[I regret this unfortunate metaphor, but it's really the best way to describe how I'm feeling. I hope you don't take it to the fullest extent and assume that what I will write here is a bunch of... well, you know.]
I watch a lot of TV and movies, read newspapers and magazines, and read a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction. But none of this is mindless; I think a lot about world events and popular culture while I'm doing these things. I think about all of this in two ways. First, I think about how it all affects the world. How does the information given through the media, television, movies, and literature affect the way people see the world and live their lives? Second, I think about what kernels of truth lie dormant in each of these, regardless of how buried they might be in the compost heap of popular thought.
I also read a lot of the Bible and books about the Bible. I seek to know as much as I can about the Bible's message, and its implications. I also seek to know as much as I can about the Bible's origin and debates surrounding its composition. I seek to know all this because I want to be honest with myself about the Bible and what it should mean to me and to the world. I see very clearly that the Bible has had both negative and positive effects on humanity for thousands of years. The positive, I believe, is all due to the truth of the gospel. The negative, I believe, is all due to the corrupt ways in which men have misused, misinterpreted, misunderstood, and abused the gospel.
So I'm trying to learn as much as I can about as many things as I can. What now? Well, I just want to write. I want to share things that I learn, but not just the bare facts. I want to share what I learn as it becomes assimilated into my worldview, and express the truths that I discover as they relate to how I see the world. I want to share refined ideas.
Now I recognize that putting myself out there like this is risky; I risk exposing flaws in my own thought process, biases or preconceptions, holes in my logic, gaps in my understanding, and maybe even sinful attitudes I may have toward certain people or groups. But there are three reasons that have spurned me to take this risk. First is the sheer sense of responsibility to share the wealth. My upbringing taught me never to hoard, but always to share. I think the more educated one becomes, the more responsibility that person has to do something with his wealth of knowledge. Second, I dread the alternative of taking risks: succumbing to fear. I don't want to give in to my fear of losing. I greatly fear losing, because I know the pain of losing. It's painful enough when you lose in something trivial like sports or a board game or fantasy football. I hate losing in those. But I also hate losing debates with non-Christians over issues of apologetics. I hate losing debates with Christian friends about issues of faith. So by putting myself out there, I am telling myself that it's okay to lose, so long as it causes me to grow. I can either change my mind, or I can learn how to defend my position better. Which leads to the third reason: I think the only way to grow is to take risks. I want to grow in many ways, but foremost in my writing, reasoning and communication skills.
My purpose here is to share. The name of this blog is Karpos, which is the Greek word for fruit. This is the fruit of my studies, if you will, the product of growth and health. I just want to share it.
My goal? To sharpen. Iron sharpens iron, right? I sincerely hope as you read this that you not only learn something, but that you help me learn as well. I want to teach and learn. All learners should eventually teach, but no teacher will ever stop learning. So my goal is to teach what I've learned, but also to learn from you as you add to, correct, or reflect on what I've written.
Thanks, in advance, for your feedback. I look forward to learning together!
