Solomon Says – Page 8

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Proverbs is Not Pelagian, Part One

Pelagianism denotes the idea that human nature is not affected by sin so that human beings are inescapably sinful. It states that we are capable of perfectly good deeds as well as evil deeds. As the free dictionary puts it: “It denied original sin and affirmed the ability of humans to be righteous by the exercise of free will. “

Proverbs teaches that we must pursue wisdom or face the consequences of our own folly. Some might accuse Solomon that he is teaching Pelagianism or semi-Pelagianism.

The Power of Pretending

In an earlier post, I showed what I think was one area where Proverbs endorses a “fake it till you make it” strategy for becoming wise. It is a strategy that C. S. Lewis seemed to recommend in his book Mere Christianity.

After I posted, I saw an article on Breitbart.com about the recently-deceased Hollywood actor Orson Bean and how Lewis’ book was instrumental in his conversion from unbelief to Christianity. That led me to his account at the Powerline blog in which he describes how he was converted.

Beside other vices, Bean was a habitual substance abuser. Realizing that his behavior was self-destructive but not easily abandoned brought him to a 12-step program. There, he heard about a “Higher Power” and didn’t know how to connect to “it” to help him with his behavior. He ended up asking a colorful character in the group named Bobby for advice.

Proverbs Is the Bible Building a Better Man

Our culture seems pulled apart by two ideals. On the one hand there is a market for changing oneself. Crossfit famously want to help people be better versions of themselves. On the other hand, it’s not uncommon to here the message “Just be yourself.” I’ve seen an HIV drug advertisement encourage those who were diagnosed “keep doing you.”

I have no idea who is setting the expectations for when we have a right to complacency and when we have some obligation to work on change, but the “rules” don’t seem well thought out.

3 Libertarian Concepts that Help Us Understand Proverbs

Last Friday night I got a short opportunity to speak to a group of men about the essence of reading Proverbs. Guessing something about their familiarity with political ideological cultures in America, I decided to use three Libertarian concepts as gateways into Solomon’s understanding of life.

They were Anarchism, Self-Ownership, Individualism

Strategy for Change: Pretend to be Wise

Here are a couple of Proverbs that have more impact (to me anyway) when placed together:

“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent” (Proverbs 17:28 ESV).
“Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 29:20 ESV).

So does anyone really think Solomon wanted to teach a fool how to disguise his folly? Or did he want to comfort a fool to think there was someone worse than him–an “ultra-fool” who talked too much?

The Appeal of the Past

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Ecclesiastes 7.10

How can Solomon make such a blanket statement?

The past almost always produces in our perceptions the illusion of stability.

What if every age is an age of transition?

Jordan Peterson & the Economics of Christmas

I still plan to blog more about Jordan Peterson’s book, but here is column I wrote for Townhall.com that the book inspired”

In his book, “Twelve Rules for Life,” Jordan Peterson ties in the ancient practice of ritual sacrifice to the basic economic practice of delayed gratification.

“When engaging in sacrifice, our forefathers began to act out what would be considered a proposition, if it were stated in words: that something better might be attained in the future by giving up something of value in the present. […] Prosaically, such sacrifice—work—is delay of gratification, but that’s a very mundane phrase to describe something of such profound significance. The discovery that gratification could be delayed was simultaneously the discovery of time and, with it, causality (at least the causal force of voluntary human action).”
p. 164

While I’m not convinced by Peterson’s secular evolutionary narrative explanation, he is right to see a relationship between the religious ritual of sacrifice and basic economic thinking. In Exodus and Leviticus, sacrifice to God, tribute to God, redemption, and repayment with money all go together. See, for example, Exodus 30:11-16, where silver coins were given to God as a “ransom” and “atonement” for the lives of the men of Israel. Or Deuteronomy 14:22-27, where it is acknowledged that one can sell the items that one owes God, bring the money to God’s sanctuary, and buy the things to offer to God. Sacrifice is a kind of investing in the future.

Integrity & Love in the Intro to the 2nd Book of Proverbs

Proverbs 10.1-5 form an introduction to the second book in Proverbs, which begins with the inscription “the Proverbs of Solomon. Those verses lay out foolishness and wisdom as basic choices related to whether one will plunder or produce. The next seven verses are a second stage introduction which adds to the choice between plunder and productivity the issue of speech:

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
- 8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
  - 9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
- 10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Blast From the Past: Four reasons to memorize Proverbs

I wrote this post on my personal blog back in the summer of 2012:

Credentials to speak on the subject:

Until recently, I worked as a truck driver. Not really. I was a sanitation engineer. Not really. I was a portapottie guy.

But it involved driving a truck at about forty minutes at a time. And it had a CD player.

Using CD burning tech on my computer, I went into the truck with Proverbs 10, then 11, and 12. I memorized all three chapters so I could say it all in order from start to finish.