Theology For The Church

Theology For The Church consists of essays by different theologians on the various aspects of Christianity. Some of the contributors, like Malcolm Yarnell, discuss the conflict over the acceptance of the Holy Spirit. While some view the idea of speaking in tongues to be perverse and bizarre, others consider it a major sign of devotion.  Yarnell includes evidence from early Chirtians, like Gregory of Nazianzus, who contemplated whether or not the Creator had told us everything about the Holy Spirit. Then he gives evidence from the Old Testament, where we see the word ruach, which literally means “wind,” but is also taken to be the Creator giving someone his presence.

R. Stanton Norman is another contributor to this book, and he uses the film The Village to illustrate his take on sinful nature. The elders succeed in creating a utopia that’s free of outside evils, they can’t free it from internal evils. Try as they might, they can’t suppress human nature in their children. The movie reminded me somewhat of The Giver by Lois Lowry, where a boy in a similar utopia learns about the real world.

Norman also discusses how the word “porno” comes from the Greek “porneria,” meaning corruption or depravity. The bible distinguishes the simple mistakes versus the people that seek to corrupt others and lead them astray, akin to the venial sin versus the mortal sin. He mentions the Hebrew word “shogeg’ which is used to describe an accidental or impulsive transgression. It was originally used to refer to straying sheep, which may account for its use in describing errors. But on the opposite of “shogeg” is the word “mezid,” which the Jewish scholar use to describe deliberate acts, where you know it’s wrong. There is much discussion in the Talmud on which transgressions are shogeg or mezid, and what the penalties are for each one.