Pronouns, Prepositions…Reveal Your Heart (Head and Hormones)

 On a recent Hidden Brain podcast episode, they described the research and application of what our language usage reveals about ourselves. They spent a lot of time talking about pronouns and prepositions. The frequency of I/me/my versus it or we/us reveal some gender and personality differences. Personal pronouns show a desire to be connected with others while inanimate pronouns and passive voice reveal more task-/object-orientation. They found too that people who use I/me/my pronouns 6% of the time (versus a statistically significant lower average of 4%) showed signs of depression. (To be statistically significant at this small difference, there have be many hundreds or thousands of data.)

What was intriguing is how much (again) science might be catching up to the Bible. Christ said, “What comes out of the mouth reveals the heart…” (Matthew 15.18) Likewise, James echoes, “…No one can tame the tongue…from the same mouth come blessing and cursing…Things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?…Nor can salt water produce fresh.” (James 3.8-12)

It’s interesting that the analysis of your speech and writing can reveal what you’re thinking, feeling and how much truth-telling and lying you’re doing. Over a period of time, the analysis can determine when your moods or personality inflections occur. (To be clear, the author stipulates his research is diagnostic not prognostic. A person is unable to change their mood or relationships by changing their language; the attempted change just might reveal deception, however….or a change in status. For example, people promoted into leadership positions most likely will change from singular pronouns to collective ones: I becomes we.)

Overwhelming History of the Pig and the Jewish People

Jordan Rosenblum, as an academic, is publishing a new book, Forbidden, which is a complete history and exegesis of the Hebrew people and pigs.  Rosenblum provides an all-encompassing journey of the relationship between Jews and the pig, looking into scripture, comparative cultures and then how the pig became weaponized against the Jews. He goes right up to the point of modern-acceptable practices (like eating Chinese food but not Impossible Pork(tm)). The writing is flowing and often reads like a story. Because of the various points and themes, this may be best suited in an academic endeavor than a reading for curiosity sake. 

Reading some parts of the history, it can be shocking just how cruel our forebears have been and off-putting on how some traditions were started (ham dinner on Easter Sunday, e.g.). Still it’s worthwhile to know why the pig was singled out as the delineating non-kosher animal that separates Jews from Gentiles—not the camel, hyrax, hare, oyster, etc. —not even that Gentiles used the ubiquitous livestock animal as a symbol but Jews did too. This prohibition against eating pork was picked up by Islam as well, much to my chagrin one time when I inadvertently ordered an omelette with ham while dining with Muslim friends. Knowing now more of the history Jordan Rosenblum has provided, I will be more aware of just how the pig’s meat has been used against our neighbors.

Sometimes There are Too Many Questions

 Recently I was asked to sign the Nashville statement on biblical sexuality to connect with a ministry. It’s a document put forth by a lot of leading scholars.

I am uncertain about signing the Nashville statement. Article 1 and 8 seem to be in conflict. Plus, while this is the best scholarly understanding of sexuality, I’m curious if we’re focusing on a minor issue, infrequently addressed in scripture, with a strict reading…while Christ gave a more nuanced understanding of a major and explicit commandment regarding the Sabbath…and one in which the 1st century church felt okay about changing which day was “sabbath.” If we applied the same hermeneutics used with the Sabbath, Sabbath Year(s) and Jubilee Years—which we seem to be “okay” ignoring in the modern world—would we come to the same conclusions regarding sexuality? Similarly, He did not punish (or perhaps even condemn) a woman caught in adultery which explicitly is punishable. Nor was Cain punished according to the Law.

So if we can understand some greater principles, what position would we be taking on sexuality?