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Koers (Online) vol.78 n.1 Pretoria Jan. 2013
Perichōrēsis and the South African ideal
Perichōrēsis en die Suid-Afrikaanse ideaal
David T. Williams
Department of Historical and Contextual Theology, University of Fort Hare, South Africa
The continuing fulfilment of the South African dream of a 'rainbow nation' really needs to be based on a valid model; this can be provided by the biblical representation of the 'image of the Trinity'. In this regard, it is significant that the developed understanding of the Trinity includes the dynamic interaction of the Persons, known as perichōrēsis. If this serves as a model, it reflects the distinction between groups in society, but also harmony in society, and the full potential of each group. It then involves mutual sharing in society, and must be seen as dynamic, so that the country is able to continue to develop, not resting on past achievements. For Christians, part of the enactment of this model can be the perichoretic sharing in the life of the Trinity in prayer.
Die voortgaande vervulling van die Suid-Afrikaanse droom van 'n 'reënboognasie' behoort op 'n geldige model gebaseer word; die Bybelse voorstelling van die 'beeld van die Drie-eenheid' kan bydra om so 'n model te ontwikkel. Dit is hier betekenisvol dat die verstaan van die Drie-eenheid dusdanig ontwikkel het dat dit die dinamiese interaksie van die Persone of perichōrēsis insluit. Indien dit as 'n model dien, weerspieël dit die onderskeid tussen samelewingsgroepe, maar ook harmonie in die samelewing, asook die volle potensiaal van elke groep. Dit behels dan die wedersydse deel hê in die gemeenskap, en moet as dinamies gesien word, sodat die land verder ontwikkel en nie op prestasies van die verlede rus nie. Vir Christene kan deel van die uitlewing hiervan bestaan in die perichoretiese deelhê deur gebed in die lewe van die Drie-eenheid.
'Rainbow Nation' is a term believed to have been coined by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid South Africa after its first democratic elections in 1994 (Wikipedia 2009). The term was taken up by the first president of the democratic republic as it so aptly described the dream that they both had of a nation which was united, whilst maintaining the distinctives of the various groups that comprise it. The experience of a forced separation of the groups that had been government policy for nearly half a century was repugnant; the goal was a united country respectful of the identities of its various constituents. If this could be achieved, the result, like the rainbow, would indeed be beautiful.
And, could it also be said, heavenly! It was no accident that Archbishop Tutu was appointed as the chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to investigate the abuses of the past with the express intention of healing and reconciliation. He would then have said that it was no accident that the country experienced a miracle in 1994, when the transition to a democratic government occurred without significant violence. The bloodbath that many were expecting, both within and outside of South Africa, did not occur. Whilst many of the churches had campaigned for many years to bring about a transition, they had also been praying that the result of their efforts would come about peacefully. It would surely not be unreasonable to see the hand of God both in the process leading up to 1994 and in the event itself. The appointment of the archbishop was recognition of a commonly held belief that God had influenced the process.
Although the peaceful transition, and the subsequent peaceful interrelating of the groups, remains a surprise to many, it really should not have been, at least not in a Christian context. The separation and mutual antagonism in the ancient world between Jew and Gentile was far more extreme, and yet this had been transcended in Christ (Eph 2:11f.).
But have the churches now lost interest? Is the achievement of the transition now viewed as enough? If the development of the young democracy is also in keeping with the will of God, then Christians have a duty to work for it, to pray for it, and to expect that God will indeed respond to those prayers.
The goal
I want to suggest that God is concerned with human society, that the preservation and development of South Africa is in keeping with his will, and that he wants to bring about an ideal society. This is the essential reason for the involvement of Christians, and also why so many resisted the policies of the previous regime. Despite many attempts to argue that the system of apartheid was consistent with the Bible, it was increasingly condemned as wrong, and indeed sinful. The Kairos document (1985) is a well-known reflection of this -sadly, being increasingly forgotten. The system of apartheid then had to be replaced by one which could be described as reflecting the will of God. The question is: What does this mean? What is needed is a role model.
Incidentally, perhaps part of the problem with the apartheid structures was that apartheid's architects were well aware of racism elsewhere - the southern states of America being an obvious example. They then sought to perfect what they observed had not been carried through logically. The challenge to modern South Africa, then, is to produce a society that can be an example to other countries. Certainly after 1994, South Africa acquired a vast amount of moral capital, capital that is now, especially with the recent spates of xenophobia, in danger of dissipating.
Surely the ideal society is one which reflects the nature of God himself: 'In Jesus Christ, he creates a community of faith corresponding to his nature; in turn the civil community should reflect this in its life' (Thompson 1994:109, citing Barth). The Genesis narrative recounts that humanity was created in imago Dei [image of God] (Gn 1:27), and that this was 'good'. Humanity's goal should be to reflect the nature of its creator as closely as possible.
Indeed, although the image is commonly understood as referring to the individual, the Genesis account is of the creation of the first community, as Barth (1958:197-198) has observed. Others, perhaps notably Wheeler Robinson (1926:8) with his understanding of 'corporate personality', have pointed out that the Old Testament focuses on the community. Likewise, Jesus came to build a community, the Church, which is his body (1 Chr 12:27).
This means that the Church, and ideally society as a whole, should reflect the nature of the Trinity. The goal is not just to be in imago Dei [image of God], but to be in imago Trinitatis [image of the Trinity]. Many, such as Volf (1998), see the Church as reflecting the Trinity. Boff (1988:11) particularly takes up this point, saying that the Trinity can serve as a model for a just egalitarian organisation. Famerée (2007:58) believes that the Church proceeds from the inner life of the Trinity, and manifests it in the world. In this case, 'the Trinity is our social program' (Moltmann, citing, amongst others, Fedorov, in Thompson 1994:106).
And here the rainbow is indeed an appropriate picture. Perhaps the delightful picture that Tutu used can be pressed a little more, for the rainbow comes from the interaction of three primary colours. Ordinary sunlight does appear as an undifferentiated unity, which is how the nation should appear from the outside. Although sunlight is composed of completely identifiable and separable elements, these manifest themselves together. One is reminded of the Trinitarian dictum, opera Trinitatis ad extra indivisa sunt [external actions of the Trinity are undivided]. This does not mean that the actions of the Persons cannot be distinguished; it means that all the Persons are involved in every external action and that in these there is harmony.
Now, it is always dangerous to propose an illustration; Barth is well known for resisting the use of things to illustrate spiritual truth. It cannot be that humanity can fully reflect either the nature of God or the relationships in the Godhead; indeed, it is precisely for this reason that the second Person limited himself in kenosis [self-limitation]. Nobody can see God and live. And certainly it is dangerous to press an illustration further than is reasonable. It could well be observed that the rainbow is actually due to the separation of the colours that together make up ordinary sunlight, a point probably not really intended.
Even when the principle that using the Trinity as a paradigm for the ideal human society is accepted, it must still be recognised as a little precarious, for it may well lead to unwanted implications. In particular, the way in which the Trinity is usually presented cannot serve as a model for what is desired in South Africa. If the Trinity is seen as the Father begetting the Son, and then the Spirit coming from him, whether with or through the Son, this immediately demands the subordination of the second and then the third Person to the first. It can justify patriarchy, monarchism, domination (Boff 1988:14). The Trinity is often formulated in a sense that enshrines subordination; the classic case of this was in Arianism. But despite the condemnation of this as a heresy, the affirmation of processions means that the implication remains, and militates against seeing the Trinity as a paradigm for the ideal society. Is this subordination really what is intended? Was this not the agony of the situation under apartheid?
Indeed it is, if those relationships are seen as inherent. But in fact this is not the case: Arius, in the 4th century, made exactly the mistake of reading the subordination of the incarnation and earthly presence of the Spirit back into the essential nature of the Godhead (LaCugna 1993:34). His condemnation was, and is, absolutely correct. As Athanasius and so many others have insisted to this day, the Persons are absolutely equal, all are fully God (Torrance 1996:143). What is perhaps significant is that the reason for Athanasius's determination was the perception that if the Persons are not all equal, all fully divine, then there is no salvation (Torrance 1996:144). The same is true for South Africa; if there is not full equality, then ultimately there will be no salvation.
The problem that the 4th-century dispute highlighted is that if there was full equality, where was the distinction between the Persons? Whilst the affirmation of the Nicene Creed was that the three Persons are homoousios [of the same being], so absolutely equal, the implication of this was that they could not be distinct Persons (Torrance 1996:171). Then if the Persons are in fact distinct, they must be different in at least some respect and, if different, they could not be absolutely equal (Torrance 1996:115). When Athanasius insisted on the term, homoousios, that had been agreed to by the Council of Nicea, albeit under a measure of political pressure, he was accused of Sabellianism, the idea that there was only one Person of God but a God who manifested in various ways, as Father, Son or Holy Spirit (LaCugna 1993:47). This however did not reflect the biblical material, which clearly indicates that there are real distinctions between the Persons, such as at the baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:22), where he was clearly not the same person as either the voice from heaven or the descending dove.that the three Persons are homoousios [of the same being], so absolutely equal, the implication of this was that they could not be distinct Persons (Torrance 1996:171). Then if the Persons are in fact distinct, they must be different in at least some respect and, if different, they could not be absolutely equal (Torrance 1996:115). When Athanasius insisted on the term, homoousios, that had been agreed to by the Council of Nicea, albeit under a measure of political pressure, he was accused of Sabellianism, the idea that there was only one Person of God but a God who manifested in various ways, as Father, Son or Holy Spirit (LaCugna 1993:47). This however did not reflect the biblical material, which clearly indicates that there are real distinctions between the Persons, such as at the baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:22), where he was clearly not the same person as either the voice from heaven or the descending dove.
