL metaphor, and I'm amazed. I'm not entirely convinced that Coach Holtz intended to be funny, however. Thank you, Pat.

9. Thanks to Ken Rolph for an article on the controversy about the healing effects of prayer titled "Rationality reigns but prayers can still serve a need," by Chris McGillion (_Sydney Morning Herald_ for 3/4/03):

"Prayer, of course, can have other effects, particularly as the practice and understanding of prayer are developed and matured. Prayer encourages an enlargement of one's horizons and an awareness of and empathy with the plight of others. It may have been this that Mahatma Gandhi had in mind when he wrote: 'Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied it is the most potent instrument of action.' ... "

10. Thanks to Frank Nuessel for a copy of "Faith & Healing," by Claudia Kalb, pp. 44-56 of the 11/10/03 issue of _Newsweek_. On page 49:

"Overall, the prayer studies have not shown clear effects, and even religious proponents are skeptical that it can ever -- or should ever -- be tested. So many people already pray for the sick that scientists cannot establish a control group; when the prescription is prayer, patients often get it whether doctors want them to or not. ... And the studies prompt questions that no one, not even the best scientists, will ever be able to answer: Can one extra prayer mean the difference between life and death? Can prayer be dosed, the way medicines are? Does harder prayer mean better treatment by God? In the minds of many, especially theologians, those questions border on the sacreligious."

11. Finally, my thanks to Francine Berger for a copy of "Ageless Comfort," a _Los Angeles Times_ article (no date shown) by K. Connie Kang about the 23rd Psalm. Kang quotes Miriyam Glazer on the line about God setting a table before the psalmist in the presence of his enemies:

"My 'enemies' are all those anxieties, fears, self-doubts, insecurities that overwhelm me. And the image for me is that God -- the benevolent power, the force of divine love -- is offering me always a rich and full table, a table of peace and of spiritual plenty, right in the face of those fears, so that, like little demons, they just flee, just dissolve."

That's an interesting interpretation, for which I'd be delighted to have a supporting argument. It doesn't have the popular appeal of the traditional interpretation grounded in the "spiritual warfare" culture, which goes: "Hey, look! I'm sitting here eating at this table God has prepared for me, right in front of all you enemies, and there's not one thing you can _do_ about it, nyah-nyah-nyah!"

CYBERSPACE

1. From _SoJoMail_ for 12/18/03:

"According to the Washington Post, the Cheney family holiday card this year features this quote from Benjamin Franklin: 'And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?'"

If this is true, and I suppose it must be, I am profoundly shocked. There's no way I could imagine anyone doing that to honor the birthday of the Prince of Peace, not even from an undisclosed location. I suppose the next line will be "Well, we didn't get struck by lightning, so that proves we're right."

2. From _Religion BookLine_ for 10/7/03:

"Reminders of Faith ... will jump into the book business early next year with the first of five planned books dedicated to the art of scrapbooking as a form of spiritual expression. ... Religious scrapbooking -- creating scrapbooks that document spiritual thoughts and beliefs, religious milestones and holiday celebrations -- is big in some faith communities. ... Reminders of Faith will launch its debut book, "Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Journey," [by Sandra Joseph] ... in February 2004. ... Other titles being planned will be about incorporating landscape photos and using hymns and scripture in scrapbooks."

Good. Training wheels!

3. _Religion BookLine_ for 10/21/03 (edited by Jana Riess) had a review of _KILLING THE BUDDHA: A Heretic's Bible_, by Peter Manseau and Jeff Sharlet:

"... [T]ake two religiously flippant intellects and send them on a yearlong road trip to discover the underbelly of America's religious culture. Make sure they mingle with the most wild and weird of holy rollers--a philosophical stripper working out of a converted Baptist church in Nashville, a one-eyed rodeo preacher from the "Cowboy Church" of Texas, a clan of blood-thirsty Jesus freaks in Florida and a cross-dressing terrorist from North Carolina, badly in need of an exorcism. Take all these 'true' stories ... and alternate them with 13 freshly imagined 'books' of the Bible, written by iconic American writers such as Rick Moody, Peter Trachtenberg and Haven Kimmel--and, voila, a heretic's Bible is born. This is perhaps the most original and insightful spiritual writing to come out of America since Jack Kerouac first hit the road."

