Small Talk (45)

aphorisms and short reflections

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the temporal gap between the Old and New Testaments is the time it took for Yahweh to become incarnate









the sacrifice of Isaac was a test of obedience. Abraham failed, because he obeyed what was obviously an immoral and even nonsensical request, given all that had come before. the proof is that neither Abraham nor Isaac could become the fathers of the chosen people. only Jacob, because he was not blindly obedient, but rather wrestled with God.











from Isaac's sacrifice to the parable of the Good Samaritan, the history of Christian exegesis seems to be about safeguarding abstract premises (omniscience and equality, in these two cases, but many others as well) and ignoring the obvious and moral explanations.











living is no laughing matter, and dying is no weeping spirit. yet i laugh and i weep. but mostly laugh.











the classic professions of faith now mainly exist to prevent the recreations of faith










before i started dating my wife i used to sleep without a pillow. the right woman is a civilizing force.












the reason so many lose the plot is that they do not understand the characters. the other reason is they do not know they are coauthors.











if you're quick to judge, be quicker











etymologically speaking the nativity of Jesus is pagan.











i remember the day before like it was yesterday











on our walks along the river, we keep finding signs of otter activity (mostly poop and half eaten crawfish) but no otters. the west has fallen.











sinking and landing are easy. going with the flow is difficult.










heaven is on earth, they say when the world is upside down.







turn the other cheek, sure. but remember God gave you four.









if you immerse yourself in a book or a project or a person, those are baptisms too.








if you want to know what this mortal life is for, consider the meaning of the expression 'fleshing things out'.










one objection to the idea that God is human is: how then is He God, and we are not. they might as well ask why some humans are beautiful, intelligent and artful and others ugly, stupid and useless. classical metaphysics is egalitarianism in disguise, and its transcendence is a cop out.

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