Tonight, Sportscenter aired a story of the role basketball played in the Rev. Jim Jones scandal and the People’s Temple of Guyana South America. The story revolved around Jim Jones’ adopted son with his son, Rev. Jim Jones’ grandson. The grandson of Jim Jones now plays basketball at the University of San Deigo. In the oppression at the religious compound in Jonestown, Guyana, many of the members found an escape through basketball, literally and metaphorically. Jim Jones sent his son and other basketball players others to compete in a basketball tournament in Georgetown, Guyana. While the arrangements were being assembled, Congress declared an investigation into imprisonment practices of the cult. When the media came, they assassinated the group, including a congressman. The basketball players survived because they were in Georgetown playing basketball. Jim Jones forced the members to give poisoned kool-aid to their children and then to drink it themselves. Jones exclaimed, “If we can’t live in peace, then we’ll die in peace.”
The story was surreal because in 2000, I went on my first mission trip to Guyana, South America for two weeks to teach basketball. I knew of the Jim Jones story because everyone told me not to drink the Kool-Aid while i’m there. But I never knew the connection with basketball. I feel blessed to have been able to take the game back with a message of hope in Jesus Christ and not in social reform.
In Advanced Hermeneutics this semester, we have read many books , such as Foucault, Fish, Derrida, and others, dealing with the rejection of objective truth from the Enlightenment. Postmoderns place the locus of truth on the reader. All texts therefore become like poetry for the reader to manipulate. In addition, we have discussed about how all of life is a text. If the Postmodern Posterchild’s life after film is any indication of the fate of postermodern hermeneutics, reader beware. Willis knows know i’m talking about.
The investigative reporting of the ToW seems to be getting closer and closer to truth concerning the “modality of the Dean-Head.” The objective inquires have caused the Dean-Head to take evasive action. This past week, two of the members made statements that supports the theory of modality.
First, Dr. Blount announced to his class that he will be accepting a position at Dallas Theological Seminary. While the move is clearly to avoid his recognition as part of the Dean-Head, he is also transferring in order to witness to them. In response to students questions, he informed the students that he would “still be around Southwestern next semester.” Obviously he meant as the Dean-Head. This week, when his infinite knowledge was referenced, he passively avoided the reference.
Second, Dr. Klein made a random comment to his class that he “cannot be in two places at the same.” Again, here we have a Freudian-slip concerning the Dean-Head. Recently, ToW asked Dr. Klein about attending the Evangelical Theological Society’s meeting in San Deigo this weekend. Dr. Klein said that he had to council his trip. Clearly, he canceled because Dr. Wolfe was going as the manifestation of the Dean-Head.
Due to overwhelming classwork, I have not been able to blog as often as I would like. However, today I heard a report that I just could not pass up.
While watching the Florida-Georgia SEC football game on CBS, Vern Lundquist had a quick report concerning Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. When Tebow was in the fifth grade, he attended First Baptist Church Jacksonville, FL. At the church youth theatrical presentation that year, Tebow played the role of Superman (how ironic… not!). The picture displayed showed Superman in a dual-to-the-death sword fight with Batman, played by an anonymous kid, who probably never made it to Div I SEC sports.
I have three general questions: 1) Since when did Superman start using a sword? 2) How could the great expository preacher, Jerry Vines, allow this herecy in his church? 3) Did Jerry Vines influence him any way in football?
This past Monday, I started my Advanced Hermeutics class with Dr. Blount. As this is my third class with Dr. Blount, I knew on the first day we would fill out index cards with our background information, goals for the course, and an interesting fact. For my intersting fact, I wrote the title of my proposed, though not yet submitted, Master’s thesis. The title of the thesis is The Modality of the Dean-Head: Why You Never See Dr. Blount, Dr. Klein, and Dr. Wolfe at the Same Place at the Same Time. Normally, Dr. Blount makes witty comments concerning the information presented, that is, he is characteristically… Blount. However, on my information, he was explicitly mute. Dr. Blount intentially avoided the opportunity to exploit the information in order not to incriminate himself. Thus I defend my thesis with an argument from silence.
To make matters worse, last week I met Perry Oakes. Perry Oakes is a Ph.D. student at SWBTS in Old Testament. Perry Oakes is Dr. Klein’s graduate assitant, an overzealous term for grader. On the first day of Hebrew class, Mr. Oakes was sitting at Dr. Klein’s desk. Mr. Oakes informed the class that Dr. Klein conviently happened to be somewhere on the other side of the world, in the South Pacific. To the average student, this seems plausible. The average student, however, has not been informed of the modality of the Dean-Head. Furthermore, they do not know that Mr. Oakes is Dr. Wolfe’s doppelganger. When Dr. Klein returned to class this week, I immediately confronted him about Mr. Oakes being Dr. Wolfe’s doppelganger. Dr. Klein, similiar to his other manifestation Dr. Blount, was at a loss of words. After he gathered his thoughts, he diverted attention away from the argument by asking, “What is a doppelganger?”
I will continue to investigate the matter indepth this semester, as I have the three manifestations of the Dean-Head for lecture as well as interacting with Dr. Wolfe’s doppelganger. I will keep you posted.
