The Beatitudes

hey, i promised myself i wouldn't blog unless i had something worthwhile to write, so i've been gone for a while. i did this project for Understanding the Bible class. The assignment was pretty much to do anything with the Bible. This video is what came out. The song i put in there is The Birth and Death of the Day by Explosions in the Sky.


This is the paper i wrote. Its okay.

The Gospel of Matthew contains a series of discourses given by Jesus. The first of these discourses, and therefore the first in the New Testament, is the Sermon on the Mount, which is documented in the fifth chapter of Matthew. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches a series of beatitudes or blessings. This passage is seen as a representation of the Hellenistic literary genre of the epitome, which is a ‘summary of a teacher's instruction designed to educate and guide disciples” (Theology Today). The Beatitudes play a major role in establishing Jesus’ revolutionary teachings. Up until Jesus’ time, people had lived by the teaching of Deuteronomy and Psalms and believed that wealth was a sign of God’s approval and love and that being poor was punishment from God (Harris), but Jesus came to preach that God is involved in the lives of the poor and suffering, thus instituting a new theology of wealth that included the common man. This serves as the basis for Jesus’ ministry by establishing that He is involved in the lives of the people who are low in earthly standards and that He is a revolutionary teacher who came to fulfill the teachings of the Old Testament. Also, the physical connections between the Sermon on the Mount and Moses receiving the Decalogue at Mt. Sinai suggests that Jesus came to be a strong leader who would give a new Law to the people. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount “presents the origin of the church in the promise and call of Jesus and the use of the Law for the life of the church” (Martin).

Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (New International Version, Matthew 5:3). This is the first of the Beatitudes. Blessed, in the Greek “makarios,” was traditionally associated with outward wealth and was synonymous with “rich.” In most of the beatitudes, and more importantly in this verse, Jesus assigns a new meaning of blessed, one concerned with heavenly wealth instead of earthly wealth and power (Vincent). This is standard in Jesus’ revolutionary teaching.

Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). The Greek term used for “those who mourn” in this verse implies deep mourning that is manifested and “too deep for concealment.” (Vincent) This mirrors the theme later in the Gospels that God is the only way that people can achieve Heaven. Just as God’s comfort is the only way to help this kind of mourning that cannot be concealed, God’s love is the only way that people can conquer sin.

Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). While traditional meekness was seen as outward mild behavior, Jesus’ new definition expresses a more inward meekness based on humility. “The pagan quality is redolent of self-assertion, while the Christian quality carries the flavor of self-abasement” (Mays). The kind of meekness that Jesus discusses here is concerned with being humble towards others, but for the sake of others instead of for one’s own sake.

Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt. 5:6). The Greek word that Jesus uses here for filled is a “strong and graphic” word that originally was used in terms of raising animals. Jesus uses it in terms of “complete satisfaction of spiritual hunger and thirst,” which makes the term lend itself to mean fulfilled rather than filled. (Vincent)

Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7). It is important to understand the two different types of mercy that are mentioned in this verse. Human mercy is the practice of understanding one’s own natural state of sin and suffering and helping others that struggle with this. God’s mercy is the release from our inherent sin and suffering that is only possible through His power.

Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8). This verse addresses the principle that God shows himself to those who are faithful to Him and that if a person is pure in heart and is patient with God, He will reveal his will and plan to them.

Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). This is a controversial verse that has been used as the basis for many Christian pacifist theologies. The verse suggests three different kinds of peace: inward peace, peace between man and God, and peace within mankind. These three types of peace are interconnected in that one must be at peace with God to be able to practice peace towards one’s self and towards others. This verse suggests a peace and love that imitates God’s love of man that is the only why that man can truly be at peace with himself and with others (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). This verse glorifies martyrs on all scales, no matter if they are ignored, insulted, or executed. This concept is important in Jesus’ own ministry in that the Pharisees would often denounce him, and He knew that his disciples would face verbal persecution long after his death.

As Jesus’ first major discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, and especially the Beatitudes, establishes the basis of Jesus’ teachings and two of the major themes in the book of Matthew. Jesus preaches on higher righteousness in his teachings on how to live and also preaches that He is the radical fulfillment of the Law of the Old Testament. He teaches that that the standards of the earthly kingdom and the that of the kingdom of heaven are not necessarily what the Pharisee’s thought they were and that there is hope for the seemingly hopeless: that their reward will be great in heaven.


