Stan Hostetter: My Conceptual Biblical Theology of Earth, Wind and Fire The word theology is one of the words

in the English language that can wave in the wind like a red flag. Loosely defined as the study of God and more rigidly defined as the branch of systematic theology dealing with God and His relation to the world (Websters definition), many use the word theology thinking they have an expansive understanding of the nature of God and of the nature of humanity. They may even consider themselves as having come to this understanding in a short amount of time or assume that he or she is the only one who has ever come to the unique understanding they possess. These are those who wave the red flag. Coming to a limited understanding of the full nature of God and coming to a limited understanding of the nature of humanity is more often what anyone might hope to accomplish. This is not to say that the nature of God cannot be known and it is not to say that the nature of humanity cannot be known, but it is important to be aware that as we approach our investigations into these areas, that we be realistic and realize that our challenges in exploration should be, in fact, at least daunting and that the exploration will take time. I surrender to the overwhelming fact that I will not learn everything during my exploration into these areas. When I attempt to communicate to others about what I have learned, I try to wave a white flag, knowing I have had just a glimpse of the whole. That which I have learned is simply a piece of the larger puzzle that will fit together with pieces others have offered and when joined together, form a greater picture, a greater understanding. In attempting to describe my theology concerning God, humanity and the interaction between God and humanity I am again intimidated by the task. There are many scholars, theologians, ministers and clinical practitioners who have come before me and have excelled in their explorations and in their communications concerning their discoveries in these realms. Most have been much more qualified than myself, experts in their realm of influence. I think it best not to try to describe my theology in their experience and language per se, but to do so in terms I am comfortable with. I must attempt to set forth a theology within the definition of the word itself, within my experience and in a language I am comfortable with. My theology is biblical in nature and has largely been formed as a result of my personal spiritual formation. It has been a process that has taken place over time. A large part of my theology was formed as my life was invaded by the literal power of God. My understanding of this event initially formed a part of my theology that I will never consider changing; a theology I will never argue about; a theology that is part subjective and part mystical. It has been most helpful to me to use a biblical model of theology to define,

understand and communicate my experiences, some of which are unique to myself, some of which appear to be common, in general, to those shared by many others, both living and dead. The life-changing event I refer to has been followed by thirty years with continual growth in the understanding of who God is, how He desires to relate with humanity and what I, as well as others, may do personally to respond to Him as people who can enter into covenant relationship, both with God and with each other. Another part of my theology has formed as I have become engaged in the avocation of a life-long student over the course of time since Gods dramatic entry into my life those thirty years ago. During this time this part of my theology has developed and matured as I have matured spiritually over the course of time. I will always strive to maintain this onward and upward growth and in the meantime function as I can in my current vocations of choice, one as a chaplain, and the other as an author interested in the topic of Christian apologetics. My perspective of biblical theology is somewhat similar to the perspective of a forester. The work of the forester is essentially to care for and cultivate forests, primarily for the purpose of growing timber. The forester must have two perspectives. One perspective is a distant perspective, stepping back to view the forest as a whole. The other perspective is close, stepping forward to look at each individual tree, each of which is a small part of the whole. Like the forester, my perspective of biblical theology involves examination from both close and distant perspectives. As I have defined my close perspective of biblical theology, I must declare that I have first attempted to accurately describe spiritual events I have personally experienced. This attempt has led to a continual study of the biblical scripture record of both the Old and New Testaments. These records provide the only sources I have found that give me an understanding of what I have experienced and appear to define a model large enough to describe spiritual reality in general. As I have defined my personal theology, I have made several acknowledgments. I am first and foremost a person who is a Christian believer who acknowledges the reality of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who are all three joined together to be One. I further acknowledge the authority of both the Old and New Testament scripture and acknowledge the reality of the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit in the earth as well as the Lordship of Jesus Christ as head of His universal church in the earth. These acknowledgements form the central core of what I would describe as my close perspective of my own biblical theology. My theology agrees with that which forms the body of what is generally accepted as traditional Christian theology with one strong caveat. This

