Mathematical formulas for either peace or chaos:
So I’ve had a “Signal Group” for a little over a year which I’ve called the “Content Kind Longsuffering Peacemakers” (CKL Pmkr for short) and in this group, in response to the below image, a friend of mine shared a couple podcasts from a source, with which I was unfamiliar… I did a quick search to get some background on the people in the interview and it caused a little concern about the credibility of the speakers… I won’t link the podcast or author just yet, and I don’t think her stuff is all bad, I just felt like this was a problematic situation that needed more nuance; for example, at one point the person being interviewed claimed her family was being Biblical but not Christlike, which I consider a false dichotomy logical fallacy, because if someone is biblical they WILL BE Christlike, and if they are not being Christlike, regardless of what Biblical passages they think they are applying, they are not really being Biblical, but I digress…
After listening to the podcasts (and there were 2 that were over an hour each) I then started thinking of other concerning areas and how people can be misled by certain ideologies these days… knowing I’m not exempt from this possibility, yet desiring to guard against it. Also having recently helped my son with his math homework, the notion of creating a mathematical formula to solve the problem of chaos in the lives of Christians seemed a noble endeavor… I’ve since shared this formula (after updating it significantly with some of the feedback) and I just figured I’d post it here… I mean, we can’t let a former atheist macro-evolution aficionado (Jordan Peterson) be the only one prescribing an antidote to chaos, can we?
There are other things I want/need to post, some of my seminary assignments that I’d like to share, but life is about priorities, and with the needs of my wife and three children as well as the other requirements a mid-forties man has in this country, the weblog just takes a back seat (along with many other things) – actually, I think this is just in the bed of the truck! ha!
So that’s the intro, for the most part; I’ll paste the formula below, feel free to point out where I get it wrong or recommend nuanced changes… it’s definitely not perfect, and it’s not intended to determine if someone is holy or a heretic… I should mention the 4 H’s of Hermanutical Homiletics was an idea from about a year ago (my sister was big into the livestock show and rodeo of Montgomery, TX…) I don’t think I’ve written about those 4H’s here, but I’ve mentioned them to others, and they are alluded to at the beginning of the formula, so maybe I’ll unpack them separately, and if you’re not a cowboy or farm girl, to remember the acronym, just think of what young Marines are told to avoid on liberty (though they often don’t): Hospitals, Handcuffs, Headlines, and Hangovers…
Mathematical formulas for either peace or chaos:
For the Content, Kind, Long-suffering Peacemakers in the world as we encounter those discontented, unkind, impatient trouble-makers around us! (The Amplified Version 2.0)
Formula #1: 10A + H +1/2G + 5L + 2O – F +0(IJKMN) +3P/T – U = C
…or
Formula #2: .01B + 1/2E + F(I+J+K+M+N) + .25R/.05S + 1/8U = D
Variables spelled out:
A) Good and accurate hermeneutics & homiletics (holy and helpful – literary, historical/cultural, grammatically correct interpretation of Scripture) humbly under the umbrella of accountability and discipleship (accepting/openness to truth whether spoken by a bum on the street or the baby in the back seat!)
B) Bad and incorrect interpretation of Scripture (harmful & heretical) – sitting under false teachers and pridefully not being discipled or allowing anyone to hold you accountable with authority.
C) Peace making, (Sabbath) rest sustaining existence
D) Hostility creating, chaos perpetuating reality
E) egalitarianism, liberalism, feminism, relativism, progressivism & embrace of 2-kingdom theology, rejection of creationism and sexual identity tied to sexual desire/orientation
F) absolutism, fundamentalism, extremism, embracing racial ideology (ethnic Gnosticism)
G) conservative patriotism, acceptance of Kuyperian single kingdom theology with a healthy skepticism of news media with exceptional discernment and critical thinking to ascertain and avoid propaganda & conspiracy gnostics (on social media too)
H) acceptance of complimentarian, patriarchal aspects of life & structure of society, embracing the 6-day Biblical Creation account and a rejection of old earth macro-evolutionary ideologies, and finally, a balanced view of continuation and cessation w/r/t Spiritual gifts, tongues, healing, supernatural etc…
I) individualism and secularism, as well as collectivism and statism/globalism, or fatalism and totalitarianism (whether fascist, socialist, or communist instigated/initiated)
J) liberation theology, social justice warrior “gospel”
K) prosperity theology / health & wealth “gospel” – Pentecostal craziness (i.e. snake handling, “slain in the spirit,” incoherent gibberish without any prophetic word being fulfilled, etc.)
L) Having one’s identity solely and firmly in Christ with a reformed and reforming view on predestination, separating salvation into 3 aspects: justification, sanctification & glorification. “I am saved from God’s wrath.”
M) a works based faith, “I am responsible for choosing my salvation” ideology – and I’m “saved from myself”
N) Fear of man.
O) Fear of God.
P) Christian Liberty with an open mind to all eschatological doctrines
R) Religious legalism and taking a dogmatic hardline on one particular eschatology
S) Misdiagnosis of the root of the issue/problem (“majoring on the minors”)
T) Accurate identification of the enemy that’s attacking (of the 3: oneself/flesh, the world (ungodly unbelievers), or the devil (and his minions/spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places & rulers of the darkness of this age)
U) Trusting/prioritizing scholars over Scripture.
*Please Note: any of the above variables can actually be modified by any individual to increase/decrease the coefficient applicable as they see fit, but the degree of the resulting peace or chaos will be affected by those modifications.
**Note #2: A friend of mine, because I asked if it was too complicated, responded (slightly begrudgingly) that he thought it was because he thinks people should just “Preach the Word” – like Paul told Timothy (2nd letter, 4th chapter, 2nd verse)… I totally concur that that is what we should be doing, however, in light of the last few decades (and past 3 years in particular), many are using “the word” to preach many things, yet they are straying very far from what the Gospel is… Thus, I do think this a helpful framework to get to the path of peace, which Paul told the church in Rome many have not known… (Romans 3:17). I don’t insist on people using this formula or even that they try to understand it, but when someone wonders how we got to such a chaotic (some say divisive) society/environment, I do think this is helpful in explaining what it takes to avoid continuing here…
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