That's it. Please excuse the citations, it was a research paper.

I'm going to play Rock Band. then go to bed. then go to class. then go home. HOME. the woodlands. we'll see what happens there.

I'm here.

So I am now living in Nashville, going to Belmont University.

It's really all I could have asked for. I've been playing some great music with some great people. Everything else is going great as well.

This post is short and brief and informative. Lame. There's really nothing to say here now. Just know that not posting means there is nothing worthwhile for you to read. I'm taking a seminar on Confronting Genocide so expect some meaty stuff in the near future.

As for now, I'm going to go chill with my friends the Pembroke Ants. They're ants... and they're everywhere.

-Stephen

p.s. I really do intend to extend on my last post, just gotta get some time.

"God can't do anything about what man is going to do to your father."

i'm just banking this quote here until i have time to write on it. Hopefully it will be a worthwhile entry.

Ben Folds on Pop Music

hen i saw ben folds the other day, he opened up his cover of dr. dre with this bit about how if you have a good pop melody, no one will pay attention to the lyrics and people will love it and buy it all over the place.

PROOF:

Eisley's Brightly Wound

It's happening all the time
When I open my eyes
I'm still taken by surprise
I hold sunlight and swallow fireflies
And it makes me want to cry

I love you

I shall never grow up
Make believe is much too fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow

We were walking there
And I had tangles in my hair
But you make me feel so pretty
You have shining eyes
Yes like those forest lights
And it makes me want to cry

I am just wishing you were there
So we could walk down to the stream
And we would throw all our leaves in
Seeing our dragon when we look

I love you

I shall never grow up
Make believe is much too fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow

I shall never grow up
Make believe is much too fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow
This place is so lovely
It kind of makes me very happy
Let's go far away to the humming meadow

To the humming meadow

To the humming meadow




i don't even have to do any explaining on this one. and its even worse because i loved this album at first. the thing that stands out to me on this song is the frequent use of SHALL (its even worse in One Day I Slowly Floated Away). seriously eisley. no one says shall.

PROOF #2

Interpol
Obstacle 1

Her stories are boring and stuff.
She's always calling my bluff.

i won't even bother with the rest of the song


PROOF #3

Interpol
Leif Erikson

Well then hook me up and throw me, baby cakes, cuz I like to get hooked.
...
She says brief things, her love's a pony
My love's subliminal

SERIOUSLY!? if you've never heard this album (turn on the bright lights) you need to check it out. its the craziest proof of this weird phenomenon. the music is freaking fantastic and the lyrics are incredibly awful, but it still comes off as a great album

i know what some one out there (if anyone reads this) is thinking... "Stephen you're such a music snob and you just talk crap about these bands b/c they 'got big' after you started listening to them."

well that would be wrong. The thing is... i enjoy these songs. I listen to eisley every once in a while (their first two EPs really are better in every way than Room Noises) and i listen to Interpol a good bit.

its the same thing going on in these songs as in ben folds' cover of bitches ain't shit. its just good music drowning out awful lyrics in your brain.

i guess what i'm getting at here is that there is an incredibly vague line between music writing and song writing that creates really great music.

i'm going to go read High Fidelity.

fin.

Effects of the Market Revolution on American Religion and The Second Great Awakening.

the following is an essay i recently wrote for my US History class.

i wrote this in about 50 minutes, with no actual written prep or studying. just all stuff i knew or remembered from my (amazing) professor's lecture.

its basically just factual; i think it is pretty interesting.

disclaimer: if you're not a big fan of theology or what not, i would reccomend not bothering with this.

so hear you go...

The Market Revolution brought about huge changes in the American economy, as well as in American religion. Common theology was recolutionized by changes in popular eschatology and soteriology, and most people understood and accepted different outlooks based on their social and economic status.