This dispute raged for several decades until it was realised how it was possible for the Persons to be both distinct and absolutely equal, in the formula known as perichōrēsis (Torrance 1996:138). If it is understood that deity is communicated from one to the other, then they can be absolutely equal, with no subordination and 'without loss of relational distinctiveness' (John of Damascus, cited by Lampe 1978:120), so that difference is maintained. The first application of the term to the Trinity was by an unknown writer in a work attributed to Cyril (Torrance 1996:170), but it was the Cappadocian Fathers in the fourth century who realised that the doctrine of perichōrēsis provided the solution to the problem that had vexed the Church since the emergence of Arius (LaCugna 1993:270). Referring to Kelly, Bray (1993:162) can treat the doctrine of co-inherence as an 'undoubted advance in thinking'.
Each Person of the Trinity is distinct from the others, but in order for the three Persons to be absolutely equal, they interpenetrate. Interestingly, Long (2006) cites Ian Bradley in his The Celtic Way, who says: 'The intertwining ribbons of the Celtic knot represent in simple and graphic terms the doctrine of perichōrēsis - the mutual interpenetration of Father, Son and Holy Spirit' (Long 2006). Jesus could say that he is in the Father and the Father in him (Jn 14:11). Each Person envelops and is enveloped by the others (chöreö [contain]) (Torrance 1996:170). Volf (1998:209) explains this as co-inherence without coalescence or commixture. Otto (2001:368) says that the use of the prefix peri- probably indicates the completeness of the mutual interpenetration. The relational attributes pertaining to specific Persons, such as Fatherhood, are of course not communicated (Crisp 2005:138). Although Athanasius had understood that the concept of homoousios involved both real distinction and real co-inherence (Torrance 1996:169), this was not really appreciated fully at the time.
More than the equality of the Persons, it is this interaction that gives unity between them, not the identity of substance (Volf 1998:210). Moreover, it is in the very relationships that the Persons have their full identity. Gunton then says that the reality of the Persons is only in their relationship to one another (Chia 2007:457). Thus the Son is generated or begotten by the Father (Jn 1:14); the very word 'Father' indicates the presence of the Father in the being of the Son. Each Person is only such in relation to the other two (Torrance 1996:172). The Son is only the Son insofar as he is indwelt by Father and Spirit (Volf 1998:209).
The interaction of perichōrēsis enables the full three-in-oneness of the Trinity (Barth 1975:370). Moltmann (1981:175) says of the Persons of the Trinity that 'in the perichoresis, the very thing that divides them becomes that which binds them together'. Legitimate variety will contribute to unity (Famerée 2007:58). Having noted that the Father is associated with the 'ineffable abyss', the Son with time-space objectivity and the Spirit with inner- and interpersonal subjectivity, Peters (1993:147) feels that 'the concept of perichoresis holds together the dimensions of absoluteness and relatedness in the single divine life'. Crisp (2005:131) uses the illustration of the oxygen and haemoglobin in oxygenated red blood cells in the human body, which are chemically distinct, but fused together to make oxyhaemoglobin in order to deliver oxygen to the body efficiently; this is a significant comparison, as blood is the centre of human life.
Just as it is this perichoretic interrelationship that is fundamental to the idea of a human being, Erickson (1995:233) - applying it to the life of a body, an idea that underlies Paul's picture in 1 Corinthians 12:4f. - this can be extended to society as a whole; the essence of civilisation is the mutual interaction and support of the people that it comprises. Just as the Trinity is not a simple fellowship of Persons, which would be tritheism (Thompson 1994:108), so society is more than a collection of people inhabiting a particular area. Famerée (2007:64) says that each local church is a portion, not a part, of the whole; it reflects the Trinity, not tritheism, and all are equal (2007:60). In addition: 'The Trinity forms the social paradigm since it is a mutually loving, interacting, sustaining society' (Thompson 1994:106). Thus the idea of perichōrēsis forms a model for the Church and so for human society:
.. .this doctrine of co-inherence is perhaps the most important single teaching of the Bible in an age which finds it hard to reconcile individual freedom and dignity with corporate commitment and responsibility. (Bray 1993:242)
It is also noteworthy that Volf (1998:209) sees a similar mutuality in prophetic speech, insofar as many see that the Church has a prophetic function to society, and perhaps especially in South Africa.
Seeing the Trinity as fundamentally perichoretic indicates that the ideal society does not reflect ongoing dependence, but interdependence; it is this that gives unity. Nevertheless there will be temporary dependence as a means of achieving this, reflecting the fact that in the 'economic Trinity', which manifests as the means of salvation, the Son and the Spirit are dependent on the Father in generation and procession; this is, however, not a permanent state. The imperative is then the affirmation of full perichoretic relationships that safeguard the essential equality of the Persons in the Trinity, and in its imitation, a healthy society.
Buxton (n.d.:1) refers to the understanding of such as Gunton, that even the nature of the universe, as created by God, reflects this perichōrēsis: 'God's own ecstatic perichoretic life finds expression in the creation that he has brought into being' (Buxton n.d.:2). Gunton therefore advocates a perspective on the world that is ultimately perichoretic in that everything in creation contributes in some way to the being of everything else (Buxton n.d.:9). This, then, gives 'meaningful expression to the dynamical order of the universe as a coherent, evolving pattern in which all things participate' (Torrance, in Buxton n.d.:11). It follows that 'all of God's acts have behind them the full weight of the Trinity whilst simultaneously each person of the Trinity retains his own distinct identity' (Buxton n.d.:6, citing Torrance). The trinitarian nature of creation then reflects in the Church (Chia 2007:454).
The term perichōron appears in Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) to refer to those who 'dwell around' a town (Gn 13:10), and one reference in the Gospel of Matthew (14:35) has that same meaning. When translated into Latin, two renderings of the term emerged, circuminsessio, to sit around, the understanding preferred by Aquinas; and circumincessio, to move around, preferred by Bonaventure (LaCugna 1993:272). Torrance (1996:171) adopts the latter, feeling that perichōrēsis is essentially dynamic. It is this latter sense that is especially applicable to society, for people do not only dwell together in a static sense, but also interact. Moreover, as Otto (1992:510) states: 'Humanity by its very nature is social and is meant to reflect the community of relations (perichoresis) within the triune God'. On the other hand, the idea of dancing around can overstress the individuals, so it loses real interpenetration (Tan 2004:291). Both aspects are then essential: Society is neither merely a collection of individuals nor just an undifferentiated body.
Thus, insofar as they reflect the perichōrēsis of the Trinity, the various elements of South African society find their full identity in their interaction with the others. Full humanity comes only in the context of shared relationships (Otto 2001:379). Dialogue is basic to our existence as the Trinity is dialogue (Tan 2004:287). The very diversity is then mutually enriching. At the same time, there can be both inherent unity and equality in the country. What must be said is that perichōrēsis was, and still is, seen not just as a form of words, or a formula craftily contrived to reconcile the irreconcilable, but reflected a reality. Perhaps if human society had been what it should have been, and reflected the nature of the Trinity more closely, this realisation might have come sooner. But now that the realisation had dawned, there came also the challenge to conform to it.
The essence of perichōrēsis is the giving of each Person to the others; indeed, giving may be seen as fundamental to the nature of God. This is then seen in God's action outside of himself, both in the act of creation and especially in ongoing action in the created world. This would suggest that the incursion of God into the world is necessarily kenotic, a concept which complements perichörêsis (Buxton n.d.:8). In fact, the term perichōrēsis was first applied theologically in respect of God's primary intervention into the world, in the incarnation, where it was applied to the interplay of the divine and human in Christ (LaCugna 1993:272). Here the hypostatic union demands an understanding of perichōrēsis, here called the communicatio idiomatum [communication of properties] (Crisp 2005:125). Crisp (2005:130), however, cautions that these are not quite the same, because in the case of the latter the relation is asymmetrical, as the attributes of humanity do not enter the divine.
In the giving that is implicit in perichōrēsis, 'each of the persons surrenders its own independence on behalf of the divine unity. The Trinity is a model of reciprocal self-denial' (Peters 1993:137). Pannenberg (in Peters 1993:224, fn.120) thanks Hegel for this insight, calling it 'the most profound clarification of the inner trinitarian perichoresis to appear in the history of Christian thought'. That relationality, it must be remembered, is in fact constituted by self-giving. Each divine person is who it is in and through the giving of itself to the other (Peters 1993:137). Mark McIntosh (in Pinti 2006:505) claims that this 'going out' of the divine Persons involves creation as a whole: 'In a sense we could say that the whole cosmos and its responsivity to God are embraced within the infinitely fecund giving of the Divine Persons to each other. (p. 505)'.
What God did was to give. What Christ did was to give. And the heart of the perichoretic reality is the continual giving of the Persons to each other. And this is a very Christian value. It is often pointed out that the use of the word agapē, 'love', was rare before the coming of the gospel. The African ideal of ubuntu [human kindness] can find a deeper basis and fuller expression in Christ. Is it possible that progress will be made in achieving a better South Africa without that same attitude of ongoing giving? The establishment of a perichoretic society involves reflecting the means that the Trinity adopted for salvation, that of the self-giving of kenōsis. Certainly relating to others involves self-giving (Volf 1998:211). It is significant that the early Church, in their realisation of salvation, quickly adopted the relationships of koinōnia [communion or fellowship]: as Boff (1988:6) points out, this is implied in perichōrēsis.
