The para- words continue to fascinate me. Consider the difference in feel when you hear the words parachute, paragon, or paramedic when compared to parasite, paranoid or even paranormal for that matter. Para- swings back and forth doesn’t it? The word parasol in the context of a hot summer day evokes a different visceral response than the word paraplegic. The same swing I think is witnessed in the words we have been discussing. Paradigm is supposedly solid, stable and certain and paradox so spongy, squishy and shunned. It is this bias I think we have to face as we head further into 2012.
Liminal-in-between space brings us to in-between metaphors. The shores of two eras kissing brings us to new creative space where the old must yield to what is being midwifed in the new.
Para- words were just as important to the rishis seers of India (in Vedic philosophy see parama, paramatma and paramanus), as they were centuries later to Christianity where para-bles are the paradoxical stories used by Jesus to intentionally obscure. Where para-clete the “one called alongside to help” in John’s gospel is the way of conceiving the third person of the trinity. And you can’t forget the para-dise of the book of Revelation that clearly harkens back to the primal paradise of Genesis.
These three biblical/theological para-s sit as paradox deeply embedded within the paradigm of Christianity. When then will we embrace mystery as fundamental? When will uncertainty, because of God’s immensity, be acknowledged as humility instead of lack of faith? The invitation before us is to dance. Dance with the new emerging metaphors. Dance with paradox that IS the new paradigm.
It seems to me the early church started with paradox and moved to entrenched paradigm maybe there is something there we need to explore as we think about how we move from liquid and fluid to supposedly solid but potentially stuck.
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& Interesting that Jesus spoke in Parables, that were typically filled mysteriously with solid uncertainty