Justin Rossow
Basic Metaphor Theory
Metaphor theory has exploded since the early 1970’s, making it both an exciting and frustrating field of study, since different theorists rarely use the same technical terms or definitions. (For a [very] detailed overview of a variety of approaches to metaphor, see the Appendix to my dissertation, available here: Describing the Duality of Metaphor. Manufacturer’s Warning: […]
The Tri-Cycle of Sin, Judgment, and Grace
Sin, Judgment, and Grace You know the story. It is appropriately labeled, “The Fall.” Eve listens to the tempter’s voice. Adam stands by without trying to stop her and joins in sin. Death becomes inevitable. The harmony is broken. Nothing is the way it should be anymore. And so begins a cycle we see again […]
Outreach and Journey
Conceptual Metaphor in Speaking of Jesus, Part 3 Speaking of Jesus intends to move Christians beyond thinking of non-Christians as “the enemy” and of salvation as “crossing a boundary line;” instead, Medearis wants people not only to speak of, but also to follow Jesus. This view of the Christian faith—faith as following Jesus—inherently embodies a […]
Outreach and Containers
Conceptual Metaphors in Speaking of Jesus, Part 2 In part 1 of this blog, we considered the conceptual metaphor ARGUMENT IS WAR in the book Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism by Carl Medearis. This blog picks up where part 1 left off, with the discussion of a second conceptual metaphor that often guides our experience […]
Outreach and Warfare
Conceptual Metaphors in Speaking of Jesus, Part 1 Introduction The way we talk reflects the way we think. In fact, for contemporary metaphor theory, metaphor is primarily a function of thought and perception, and only secondarily a matter of words or language. In significant and ubiquitous ways, we live our lives in terms of metaphor. […]
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box
Reader’s Guide Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box, The Arbinger Institute (2010) WHAT IT’S ABOUT Leadership and Self-Deception is about getting out of the box. The box, in this case, is our own patterns of making ourselves seem good in our own eyes, pretty much at the expense of everyone else around us. The basic premise […]
Relationship Triad: Session 1
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together Session 1 Before You Meet I. Meditate 3-5 times on Colossians 3:1-17 this week. Start with prayer for yourself and for others reading the same verse, that the same Spirit that inspired these words would open your heart and mind to them as well. Then read (often out loud) and reread, […]
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