In giving, there must be a measure of self-emptying; this is a concept particularly highlighted in the Philippian 'hymn' of Philippians 2:5f. Whilst the idea of kenōsis has attracted a lot of criticism, this is blunted when it is appreciated that the emptying is not a negation of attributes, but a self-limitation. Thus Christ, and, incidentally, also the other two Persons, whereas they self-limit in their interaction with the world, so in their immanent action they remain absolutely divine in themselves, so in their transcendence.
In this case, the interaction of people in society, if it is to reflect the Trinity, is necessarily one of giving, of self-limitation for the sake of others. Yet it will be found that this action is not one that results in loss, but in fact enriches. In his kenösis, Christ benefited in the experience of becoming human (Phlp 2:10). In South African society, the experience of self-giving in the perichoretic relationship will be found not to cause loss, but be mutually beneficial.
It might just be added here that the perichoretic interrelationship of the Trinity and its kenotic expression in the world are without compulsion. God self-limited in creation to give free-will to humanity, and in his ongoing dealings with the world the same is true. God may urge, but does not force (some have referred to the Holy Spirit as a 'gentleman'!). Thus the ideal for human society should not be imposed by legal compulsion (as was the case, classically, of course, with apartheid), but given though example. Here, whereas the model is the Trinity, it is best perceived in society as a whole through the Church. The tragedy is that so very often the Church fails to live up to the model that it has been given.
The process
Even though 1994 witnessed a tremendous accomplishment, despite democracy at last being achieved, this was not the end of the story. The transition to democracy must be seen as part of a process, which again reflects the nature of the Trinity. The Trinity is not three Persons in a static relationship with one another, they are in a continual dynamic interchange. The very essence of the idea of perichōrēsis is that it is a process. Torrance (1996:171) points out that perichōrēsis is essentially dynamic. So if the Trinity is a paradigm for the perfect society, it should not be seen as ever being fully achieved.
In fact, one of the problems that the early Church inherited from its milieu is the view that if God is perfect, he must be 'perfectly' unchangeable. One of the results of this idea was the notion that God cannot suffer; it has been a modern realisation, especially since the sufferings of the Second World War, that God can indeed suffer, and participates in our own suffering. Contrary to the old belief that what Jesus endured could not be real, an idea known as 'docetism', the portrayal of the Bible is realistic and, indeed, the sufferings of Christ were essential to our salvation. Moreover, the Father also suffered, not least in that he gave up his Son for the sake of the world.
It is one of the tragedies of the modern South Africa that many people despair of achieving a society that is significantly better. In a sense this must definitely be a Christian attitude, one which has an appreciation of the enormity of the sinfulness that underlies prejudice and hatred. Yet surely a Christian must perceive that God's power has been effective in countless peoples' lives and situations, not least in 1994 and in the ancient world.
But is there now a feeling that after the changes of 1994 nothing more needs to be done? Are we echoing the words of Jesus on the cross, 'it is finished' (Jn 19:30)?
Admittedly, since the start of the Church, the cross and example of Christ have inspired the sacrifice of many for the sake of others. And this includes many who sacrificed themselves for the sake of others in South Africa and a better society. Surely the achieving of democracy would not have occurred had it not been for so many who suffered to bring it about. But for most there is just acceptance of what has been done, even appreciation for it, but little realisation that more needs to happen.
It is here that the Trinitarian picture can again make a contribution. A verse beloved of Christians is John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son ....' Whilst this must primarily refer to the event of the incarnation, this should not imply that that phenomenon ended God's involvement. This does not reflect the inter-Trinitarian relationship. Arius had made the mistake of understanding the begetting of the Son as an event, albeit before time, which immediately implied for him the inherent subordination of the Son. It was the realisation of the genius of Origen that the relationship between the Persons cannot be seen as an event, but as an eternal process (Torrance 1996:208).
But there is a modern heresy, which can perhaps be seen as even more devastating than the ancient one of Arius, but which comprises an equally destructive notion: it is that salvation is also just an event and that once it has happened, the story is complete. And it is the same 'heresy' that is so prevalent in South Africa today, the belief that democracy has been achieved, utopia has come, nothing more needs to be done.
How many people look back on their conversion, or on their baptism, and, quite rightly, rejoice that their sins are indeed forgiven, but think that there is no need to do anything else? Indeed, how many rejoice with Paul that salvation is entirely of grace, a gift of God, and in no sense dependent upon human action? Salvation is sola gratia, entirely a gift (Rm 3:24, Eph 2:8). But that same Paul had to cry out in horror when some understood this to mean that they did not need to do anything further, and James likewise insisted that faith leads to works (Jm 2:14). This was Bonhoeffer's problem: the lack of perception by many of his fellow Lutherans that obedience was necessary; what he called 'cheap grace'. Rather, for Paul, grace is free, but it costs everything (Hinson 1988:45-46)!
Witness the experience of the Augustinian monk, Martin Luther - from whose realisation that God had saved him by faith had come the Protestant understanding of salvation, fundamentally by the free gift of God, by grace alone. This was, of course, not novel to him, but it reflects the understanding of Paul, expressed especially in the epistles to the Romans and the Galatians, and notably, emphasised by Augustine.
In his early life Luther had struggled with the awareness of sin in his life; whilst believing in his salvation, he was painfully aware of his unworthiness. For Luther, the dilemma was resolved in the realisation that when he was justified, far from it being from holiness of life, and even far from being made holy, he was rather declared to be righteous, and in that sense becomes holy. Justification is the removal of the guilt of sin; righteousness is 'imputed' to the believer. He realised that justification is a gift, an act of grace, so not at all dependent upon the acts or works of the sinner. In justification, a person is declared, not made, holy. Justification is then a declaration, in a legal or forensic sense, that the person is no longer liable to any penalty. No charge can be brought against God's elect (Rm 8:33). This is the normal biblical understanding of the Hebrew sdk and the Greek dikaioō [to declare] (Toon 1983:14, 120).
But understood in this way, it can well be thought that receiving the gift of salvation in no way actually affects a person so that he or she is better off in this life. In Protestant theology, a distinction is usually made between two aspects of salvation, the forgiveness of sins and an improvement in life. The believer, at least initially, is not in the least better in a moral sense. Understood in this way, it follows that the act of salvation in justification does not necessarily affect the present. Speaking of Luther, Wesley said that none wrote more aptly of justification by faith, none were more ignorant of sanctification (Edwards 1965:50). Indeed, it has been a common trend in Christianity that salvation has tended to be understood only in terms of escape from the threat of hell, the result of sins, to an eternal home in heaven. The emphasis has been almost entirely eschatological.
These factors can make salvation effectively irrelevant in the present life. However, Wesley, amongst others, insisted that the 'vulgar notion' of salvation as simply a release from hell or going to heaven is quite inadequate (Dieter 1987:27). Indeed, because of the forensic emphasis, Barth could rightly complain that Europe was full of baptised pagans, people being confident of their heavenly salvation, but seeing no necessity for this to affect them in this life. So often only forgiveness by the cross is preached, whilst there is a need of a deeper work (Hegre 1960:39). The glory of justification can be succeeded by the horror of anomianism (literally lawlessness) or, even worse, antinomianism (acting contrary to the law) (Marshall 1981:73). (The logic to the latter is that if God is so happy to forgive sin, let us make him even happier by sinning more!) It is understandable that a stress on salvation by grace can immediately be felt to permit, or even to encourage, a freedom to behave exactly as desired. If justification is just forensic, so that it does not come with a real change in a person, it is even dangerous, as it leads to antinomianism and so sin. This was Wesley's early view (Toon 1983:103). Paul seems to have been accused of this, and has to vehemently respond to these in Romans 6 and Romans 7: 'Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?' (Rm 6:1). Furthermore: 'Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?' (Rm 6:15). To both of these accusations comes the exclamation, 'By no means!' (Rm 6:1, 15). Not surprisingly, Luther was also accused of the same error; in his case perhaps he encouraged it by his rejection of the book of James.
If salvation is restricted to a forensic declaration of forgiveness, it then loses the fact that it is a Trinitarian action. It has often been noted that an overemphasis on a penal substitutionary theory of the atonement divides the Father and the Son. Then if forgiveness is all that is necessary, the Spirit becomes redundant. Christianity becomes Christomonism and the Trinity becomes irrelevant. Western Christianity has indeed often reflected these losses.
However, despite his stress on grace through faith, Luther had in fact insisted that faith is more than just assent, but includes the will; it then becomes life-changing, so is more than just an event, but includes a continuing process (Toon 1983:58). Whilst justification is a completed act, there are degrees of sanctification (Ryle [1879] 1979:105). There is still a paradox, though; Luther famously asserted that a Christian is simul iustus et peccator [at the same time justified and a sinner]. This does not mean that perfection, either of the individual or of society, will be achieved. Indeed, whilst God may be seen as perfect, people never are. But this must not be seen as a disincentive to making as much progress as possible towards that goal.
