The Writer's Connection, SM
a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach SM


"The Creative Process of Writing is a Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"

www.virtualwritingcoach.com

September, 2009

In This Issue:

1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. Knowing Christ Today
4. Helpful Hints

1. Preview

The Writer's Connection explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.

Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.

Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript, and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.

2. Publisher's Note

September, 2009

Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,

This month features Dallas Willard's new book, Knowing Christ Today which argues a knowledge base for Christ rather than just a faith - based approach.

3. Knowing Christ Today

Dallas Willard’s (author of the Divine Conspiracy) latest offering is Knowing Christ Today. Willard, a professor of philosophy at University of Southern California makes the case that Christian thought is true knowledge and not just a movement based on emotion and preferences. Willard argues that Christian spiritual ideals, while unique, are truths comparable to other intellectual disciplines such as science and philosophy (from the book jacket). In an era where God, faith, and Jesus are disputed as emotional deist attachments by Christians yearning for meaning in life, Willard’s book is refreshing for its pedagogical and logistical arguments. A brief review follows.

Before psychology and religion were disciplines of study, philosophy and the arts were the precepts of learning in universities. Religious tenets and beliefs were later relegated to theological seminaries that provide the majority of pastors for Protestant faiths today. The Doctor of Divinity degree is the highest degree obtainable and is required for many pastors who desire to preach in larger churches, most notably in the Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Lutheran denominations. Psychology was founded by William Wundt’s experimental psychology precepts in Germany in the late 19th century. Today the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D) is still considered by many to be the quintessential recognition of both science and practical knowledge, although other doctoral degrees are widely accepted today—e.g. Psy. D. degree in psychology.

In Willard’s first chapter, entitled “Can Faith Ever Be Knowledge?” he argues that “we have knowledge of something when we are representing it . . . as it actually is on the basis of thought and experience” (p. 15). The knowledge base of Christianity is found in the writings contained in the 65 books of the Bible which is the textbook of the Judeo - Christian faith. Throughout the past two thousand years and after many translations from Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, English, and the oral tradition of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), Willard posits that there is enough similarity among observers that Jesus Christ was an historical figure. While it may be argued whether or not he was, indeed, the Son of Man and God and rose from the dead, there is no definitive information that refutes eyewitness accounts of his death, transformation, and appearances to the Apostles after his death and burial. This is the central tenet of the Christian faith which demarcates it from other religious faiths. This is not to argue exclusivity, but to state the fact that historical writings are prima facie evidence for Christ. If one were doing a psychological experiment, the null hypothesis would be that Christ died but was not reborn (stories abound in Gnostic studies of Thomas and others that Christ was human but not divine).

In Western culture Willard reminds us that the dichotomy between traditional (religious) knowledge and modern (scientific) knowledge is a straw - man argument. Knowledge is the result of opinions, faith, hunches that form theories which are later tested in the laboratory. Our solar system, originally thought to have only five planets, then nine, and now eight was based on our technology of the telescope (science). Quantum physics first starts with a belief (null hypothesis) of subatomic particles and energy that led to the formation of our universe; to disprove this requires experimental evidence that this is not so (alternative hypotheses) that form the basis of the scientific method. But hypotheses are first arrived at by “hunches, guesses, and faith” that a particular truth exists that affects a causal relationship between A and B. Willard argues that a religious body of knowledge is no different.

The philosophical tenet of “logical exclusiveness” is used to argue that if A is true, then anything contrary to A is false. Hypothesis testing relies on this tenet but it does not always mean that A is true. This is why we test A to begin with. We now know that the earth is not flat, that there are billions of galaxies and solar systems in the universe, that time travel exists (Einstein’s theory of relativity), that blood letting does not cure fevers, that currencies are not sustainable during social and economic upheaval, and a myriad of other environmental events and technological advances that disprove our scientific beliefs.

Finally, Willard argues that Christian pluralism is based upon Christian knowledge and faith associated with it. The critical question for Willard for humankind and religion is whether or not any pluralistic thought ends up with love for God, self, and neighbor. Does one believe in loving our neighbors as ourselves, or tolerating our neighbors without love?

Helpful Hints:

1. If a good Hindu, Muslim, or Christian were saved, would that be because one was a good Hindu, Muslim, or Christian?

2. Is it arrogant and unloving to believe that you are right and others are wrong about some humanly important matter—e.g. abortion?

3. What are some of the main differences between belief and knowledge?


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Keith Barton, Ph.D.
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(c) Copyright 2003 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
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The Writer's Connection SM Mission:

The Writer's Connection SM is dedicated to helping first - time authors create their first manuscript for publication and to offer an exchange of ideas and opinions from our readers who might be interested in becoming authors.

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Archives

You can read previous issues of The Writer's Connection SM in our archive section which is located at the top right section of this page.

About Keith Barton, Ph.D.

Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist for over thirty years. He is currently enrolled in MentorCoach and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to persons with mental retardation, and for the past 13 years founded and runs a clinical practice in Northwest Houston. He writes part - time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.

Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:

Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self - esteem
Communication skills
Marital/relationship enrichment
Wellness issues
The relationship between psychology and spirituality

Copyright by Virtual Writing Coach (SM) and Keith Barton, 2001 - 2008.