Paradigm Shift

We were at dinner the other night and one of the hosts said his experience with the orphans in Thailand made him a changed man. I was thinking about that the next day and remembered when there was a time in my business career when a popular business theme of “paradigm shift” appeared. This phrase was coined by T.S. Khun, a U.S. Philosopher of Science. Originally, he said it meant, “a radical change in underlying beliefs or theory”. American business redefined it as “a radical change in the way of thinking about something”.

To consider this further I wondered who in the Bible might have had a paradigm experience. The change in Peter at Pentecost came to mind. On one hand, Peter, while in the garden during Christ’s interrogation, denied knowing Him. At a later time this same Peter stood before thousands of people in Jerusalem, acknowledging who Christ was and encouraging others to do the same. Why the “radical change in underlying beliefs or theory” or “way of thinking”? Bible scholars attribute this to the anointing of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As a result some (Biblical scholars) may say that in order to have a paradigm shift in your life you must be anointed with the Holy Spirit, manifested by tongues of fire and loud noises.

I’m not sure this was the paradigm event. Is there another way for anointing to occur? Is “anointing” a dramatic, noisy affair or could it be the just a radical change in belief or thinking about something? The only thing my Bible says the fire and wind did was give them the ability to speak in foreign tongues. Because they demonstrated bold actions after this event, people tie the two together. There was definitely a paradigm shift in Peter. But what caused it? What caused a man to change so radically that he went from being ashamed to speak in front of a few at a bonfire, to boldly speaking before thousands and eventually giving his life?

To find an answer, I took my search back to a few days before Pentecost. Now the experience I want you to consider as Peter’s paradigm shift occurs in the writings of John, John 21:15-17. This is where Jesus has a very personal confrontation with Peter. It was important enough for John to choose it to record from among the myriad of things happening during those days.

After reading John, reconsider this question: does a radical change in a belief or way of thinking and the strong convictions which follow, come only as a result of tongues of fire, winds, etc.? Or is it the moving of the Holy Spirit in your life through an experience that causes a paradigm shift?

Next, I considered the life of Martin Luther. Did he have a paradigm shift? We don’t know every detail of Martin Luther’s life I’m sure. I have never heard of a fire anointing of the Holy Spirit in his life. I admit I am not an expert on his life, but laying down in a mud puddle in the middle of a lightning storm doesn’t qualify as an experience which changed the way he thought about religion. That only started him on the journey. What came later in life did not occur with any fanfare or accompanied by fire and wind. Yet there was a paradigm shift that shook the religious world of his day.

Is it possible that the “shift” which takes place in a person life can be deep, emotional, radical, and life changing, without the outward appearance of fire and wind, which we would attribute to the Holy Spirit acting on a person’s life? Do we want to connect the two because it makes it easier for us to understand? When we can’t see the one, we don’t want to believe the other is possible? Is it just us? Once again I leave you where I am, with questions, questions, questions.

Question marks after words.

GP

The Return of the Pope

Coming back is as traumatic as going. Probably in the same proportion. The trauma of coming back will be as traumatic as the trauma of leaving. Of course this will depend a lot on how much of a melodramatic person you are. Me? Personally, I’m not.

I can also tell you being in the middle of a traumatic experience is not a reliable source of the significance of either the going or coming. That only comes with reflection.

This only counts for traumatic experiences. A traumatic experience only allows you to deal with the trauma at the time and only reflection allows you to analyze. You have to analyze, because people want to know how it affected you. How are you different today then you were when you left? What happened to you? They watch how you act and physically look. They wonder if you’re different. One of the ways you can tell if it was a traumatic experience is that you are never the same afterward.

The process of going leaves marks. You don’t leave behind everything you know and understand without feeling loss. The feeling of loss does not occur until after you’re gone. This is because you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it any more. You can say, “I’ll miss you”, but you don’t feel it until you’re gone.

There are some easy things to discuss when you come back. Weather, food and language are a few of those. Feelings are not. How to be fair about both cultures. Biases exist and you don’t want to insult anyone. What the cultures do to you, is harder.

Most of the time the discussions come down to differences and similarities. But this is not a fair methodology. Cultures and people are more complicated than this. You have to consider ambitions, desires, and tastes. The world is so intertwined it is not easy to see the pureness of a culture.

Contrasts are easier to see the closer you are to the experience. Live too long in one or the other and you lose perspective. This is because the differences are most noticeable in the beginning.

The more we try to be different the more we are becoming the same. I mean the human race. Deep down we have probably always been basically the same. Sure we look different: white or brown, tall or short, fat or skinny. I’m talking about the inside. Didn’t God make us all? Yes, people act differently as a result of thinking differently, but the motivation?

I guess what I’m trying to say is, we all do the same things for the same reasons. It doesn’t matter where you live. The difficulty is understanding this in context of the culture. We are all alike. Deep down. Every where else, we are different. We focus so much on the outside, which is easy, and forget about the inside. I think I’ve learned it is easier to be accepting of another culture if you don’t focus on the outside, but the inside. I wish I had internalized that lesson earlier in life.

GP