Sin is not eliminated, only forgiven (Berkouwer 1952:75); it then needs removal. Calvin (in Hinson 1988:92 urged people 'to embrace Christ, not only into righteousness, but also unto sanctification'); it is worth noting the choice of prepositions, contrasting 'into' and 'unto'. Even if justification is understood in a forensic sense, it has immediate ethical implications - the Hebrew term for righteousness, sdq, embraces both aspects (Toon 1983:35). The Old Testament prophets could insist that covenant relationship with God was sterile unless it resulted in work; Micah 6:8 is a clear example (Toon 1983:15).
I have elsewhere suggested (Williams 2009:267) that a full understanding of the atonement has three essential aspects: the forgiveness of sins, essentially forensic; the giving of eternal life by union with Christ; and a repentance, which commences a process of sanctification. The traditional theories of the atonement tend to adopt just one aspect, and are each then inadequate without the others. The importance of this lies in the fact that if justification is simply forensic, there may well be forgiveness, but it is not really salvation; this depends on a union with Christ, demanding repentance. This repentance is not just sorrow, but includes a turning to God (Calvin [1559] 1989:524), and then inevitably ushers in a changing life. Expounding on 1 Peter 4:1, Stibbs (1959:148) writes that the union with Christ produces a 'new and right attitude of mind as being fundamental to that radical change of behaviour which ought to express itself in the lives of all who belong to Christ' (see also Eph 1:4).
An example might help at this point. If a garment is dirty, it cannot really be worn until it is cleaned. Now the usual way of doing this is by washing. This will remove the dirt, but the garment still cannot really be worn whilst it is still wet. It has to be dried off before it can do the job for which it is intended. Usually this is done by hanging it up in the sun and wind -remember the fire and wind of the Day of Pentecost?
The essential point is that even though there was an event of liberation, whether through the cross for the individual or through the establishment of a democratic government, this must be seen as the start of an ongoing process towards real improvement. The goal is a reflection of the perichoretic inter-relation of the Trinity. And with that goal, God's help is assured, just as the Spirit was sent to enable the ongoing progress of the individuals and the Church.
The means
Is the goal of a perichoretic society in South Africa just a dream, an impracticable, even unreasonable one? After all, perichōrēsis is strictly applicable only to the immanent Trinity, as people only relate externally (Volf 1998:211); however, it is reflected to a degree in human society. The Christian is 'in Christ' and 'in the Spirit', which although it does not mean being present in them in the full perichoretic sense, in their persons (Volf 1998:211), does result in openness to the other, so that in this way people can reflect the unity of God in their own unity (Jn 17:23). The 'unity of the Church is grounded in the interiority of the Spirit' (Volf 1998:213). The implication is that perichoretic unity in a full sense depends on a full Christian commitment; however, this is said in the context that the majority of the South African population does claim to be Christian. The challenge is to manifest the full implications of this.
The reflection of perichōrēsis in the indwelling of believers by the Father is then the result of their belief; John's soteriology is necessarily perichoretic (Crump 2006:411). Then, just as the indwelling of the Father was the source of the power of the Son (Crump 2006:402), so it enables that of believers. We change by the impartation of the divine life. From another New Testament author, the minds of believers are transformed (Rm 12:2), which enabled the Christian lifestyle that is the burden of the last part of that epistle.
Finally, there is one thing that all should do, one commanded in the Scriptures (1 Tm 2:2). Whilst the focus must fall on action, and cooperative action in the spirit of perichōrēsis, this is not the end of the matter. The archbishop would concur that much was achieved by the hand of God in response to prayer and, indeed, Christians have a responsibility to pray for their government. How many Christians just complain about taking even this basic step? But this is right, and also in keeping with the ideal of perichōrēsis.
It has been suggested that prayer becomes a participation in the life of the Godhead itself, a relationship itself enabled by the Spirit (Taylor 1972:226). Prayer is then participation in God (Leech 1980:8); it is then 'something in which we join' (Wyon 1962:33). In addition: 'Our prayer is only true prayer to the degree in which it is one with His' (Father Andrew, in Wyon 1962:32). As adopted children, what we are doing is sharing in the praying of Jesus (Taylor 1972:226); we participate in perichōrēsis; we have access to God in his access (Wyon 1962:40).
Nédoncelle (1962:viii) cites the assessments of Maistre, namely, that the value of a civilisation rests on the quality of its prayer, and of Toynbee, that prayer is the only foundation for human solidarity.
Competing interests
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
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David Williams
Private Bag X1314
Alice 5700
South Africa
Email: email@example.com
Received: 29 May 2013
Accepted: 31 July 2013
Published: 12 Dec. 2013


text:
ESPN employee fired over controversial Jeremy Lin headline
ESPN says it fired an employee responsible for an offensive headline referring to Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin.
The headline "Chink in the Armor" was used Friday on ESPN's mobile website after Lin had nine turnovers in New York's loss to New Orleans.
In a statement Sunday, ESPN apologizes for that headline and also says it is also aware of two other "offensive and inappropriate" comments on ESPN outlets.
An ESPNEWS anchor who used the phrase has been suspended for 30 days. And ESPN says a similar reference was made Friday on ESPN Radio New York, but the commentator is not an ESPN employee.
Lin is the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He has captivated fans by leading the Knicks to seven straight wins before Friday's loss.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
My Letter to HIV: A Letter and Video From Dave Watt, Creator of Mr. Friendly
Dear HIV,
You are one sneaky bastard. Where bridges should be open, you build road blocks. Where music should be inspiring, you bring noise. Where love should be free, you bind us with fear. I am just one of many dedicated to fighting this battle you started. And, after over 30 years, we are still struggling with that stigma. The downward spiral of fear to test, fear to treat, fear to disclose, the fear to even initiate a conversation about you ... it's just devastating. I look forward to the day when the current vaccine trials prove successful. When medications are easily accessible with minimal side effects. When we, as a worldwide community, have wiped you out!
You've won many battles. We are going to win the war. Hopefully before I lose any more of my friends.
Dave Watt, creator of Mr. Friendly


text:
|Thread Tools
·····Subchapter 11c- The Long, Lonely Road
A fish breaks the surface of the pond, taking a bite at one of the numerous flying insects skimming the water's surface in the deepening shadows of dusk. Ripples radiate out from the point its head breaches, reflecting back when they reach the small pine cone bobbing on the surface of the water. Tied around the cone is a thin piece of string. One end of the string leads down into the murky brown of the ponds depths, while the other trails back to the shore, where it is firmly tied to the end of a willow branch.
Keiron Druche sighs in frustration. He has been fishing for the better part of an hour, but while fish are breaking all over the pond, none seem interested in the grub attached to his hook. Wedging the pole into a stony crevice on the water's edge, he pulls his hands back under his heavy fur cloak. The full wrath of winter may not be here yet, but there is a definite chill in the air. Shivering slightly, he leans back and returns to watching the pine cone. A fish chooses that moment to bite the pine cone itself.
Now you're just messing with me, aren't you? He sighs again and stands up. If the fish aren't going to bite, at least he can get his trail journal and write down today's entry. Today I once again wandered the road aimlessly. No sign of Myra and the others, nor of the bastard who destroyed my family in a single day. Another wasted day in an increasingly wasted life. He shakes his head at the melancholy mood that has descended on him, but between the cold and eating trail jerky for the past three days he isn't in a happy frame of mind. He had hoped some fresh fish might raise his spirits, but...
Letting his worries run through his head, he walks slowly back towards the clearing over the hill where he has built a fire pit and left his things. But as he draws near the top of the small knoll, he hears voices on the other side. He freezes and listens for a moment.
Well, who d'you think these are? The voice is low, a rumble of thunder in the early evening calm.
Another voice answers, too soft to be heard. Was that a woman?
Doesn't matter; they ain't here and we are. Let's see what they have. That will be the leader. There is a simple authority in his rough voice, like that of a local gang leader or an abusive husband. The voice says, 'Obey or else,' and holds the promise that the 'or else' won't be pleasant.
It was stupid to leave his possessions unattended, but Keiron had just been glad to get off the road for a time. Now he is being robbed, and his weapons are all on the wrong side of the knoll. Still, he is alone and the would-be thieves are unaware of his presence. Dofheicthe, he says, his hand twisting in the air in front of him. A new type of chill runs down him, one that courses through his veins like flows of ice, and he disappears from view. Walking softly, he crests the hill and creeps towards the small camp he has set and the three men currently rummaging through his stuff.
Did you hear something? This is the soft voice he hadn't heard properly before. It belongs to a pale man with bulging eyes in a too-thin face.
Nah, the small mountain of flesh next to him rumbles. You're just paranoid.
Shut up and search that pack. The leader is the tallest of the three, and the only one openly carrying a weapon. The sword on his hip is short and looks like it is a bit rusted, but it would still be enough to lay Keiron low if he wasn't careful.
Keiron circles the camp, trying to move at a decent pace without making much noise. Luckily, the sound of Tubby rummaging through Keiron's pack is enough to mask the sounds of his passing.
Bloody 'ell, look at the size of this pack! Is this a child's camp, you think?
The leader shakes his head at his fat friend. This far away from a town? Not alone, it ain't. And there's no other packs. No, this is something else.
Maybe a goblin? Googly-Eyes asks, glancing around as though afraid to see one nearby.
The leader takes two steps and smacks him atop his head. If it was a goblin, we'd have smelled it. Damn things don't shower their whole lives, unless they get caught in the rain. Besides, you ever actually seen a goblin? They ain't what you'd call common.
