Simple, But Not Simpler (part 1)
I have enjoyed this two week hiatus, and yet hated it at the same time. Why did I start a blog? Constantly wanting to write, and constantly procrastinating, and constantly flipping between happiness and disappointment. The commitment is both thrilling and a ball and chain.
I am tired of writing articles.
Maybe they are more intelligent sounding, or professionally appealing, but that's not what I care about. Constantly reworking my every sentence to read like an erudite scholar's essay is stifling and only makes me loath writing.
I've searched around the internet to find two quotes by Albert Einstein I wanted to share:
"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius- and a lot of courage- to move in the opposite direction.”
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
So very true. Take Mark Driscoll or Ravi Zacharias for example, two wise and intelligent teachers. So much of their writing or teaching is as concisely simple as possible, yet does not sacrifice the complexity of the subject. It takes skill and work to be able to do that. And ultimately, those people that manage to become reasonably good at it are also quite influential, spreading their cause considerably.
Just for example, contrast Mark Driscoll with Rob Bell, don't compare, just see the contrast. Mark Driscoll has the advantage of actually teaching the truth of course, but one of his strongest points is making profound statements that boil down topics which might have seemed fearsome, into thoughts that are controllable. (we love control) Rob Bell (who has the distinct disadvantage of warped theology), makes grandiose claims and asks questions that instead of being answers like Jesus', are simply questions for the fun of it. There are holes all over the place. A teacher cannot claim to know all the answers, but claiming the joy of a faith is asking questions is ludicrous. Faith is trust, not questions.
And I don't hate Rob Bell, he just needs to stop leading people astray and learn the real truth of Jesus.
Rambling, quotes, and contrasts aside, instead of writing impersonal essays and paining over grammar and punctuation (which I will still work to keep easily readable), I am going to try for simple, but not simpler. I truly believe I am blogging because God is training me for something in the future. I don't know what, but it's exciting. Perhaps God is telling me to take a break from professionalism and work on deliverance for a while.
And part two isn't really going to be very relevant to this post, I just want the same title for it.... :-)
I am tired of writing articles.
Maybe they are more intelligent sounding, or professionally appealing, but that's not what I care about. Constantly reworking my every sentence to read like an erudite scholar's essay is stifling and only makes me loath writing.
I've searched around the internet to find two quotes by Albert Einstein I wanted to share:
"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius- and a lot of courage- to move in the opposite direction.”
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
So very true. Take Mark Driscoll or Ravi Zacharias for example, two wise and intelligent teachers. So much of their writing or teaching is as concisely simple as possible, yet does not sacrifice the complexity of the subject. It takes skill and work to be able to do that. And ultimately, those people that manage to become reasonably good at it are also quite influential, spreading their cause considerably.
Just for example, contrast Mark Driscoll with Rob Bell, don't compare, just see the contrast. Mark Driscoll has the advantage of actually teaching the truth of course, but one of his strongest points is making profound statements that boil down topics which might have seemed fearsome, into thoughts that are controllable. (we love control) Rob Bell (who has the distinct disadvantage of warped theology), makes grandiose claims and asks questions that instead of being answers like Jesus', are simply questions for the fun of it. There are holes all over the place. A teacher cannot claim to know all the answers, but claiming the joy of a faith is asking questions is ludicrous. Faith is trust, not questions.
And I don't hate Rob Bell, he just needs to stop leading people astray and learn the real truth of Jesus.
Rambling, quotes, and contrasts aside, instead of writing impersonal essays and paining over grammar and punctuation (which I will still work to keep easily readable), I am going to try for simple, but not simpler. I truly believe I am blogging because God is training me for something in the future. I don't know what, but it's exciting. Perhaps God is telling me to take a break from professionalism and work on deliverance for a while.
And part two isn't really going to be very relevant to this post, I just want the same title for it.... :-)
I could not agree with you more Ben. C.S. Lewis was one of the masters of concise. He could say in one page what it would take most authors an entire book to say. Excellent.
ReplyDelete