A Way of Seeing

One of the really fun things I get to do on my job is hanging out with non-Christians. I don’t know whether to call them unbelievers or “the lost,” or pagans or what. Truth is, any of these labels says too much without really saying enough. Okay, the fact that they don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus is really important. But defining them by what they don’t have is probably a bad way to start off, since it may conceal or obscure some of the good things they have to offer.

Anyway, I do like spending time with people who believe differently. I find them refreshing in their perspectives and often capable of raising questions or making observations that wouldn’t usually come up among our Christian sub-culture. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of Christians who are still able to “think outside the box.” But it comes with maturity and requires feeling secure in your faith and so these people seem to be the exception.

Mike T. was a most interesting guy I got to know about ten years ago. He was a “local boy,” whose father was high up in the University Administration. Like many kids from E’burg whose parents work in higher education, Mike was a high achiever with a passion for his studies. He had chosen a major in Anthropology and was definitely a student of culture.

“So what is it you do?” he asked after our second or third meeting.
“I’m the director of a Christian student organization.”
“Does that make you a pastor?”
“Well that’s what the job often involves, but recently I’ve been considering myself in the role of prophet.”

At the time I was very much taken with the New Testament office of prophet. The churches I grew up in didn’t do much with prophecy, but I had just met a man who exemplified the gift and the office like no one I had ever met.

“Doesn’t a prophet tell the future?”
“That’s the thing that we tend to emphasize, but among the prophets in the Bible we find that their message was more about forth-telling than fore-telling.”
“So what does forth-telling involve?”
”That’s basically reminding people about the truth of God’s moral law and the inescapable consequences of breaking it.”
“I suppose there is some continuity then between telling people how God’s laws work and warning them of future events.”

This is where I was impressed by Mike’s training as an anthropologist and his ability to apply it. He had learned to think in terms of “world-views” as he examined various cultures, their belief systems, and the social norms they had developed.

“I hadn’t considered that before. But it is interesting that in the Old Testament scriptures a prophet was also called a ‘seer.’ In every culture there are those who see things that others don’t see. George MacDonald called it the gift of ‘second sight.’”

“It’s the same with the scientific world-view.” Mike explained, “Those who understand the laws of physics or chemistry seem to predict the future. By understanding cause and effect they are able to anticipate consequences with great accuracy.”

“That’s profound!” I told him. “You’ve just drawn a parallel between the material world and the spiritual realm, and I’m not sure you even believe in the supernatural!”

“I don’t know if I believe it either.” He admitted, “But I’ve learned to examine belief systems as a whole to see how they fit together. That’s what I like about talking to you. You seem to have thought through the implications of your beliefs, rather than just picking and choosing ideas that may not be compatible.”

“My training in Philosophy of Religion also emphasized belief systems or world-views. I was taught to look for three things:
1) Consistency: avoiding contradictions.
2) Coherence: each part fitting the whole.
3) Explanatory power: how it answers our questions about the world.”

“If the things we have talked about are real, it would make sense for them to function according to laws or patterns, and this would allow someone who sees patterns to make accurate predictions.”

“I think that’s what I’m seeing in my work with students. I observe young people either applying or disregarding God’s truth and I see what happens as a result. The longer I’m in campus ministry the more examples I have of the consequences of moral choices. After awhile I feel confident in saying, ‘If you keep doing that, here’s where you’ll end up.’ Only it’s not always visible and tangible things that I observe.”

“What do you observe that’s not visible or tangible?”

“Paul says in Second Corinthians: ‘We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’ There is a special ability that God gives for seeing with the ‘eyes of our heart.’ This gift is also called discernment. By seeing in this way we sense with our spirit the spiritual condition of another person.”

“That sounds like what some have called ‘Extra-sensory perception’ or a ‘sixth sense.’”

“It seems appropriate to use the term ‘sense’ because our senses collect data or give us information. But in the case of discernment or prophecy, the information is coming from beyond the material world and its phenomena. It’s like ‘revelation’ because it gives access to something we would not have been able to discover on our own.”

“Revelation sounds like it’s something ‘revealed.’ So who’s the one revealing these things?”

“That’s right, the Bible is revelation because it is God’s revealed truth to us. In the case of prophecy and discernment God the Holy Spirit is the One who reveals. Paul says that when someone is prophesying and a visitor comes in the secrets of his heart are laid bare!”

Mike also helped me understand the process of conversion. It seems it has been the subject of a book exploring how change could be possible at the very core of our being.

“Have you ever heard of ‘Meta-Programming’?” he asked me one day.

“No, I don’t think I have.”

“This book talks about the difference between changing the input in our lives and thinking, as opposed to changing the way we actually process things.”

“You mean like trying to change the software in our brain?”

“Kind of like that. We have thought processes in place that actually limit the range of outcomes. There are only certain kinds of changes we can make within these limits. But if we are able to examine and restructure our way of thinking . . .”

“There must be something to that.” I said, “It reminds me of a verse telling us not to be conformed to the world, but to ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’”

I can’t remember where it went from there, but it got real deep real fast. I think there were some thoughtful pauses and long periods of silence as we each attempted to think about how we think. I do remember a certain excitement as I thought about breaking free from limiting habits and failed attempts to change.

And I remember looking forward to talks with Mike. He asked good questions and offered insightful observations. I always learned something.

I love my job, hanging out with those who are learning, studying, and thinking. I enjoy sharing with them about my relationship with God and what I’ve learned from His Word. I’m glad I don’t have to convert people, that’s His job!