Progress Heroics

December 15, 2019

Year 4, Day 349 | No Comments

Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

Whatever human theme we choose, of substance, there needs to be explanation about what is meant, what is included, perhaps what is excluded in the discussion to understanding. For Christians there needs to be understanding what is heroic to society and what is heroic to God. It may even include contradiction within and between secular and spiritual contexts. What is heroic to this person is folly to another. In general terms, nearly everyone agrees that beliefs and/or acts are heroic if they entail sufficiently large risk to the persons engaged of their own free will, or giving good report of any engagement forced on them. The real heroes of society and God are those who give themselves, without self-interests as… Read more

Beliefs and Feelings

November 21, 2019

Year 4, Day 325 | No Comments

Section of The Descent from the Cross, Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1435

This Page goes behind the evidence, behind the actions. We want to address reality, and we would like to find a modus operandi that grows out of the discussion of the stew of man’s making in local and national politics in 2012. At this writing we have just concluded a long period of political maneuvering, debate advertising, distortion and some truth related to the election of the President of the United States and numerous other candidates across the nation. The result of the election is that Barack Obama was reelected President, and the Congress was elected with incumbents and new candidates making up much the same pattern that has stalled virtually all legislation of import for at least two years. … Read more

Life, Media, Truth

November 7, 2019

Year 4, Day 311 | No Comments

Section of Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Benedetto Luti, 1715-20

It is not likely that we carry over to daily life what history has taught us about the influence of the means of learning. We tend to accept what society gives us so to form us personally rather than the reverse – giving to society what it needs to teach for the improvement of our lives. Our experience is more persuasive than the classroom. Everything about us teaches us. We need, somehow, to hook everything up for good. For several generations in the forming of America the elementary level of education was largely influenced by the McGUFFEY READERS. Youngsters brought up on them lived to praise their value both as a learning tool for language, and for values in life. … Read more

Encountering Fads

August 28, 2019

Year 4, Day 240 | No Comments

Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

Human beings are rather easily bored, and they tend to counter that unwanted context in various ways, some helpful and some seriously damaging to self and society. Many fads are harmless carrying little meaning, while others hang on for decades changing in this or that emphasis as may be dictated by business value, celebrity accent, or even an important value orientation that becomes a part of a culture – lifting or diminishing persons and cultures. A fad refers to a fashion. When the trial period (fad) is over, and the factor is adopted by a significant number of persons it becomes a fashion (some factors are dropped and others retained). When the fashion period passes and there is residue, the… Read more

Higher Education

August 26, 2019

Year 4, Day 238 | No Comments

Should every person, qualifying for entry in an educational institution, actually matriculate? To answer the question I believe the individual student needs an individual answer based on an interview of the student with an objective representative of society. Then the prospective student ought to be entered into a short preregistration period of orientation (preparation) of the meaning of education and training as relates generally to higher education in general, and relating to the projections of the particular institution with this student. This goes beyond the standard orientation programs I have known. The benefit of such a program serves well the student and the institution, and mayassure better results for both than now attends. For the student, the cost in funding,… Read more

Increments

July 17, 2019

Year 4, Day 198 | No Comments

Section of Christ and the Adulteress, Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop, ca. 1545–50

We must remember that change is inevitable, dictated by many factors important to life related more to the ever-changing flow of water over the same terrain. It is more forceful than the hardness of metal in the many contexts where hardness of metal is vital to meaning where it is found. We need to choose our life parables and keep them consistent. We study the context for analogies, and study parables to understand contexts. This understanding is vital to a proper interpretation of Scripture and other literature significant to our understanding of life and meaning. The stream of serious literature informs us about life and has within it the implications of life, even when change has directed the stream to… Read more

Christianized

July 16, 2019

Year 4, Day 197 | No Comments

Section of Adoration of the Magi, artist unknown

In the Freshman Series of these Pages, the word Christianized was used. I use it to relate to forms of Christianity. Some are good in contexts, serving people well in nature’s reality. When serious and sincere they are attempts to mimic Christ, life and/or culture, to the degree assumed. In this sense it takes advantage of the higher level of common grace than strict humanism affords, and permitted of God. The analysis of the approach is clearest in relating to values. The culture of the context may be identified as righteous as far as persons can invoke righteousness (right) on their own. There are broad passages in Scripture that appear to permit this for those who wish to find values,… Read more

Little Things

May 6, 2019

Year 4, Day 126 | No Comments

Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

During my professional years I thought of my time as fruit in a basket. The basket, no matter how large or small, could only contain what its volume indicated. I did not want it to be less than full, nor did I want it to spill over and be lost. The concept was an important control for my life. I might be asked to include this or that, to do this or that, and I would either say yes or no – depending upon what the basket would hold. The negative response did not mean the request was unworthy, but that I could not do it justice in point of available hours, or ability to perform. A new commitment could… Read more

Parable

March 29, 2019

Year 4, Day 88 | No Comments

Christians need to be clear and convinced that both the necessary and unnecessary changes in society are not commonly understood, sometimes not perceived, and are often contradictory. Christian values separated from personal faith are applicable in any situation, spiritual or secular, but the attitudes of government and education may move away from openly supporting the corporation of values found in the Christian context. Moses discovered and taught that divine faith and practical humanism were friends. The New Testament authors followed accordingly. Modern society seems to assume that religion is not a friend so much as a pleasant dream or fantasy so to aid the weak of society to function in reality. Religion that is personal in faith, rather than appeal… Read more

Holistic Christianity

February 27, 2019

Year 4, Day 58 | No Comments

Christianity is first and primarily the offer of God, through Jesus Christ, to provide redemption to mankind. That adoption is necessary because human imperfection (identified as sin, faulty, immoral, etc.) demands repair if the individual desires to be included as a child of God in the spiritual (immortal) meaning identified beyond the natural (mortal) creation. God’s redemptive meaning spiritually proceeds beyond the natural creation, whereas God’s physical creation does not require spiritual identity in nature’s life – as the animals do not hold spiritual inheritance. The concept is summarized in that human beings belong to God by his creative gesture, but unacceptable for immortal relationship with God. In the acceptance of the redemptive plan of God, the human individual is… Read more

Category Archive: Values