The two major views of eschatology during the Market Revolution were premillennialism and postmillennialism. Premillennialism is the belief that the end times will be much like the Revelation of John and that a violent apocalypse will occur before the thousand years when God would reign over the earth. Most people who subscribed to this theory were of the lower and working classes that were bitter towards the upper classes and anticipated an end in which those who treasured their money would meet a violent end and, as Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount, the meek would inherit the earth for a thousand years.

Postmillennialism was the belief that, through hard work and increased economic progress, the world would gradually enter into the millennium of God's reign free of any violent apocalypse. Most people who subscribed to this theory were of the upper class, and they foresaw their wealth benefiting themselves and the rest of the world until the end of time.

One important figure in this Second Great Awakening was Charles Grandison Finney. He was a postmillinnialist who believed that wealth was no hindrance to a Christian lif, and that as long as it was used to build up the kingdom of God, it was a perfectly good thing. Finney was a pioneer in the modern upper-middle class evangelical "wealth is good" style, evident in many Houston area preachers such as Kerry Shook and Joel Olstein (as a side note: of course ED). Upper class postmillennialists were drawn to Finney's theology because they wanted to keep their wealth.

Many changes in soteriology came about in the growing democratic sects that vered away from traditional Calvinist predestination. Antonomianism, the concept of personal acceptance of God (more or less), was widely accepted by many sects that liked the idea of being able to choose God, rather than be chosen by God. This ability to choose God is directly tied to the spreading right to vote for President in the political world. Democracy spread to many different aspects of the church. For instance, Mormons opened the priesthood to all members of the church, and Methodists chose their preachers by charisma and public speaking skills. The outlooks of most members of these sects differ based on their location. Most people in the cities favored the Market Revolution and embraced postmillennial aschatology, while most people in rural areas were opposed to the market Revolution and embraced premillennial eschatology.

Advances made in the Market Revolution greatly impacted the Second Great Awakening. many of the new views of this era have survived the test of time, and will most likely survive long into the future. These changes show the direct tie between the way a person thinks and the context of his social, economic, and political world.


well thats it.
it's probably riddled with spelling mistakes, seeing as i transcribed it from the the written version.

i'd like to hear if you've got questions/comments/arguments/etc.

Thanks.
-Stephen

yep.

its hard for me to start blogging again. i'm trying.

however, there's really nothing worth saying now.

Spring Break

I went to Prague, Czech Republic with 14 of my favorite people in the world.

The city is beyond beautiful. Places that old and amazing make me so discouraged to come back to The Woodlands.

I won't bother explaining what we did because anyone who reads this probably already knows. If you don't know just ask me.

The trip completely changed my outlook on missions. I had this feeling in the back of my mind when we were preparing that if there were no on-the-spot conversions then I would leave feeling a little bit like we hadn't really done what we came to do. This was definitely not the case. Our work was to, pardon the awful phrase but, "plant the seed." We got these kids thinking. Some of them had never met Americans or Christians before. When we went into their schools and their pubs with the sole aim of making friendships and conversation, I think that we completely changed their view of what Christianity is. Even though we didn't get people to immediately commit their lives to being a disciple of Christ, we got them talking about God and about the church (to them, the catholic church is the only church they know).

There were definitely a few setbacks though. The language barrier wasn't huge but sometimes it was hard to simplify what we wanted to say. Personally, I found myself talking about subjects that I realized about half way through the conversation were completely over their heads (i.e. shane claiborne/mewithoutYou/philly people, the magesterium).

I walk away from every mission trip that I go on with the same thought... how can I be a missionary in my life, in my surroundings? This trip helped me with this so much. Since I got back, I've been more open with people, and it's been a lot easier for me to bring up religious subjects in conversation.

Not only did we plant the seed (again sorry.) with the Czech kids, but we stirred up so much within ourselves that we didn't even know was there. I loved it. I was learning more and more about Prague, its people, and myself everyday. I would've stayed another month if I had the chance. This was the first mission trip that I haven't been even just a bit relieved to come home from.

If you'd like to see our pictures, go to http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s303/twumcprague/

One of my new Czech friends, Roman, summed it up very nicely (despite a few grammar/spelling errors of course)... "For everyone of us, was your visitation wery excited, and it was very good esperience. It was a nice time"chill" with."