caveat comes from one of the sources I have previously mentioned that I acknowledge and is found in Matthew 15:1-9. Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. And He answered and said to them, And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, Honor your father and mother, and, He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or mother, Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God, he is not to honor his father or his mother. And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Throughout church history, many theologians have attempted to maintain a close perspective of biblical theology and have primarily involved themselves with detailed examination of the scripture record. This has largely been a study of language, words, definitions and minutia that has brought spiritual illumination to mankind in every age. At the same time, however, some theologians and others have used what they have seen in a way that has not been beneficial to mankind. These are those individuals throughout all of church history who have, in the analogy of the forester, not been able to see the forest for the trees. They have formed doctrines and traditions out of their own spiritual dysfunction and proclaimed that it originated with God when, in fact, it did not. Rather than using their theology as a tool to accurately represent the loving, compassionate and merciful nature of God, who is both Spirit and Love, and bring them into covenant relationship with God, they have used their theology to accuse and condemn any who disagree with them. Often thinking that they were doing a service to God and believing God was approving of their actions, many shed the blood of others as they became participants in whatever holy war was raging at the time. Other individuals, although not guilty of spilling the blood of others, have been guilty of using their theology to be the cause of argument, strife, confusion, division and splintering, thereby keeping groups of individuals both distant from God and distant from each other. These dysfunctional doctrines and traditions have shown up all throughout the course of church history and are present with us today. I will allow myself

to be gladly labeled as a Christian believer but I will oppose dysfunctional doctrines and traditions that are sometimes associated with this faith tradition. This is my caveat. Much of this tragedy that has been documented throughout church history to the present day may have largely been avoided if the individuals involved not only viewed biblical theology from a close perspective but also stepped back from that perspective and viewed that same theology from a more distant vantage point. They might have been able to see the forest as well as the trees. They might have been able to comprehend the larger picture of who God is, how He relates to mankind in the earth and how mankind in the earth can relate to each other. This is what I have attempted to do as I define my own biblical theology. I am a person who likes simplicity. Simplicity makes sense. I also know that it is often the case that what appears to be extremely simple may be, in fact, extremely profound. I find this paradoxical fact to be especially true time and time again as I continue my exploration in the realm of biblical theology. As I explore the realm of biblical theology with a close perspective, I can find esoteric words with cerebral definitions. Salvation. Sin. Holiness. Sanctification. Regeneration. Atonement. Forgiveness. Redemption. Justification. Eternity. Love. Judgment. Heaven. Hell. Life. Death. Etcetera. On the other hand, as I take a distant look at biblical theology I can find images, pictures and symbols that communicate details concerning God and humanity. There are many images useful in this view, but as I take my distant perspective of biblical theology, three of my favorite images are those of earth, wind and fire. I have made use of these images and a distant perspective of biblical theology to form what I might call my conceptual theology of earth, wind and fire. The image of earth can represent the nature of humanity in general. The image of wind can represent the nature of the Holy Spirit who is responsible for carrying out the interaction between God and mankind in the earth. The image of fire can represent the nature of God. Each image is presented repeatedly in the biblical record and each gives great insight into the nature of the reality of what the image represents. Joined together, these three concepts form the core of my theology concerning one, the nature of mankind, two, the nature of what God desires to accomplish in the earth through the agency of the Holy Spirit and three, the nature of God Himself. The image of the earth, representative of the nature of mankind in general, is found in Genesis 2:7. This account states that the formation of the first

human beings body took place as God formed man of dust from the ground. How this event unfolded at that precise moment we cannot know, but we can know from our knowledge of chemistry and biology that the body of every human is composed of natural chemical elements. Humans formed since may have not been formed literally in the same way, but all have been formed literally with the same stuff. In this sense, all of the members of the human race, regardless of race, politics or gender, experience or tradition, are essentially the same. We may not often view humanity in such a simple fashion but this is a part of our shared and common physical nature. Whatever view a person takes about how different human beings are from each other during their life on earth, it is almost a universal truth that these differences evaporate at the point in time that they die. In the end, no matter if the body is buried in earth or at sea, burned in fire or left to be eaten by the birds of the air, all exit this life in the same fashion. We are all the same. The same Genesis story relates that after the body of man was formed, God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Before the breath of God was placed in the body, there was no life, no soul. In the words of the apostle James, the body without the spirit is [and was] dead. In 1 Corinthians 4:7 the apostle Paul described human beings as earthen vessels, able to carry the treasure of the glory of God. Every human being has this capacity. As we consider human beings as earthen vessels, we realize we are capable of carrying many things within us, including the breath and fire of God. We have a potential to give good to humanity and we have a potential to give the not so good. Like clay pots, we are weak and frail, yet are able to show forth beauty unique to each of us as individuals. In Genesis 3:17,18, God told Adam that the earth was cursed due to Adams actions. God told Adam that the earth would now grow both thorns and thistles. As I work with plants in the garden, I am always amazed about how true this statement is. I have always thought of thorns and thistles as present only in the earth, in the field, in the lawn. However, as I meditate about how Adam was created from the dust of the earth and that he was subject to the same curse as was the earth, I cant help but consider it possible that Adam produced thorns or thistles as he brought forth the next generation. One of Adams sons, Cain, himself in rebellion to God, murdered Abel, another of Adams sons, who was described in the New Testament (see Luke 11:47-51) by Jesus as a prophet. Human history is full of such thorny behavior. Like many plants that come from the ground, a rose can be at the same time beautiful and thorny. Other things from the earth can be both beautiful and even deadly. So it is with humanity. This is our condition.

