| LIFE TO THE FULL: THE SEARCH FOR JOY IN A FALLEN WORLD 100,000 words Rather than follow the format of a standard book-length argument, Life to the Full is cast in the form of a "Christian symphony," whose four movements have been augmented to seven by the addition of a Prelude, an Interlude, and a Coda. The resulting "seven-fold Ode to Joy" is woven together by a series of linking motifs that themselves cluster around a single dominant leitmotif: the search for joy in a fallen world. Below are synopses of these "Odes to Joy": 1. The Prelude (Yearnings) considers the sources of the modern dislike for and disbelief in miracles and suggests that, contrary to modern opinion, a miracle is NOT a violation of the laws of nature, but a sublime act during which the Creator, for a brief, glorious moment, restores the truly natural (i.e., original) order of his creation. TO READ THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE. 2. The First Movement (Sin) attempts to demonstrate that, contrary to popular opinion, Satan (not Christ) is the one who desires to steal our personality, make us into mindless automatons, and prevent us from growing toward our full potential. The Movement is sermonic in nature and is structured around a reading of Eph 4:17-5:21. TO READ THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE. 3. The Second Movement (Sex) begins with a strong assertion that God does not call anyone to a life of celibacy (though he does call people to singleness, a state which necessitates celibacy) and defends this assertion through a close analysis of 1 Corinthians 7. The Movement then goes on to criticize and explode both Catholic and Protestant misperceptions of sexuality that have left the Church with a legacy of destructive inhibitions and repressions. In the Catholic section, I "take on" the doctrines of the perpetual virginity of Mary and the celibacy of the priesthood; in the Protestant section, I focus more on the harmful excesses of legalism, iconoclasm, and the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity. Having cleared away these misperceptions, I then look afresh at Genesis 2, the Song of Solomon, and Ephesians 5:31-32 to try to formulate a more biblical view of sexuality. 4. The Interlude (Division) turns its focus toward those spiritual-gift, worship-style church splits that have dominated the past decade. In this section, I first study the psychic causes of division (particularly low self esteem, envy, and inadequacy), and then move on to suggest solutions. In addition, the Interlude offers a lengthy digression on the nature of human volition that attempts to prove, on the basis of biblical narrative, that church splits are generally NOT the result of God's plan but of human error and sin. 5. In contrast to the Victorian tendency to domesticate and "sweeten" angels and the New Age, revisionist tendency to re-imagine and re-integrate them into their own eclectic mythologies, the Third Movement (Angels) draws together Old and New Testament depictions of angels in order to come up with a fuller, more nuanced understanding of the nature and duties of the angelic throng. 6. The Fourth Movement (Gifts) discusses how a proper understanding and use of our gifts and hobbies can help us grow not only into more "spiritual" Christians but into fuller, more integrated human beings. The Movement includes a discussion of Platonic and Christian concepts of Form and Imitation and offers a critique of modern art and criticism. 7. The Coda (Living in a Comic Universe) weaves together the entire symphony into a final lyrical vision of the comic nature of our universe. | ||