Keiron finally reaches what he was headed for: his crossbow, leaning just where he had left it. He crouches down so that his cloak covers it and picks it up. It vanishes as soon as his hands wrap around the stock. A bolt is already in the groove, but it needs cocked. He grabs a second bolt as well and backs away from the fire pit. He doubts he will get a third shot if he needs it. Slipping around behind the leader, he cocks the string as quietly as he can.
Not quietly enough. Shhh! The leader glances around, trying to find the source of the sound. He looks right through Keiron, his eyes seeking something they couldn't hope to see.
Keiron takes aim and lets his finger slowly take up the pressure of the trigger. Remember, he hears his father saying in the past, squeeze the trigger, don't pull it.
The leader stops his visual search of the nearby area, shrugging. Guess it was nothin'... Six inches of steel and wood slam through his head, finishing his sentence with a brutal finality.
There is a moment of shocked silence from the other two. Keiron, not wanting to waste such an opportunity, quickly reloads and lines up his sights on Tubby. Soon, both men are staring at the now-visible halfling who had managed to kill their friend so easily.
Tubby is the first to speak, anger turning his face red. You... you son of a...
Shut. Up. Keiron's public voice, the one he is using now, is much deeper than his real voice. He has found that speaking deeper commands respect in a way that a normal halfling voice just can't. It works now, as Tubby breaks off whatever insult he'd been ready to hurl at Keiron's mother.
How did you... where did you come from? Googly-Eyes asks, his voice little more than a squeak.
Keiron shifts his aim briefly to the thin man and says, It's a halfling thing. Now you shut up as well, son. He shifts his aim back at Tubby, whom he deems to be the bigger threat of the two. Drop anything of mine you might be holding or have pocketed, or join your friend. His pack falls to the ground, as does some trail jerky Tubby had pocketed.
Glaring at the men for a moment, Keiron decides that was probably all they had of his. Jerking his crossbow towards the road, he says, Get away from me. And don't come back.
Googly-Eyes starts for the road, but Tubby stops him with his hand and asks, What of Jon?
Jon? They were following the lead of a man named... Jon? Keiron glances down at Jon's body. There is no pack on him, but he has that sword on his belt and what looks like a pouch tied to the other side. Crouching carefully and keeping his crossbow trained on Tubby with his right hand, he awkwardly undoes Jon's belt with the left. That done, he steps back from the body. Take him. Belt stays with me as idiot tax.
Tubby looks like he is about to argue, but another glance at the crossbow shuts him up. He picks up Jon's body with ease (The man's a bloody orc!) and follows Googly-Eyes out of the clearing towards the road.
Keiron stays still, listening to the sounds of their passage fade into the distance. Once they are gone, he lets out a huge breathe of relief. Now that the danger was passed, he can let his nerves show. It is with shaking hands that he gathers his supplies together again. The camp tidy once more, he pulls Jon's belt to him.
The sword is as rusty as it had seemed at first glance, but the edge is still somewhat sharp. Keiron is glad he'd avoided a fair fight this time. Tossing the sword aside, he opens the small pouch. Inside is a silver and four coppers, as well as a scrap of paper. He pockets the coin and unfolds the paper. It is a note.
Be careful on the road, love. I know you think you and Pol can look after yourselves, but it's a dangerous world we live in. I'll be waiting anxiously until you can come back safe. Keep this note as a reminder of who's waiting for you at home.
~ Miriam
Keiron folds the note back up and, deep in thought, goes to retrieve his fishing pole. At the pond, he finds a fish had finally taken the bait and, while he was distracted by the three men, drug the pole into the pond as well. Another fish hook lost, it seems. Returning to the camp, he settles in with cold trail jerky and begins writing in the trail journal by the light of a small fire. Miriam's note had made excellent kindling.
Keiron pulls his cloak tight around himself as he walks down the road. The winter winds brought a storm north with them, and icy rain has soaked Keiron through to the bone. He needs to get off of the road and to shelter soon, or he risks catching a cold or worse.
The lands around him are dotted with the occasional tree, but there is no shelter to be found in rolling hills and saplings. He forces himself to keep moving, mind intent on reaching the chimney smoke he had seen on the horizon the night before. If he is right, the smoke was rising from a small hollow just ahead. "Two more miles, two more miles " he mutters. Each word falls on a step, giving the repeated phrase a chant-like quality to it.
It turns out to be more like five miles, but eventually Keiron reaches the crest of the hollow and moves into it. He can see the house now, a simple one-floor structure built to house three or four people. The road runs directly in front of the house, separating the house from a small clearing on the other side. A garden, desolate in the face of the approaching winter, wraps around the back of the house and a small barn stands nearby. Keiron walks to the front door and knocks, almost missing the door with his first knock from the shivering in his hands.
The door is opened by a middle-aged man. His frame is a powerful one, but Keiron can see the slight stiffness in the man's movements that comes from age. It is a problem Keiron knows all too well himself.
The man looks over Keiron's head at first, expecting a normal-sized person. Keiron's chattering teeth draw the man's attention down, and Keiron could see the recognition in the man's eyes. It is a common reaction, in Keiron's experience. The recognition always comes when a person first realizes they are face-to-face with a halfling. It is almost as though Keiron can read their minds when it happens. First is the surprise, followed quickly by the remembrance of stories about halflings. Following that is the realization they should say or do something, and what comes next is the measure of a person. Keiron has seen many different final reactions. Some drop their hands to their coin purses, while others pretend to be cultured and act as though they know many halflings. Keiron usually can tell the heart of a person in how they react during that moment.
The man simply stands to the side. "You better come in; tonight is a bad night to be on the road." Keiron nods and enters the house, a large trail of water following him. The house is built with one main room surrounded by four smaller rooms leading off of it. All four have their doors open. Besides the man who had let him in, the sole occupant is an older girl, perhaps twelve. She is sitting near the fire, scratching the stomach of a large dog. Two puppies circled the pair, tails wagging furiously.
When Keiron enters, the girl stops scratching and looks at him. Again, Keiron sees the emotions play out and groans inwardly when a large smile splits her face. It is a reaction he has only seen in girls, but all too often in them. She thinks he is cute, much like she probably thinks the puppies are cute.
"Sit by the fire," the man says. "You need to warm up. I'd offer you fresh clothes, but I doubt you'd fit anything I own."
"Thank you," Keiron says, and follows the man's advice. "I have a spare set of clothes in my bag. I just hope they stayed dry."
The waxed backpack had kept the worst of the rain out, but the spare clothes still got a bit damp. Putting them by the fire to dry, Keiron sat himself beside them, close enough to the fire he was in danger of catching himself. The warm felt uxorious, and he spent a minute just soaking in the warmth.
One of the puppies wanders over, and Keiron holds his hand out to be sniffed. After a few tentative sniffs, the pup begins licking his hand. When he tries to pull away, the puppy pounces on it, pinning his arm to the ground. He could pull away if he wants, but for now he lets the puppy have its fun.
While you dry out, can you tell us your name? The man followed Keiron to the fire, and is now between Keiron and the little girl. He'll let me in, but still has the foresight to shield his daughter. Smart man.
My name's Keiron. I was just passing through when that caught me unprepared. He gestures vaguely at the storm raging outside. If I could, I'd like to stay the night. I've coin.
The man frowns at that. Well, winter's coming and food's a bit scarce, even with just feeding two...
A Dragon, Keiron says, pulling the coin from his pouch. I eat light and sleep wherever, and I'm gone by midday tomorrow, no matter the weather outside.
The man is still hesitant, but in the end pragmatism won him over. Ok, done. He takes the coin. You can stay in my son's old room; he left long ago because... well, what's important is his room's available. You'll get dinner and breakfast. Do we have a deal?
Keiron grins. Only if you'll share your name as well. I don't deal with anonymous men.
The man grins in return. Fair enough. My name's Roland Tilley, and this is my daughter Greta.
Keiron shakes the puppy free of his hand. Well, Mr. Tilley, I thank you for your hospitality. He holds his hand up for Tilley to shake.
That night, the puppy follows Keiron to bed, its tail wagging in anticipation of the possible lick fest to follow.
It is the puppy that awakens Keiron. Pulled from dreams that vanish as consciousness returns, he hears the pup whining and scratching at the door.
"What is it, boy?" Keiron drops from the bed and stands beside the pup, stroking its fur. He feels goose bumps rising under the soft hair. "Do you smell something?"
The puppy turns to Keiron, still whining. Its ears and tail are both drooping, and its eyes show a fear of whatever is on the other side of the door. Keiron grabs his dagger and, dressed only in his pants, opens the door.
The room beyond is dark and quiet. It is hard to imagine this is the same room he had been in just a few hours earlier. Tilley and Greta brought the room to life when they were in it. Now, it is a space waiting to be a room again. Keiron feels like an intruder.
The pup creeps through the room, still quietly whining. When it reaches the front door, it scratches at it weakly with its paw. Whatever it is that has the puppy spooked, it seems to be outside.
Keiron moves to the window beside the door and, standing on his tiptoes, looks outside. The rain is still falling, but everything looks in order. There is no one on the road or on the porch. He is prepared to go back to his room when a flutter of cloth pulls his gaze to the far side of the clearing across the road. A woman stands there, dressed in a plain woolen skirt and a short-sleeved blouse. If the cold and the rain were bothering her, she is not showing it.
She'll freeze to death out there, Keiron thinks. He opens the door and steps onto the narrow porch. The rain is as cold as he remembers. He waves at the woman. "Hey, are you insane? Get inside!"
The woman gives no indication of moving or of answering him. The wind blows again, and her skirt and hair drift with it. Keiron steps to the road, wincing as a sharp rock nicks his heel.
