Reorganization of Symbiotic Christanity Section
I have come to the conclusion that I approached the subject that has become Symbiotic Christianity backwards. While I was writing the more recent essays, I realized that I kept referring to concepts to defend what I was saying that best belonged in the Unification section. I have recently had the pleasure of talking with Pastor Murray Ward of Cross Timbers Baptist Church in Vidalia, Georgia, and have noticed that what I was trying to get across to him was more welcome when it was framed using concepts that properly belong in Unification essays.
I also merged the Suppression and Manipulation sections since the effects of the Spirit in both happen at the level of what is currently called "the unconscious mind". That is, in both Suppression and Manipulation, the Spirit manipulates neurochemicals in ways that do not manifest themselves as conscious thoughts. Indeed, Suppression is supposed to prevent the thoughts associated with compulsions from coming to the conscious mind! Also, it positions Manipulation to be used as a possible means to suppress addiction cravings that are chemically based. I am currently and actively looking for opportunities to get involved in 12 step groups and drug-rehab programs.
Illumination continues as it is, since the effects of the Spirit in that capaibilty happen at the level of what is currently called "the conscious mind". That is, the point of Illumination is insight, and an insight is not a real one unless one knows it (i.e. conscious of it.)
Unification is more of a "rights-based" classification, presenting concepts you don't as much do as much as mentally rely upon them. Another way of looking at the triad of "capabilities" is that Unification is what God does for you that you should be aware of, Manipulation is what God does in you that you are not aware of, and Illumination is what does in you that you must be aware of.
In my mind, each of the capabilities answers a different question. Manipulation answers the question "How did you do that?" Illumination answers the question "How did you know that?" Unification answers the question "By what authority are you expecting the Spirit to do all this for you?"
I also dropped the concept of stages, which seems to me to be a historical artifact reflecting the order in which I discovered the capabilities, rather than reflecting the true dependency relationships between the capabilities of the triad.
2010-09-02 05:28:14 by Gerald