During my summer and winter breaks, I try to find the DVDs a season of a TV series that I can ‘t follow during the school year. The shows I prefer are 24, Boston Legal, and Lost. I went home for a week and my brother had Lost: Season 3 on I-Tunes (with his I-Tunes connected to his new 40″ LCD TV w/ surround sound). I prefer to watch two episodes a night and savor the flavor of being “Lost.” Unfortunately, I had to watch them all in 3 days. Nevertheless, they were good times! (No spoilers, I promise!)
The premise behind the series is that a plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean on a seemingly deserted island. The survivors cannot communicate with the outside world. The omniscient narrator withholds crucial information from the audience of the events that lead each person to board Oceanic Flight 815. This delimma leads the audience to watch the show with a hermeneutic of suspicion. The perspective that the narrartor develops the story leads you to doubt the interpretation of the events. The characters make references to Christianity, Far East religions, as well as Greek mythology. The mountain of references require that the audience evaluate each concerning its relevance, since many of the religions mentioned are mutually exclusive. The narrator commits the informal fallacy called “red herring,” where irrelevant premises are introduced into an argument in order to divert attention away from the primary, usually obvious, conclusion.
In Season 2, almost every episode has a reference to a literary text. In the episode, a pivitol character is reading the book in question (don’t ask me how they “found” said book). Most of the works are American literature from the turn of the twentieth century, though are some foreign as well as references to classic works such as Homer’s Ilyiad. The books are thought to be metaphors of the episode and, occasionally, the whole series. The most telling episode happens in Season 2 concerning the character Sawyer. The episode is called “The Long Con.” In this episode Sawyer is reading An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce (which I read in the eleventh grade). The story has a confererate loyalist condemned to die by hanging. While he is hanged, his rope breaks. He subsequently begins his journey home. On the journey, he begins to have diverse ailments and his life flashes again and again before him. When he finally arrives at his destination, when he arrives home, the narrator takes the reader back to the bridge to reveal that the entire journey took place between the push off the bridge and the moment that the rope broke the man’s neck.
Season 3 begins with and makes various references to Steven King’s Carrie. Nobody likes the book because they acknowledge that there is no metaphor. The narrator wants the audience to watch with a hermeneutic of trust. The narrator is truthful in answering questions, but does not reveal the entire picture. The only problem is that you see what is happening, but the narrator makes the audience choose whose testimony is more reliable. Character development is spotty. As factions develop among the inhabitants, so does character assassintation. Additionally, character names can be suspect, especially in the case John Locke and Desmond “David” Hume, whose names correspond to influential thinkers in the Enlightenment..
Thus, Season 3 answers many questions concerning the first two seasons, but leaves the audience asking more questions. The narrator and characters use so many hermeneutical principles and literary analysis that adds extra incentive to invest in following the plot line closely. I’m just waiting until Season 4 to hear someone on the plane say, “Jack, wake up. You’re having … a hermeneutical nightmare!”
4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 32: You might as well face it… You’re addicted to Lost!”
For the bibliophiles, especially those who need 1500 books to graduate SWBTS, a very useful sight which compares book prices is www.allbookstores.com. The site compares other merchant sites, such as Amazon, Ebay, BarnesandNobles as well as some used book sites, to provide the cheapest price on a desired book. The price comparison is comprised of shipping (cost and time), sales tax (when applicable), availability and condition (new or used). For the international audience, stores in the U.K. and Canada are usually listed.
Today I finished my summer Hebrew course. First, let me say that languages were not meant to be learned in two months. In the semester before I graduated from my undergrad program, I took the equivalent of 21 hours, all upper-level Accounting and Philosophy classes. I said that I would never do that again. Well, I did it again. Dr. Mudliar’s summer Hebrew class emphasized the word “intensive.” He didn’t hide anything from us. He gave us a 20 page syllabus (quite impressive!) with recommendations on studying, such as burying your T.V. and losing your cellphone. It took atleast forty hours a week of study to do well in the class. The redeeming factor was that I only had to concentrate on one subject. I can say that I feel competent in the principles of Hebrew because of the class. I’m just glad that it’s over.
Second, the purpose for writing is how to study for a Hebrew final exam. A better purpose may be how not to study for a Hebrew final exam. The day before the final exam, I received a call from a buddy from Miss. He offered me a free ticket and supper to see the Colts and Cowboys play at Texas Stadium. I put my vocabulary cards in my back pocket and headed to Irving to meet them. There’s no shame in flipping vocab cards during a football game… is there?!
The most exciting part of the night was that I merged into a high speed car chase on I-35 on my way home. At every exit, more blue lights entered the chase. They even brought out the helicopter. It ended on Seminary drive. Even the worst criminals seek refuge at Southwestern Seminary.
Today, I finished reading through the Greek New Testament. It is amazing at the particulars that can be picked up by reading in the original languages. I made good progress until my summer Hebrew class started. Then it became hard to remember parsings and stems. Now it is time to start again. Luke-Acts, here I come!
My roommate brought to my attention this very clever but poorly animated video. There are two things to note while watching the video – 1) Mr. Rodgers is the anti-christ and 2) nothing hurts worse than a Care-Bear stare.
The Nintendo Generation is comprised of those persons born between 1975-1985, who had their childhood electrified by the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
About Me
Ross Teasler
Graduate of Mississippi State University
Graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Graduate Student at the University of Durham, St. John's College