"Didn't you hear what I what I " Keiron trails off as he realizes he can see her hair blowing freely with the wind. Wet hair doesn't do that. It clumps together and hangs heavily, only moving for the most persistent of gusts. The woman's hair looks completely dry, as though the rain can not reach her. Her clothes are dry as well. She seems to recognize his shock, and a small grin plays across her face.
Keiron walks the rest of the way across the road and stops a few feet in front of her. This close, he can see the rain falling through her. He traces a quick pattern on his chest with his index finger and whispers, "Zauber." His spell shows him the magical energies swirling around her. It is an old magic, one that doesn't fall under any of the usual classification he is used to. Lines of force run from her to the ground. Keiron thinks they may be tethers.
Keiron asks, "What do you want? Why are you here?"
"She won't answer you." Keiron turns to find Tilley behind him, dressed in a cloak but no shirt. The driving rain makes it difficult to tell, but Keiron thinks tears are in Tilley's eyes as he gazes on the strange woman. "She can't."
"Who is she?"
Tilley smiles sadly down at Keiron. "My wife. She's my wife. Or at least what's left of her."
"It was maybe three years ago," Tilley says. "We were trying to plant wheat out back, on the hillside, when Lari found a hole in the ground. She made the kids stay away and came to get me." He takes a sip of tea, looking out into the morning storm at the spot where his wife's apparition had stood.
Keiron shifts the logs in the fire. Sparks cascade as one of the smaller logs collapses into the embers. "That was her name? Lari?"
Tilley nods without looking back at Keiron. "Larimora Guilo Tilley. She likes people to call her Lari; says Larimora sounds like the name of a plant." He sighs and sips again at the tea. "The hole looked like it was maybe a badger den, but when you went inside it was bigger. Much bigger. The first time I went down, I found myself in a cave a family of bears would be very comfortable in.
"Lari went in a few times. I told her it was dangerous, that she might hurt herself down there. When I suggested tying herself off to a rope, she laughed. Said the rope wasn't going to be near long enough. When I asked what she meant, she took me down the hole with her. That was the second time I went down there, and it was much different.
"Now, it opened onto a huge room, maybe six hundred feet to a side. On the back wall was a waterfall that fell into a narrow chasm. Moss and weeds grew on the floor, and several tunnels led off into the earth. Lari pointed at one and told me she was nearly done exploring that branch.
"The strange thing was, I wasn't welcome there and I knew it. I could feel a pressure on my skin, pushing me towards the hole out and my skin felt like it would peel right off. Lari tried to convince me to stay, but I couldn't. I left that hole and didn't go back in for months. Lari told me I was being foolish, but there was nothing I wanted less than to go willingly into that hole. Well, almost nothing.
"The third time I went down there, Greta found me in the fields and said Lari had gone down hours before and not come back up. I assumed she had fallen while exploring, so I grabbed a torch and set out. When I dropped into the hole, I was back in my bear cave. No waterfall. No tunnels. No Lari. I tried again and again over that week, but every time I went in I just got the cave.
"I stopped trying a week later. That was the first time we saw Lari across the way, as you saw her." He stops and glances at Keiron's face. "Naturally, you don't believe me, do you?"
Keiron sits back, keeping the emotions off of his face. The story was crazy, but he had seen the woman. It is a curiosity, and he has no pressing business to attend to. "There's an easy way to prove or disprove the story. Show me the hole. It still exists, right?"
Tilley looks at Keiron for a long time before responding. "Aye, it still exists. I'll show you after breakfast, but won't go down there. If you find the waterfall, Lari was probably in the first tunnel on your left. Will you look for her for me?"
Keiron nods. "Of course."
No waterfall waits for Keiron, but it isn't a bear cave he drops into either. The walls are made of volcanic rock, and the ground feels thin, as though it is covering a deep chasm. A tunnel branching off to the rear is the only discernible feature Keiron can see.
He looks up at the hole, where Tilley's head is outlined by the clear sky. "No waterfall, but there's a tunnel."
Tilley nods. "I think it might change for whoever is going in. Good luck."
The tunnel opens after a hundred paces into another large opening. His torch reveals a smooth cavern of the same volcanic rock. There is no waterfall and no other tunnels leading off. It takes only a moment to take in the room, and Keiron decides there is nothing here. It's an interesting cave for sure, but proves nothing. He turns to leave, only to find the tunnel entrance gone.
Turning in place, he shines his torch all around him. It's just a room, no exits visible. This is magic. He sketches a quick sign on his chest. The arcane energies of the room nearly blows the back of his head out, and he collapses to the ground in sheer agony.
Sensations return slowly out of the red that his thoughts have become, and he feels dampness on his cheeks. He'd been crying, apparently. Keiron sits up and wipes at them, only for his hands to come away dark. Blood, he realizes through the mother of all migraines. I'm bleeding from my eyes. A quick check shows that blood also was leaking from his ear, nose, and mouth. The pressure of the magical backlash had been massive.
He realizes he can hear sounds. Crickets, and the sound of wind whispering through branches. Wha...? Standing unsteadily, he sees a tree growing at the far end of the room, patches of grass coming up around it. The room, whatever it was, is changing around him. He staggers through tufts of grass and weeds that spring up at his feet to the tree, and touches it. It's real. A horse whinnies behind him and Keiron spins, the motion making his abused head swim. The sight finishes the job, dropping him to his knees.
It's his family's wagon. The dogs are laying at the fire, basking in the warmth of the glowing embers. They don't see the dark shapes Keiron does, creeping up to the wagon from all sides. One shape detaches itself from the mass, a dark figure of a man. He is cloaked, but a sense of power rolls off of him. He raises his hands towards the dogs and begins to mutter. The muttering rouses the dogs, but before they can do more than stand the muttering stops and an icy prison forms around one of the dogs, freezing it instantly. The others leap to the attack, barks ringing out, but the black masses move forward and cut them down.
Keiron's father and brothers pour out of the wagon, half-dressed and disoriented. A knife flashes from the darkness, embedding itself in Keiron's father's calf. He falls. Keiron's eldest brother draws a dagger and advances on the dark man. With a contemptuous wave of his hand, the dark man freezes him in place.
Seeing his brother fall shakes the shock from Keiron, and he takes a step forward. STOP! The dark man turns at Keiron's cry, and for a moment Keiron sees the gleam of teeth in a mirthless, deadly smile. Before he can unleash his fury on that smile, the dark man, the wagon, and the massacre all dissolve, crashing to the ground like waves on the ocean.
The ground under him gives, and Keiron falls into the deep of the earth. Bloody crows...! His torch is gone, lost in the fall of rocks, but all around him is a subtle glow. It radiates from the walls, and he realizes he can make out images in the glow. Again he sees his family's wagon and the coming of the dark ones. Before the slaughter begins, the glow shifts.
Now, he sees Jon's body, the bolt from Keiron's crossbow firmly embedded in his eye socket. Jon is walking around, even with the obviously fatal damage, and for a moment he turns his remaining eye on Keiron. The eye is all white, and clearly insane. Keiron falls on.
The glow shifts. Keiron sees himself, but younger. He's reading from a large tome by the light of an unseen fire. The young Keiron's shoulder shake slightly, a movement that could be mistaken for the subtle movement of the fire's light, but the wet splotches falling on the book suggest otherwise. Something in the book is of vital importance, but the pages are tilted in a way to prevent their reading. What is happening here? That never happened, so why does it feel true? Keiron falls on.
The glow shifts. He sees a group of people, people he has never seen before. A dark woman whose face is marred by a wide scar. A one-armed man. A man wielding a large shield, decorated with a silver fist. A half-orc. A slender woman to the rear. A man with a somewhat foolish knit cap. They all face Keiron, while in the background the dark man from the wagon attack looms, arms reaching for the group. Keiron falls on.
The glow shifts. His father is packing the wagon, and Keiron now can see the package taken during the attack. It is angular and wrapped in silk cloth, no more than the size of a human fist. The silk wrapping shifts, and on it Keiron can see the symbol of Pelor. Keiron falls on.
The glow shifts. Keiron see himself again, now much older. His hair is cut short and scars adorn his face. Fire rains around him as he traces arcane symbols in the air before him. Swords are crossed in the background, but the wielders are unclear. Keiron's cloak catches, the flames racing up to his neck. His face wreathed in flame, Keiron finishes the last sigil and a brilliant blue light flashes. When it clears, Keiron stands alone and naked in a vast desert. On his chest is the tattoo of a dove. Keiron falls on.
The last image fades, and now Keiron falls in blackness and silence. There is no wind, no sense of direction or perspective. In a way, it is as though he is floating through a vast void. Only the subtle pull of gravity in the pit of his stomach lets him know he is still falling. It is at the same time the most frightening, most exhilarating, and most relaxing sensation he has ever felt. As he falls deeper into the earth, he manages to gather enough sens of mind to wonder what will come next.
Moments later, Keiron finds out.
Keiron feels water engulfing him. He hears the splash as he plunges into a deep, cool underground pool of water. There's a familiar tickle at his nostrils where water attempts to plunge up into them.
But there is no water. Instead, he drifts slowly down to the ground, surrounded in the embrace of a phantom fluid. For a moment he panics, breathe coming in short, quick gasps as he fights to claw free of the not-water, but rationality soon reasserts itself. He is able to breath and in the darkness he can't see what he's doing. Running his hand along the ground, he finds a small rock. Holding it close to his face, he blows gently on it, whispering, "Gelinde." The rock begins to glow softly in his hand.
