They got to open some presents on Christmas Eve
They got the matching penguin pajamas. Ahni tried to escape the cute picture
A fresh coconut to drink before Christmas dinner
Time for a swim and for more play with the new toys
More presents to open
Fresh coconuts and homemade cheesecake
Finished off with dinner and games
I 
It was fun to have the 5 grands together at our house. Mike and and his family have moved into our house while Matt and his family are here
A beach trip was one of the first items on the agenda. This is why Guam is a popular tourist spot this time of year.
We made a trip to Jamaican Grille, Matt’s favorite restaurant here
And then on to a Guam Territorial Band Christmas concert at a local hotel
And then over to the model train display at the Hilton
And a visit to Chamorro Village on Wednesday night with a carabao ride
PIU faculty member M. James Sawyer has recently published his book, A World Split Apart: Dualism in Western Culture and Theology, on Kindle. As promised, we are discussing this book here and on my Facebook page (easier to manage comments there). The first half of the book discussion was posted last Sunday with the second half here. You can pick up Jim’s book for $2.99 at Amazon here and read it on your Kindle or computer. You can then join the discussion. Today I am looking at the rest of the book (17-34 in my copy) which continues from the discussion about Augustine through some application of Jim’s main point.
Jim continues with a discussion of the influence of Augustine and dualism on Western theology. Of course the key figure here is Thomas Aquinas who saw “a full-blown conceptual divide which sought the essence of God behind the Trinitarian Persons” which resulted in a “abstract and philosophical discussions about God that have virtually nothing to do with salvation history.” (18)
(Thomism) rescued theology from the otherworldliness of the Augustinian Synthesis and gave it a more earthly focus. At the same time, however, it introduced a rationalism which was in turn characterized by a dualism between natural and supernatural knowledge.
This also had a great effect on Reformation scholars…
What emerged through the Reformation was again a theology conceived and built on Augustinian-Neoplatonic dualistic categories, woven together with a Protestant reading of Scripture.
The next development in this dualistic epistemology was the application of Isaac Newton’s scientific dualism, which “posited a massive disjuncture between absolute time and space ,”gave rise to deism” and “bore the fruit of a mechanistic universe totally determined by natural law,” to philosophy in Immanuel Kant’s phenomenalism. Kant “drove a wedge between science and faith, separating them into two separate realms.”
To this day Kantian phenomenalism pervades Western culture. We see it not only in biblical and theological studies but also in the cultural insistence that faith belongs in the private and spiritual realm, the realm of the non-empirical and therefore irrational. 22
However
“Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity showed the fallacy of Newton’s distinction between absolute time and space and relative time and space. Einstein showed that the only absolute physical constant or value in the universe is the speed of light. In fact, physicists have observed that light occupies a unique metaphysical place in the universe. This has in turn shown that the universe is contingent and open rather than necessary and closed.”
This shows that the way to understand reality is not that there are “two unrelated and irreconcilable realms, … the natural and the supernatural, eternally opposed to one another; there is only one.” This has always been the biblical perspective…
Cosmic reconciliation of these two realms, the natural and the supernatural, is at the heart of Christian theology, and is portrayed vividly in the descent of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21–22.
Though our sensory information is incomplete (and our revelatory information as well) we must have one basic approach for all of our thinking. God the Trinity is fundamentally relational and his observable universe reflects this. Thus,
We cannot maintain that there are two separate realms, “science” and “faith,” which are separated by walls and cannot be touched by one another. 26
Neither can we pit science against the Bible as is done by virtually all fundamentalists and a large majority of evangelicals, who read the surface of Scripture without delving into its deep structure. 26
As Athanasius observed, God can be apprehended but not comprehended; i.e., we can have a glimpse of the eternal inner being of God as Trinity. That glimpse comes through Jesus and his relationship with the Father. We as finite and fallen human beings cannot grasp the being of God in the intimate fullness of his eternal glory, but we can know God truly as he is in himself. 27
The application is that the Trinity must be the “starting point of all theological understanding.” God in relationship and connected to his created world must be the “ground and grammar” of all theology. Secondly, because this Trinitarian God is ultimately revealed in the person of Jesus Christ he must be the center of all theology. All of our thinking should be an outgrowth of this.
It is not dualism and separation that characterizes reality but interconnectedness, from the quanta at the most basic level of existence up through the complex and stratified systems that characterize the cosmos. This holism is not just physical—it extends to the spiritual. Rather than humanity and God being separated, with humanity struggling to get to God, humanity and God are now in union with one another through the incarnation of the eternal Logos, Jesus Christ. He is the integration point of reality. 29
It is interesting to me that while the world has been moving away from this modernistic, dualist, enlightenment epistemology, much of the American church has not only continued to embrace it, but insists that it is the only way to think about “the faith once delivered to the saints.” Dr. Sawyer has done us a great service to point out the fallacies of this type of thinking.
