I Petrus@un mektubu, 1:12, 13

Melekler bu gerçekleri yanından büyük ölem duyarlar.

Bu nedenle zihinlerinizi eyleme hazırlayın. Ayık olun.

Let's look at a few more words.

• melek -- angel
• ölem -- longing, yearning, aspiration
• duymak -- to hear, feel, sense
• zihin -- mind, intellect
• eylem -- action, operation
• Ayık -- sober
  

We are those for whom the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. As Hebrews 1 points out, the Incarnation was not into angelic form, but into human. The angels had to sit this one out, for the most part. Stuff is going on today, in our lives, that they eagerly long to participate in, but it is our privilege, not their, to have God the Holy Spirit living within us.

Therefore, we need to get our brains in gear. The King James Bible translates this phase "Gird up the loins of your mind." The Turkish phrase commands us to "prepare your minds for action." This mandate starkly distinguishes real Christianity from mushy mysticism. It is a Hindu practice to endlessly chant a few nonsense syllables, until the brain checks out and direct experience checks in. Yes, you can generate apparently supernatural experiences by this means. Some scholars suspect that this is happening in various Christian circles. Get a few thousand people together, then saturate/marinate in the excitement, repeating endless simple-minded choruses until the brain goes offline, and Shazam! People have amazing experiences!

But are these experiences from the God Who strongly recommends wisdom? Who requires us to think through what we're doing?

Presuppositional apologetics asserts that Trinitarian Christianity is the ultimate basis for sanity. We, who experience a renewal of God's image in us, are equipped to think straight. The unbelievers need to steal our presuppositions to get anywhere.

Which reminds me -- I really do need to get a grip on where I'm going with my dissertation, this week!