Keiron finds himself in a wide cavern. Around him floats the ghostly image of water, but it seems to be both there and not there. The reddish glow of the rock makes the water seem almost purple. The land he stands on slants upwards, and forms a small lake for the ghostly waters to fill. And standing at the water's edge, looking down at him, is the transparent figure of Tilley's wife, Lari. A sad smile sits on her face, and she gestures for Keiron to come over to her.
Keiron walks up the incline, feeling a slight resistance as he pushes through the false water. A transparent fish appears out of the gloom and swims through him, giving Keiron a small case of the shudders. He had felt the fish slide into his body, swim through him, and then leave. It was not a feeling he wanted to experience again.
As his head broke the water's surface, he realizes he had been having a bit of trouble breathing after all, as though he were trapped in a house filled with smoke. He nods to Lari and says, "Nice to see you again."
"You as well." The response is soft, almost inaudible, but in the silence of the cavern Keiron can pick it out.
Keiron does a double take. "I thought you couldn't talk?"
Lari's smile loses some of the sadness, and a hint of mischief gleams in her eyes. "Maybe I just didn't want to." She lets the soft joke drift in the air for a moment before sighing, and the levity is gone. "Down here, I can. But up there, I can hear what's said but can't speak."
"Up there?" Keiron looks above him for a way out, but see none. He can't even see the hole he must have fallen from to get here. "How do you get up there?"
"Not that way," she says, waving him towards the nearby wall. "It's over here."
Keiron follows her to the wall, noticing that her feet are sinking partway into the floor as they walk. At the wall, she gestures to a small niche. Inside the niche is a carved circle, inscribed with arcane runes of power. At a glance, Keiron can see runes for transport, binding, and planar crossing. "Stand here and think of going up," Lari says, "and you'll go up."
Keiron does as she directs, but not without some sense of apprehension. When he thinks up, though, he goes up. Fast. He's still trying to collect his stomach when he realizes he can see, through a deep green fog, Tilley's house. It's night there now, and no one is visible. How long was I unconscious, he wonders.
When Keiron tries to move, he finds himself fastened to the ground. He remembers the chains of magic he saw on Lari before and the runes of binding on the circle. He wants another look at the circle, and no sooner has the thought gone through his mind than he is plummeting again. In a moment, he's back in the cavern surrounded by the circle.
"Well?" Lari asks.
"It's night," he says, eyes focusing on the runes. The key to the circle was here, he knew it. Binding to hold them, and transportation to send them up. But what was the planar crossing for?
"Did you see my family?"
"No." Keiron drops his bag to the floor and begins rummaging through it, looking for his trail journal and spellbook. Maybe something in them would help with his unlocking the circle. "Listen, I might be able to do something with this, but it will take a while. Your name's Lari, right?" She nods. "I'm Keiron. And I'm getting us out of here."
It took three hours, but finally he thought he had the answer. Keiron stood from the circle and walked over to the water's edge where Lari was. "Ok, I think I've found a way out. The runes control the circle, so I need to control the runes. First, I'm coming over to get you, and then we'll get out of here."
"Coming over to get me?"
Keiron nods. "We can see each other, but can't really affect each other. That circle affects both of us because it's built to cross between planes of reality. If I can direct that crossing, I can bring myself all of the way over to where you are, where that water is."
"And then we get out? How?"
"The runes again. There are runes on there that tie us to this spot, which is why we never fully appear at the house. I'm going to overload those runes."
Lari looks hopeful, but not altogether convinced. "Is it dangerous?"
Yes. "No." The lie flows naturally from his mouth, as most lies do. In truth, the circle was either going to do what he hoped it would do, or blow up as soon as he starts tampering with it. In that case, he and Lari would be dead before they knew what happened. He saw no reason to tell her that. "Stay here while I try to come over to your side of things." He tries to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder, but his hand just drifts through the space where a shoulder should be.
Walking back to the circle, he gathers his things and stands in the center of the runes. Gods, let this work, he thinks, and focuses on the runes before him. Once his concentration is solely on the runes, he calls upon a spell he had ready for the day. "Nebel, nebel," he whispers, his hands curling in front of him. A fog begins to rise out of his pores, but before it can convalesce he stops the spell and slams his hands down on the runes, thinking of Lari.
Stopping a spell just as it's getting ready to finish is foolishly stupid. Usually, it's done on accident. A mage punched while in the middle of a spell might lose control of it, wasting the spell. But with enough concentration, a mage can stop a spell and keep the arcane energies flowing. Divine casters do this often, converting memorized spells into flows of healing magic, but they are protected by their faith. Keiron has no such protection, and the energies turn upon him. He feels the magic burning in his hands, his head, his very soul, but endures it and pushes that energy into the runes. There is a brief resistance, and then the runes flash once. Keiron hears, above the dull roar of pain, the sounds of a waterfall in the distance. He realizes he can truly see Lari now, and that the lake is right here with him.
Lari rushes up to him and drops to a knee. "It worked!" she shouts, and pulls the halfling into a hard hug.
Keiron flinches from the hug, but lets her continue. This was probably the first human contact she has had in a long time. When it looks like she means to kiss him on the cheek, though, he pulls away. "Ready to go?" he asks.
It takes her less than a minute to pull together her meager belongings. A makeshift fishing spear, a small collection of mushrooms, and a crude stone bowl are wrapped in a small ragged cloak, and she returns to the circle. "Ready, Keiron." It seems to give her pleasure just to be able to call someone by their name, and Keiron wonders how she stayed sane during her time stuck down here.
"Stand in the circle and don't think of up yet." She joins him in the circle, and he turns his attention to the binding runes. Again, he calls upon a prepared spell and just as the fog forms, he interrupts the spell and drives the energies into the runes. There's much more resistance this time, and he can see tendrils of smoke rising from the edges of the runes. He can feel the energies fading, and they were still stuck.
Through gritted teeth, he shouts to Lari, "Think up!" In the same breath, he calls upon another, much more potent spell. "Unsichtbar," he gasps, and his hands begin to turn transparent. Before the spell can turn him invisible, he cuts the hand gestures short and again smacks the stone. Pain, sharp and merciless, washes through his body as the energies pours through him and into the stone. The strain is almost unbearable, and Keiron nearly gives in. But as his last fragments of resolve begin to fade, he feels the pressure of the runes giving, giving, breaking
A concussive force envelops Keiron and Lari, and they find themselves lying on the grass across from the house. "Bloody crows, it worked " Keiron whispers.
"Lari!" The shout draws their attention to the house, where Tilley stands at the door. His mouth hangs open and a now-forgotten load of firewood is in his hands. Like a man slowly waking from a dream, he begins to walk towards the pair. Each step is faster than the last, and by the time he reaches the road he is running. Lari meets him in a scattering of logs as their arms wrap around each other.
Keiron walks wearily past the lovers, headed for the house. He hopes Tilley keeps wine somewhere; he needs a drink. Badly.
Keiron adjusts the straps on his backpack, glad to be headed back for the road. Lari and Tilley had treated him like a member of the family during the last day, but he felt like an interloper. With morning here, he just wanted to be on his way.
"Thank you for rescuing my wife," Tilley says, one arm wrapped around Lari. The two had been no more than five foot from each other since her return the day before. It was like they were newlyweds again. Keiron learned he had been gone for almost a week, but only experienced a day's worth of time in the hole. Lari's time difference was even more extremely; missing for three year, she was only in the cave for a few months according to her recollection.
"It was well, not exactly my pleasure, but it wasn't a problem." He shakes Tilley's outstretched hand and nods at Lari and their little girl. "Thanks for your hospitality, and keep out of strange holes in the ground, yeah?"
Lari grins. "Count on it, Keiron."
As he steps on the road, the question Keiron had yet to ask popped into his head again, and he turns. "Lari, I never asked you. While you were down there, did you see anything odd? Like visions or something?"
She frowns. "No. Why, did you?"
Keiron pauses, deep in thought. Finally, he says, "Just memories. Things I hadn't thought about for awhile." Waving, he turns back to the road and walks on, the vision he had seen while falling in the darkness running through his head.
"Ye wouldna know a vampire if it came in out o' the rain right now an' bit ye on yer scrawny neck, boyo!" The larger of the two arguing men slams his empty mug on the bar, where it is promptly filled with mead by the barkeep.
The younger of the two men, face thin and flushed with too much alcohol, shakes his finger in the other man's face. "Piss off! I've seen one, I have. They're all over the Duchies right now, moving through the empty night streets, and if you're not careful they'll snatch you right up. Of course, they'd probably spit you back."
"What, I hit a nerve, lad? Ye afraid I'll show our li'l guest here exactly how much o' yer knowledge is nothing but hogwash?"
"Two days, codpiece. I was in the Duchies for two bloody days not three weeks ago, and they're so scared of the bloodthirsty bastards up there, jewelers are making a killing designing pendants with essence of garlic vials built in to the "
"Ahh, bullocks!" the larger man waves his hand dismissively towards the other, mead slopping over the rim of the mug and splattering on the floor. Only Keiron seems to notice. "Ye've been here in town here for over two months, so yer 'current knowledge' of what's happening in the Duchies is less than useless. And everyone knows garlic does nothin' but season the blood for a vampire. When I's a younger man, I met me a vampire "
"Just 'cause you met a tart with pale skin that resisted your rather limitied charms don't mean she's a vampire. She's just a woman what needs to get out in the sun more, and who obviously has a bit of common sense about her."
