Saturday, September 25, 2004

the problem of context

i am finally running into the question of the role of context in the thoughts of people on a variety of subjects, the most important being their view of God and the world. i have always believed that there is an absolute expression of truth found ultimately in God. i have always disregarded any points put forward by people who emphasized the role of an individual's personal experiences. i mainly pushed away these ideas because i saw the slippery slope that would lead to a world that did not offer any fixed places to grab hold.

this post is titled 'the problem of context' because i am facing the discussions of the real implications of an individual's context - culture, experiences, bias, etc. i still belive that there is a fixed place to grab hold in God but i must now figure out what that looks like (sounds like, feels like) in light of these ideas.

a friend from the past confronted me once by saying that i would be a great muslim if i grew up in another culture. one of the underlying themes of that assessment was that she saw me as a product of my experiences and culture. this is what some have called a plausibility structure i believe (if i understand my readings correctly).

how does this problem play out? in my history? in the history of Christianity? in the history of the human search for God?

i have an answer in my head but i want to continue lifting up these questions to prayer, to the God who does answer the prayers of those who seek his face.

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