Comments on: Icebergs, Onions and Why You’re Not As Simple As You Think

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:34:00 +0000

Amen. The only “being” I am capable of “being” is a human being.
Once I accepted this I stopped being a “humaphobe”

By: ron

ron — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:53:04 +0000

Once you start peeling that “onion” of your life the tears start to flow; tears of despair, tears of joy, and tears of hope.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:20:35 +0000

Icebergs and Onions?

Anything like “Bullfrogs and Butterflies”? (hee hee hee)

By: chad

chad — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:28:34 +0000

Michael,

Thanks for always being vulnerable. I agree wholeheartedly with you. Growing up it was always “The Bible says it, and that finishes it”. This also seems to be part of the argument against education in some fundamentalist churches.

More and more I look at what really has an effect on the church’s theology and I really think that the best place for us to see our theology in action is by the songs we sing together. These devotional practices are what formed the church that wrote the canon. It is possible for us to be passionate about the word of God, and not buy into some of the more close-minded thought that has surrounded evangelical faith in the last 50 years.

By: MC

MC — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:12:30 +0000

IMonk,
Thanks for the transparency and personal observation/insight! I must confess that I have to spend more time than I would like to admit on forgiveness/critical spirit issues toward people who bring their onion/iceberg to the Bible and demand that it be normative for the rest of us. I’m so glad God did not deny the “onion factor” in the gospel writers, but drew upon their unique perspective, personalities and insight for His glory. I think God likes onions and while being peeled involves some painful work at times, it’s really cool to see what He is shaping on this incredible journey.

A Fellow Onion

By: Raffi Shahinian

Raffi Shahinian — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:03:52 +0000

Michael:

Great post; profoundly true. I wonder if this would help garner some insight on the mystery of who we are, what we do, and why we do it:

Something to think about.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi Shahinian
Parables of a Prodigal World

By: Andy Wood

Andy Wood — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:11:50 +0000

Beautifully written and (as always) thoughtfully expressed.

You have drawn a fascinating contrast between “reading the Bible,” assuming we’re “all that,” and letting the Bible (and the Spirit) read you. One is a spiritual wallflower. The other is wonderfully alive as it is informed by scripture, the Holy Spirit, thoughtful interaction with others, and honest reflection.

Peel that onion!

By: Pastor M

Pastor M — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:41:33 +0000

You have revealed what I see to be a major problem with much of what passes for Christianity today. Yes, it is extremely simple on one hand, but in that simplicity complexity resides, as it does in each of us. Yet we continue to see and hear advice such as just pray the so-called “sinner’s prayer,” and you’re on your way to heaven as if that’s all there is to it. Following Jesus has become a journey/pilgrimage/path for me, too. Along the way, people such as Bob that you mention, and others that I could mention, and Henry Walters who affected both us, do help us see ourselves, others, the world, the Bible, and Jesus better. As Paul said, “For nw we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

By: Tyler Wigg-Stevenson

Tyler Wigg-Stevenson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:29:43 +0000

I continue to appreciate your writings, Michael, and this post was no exception. Most of the written word on the internet depresses me. The persistently generous spirit on your blog is an unfortunately rare gem.

You may well have already read it, but George Marsden’s _Fundamentalism and American Culture_ has some really interesting insights into the historical roots of the strand of thinking that leads to claims like, “My theology is simply what I read in my Bible.” He traces this particularly American form of Christian thought back to Scottish Common Sense philosophy. I’d do it an injustice if I tried to summarize it; you (or your readers) might check it out if you’re interested: it’s a slim book and well, well worth a look.

I don’t know how to embed links in this kind of thing (because of the aforementioned depressiveness I rarely comment on blogs!) so I put the Amazon link for Marsden’s book as my website.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:18:26 +0000

Amen! What you just said has been one of the truest things I’ve learned. I am an onion, and the work of the Spirit is to peel away the layers of my soul. This also reminds me of Calvin’s double knowledge–knowledge of God and the self. The two are intertwined, and we can never truly know one without the other. Greater knowledge of myself has always led me to deeper knowledge and experience of God. As I’ve become open to the fact that I do have an unconscious world, there has been much more honesty in my spiritual life.