This insult on his masculinity brings a fresh roar of protest from the large man, and he jumps into a boastful list of his sexual conquests. The younger man's mother, sisters, and wife all play prominent roles in said list.
Keiron sips his beer, reflecting on the stellar information he'd just gained. It appeared that there may, or may not, be vampires in or around the Hundred Duchies. Also, the Crowing Man was not the drinking hole for the community's local intellects. He vows silently as the argument rages to never ask, "What news?" again.
Keiron holds his hands slowly up over his head and, in a purposefully deep voice, says, "Son, I want you to think very, very careful about what you just said. And I want you to think about how very, very stupid it was to say it."
The young guard lowers his sword menacingly, pointing it at Keiron's throat. "What did you say, you bloody thief?"
Keiron sighs. "I'm the old one here, yet you're the one with the hearing problem. I'm not a thief, and I couldn't have stolen a bloody cow last night."
The guard snorts softly. "Like I can trust you. Everyone knows that all shr all halflings are liars."
Everyone knows that all shrubs are liars. That was the sentence he almost said. And Keiron knows ii. For a moment, anger at the slur rages in his breast but he keeps it off of his face. Here is a lad who needed a good beating, but here is also a guard who could throw Keiron in jail just on suspicion. And Keiron hates having to break out of jail cells.
Instead, he looks at the gathering crowd and collects himself. By the time Keiron's eyes turn back to the guard they're calm again. "Ok, then let's talk about this. Last night, after I arrived in town, someone broke into this Len's barn through the roof."
"And stole a cow, apparently without opening the doors. The only way in or out is that hole, right?"
"Aye," the guard says again, a frown starting to form on his face. Keiron hopes it meant he had gotten past the 'Of course a halfling stole it,' phase to the common sense phase of the conversation.
"Son, how much do you think a halfling of my age can lift? Because I'd dearly love to meet the halfling that can lift a bloody cow through a roof!" Keiron gazes for a moment at the idiot while the logic works its way through his brain, and then says, "Now, may I go eat some breakfast?"
The guard, flustered at being shown up in front of the morning crowd, just nods and stands aside.
As he walks away, Keiron hopes he will be getting closer to the Duchies soon. He is very tired of dealing with country yokels, especially ones who didn't know if a halfling wanted to steal something, it was stolen. Regardless of how much it weighs.
For halflings, home is with your family. It's the feel of your wagon at night, the soft touch of your lover in the moonlit fields, the cool, wet nudge from your dog in the morning. Keiron long ago reconciled himself to the fact that his home was lost to him. But on nights like this he wishes there were some way to go home. Still days from the Duchies, he had come upon a halfling caravan. They were headed in the same direction, and it had been a long time since Keiron was in a caravan. For two days, he had been accepted into the caravan as one of their own. He watched the dogs, he steered along rough roads, and when a wagon axle broke he pitched in to fix the axle.
Tonight, an impromptu party is in full swing. Three brothers are demonstrating their abilities on the lute, and Mynn Byrne is alternating between singing along and dancing in bare feet through the nearby grass. A widow at 39, her feet still glide through the blades of grass with a youthful vigor Keiron has all but forgotten. She is the life of the party, and Keiron's feet twitch in a desire to join her.
"We reach the Duchies Fork tomorrow, Keiron. My offer stands." Keiron draws his gaze away from Mynn to her father, Trian. Trian is the caravan master, and a shrewd man. Keiron feels like he is talking with his father when he talks with Trian.
"I know, sir, but my path lies in the Duchies, not in circling them."
Trian nods in understanding. "I thought you might say that. Things are going bad in the Duchies. We've been hearing stories."
Keiron laughs softly. "Always stories around, sir. Have you heard the one about the vampires?"
"Aye, and worse than that. We've heard everything from plague to roving bands of undead creatures killing whole towns at a time. Just last week, we heard there was an army, maybe orcs, ravishing the whole of the Duchies. It's a bad place to be right now, regardless of what's true and what is not."
Keiron shrugs, putting into it every day of the long years he has spent on the road to get to this point. "It's where I need to go. What choice do I have?"
"There's always a choice, Keiron. There's at least one option for you here." Trian's eyes cut quickly to Mynn, and Keiron feels a blush rising at the unspoken suggestion.
Trian puts a hand on Keiron's shoulder, speaking softly with an urgency that cries out for Keiron to listen. "Stay with us, son," he says. "We could never replace your family, but you need to let your past go. It's driving you into the Duchies, into where I fear you may meet your death."
"Maybe," Keiron says. "But that's where my path leads tomorrow. Before then, though..." He stands and steps in front of Mynn, easily flowing into the dance. It seems that youthful vigor is not so lost to him at all.
"Can I have this dance?" he asks, basking in her sudden grin. And for one night, Keiron feels like he is home.
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How can public media heal a divided nation?
You have to get out of your comfort zone to get people to talk.
Current (https://current.org/current-city/miami/)
You have to get out of your comfort zone to get people to talk.
"Imagine if someone offered you a photo album that was filled with pictures of you and your family from the last 20 years, and you had never seen any of the pictures before."
The SAG-AFTRA bargaining unit will include more than 90 employees.
Regardless of the role you play in a public media organization, "always remember that it is all about serving the needs of the people in your community," says the retired CEO of San Francisco's KQED.
WTTW's Dan Soles and WILL's David Thiel will leave their posts June 28.
KCRW employees hope to vote this month on whether to join the union. Meanwhile, KUOW employees approved a contract after a year of negotiating.
From the 1940s to the 1970s, dozens of U.S. public radio stations featured French cultural programming that "let us know that the French people like us and vice versa."
Develop relationships with local supporters to improve your station's community service, says the retired Nashville Public Radio GM, because advice from public radio colleagues can take you only so far.
A former BBC executive hopes to steer public media organizations toward using digital platforms and tools that reinforce their ethics and values.
On the air since 1970, "In Black America" has aimed to present "a broad spectrum of the African American experience."
At the PBS Annual Meeting, the network's chief programmer said upcoming initiatives will be "built around specific content themes that are locked in and announced several months or even years in advance."
Reflecting on her 23 years as CEO of WYNC and NYPR, Laura Walker says success in public media comes from reaching for both ideals.


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David Eastes needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 236 designs submitted by 42 freelance designers.
Our site is boring that's why we need your super skills. Please read the brief and help us.
- Header Image must be 800px (wide).
- Height not so important. Around the 120px.
- Under this is a menu section. Needs to be approx 30px high.
- You are free to use any colours you desire. However, they of course need to match our Blue, Orange and White logo.
- We need our logo to be present in header.
- Also need a background repeat image. Either a solid colour, pattern OR a gradient. For outside header.
- If you can please show ideas for a footer section. We have links to include.
- We would like a modern feel which appeals to a business type client. Smooth, Simplistic and Sexy lines.
- We do not need a logo redesign
- We do not need any assistance with layout of content within the white section.
- We do not want real life pictures of sexy call center women or cars.


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About Us
About Georgetown University Press
The beginnings of Georgetown University Press can be traced to 1964—and we currently publish approximately forty new books a year, as well as two journals, with an active list of over 500 titles. These publications primarily service the scholarly community, and many also reach into the general reading public. Many help to unite people speaking different languages, literally and figuratively, and all attempt to illuminate, clarify, and respond to the world's most difficult questions.
Our Mission
Georgetown University Press supports the academic mission of Georgetown University by publishing scholarly books and journals for a diverse, worldwide readership. These publications, written by an international group of authors representing a broad range of intellectual perspectives, reflect the academic and institutional strengths of the university. In fulfilling its mission the press will be guided by the following principles:
- To publish peer-reviewed works of academic distinction, with exceptional editorial and production quality, in five subjects: bioethics; international affairs; languages; political science, public policy, & public management; and religion & ethics.
- To establish a culture of meaningful employment and professional development, one that emphasizes clear communication as well as respect for the ideas and opinions of all staff members.
- To operate in a financially responsible manner that encourages planned, deliberate growth in productivity and sales.
- To be a premier press in our subjects, continuing to advance our reputation and standing in the scholarly and publishing communities.
2008 Annual Report 2009 Annual Report 2010 Annual Report 2011 Annual Report
Going Green at Georgetown
Georgetown University Press is a proud member in good standing of the Green Press Initiative, which was founded in 2001, and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making book publishing a more environmentally sound process. We routinely partner with printers who print on paper that contains at least 30% postconsumer waste (PCW), and we often use paper that has between 60% and 100% recycled content. Increasingly, Georgetown University Press books will qualify for being able to use the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo, which carries the guarantee that fiber in the paper was not sourced from endangered forests and that existing forests were not cleared to make way for single-species tree plantations. Being active with the Green Press Initiative and reducing our carbon footprint is a priority for Georgetown University Press.


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Scarlet 2019 Nissan Rogue SV AWD CVT with Xtronic 2.5L I4 DOHC 16V
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New 2019 NissanRogue SV SUV
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Dealer Notes
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wifes car 2015 rogue sv
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With the Technical Insights Plastics Technology Resource, clients receive a comprehensive analysis of technologies being developed and applied in various market segments. For example, in content about processing technology, subscribers receive analysis on cutting edge, dominant trends in injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, rotational molding, RP composites, automation and parts handling, and machine controls, to name just a few categories.
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