Chapter 9 of Goldingay’s, Old Testament Theology, volume 1, Israel’s Gospel is entitled God Wrestled: From Solomon to the Exile. It takes us through, mainly, Kings and Chronicles although it also brings in something from the 
"Israel" designates a body with which "God struggles." and God does so especially during Israel's time as a state... Yhwh is wrestling to be recognized as the one true God, lord in the realm of religion and politics, work and family life, social life and personal life. It is a rather unpostmodern claim. 613
The first section, Where Yhwh is Active, describe God’s quest to be recognized by the people as the One True God to whom all worship and loyalty is directed. The prophets, kings, temple and religious regulations were all designed to build on the law of Moses to teach this. All the prophets agreed with Elijah that there could be no compromise on this issue if Israel was to remain as a chosen nation. Yhwh was the real king who cared for his people and would lead them so that he would rule over all the nations.
So what is the difference between Yhwh and El, Baal and other gods? One difference is that Yhwh is one, whereas it is intrinsic to Canaanite theology that there are a number of gods, with some ranking between them but no totally stable pecking order...Thus, when it applies "elohim" to beings other than Yhwh, these are subordinate entities whom we might term heavenly beings rather than divinities. Yhwh has an unqualified supreme position in relation to them. Yhwh's power cannot be overcome. Yhwh's sphere of activity covers all reality; divine activity in the world is not divided among various powers. 617
No doubt the average Israelite, like the average Christian, thought of God as a supermale, and the fact that in Hebrew as in English the masculine gender is the default gender will have encouraged this...Yhwh has female as well as male characteristics. Yhwh gives birth, nurses and comforts like a mother. The combination of male and female ways of speaking would encourage Israel to think of Yhwh without gender, unlike El or Athirat who belong to one sex or the other. 618
Corresponding to Yhwh's being the one God is the expectation that Israel should give an exclusive commitment to Yhwh, like that involved in marriage to one person. 624
This three-sided covenant is an extraordinary and creative innovation. The people make a commitment to the king, but the king also makes a commitment to them - and to Yhwh. The arrangement perhaps implies that the people stand in covenant-like relationship with one another. Priests mediate the covenant but are not party to it. The three-way covenant provides a suggestive model for the life of communities. 626
The 3rd section, How Yhwh Reacts, discusses how God responds to this lack of exclusive commitment. His actions are quite complex and do not always appear to be consistent to the people involved. Sometimes God acts as an angry, jilted husband. But there is always the possibility of forgiveness because of His continued commitment to the covenant. Even God’s rejection of his people is tempered by grace, pity, patience and mercy. But, sometimes even the mercy runs out and Israel experiences his burning anger in defeat and exile. Even then, the purpose is to purify.
The Sinai story promises that Yhwh's stance in relation to Israel is dominated by mercy rather than punishment. Jonah's story presupposes that Yhwh takes the same stance in relation to the archetypal foreign oppressor as to Israel. It shows that there is no sin that cannot be forgiven. 638
We might analyze the problem of Judah in terms of structural sin. Wrongful attitudes and practices in the realms of power and religion are embedded in the society in ways that go beyond what an individual king or prophet can change. The structures themselves have to be demolished in order to build new ones. 642
The stories (Kings) offer a range of insights on possible interpretations of events, but rule out any inference that they offer formulas by means of which history can be infallibly explained or the outcome of events be predicted. The serendipity of human and divine freedom plays a role in events. Alongside that, Chronicles safeguards against the possible inference that Yhwh is not really involved in events in a fair way and assures readers that Yhwh behaves in a way that is honorable and trustworthy, and it challenges every generation to assume it has responsibility for its destiny. 643
God exercises sovereignty in letting humanity in general and Israel in particular have their own sovereignty whether or not they exercise it God's way. God thus accepts human frustration of the divine purpose and accepts being shoved out of the world... God thereby pays the price for humanity's willfulness in order to bring it to an end. That is the First Testament story, finding its logical conclusion at the cross (Rom. 3.21-26), though God still waits for the world and God's own people to respond. 648
The fifth section, How Yhwh Works, explores the different ways God acts in the lives of people in the stories in Kings and Chronicles. He may use natural or human processes to accomplish his purpose. He may be working “behind the scenes” to move pagan kings and nations to bless or discipline his people. He sends prophets, often with seemingly crazy messages or missions to warn Israel. He often works through “chance” events, the supernatural, miraculous means (death of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers) and violent human or natural events. Again, there is no formula for this.