I haven't read this book yet, and I have no idea whether it lives up to the billing above; I'm not at all sure I'd want it to do so. If you've read it, I'd be grateful for your comments.

4. Thanks to Elizabeth Barrette for alerting me to Wickedness.Net, which isn't what comes immediately to mind at all. Its aims, stated at http://www. wickedness.net/index1.htm, are "to provide a comprehensive forum which is committed to promoting inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary explorations of, and perspectives on evil and wickedness" and to help with research on evil and wickedness. The site has a twice-yearly e-journal called _Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness_; all articles are PDF (which unfortunately gives my elderly browser fits). Among the materials in Volume 1:1: "Three Generations: Middle-Earth, A Galaxy Far Far Away, and Hogwarts," by Laurie Cubbison; "The Origin of Evil: Classical or Judeo-Christian?", by Neil Forsyth; "Forgiving Justice: An Exploration of Spirituality within Criminal Justice," by Tim Newell; media reviews, and book reviews. Volume 1:2 is an issue on "Terrorism and Evil"; it includes "The War on Terrorism," by Noam Chomsky; "Terrorism and Just War Theory," by Scott C. Lowe; "The Nonduality of Good and Evil: Buddhist Reflections on the New Holy War," by David R. Loy; media reviews and book reviews, and more.

5. There's a very interesting (at least it _looks_ interesting) journal online called _The Journal of Communication and Religion_, at http://www.cios.org. Articles listed that caught my eye included, for example, "The 'Wall of Separation' Metaphor in Supreme Court Church-State Decisions," by Haig Bosmajian; "Edification in a Christian Women's Support Group: Toward a Model of Prayer Request Sequences," by David G. Dunning; "Bonhoeffer's Moral Rhetoric of Conditional Peacemaking," by Ronald C. Arnett; and "The Jeremiad in Contemporary Fundamentalism: Jerry Falwell's _Listen America_," all from the 9/85 issue. Unfortunately, my browser won't let me near anything on the website except the Tables of Contents; it must be a subscription-only publication. If any of you have access (or if you have other copies of any of the articles), I'd very much like to see this material.

6. Weblocations to check out: an online version of the book _Essentials of Ramadan, The Fasting Month_, by Tajuddin B. Shu'aibat, at http://www. usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/pillars/fasting/tajuddin/fast_1.html; the Digital Prayer Wheels site at http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/digital-wheels.htm; an article on preaching with parables ("Imitating the Genre of Parable in Today's Pulpit," by Timothy R. Sensing, at http://www. restorationquarterly.org/Volume_033/rq03304sensing.htm.

FROM OTHER MEDIA

1. My thanks to Robert Kingsbury, who sent a DVD titled "An Introduction to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" for the Lovingkindness library. It's especially appropriate for us because the material is presented in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. [No ordering information is provided with the DVD, but it comes from Intellectual Reserve, Inc., and was published in 2001.]

2. I don't know if you're familiar with the company called "Bridge Building Images, Inc." (website at http://www.BridgeBuilding.com); I value them highly for the splendid icons (both traditional and contemporary) they offer, and for the fact that they offer them in formats that an ordinary person can afford to buy. Their most recent brochure has a new icon by Lewis Williams, called "Our Mother of Sorrows," with Mary holding an oval that shows the twin towers of the World Trade Center burning. Here's an excerpt from the description:

"Old Spanish and Mexican images of Our Lady of Sorrows as well as the traditional icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help influenced the conception of this icon. The angels of the Perpetual Help icon... are replaced by the American and United Airlines planes. ... Traditional images of Our Lady of Sorrows depict Mary's heart pierced by swords, symbolic of the seven times her heart was broken by the passion of her Son. Within Mary's embrace the oval which surrounds the World Trade Center symbolizes her sacred heart, but even more so her womb. ... The towers are depicted as they appeared on that bright, sunny morning in early September. The smoke, stylized and sanctified, bears witness to the ultimate sacrifice of so many on September 11."

This is the only religious icon for 9/11 that I've seen; if you know of others, please send the information along.

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