Posts Tagged Bible
Stephen King and The Gospel
Posted by annaldavis in Writing on April 26, 2012
I’ve said before that I started reading Stephen King in seventh grade. What I didn’t say is that I stopped reading his books later in high school because my own spiritual transformation changed my reading tastes. That and the fact that my private Christian school wouldn’t grant class credit for Stephen King or any other secular authors writing about the darker side of spirituality. After testing the limits for a while (like using an e.e. cummings poem for a school project), I finally put down the dark stuff. Then I discovered Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness (more about that here), which dramatically shaped my view of the Kingdom.
But Stephen King’s words still motivate me. Over the past few weeks, I’ve tweeted quotes from his book “On Writing” and it occurred to me that many of these quotes inspire me because of truth inherent in them. So to satisfy my own spiritual bent, I’ve taken some Stephen King quotes from my Twitter page, and pasted them here along with the corresponding Bible verses. Maybe this counts as a form of delayed rebellion against high school rules. But I’d like to think it goes a bit deeper than that.
MONEY. “Do you do it for the money, honey? The answer is no. Don’t now and never did” Stephen King; “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” Hebrews 13:5.
INTERRUPTIONS. “I’ve found that any day’s routine interruptions and distractions don’t much hurt a work in progress and may actually help it in some ways” Stephen King; “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” Hebrews 13:2.
POWER. “You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you” Stephen King; “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5.
WRITTEN WORD. “Books are uniquely portable magic” Stephen King; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1.
DILIGENCE. “Only God gets it right the first time, and only a slob says ‘oh well… That’s what copyeditors are for’” Stephen King; “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” Colossians 3:23.
CREATIVE PROCESS. “We are talking about tools and carpentry, words and style… but you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic” Stephen King; “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” 2 Corinthians 5:1.
PUBLIC LIFE. “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open” Stephen King; “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” Matthew 10:27.
I’ve chosen to focus solely on the writing process here. But for those so inclined, a Christian study of Stephen King’s writings about good, evil, and humanity might fill multiple volumes. After all, we authors and readers alike reach out for something that nails it, something that resonates with the struggle around and within us. Sometimes we find it in the strangest of places…
(For the literalists out there, please know that I’m not equating Stephen King to God. I’m merely pointing out that this successful author, while known for horror and, at times, profanity, is still a creation of God and therefore his writings often reflect the truth found in Scripture. We could do this exercise with any number of authors, including C.S. Lewis, Tolkein, Rowling, Suzanne Collins, etc.)
Faith or Psychosis? A Case Study
Posted by annaldavis in Everything Else on April 16, 2012
Abraham is an elderly male presenting with symptoms of acute psychosis. Physical exam, taken upon admittance, is normal. Psychiatric evaluation shows severe mental and behavioral distortion. Below is a transcript of the evaluation (P= Psychiatrist, A= Abraham).
Patient exhibits strong signs of psychosis, including delusions of grandeur and reduced capacity to recognize reality. Recommend treatment with antipsychotics, and need for increased patient awareness of disorganized thought processes. Talked with patient’s wife about the condition, explained the dosage of medication and need for increased vigilance toward mental wellbeing. Patient agreed not to make any big decisions until treatment takes effect. Patient will indefinitely postpone moving his family.
Patient also agreed to follow-up with psychiatrist in two weeks to discuss medication and other long-term prevention and self-care methods in the event of a repeat severe psychotic event. Prognosis is good. Patient has sufficient family support and shows initial compliance with treatment plan.
Which is it: FAITH or PSYCHOSIS? Sometimes it can be hard to tell…
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
(This post was inspired by Genesis 12 from the Bible, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschal.)
On Our Own Heads
Posted by annaldavis in Cyberculture on April 12, 2011
Today officials announced that the Japan nuclear crisis has matched Chernobyl in severity. Not surprising, really – I think we’ve all been expecting this news as we’ve watched the natural earthquake and tsunami disaster unfold into a man-made nuclear one.
In some ways Japan’s crisis reminds me of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The hurricane itself was among the strongest and most deadly in history. But who can forget what happened in New Orleans, when the levee failed and flooded 80% of the city? Looting, rioting, violence, a poorly designed levee system, and a flawed government response made this disaster much worse.
Like New Orleans, Japan faces two stages of this disaster — The first stage is a completely natural event that insurance policies call an “act of God.” The second stage is man-made.
But we can’t blame the Japanese, not really. Had humans not abused fossil fuels to the extent that we even need nuclear power plants, this might not have happened. Better yet, if humans weren’t so greedy and arrogant in their need for control and profit, the world as a whole would use less energy and perhaps this might not have happened.
In Obadiah 1:15 we read that “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”
Unfortunately, nuclear fallout fits the bill quite literally. Radioactive particles in the air descend on surfaces and remain there, invisible cancer-causing toxins just waiting to mutate DNA. But it’s not just about the environment.
It’s about the heart.
Nuclear reactors were first used in the military, as a way to conquer. To win. As we saw in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, winning comes at great cost. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate war-time trump card.
But nuclear energy doesn’t have to be all bad. Now we use nuclear energy as an environmentally-friendly way to sustain our way of living. To sustain our increasingly indulgent, technology-driven, competitive lifestyle. To conquer and win – in the home, in business, in the stock market, and in world politics.
How is that any different?
As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