Yhwh works by direct action, uses heavenly forces, speaks via prophets, inspires human decision making, makes independent human decisions work to this end, harnesses "chance" events and utilizes the "natural" way human decisions can have an outworking beyond their original context. The narrative gives people the opportunity to take the marks of God's footsteps traced in this story as an aid to seeing what God may be doing in their day. 648
Each time the narrative knows there is more involved in the battle than meets the eye, but it does not pretend to know precisely how things work - which is noteworthy because in other connections Chronicles is confident in knowing how Yhwh works. 656
The story continues to illustrate how a position of leadership can destroy a person who might well have lived in trust and commitment if he had not been a leader. It is frightening to find yourself in a position of leadership. This imposes overwhelming religious and moral demands. 658
The attempt by the elites in power in Israel and Judah to safeguard this power by skillful maneuvering between the great powers of their time and if possible even exploiting them thus proved quite ruinous. It led not only to an undermining of political morality but also to immense burdens for the population in the wake of wars. 665
The consequences of having no central government were horrendous, but monarchy is as fundamentally flawed. 668
The next three sections discuss the key role of the prophets. Section 7 sees the Prophets as Men of God. These strange men brought attention to the word of God and provided God’s critique of society and revelation of his plan. They tended to withdraw from society and were seen as powerful men who had been with God and were sent by him. In some ways, when they acted God acted. Once a prophet was shown to be from God he spoke with the authority of God.
A man of God (in Kings) is an austere and frightening figure with mysterious powers. He is one who utters words of fearful significance that may be followed by signs that can be both destructive and constructive, someone who can control the weather, cause healing or illness, bring death and restore life, multiply food, part rivers, call down fire, purify water and see things happen far away. 671
These men of God come on the scene with the advent of the monarchy...(and) represent an incursion of destructive and frightening divine power set over against the destructive and frightening power exercised by the kings. Yhwh is involved in a struggle for the life and soul of Israel and will continue this struggle for three centuries or so before recognizing defeat and giving up. 677
Section 8 discusses the Prophets as Seers and Sentinels. This focuses on the prophets’ role to announce (warn) people about what God intends to do. God gives them supernatural capacity to see things about God or about the world around them. They are then given the “word of God” announce Yhwh’s intention. Mainly this involves warning about coming danger and urging repentance.
A prophet's task is to admonish the people or testify against them...Their task is to point out the wrong the people have done and to urge them to turn from their wrong ways and to Yhwh. So the point about prophecy is not to declare an inevitable fate but to turn people round so that warnings need not come about. 683
The prophet's authority and power depends on their being able to carry conviction with people, by their words and/or their acts. Generally they fail. Their exercise of religious and moral power is ineffective. They do not get people to follow them. So it is by means of them that Yhwh puts into effect the intention to destroy Samaria and Jerusalem. And at the same time the fall of Samaria and the fall of Jerusalem issue from their failure. But the survival and renewal of the community is also a fruit of their work. 685
The ninth section focuses on the prophet’s role from the kings’ perspective: Prophets as Troublemakers. Prophets are servants of the king, but, even more so, servants of Yhwh. Thus they often had to speak negative truth to those in power. As aides of Yhwh their job was to bring God’s perspective into national affairs. When kings agreed with God they could work within the political system. However, this was often not the case.
As Yhwh's aides, prophets are agents who stand under and execute the heavenly king's authority. Like Yhwh's supernatural aides, prophets operate as people who have been admitted to Yhwh's court in heaven, and they return to earth to give promises and warnings about what court has determined and thus to implement those decisions. 688
Confrontational prophecy comes to be a key force in Israel in connection with the monarchy and fades when the monarchy fades out. This is no coincidence. The prophets represent a claim to speak for God that is not under the control of state power structures and that assumes the authority to confront these. 690
The final section, Is There a Future, deals with the question of whether the end of the Jewish state means the end of God’s relationship with the people of Israel. As Jeremiah points out, the people in exile are God’s people, not those who stayed behind. The kingship would never be restored in Israel but both Chronicles and Kings offer hope that God is not done with His kingdom plan for the nation.
The point (of the final chapter of Kings) is understated, but it offers an indication that Yhwh may not have finished with the people yet. Yhwh has not finished with David's line...Jehoiachin's release might be a small sign that Yhwh has still not forgotten this commitment. The story's challenge is then, will you keep hoping in Yhwh's promise? Surely calamity will not be Yhwh's last word for this people. 694
December is a great month for outdoor barbecues. Of course all 12 months are great for outdoor eating on Guam. This is the end of year celebration for the campus maintenance and beautification teams.
I enjoyed the grandkids’ Christmas program at Adacao Elementary School. That is Courage making her exit from the stage while Titus is in the middle picture…somewhere. Serenity is still waiting to be old enough to go to school
December is a good time to play with friends on campus or taking an evening swim at Ypao Beach
We enjoyed Chinese food at the Guam Ministerial Association Christmas party and had multiple opportunities to eat cake and ice cream for Mike’s birthday
a couple more from the birthday party
Joyce is finishing out her semester at the Japanese School of Guam this week, but mostly is preparing for enjoying Christmas with the grandkids as Matt and his family will arrive this weekend. We will have 5 of our 6 grandchildren with us for Christmas. Don’t tell them what they are getting for Christmas!