The image of wind is an image representative of the nature and activity of the Holy Spirit. A main characteristic of wind is its fluid behavior that acts much like water. Weather reports often describe jet streams, rivers of wind existing at altitudes high above the earth. The presence of wind can be passive, almost nonexistent or it can be forceful, even violent. These are the characteristics of the Holy Spirit, the pneuma, the breath of God. In the third chapter of his gospel, the apostle John relates how Jesus used the image of the wind to describe theological truth. It is interesting to note that He was engaged in conversation with Nicodemus, a person who was a ruling leader in the Jewish community, surely a noted theologian of the time. As you read the narrative of the story it is clear that Nicodemus had engaged, as I have described beforehand, in the close perspective of personal theological exploration. At the same time, he was aware of the ministry of Jesus and recognized that He was from God. The problem was that Jesus did not fit into his mold, into his theology and Nicodemus came to Jesus in an attempt to find clarity. Jesus helped Nicodemus step back from his close examination and take a more global view of reality. In this perspective, Jesus was able to help Nicodemus understand that many aspects of spiritual reality are mirrored in aspects of natural reality. In this case, Jesus was able to teach Nicodemus that spiritual birth was an event similar to physical birth. Jesus used Nicodemus knowledge of the physical birth process to help him more fully understand the spiritual birth process, theologically defined as regeneration. In verse eight Jesus said, The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God. The major function of the Holy Spirit is to bring life to mankind. Like the wind, the Holy Spirit may be passive, seemingly absent, may move like a breath, or flow like a river. In Genesis 1:2 the Holy Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters, waiting to move in response to whatever God would say. It was through the agency and breath of the Holy Spirit that Adam was able to receive life and become a living soul. Ezekiel 37 records the prophets experience when he viewed a valley that was filled with dry human bones. Verse five and six records Gods significant statement concerning His desire and ability to use His breath to impart life to those bones: Thus says the Lord God to these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. And I will put sinews on you,

make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord. Acts 2:2-4 describes the activity of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost: And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. From the image of the wind we can know that God desires to impart life to mankind. Like the wind, this can take many forms. He desires to impart life to the spirit of man. He desires to impart life to the soul of man. He desires to impart life to the body of man. Life may be manifested in gentle ways, almost undiscernibly, or in dramatically powerful ways. I have previously described human beings as earthen vessels. As live earthen vessels we are able to contain breath. It is this fact that allows human beings to be physically alive. The breath, which comes from God through the agency of the Holy Spirit and forms the spirit of man, gives life to the body. Human beings, as evidenced by the events that took place on the day of Pentecost, have the potential to literally be filled with much more of the life of God than any us have probably thought possible. As living earthen vessels, we all contain a breath of God. For many individuals, a greater mystery begins when it is considered what is involved about being an earthen vessel that has the potential to act as a container for the person of the Holy Spirit, the One who previously gave each of us our initial breath of life. The image of fire powerfully represents the nature of the character of God. The smallest amount of fire forms light and that light dissipates darkness. The Genesis story states that in the beginning, darkness was over the surface of the deep. Then, when God said, Let there be light, there was no more darkness. Increased amounts of fire bring heat and warmth. Increased amounts of fire bring cleansing and purification. Increased amounts of fire consume. One of the most fascinating images of fire is the image (Exodus 3:2-4) of Moses standing before the burning bush. As Moses looked at the bush, he saw that the bush was on fire but that the bush was not consumed. Like Moses, I am intrigued by this detail of the image. I enjoy watching a campfire burn and I enjoy looking into a burning fireplace. Looking at a bush on fire and watching it burn is one thing but looking at a bush on fire and seeing it not being consumed is something else entirely. No wonder Moses thought it was a marvelous sight.

