James on postmodernity
Day three and I'm still blogging.... I just might keep this up!
So this morning I returned to James 1:2 for the second installment in my study, and today I was struck by Manton's analysis of the phrase "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Manton finds it significant the we define the meaning of our trials. He quotes Seneca who said, "our grief lies in our own opinion and apprehension of miseries." Manton claims that "spiritual things are worthy in themselves" (e.g. absolutes), while "other things depend upon our opinion or valuation of them" (e.g. relatives, although I don't like this term so I will call these concepts "negotiable"). Manton argues that James places trials in the category of negotiable meaning. "In this lies our misery or comfort; things are as you consider them."
Some members of the church seem to be uneasy with contemporary culture because of its willingness to negotiate meanings. There seems to be a fluidity of values--too much ambivalence toward structure and significance. But perhaps the church can learn from the present culture in order to transform its attitude toward trials. Could the powerful notion of negotiation with which the postmodern culture has questioned the foundations of the church also be useful in challenging the foundations of sin, misery, and suffering as well?
I'm not sure, but I'm trying to wrap my mind around this possibility. Any ideas? Leave a comment.
Also, I think we should be aware of the different kinds of trials we face. There seems to be a difference between suffering/struggles from acts of providence and persecution and suffering/struggles due to our sin and deficiencies. But Manton contends that James views them all as the same because he refers to "trials of many kinds." More on this later....
What do you mean by foundations of sin, misery and suffering? Do you mean something close to the origin or cause of these things? I think the church should welcome new thoughts and ways of perceiving spiritual truth. If we aren't open, people won't be honest and there won't be any real communication happening. Then how can we hope to share our faith or have any real fellowship with others?
Hey Mom! You win the award for the first comment! I guess what I meant by "foundations of sin" was the basis or ground in which it is rooted. I know from my own experience that I often sin because I'm trying to avoid pain. I begin to rely on my own wisdom because I think I can save myself from daily trials. Sometimes I fail to consider God's plans because they seem difficult or painful. But if we could learn to accept pain and suffering, then we might cut out some of pain we pile on ourselves through the sin of trying to save ourselves from our trials.
This is an incomplete picture, but I think it will develop as I continue through the book.
I think pain and suffering is unnecessary most of the time. Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30. When we get yoked with Jesus it doesn't sound so miserable! Misery comes when we are doing something by ourselves. When things get too hard, I think we need to really consider if we are in tune with God's plan and God's work. Maybe we should be doing something else or asking God for more help/discipline,etc.
I agree that pain is unnecessary most of the time. Today, I finished rereading [The Magician's Nephew], by C.S. Lewis and there is a perfect example in the final chapters. The witch tries to convince Digory to give the fruit of life to his dying mother rather than fullfill his duty to Aslan (God). By chosing to serve Aslan first, Digory accepts pain born of fear of his mother's coming death. His submission allows Aslan to bless him and his mother in a way that is greater than the promise of life from the fruit itself. But I think Digory finds the choice difficult because he doesn't fully view his duty as "pure joy" as James encourages us. Plus, it is his distrust of Aslan's plan for his mother that stirs up his fear and makes his service to Aslan a painful trial. So there's enough multiple levels of causation to make Ken Jennings' head spin off! Even when our yolk is easier because we can depend on the strength of Jesus, it is still a yolk, partly because we must choose to consider the load we share with Christ either a burden or a privledge. The good news is that if we see God's love for us, as Digory sees in Aslan's tears for his mother, we can gain trust, accept our yolk with Christ, and learn to consider trials as sources of joy.