Time: Tue May 27 19:40:58 1997
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	Tue, 27 May 1997 19:32:35 -0700 (MST)
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Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 20:59:53 -0700
To: DGibsons2@aol.com
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: Christianity, in the vernacular
Cc: Franklin Sanders <76473.2425@CompuServe.COM>

At 09:50 PM 5/27/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-05-26 15:23:36 EDT, you write:
>
><< For, man does not live by bread alone,
> but by the breath of Spirit which flows
> from the heart outwards, to every other 
> living thing. >>
>
>Greetings!
>
>The message from which the following passage was taken was sent to me but
>addressed "Bob". Thanks for sending it but I feel compelled to mention that
>the above  quote does violence to Matthew 4:4. I don't know if it was your
>own paraphrase or if you have some version of the Bible which renders the
>passage in that way,

I took what I thought were obvious liberties
with the original text.  My use of the term
"Spirit" here refers specifically to the
Holy Spirit, who should be given a chance
to live within our hearts.  Christ said that
the Kingdom of Heaven is within us.  This is
what I had in mind.  Note the capital "S"
in my use of the term "Spirit".

Does that help?


 but it turns the meaning of the text upside down;
>elevating man and bringing attention to him rather than the Word of God. 

On the contrary, I meant to invite the
Holy Spirit into our most inner lives
for, without that Spirit inspiring
our hearts first, all else is vain
and empty, in my humble opinion.



You
>probably had no such intention but I did want to bring it to your attention.
>It is a dangerous thing to add to or take away from the Word of God.


What if we are being inspired to write 
poetry, which weaves the Scriptures
into our own words?  Are you opposed
to this mode of poetic license?

I have come to admire Christ for using
his vernacular so skillfully;  we can
do no better than to imitate Him in
all ways possible.

For example:  Mary Magdalene was really
a prostitute.  She had a pretty good deal
going, until she talked one day.  So,
her crime was not her prostitution, but
her loose lips.  Christ entered the scene,
at her moment of despair, and lifted her into
a new life.  They became such good friends,
she was the first to His grave, after He
was brutally murdered.  Again, she is
hitting the bottom of despair, and Christ
once again lifts her into indescribable joy, 
in one short moment, by saying, so simply, 
so softly, "Mary!"  

This transformation, from despair to intense
joy, is a crucial metaphor for the fundamental
message of Christianity, and that is -- 
eternal life.

That is Christianity, in the vernacular.

/s/ Paul Mitchell



>
>God Bless,

And you also, Dan.  You do not know 
that we have already met, many years
ago.  I will now leave it to you 
to remember when, and where.

Be well.

/s/ Paul Mitchell
http://www.supremelaw.com



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