Q: What would you say to rationality oriented ministers?
A: In one case, I suggested that he needed to read some novels. He needed to gain some imagination.
Q: Relatedly, @David Peterson, You talked about using powerful words in moving people, is there a theology of language to back that up for our preaching practise?
A: It seems that God uses significant words to us, justification, love, joy, etc. So God uses powerful words, towards us.
Q: In terms of the way words are used, what about a model for the way words are used.
A: There is a model in the bible. Things like parallelism, and use to persuade people. We need to look at that carefully.
Q: In charismatic tradition, there's an emphasis on the personal response. The evangelical tradition it's more on what God has done. What are the dangers and what's the balance.
A: Have a balance. Also, have a mixture of 'we' songs and 'I' songs.
Q: Given that language is powerful and words have content, Jesus says 'today, you'll be with me in paradise', what did he intend the thief to hear.
A: It's helpful for us to think about what words MEAN but also what words DO. When we unpack the meaning of the promise, TODAY has strong biblical overtones, and Luke is massively speaking with salvation-historical overtones, so could that today perhaps be a reference to the Day of the Lord.
Q: Passion v affections and moral evaluations of those things. Is there a way of morally evaluating those things? Are we able to make distinctions at both levels of higher and lower emotions?
A: Gibbo This where the cognitive thing in the last 20 years comes into play. Someone's angry, but who are they angry at, why, to what degree, etc. In the Bible, it seems that envy is the only emotion that there's not possible positive expression for.
Q: When is tapping into the emotions manipulation?
A: Rhys Bezzant: you need to help people to understand what you're actually doing.
A: Peter Bolt - manipulation can be positive. If you're doing it to align people to the word of God then it's a good thing.
Q: @Peter Bolt. Can you give us some tips at reading the Bible to help the congregation hear narrative well? (public reading in the congregation)
A: Clifford Warne's book, "How to Read the Bible Out Loud" is still the best one I've read for that.
A: Rhys. It's at bettergatherings.com
Q: Do you have comments on the way we use songs in our meetings and do we have the right kinds of songs to use? (Sometimes can't find the right ones.)
A: Rob Smith. Blessing of our day is that there are so many options out there, but it takes time to find the right one and then the congregation may not know it! The song selectors really need to just work hard to find the right resources. Sometimes the song itself doesn't work as the bridge, so you have to provide the link yourself.
A: David Peterson: someone needs to build a website to do it. Also, if there's no song that's suitable, then don't put one in. use a psalm, or pray instead.
Q: (Michael Jensen) @Richard Gibson - Does God have feelings?
A: Do you really want me to answer that?
Q: Yes.
A: Reading the bible it certainly seems to be so. It does too much violence to Scripture for me to have systematics be enough to mute that. The huge creedal statements God expresses his emotions, even as he says that he is a god and not a man. In terms of immutability and impassibility, I recognise that we need to protect the transcendence of God, but perhaps these are clumsy tools with which to do it. If you look at where the assumptions come from it's from Hellenistic philosophy as opposed to Biblical presuppositions. These opinions are personal (though come to through pain and heartache) and aren't necessarily the opinions of the management.
Q: Though we have a responsibility to care for the whole person (seems more like counselling), how is that to be balanced with helping people to be godly and have joy in their circumstances.
A: It's not that we go in and heal emotions, but that we do care for the whole person, of which that is a part.
A: Rhys: We need to have a little bit of modesty in what we can do as pastors is helpful.
Q: What is the management position on Richard's comments?
A: Not sure *looks around* who you think here represents management...
Q: So are there any dangers to the position that Richard outlined, could anyone speak to that?
A: David Peterson - keep the conversation between systematics and biblical scholars going. I'd love to have a discussion with Gerald about the way he handled the Hebrews material in terms of Jesus as sympathetic high priest.
Q: how do you not turn a narrative into a lecture?
A: Peter Bolt - What I was trying to get at is that preaching involves communicating the emotional and affective elements of the text, and working out how to effectively get that across. What experiences that the hearers have had connect with what's going on in the text, because emotions cross over from experiences to others.
Q: Not wanting to demonise the congregation, but in all of us there's a tendency to distance ourselves from God because he's threatening. Thus, I've tried for novelty as a way of cutting through. How do you get past people's defenses when we want to disengage our emotions to stay comfortable.
A: Having a service where the elements varied is helpful, but requires skilful service leaders to know how to do that. Quite useful though. Abruptness can provoke, might dislodge, but you want to be cultivating a long-term pattern of healthy habits.
A: David Peterson - let the bible do the work. Resist the temptation to invent new, non-gospel tricks. Thoughtful reflection on how we use the Bible.