[[Note: This post contains affiliate links.]] The most mind-blowing truth I’ve ever come across as a theologian is also the simplest: God is always speaking. Always. Why is that so mind-blowing? Well, we live in a world where it often feels difficult to connect with God, to maintain a tangible relationship with an invisible being, and […]
So, this is where my mind and heart have been for over six years (and it’s probably where they’ll be for the rest of my life): language. I call language communion behavior. Without boring those of you who are more practically minded and have little time for abstractions, let me tell you why this has become central […]
Friends, in case you missed it, be sure to check out the recent interview I did on Reformed Forum with Camden Bucey and Jeff Waddington for my book, The Trinity, Language, and Human Behavior: A Reformed Exposition of the Language Theory of Kenneth L. Pike. I trust the interview is not nearly as dry as the book […]
Who is Kenneth Pike? I’ve been asked this question frequently, so I thought I would set out a brief introduction, a sketch of one of the men who has had the greatest impact on my thinking. If you would prefer to hear an answer to this question rather than read one, check out the Reformed […]
One of the many reasons why I love Kenneth Pike is his unique ability to stretch traditional categories of thought and apply them to new situations. He does this by applying linguistic categories to other parts of life and human behavior. I explore this a bit in the conclusion of The Trinity, Language, and Human Behavior. […]
Some weeks ago, I finished reading through a collection of short essays by Karl Ove Knausgaard (see the posts on “Living in the Concrete” and “The Song of Sincerity”). One of his statements towards the end of the collection got me thinking about language (which is no surprise to those who know me). Certainly, it […]
What does it mean to live on God’s language? I’ve asked myself that question many times, especially whenever I’m reading through Deuteronomy 8, Matthew 4, or John 4. In Deuteronomy 8:3, God is addressing Moses and the people directly, recounting their pitiable wilderness wanderings and reminding them that he was the one who let them […]
[[This article is an adapted excerpt from The Speaking Trinity & His Worded World: Why Language Is at the Center of Everything (Wipf & Stock, 2018).]] People comprise a unique part of God’s creation precisely because we are made in his image and likeness. But it can be difficult to understand precisely what this means. Theologians […]
Over the years, I have developed a particular understanding of language. Language is what I call communion behavior (see “Closing the Gaps: Perichoresis and the Nature of Language,” “Words for Communion,” and especially The Speaking Trinity & His Worded World). By that I mean the following: Language is (1) an interpersonal, Trinitarian divine behavior amongst the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, […]
I have two formative presuppositions about theology and human communication. They govern all that I write, most of what I think, and much of what I do. They are, for me, non-negotiable. The first is that language — meant here in a broader sense — is a properly Trinitarian behavior. In other words, speech is an […]