The bush was something growing from the ground. The image of the bush is similar to the previously described images of the rose and the clay pot. All are objects that, in one way or other, come from the earth and can be said to be representative of human beings. Through the vehicle of this event, God was showing Moses a picture of what would happen to individuals as God set them on fire with a fire that would not destroy or consume. It is probable that when Moses took the sandals from his feet and contacted the ground barefooted, God set Moses on fire with Himself. It is probable that the exact same thing happened to the disciples gathered together on the day of Pentecost. When God consumes individuals with fire, things can change. The nature of fire is to cleanse and purify. The nature of God is to refine the individual as a smelter might refine silver or gold. His desired end result is to prepare the individual so the individual may be a vessel of silver or gold, honored and used by Him to pour out His Love, Presence and Healing into the world. As I try to work out this conceptual theology of earth, wind and fire into my daily life, especially as a chaplain, I try to keep things simple. In attempting to do this, I keep coming back to something Forrest Gump said. Life is like a box of chocolates. You dont know what youre going to get. I dont think Forrest would have understood any of my fancy two-dollar words with cerebral definitions or any of the clinical terms I sometimes use to communicate with others, but I think he may have had a perspective of life that did contain more than just a degree of wisdom. It is interesting to note that Forrest acquired this simple, yet profound perspective from his mother who was bedridden with a terminal illness and died early in her sons fictional autobiography. That was her perspective before it was his and it served them both well. When I go room to room in the hospital, or go day to day in my daily life, I have no idea of what I am going to face. This perspective defines the beginning of my approach to a lot of what I do. It helps me keep things simple and in so doing, also serves me well. As I view individuals through the image of the clay pot, I agree with David (Psalm 139:13-15) that humanity is fearfully and wonderfully made. I try to identify the external forces that formed each individual and take into account their gender and their unique formation. I try to note their strengths and

weaknesses as well as their beauty and imperfections, even their thorns. Since a lot of what I do is work with individuals in crisis, I often see places that are stressed, fragile, cracked or broken. As with those who are not in crisis, I simply show up and give the support of my presence to them as they are. If they desire, I allow them to tell me their story and even possibly communicate to me what it is they consider holy and valuable. If they accept my presence and are receptive to my prayers, I often pray with them for a manifestation of Peace, Presence and Healing. As I view individuals through the image of wind, I am aware of the fragile nature of life. As I described earlier, the body of every human being lives due to the fact that it contains their spirit, that breath from God placed within their forming bodies before they were physically born. As a hospital chaplain I have brought presence to grieving parents as I have fulfilled requests to bless or baptize their dead babies. I have been called to be present with families of those who have died in their sleep. In one instance I was called to be present for an intubated patient who could not be kept alive without assisted ventilation and had made the conscious decision to have all life support for her care withdrawn. She communicated to everyone when she was ready to be extubated. She had previously relied, in part, on medical support to live. Now she was ready to rely on God alone to die. In these situations, there are few words a chaplain can say. I find that it is more important that the chaplain simply be. These experiences have clarified my view of the frailty of the human condition and the need of all humanity to rely upon the breath of God to give them life, even if they do not acknowledge the fact that He is the One who enables them to live and breathe. As I view individuals through the image of fire, it is fairly easy to identify those who have been consumed. They have been in the crucible of life and have been refined. These are not simply winners or survivors. These are not those holding to an external form of religion. These are those who may have been desperate and may have experienced a personal dark night of the soul. In their desperation, they have cried out to God and God has answered their cries by consuming them with the fire of His own presence. Although their physical situations may have not changed, they have experienced spiritual transformation. They may speak of the experience openly or they may keep it private. As you interact with these individuals, you may find yourself amazed at the nature and quality of the interaction. My theology is also like a box of chocolates. Take what you like and leave the rest.