The Meaning of Metanoia Praxis, Part Two

When a coach teaches a rowing crew or a basketball team how to be successful, it only makes sense for the team to begin putting the new skill into practice. (Sometimes putting a new skill into practice takes practice.) Likewise, if one receives a career promotion, continuing to do the same old job in the same old ways would be foolish. These changes are not natural (they do not occur passively). Rather, they come about because of an intentional decision to grow. The same logic can be applied to Christian living.

The term praxis is a Greek term often defined as putting a theory into practice, but the full meaning is much deeper. Aristotle thought of praxis as an intentional action toward a desired end. However, the act of practicing itself could be a part of the objective. So, the idea of Christian praxis is to intentionally put Christian thought into practice, with the understanding that the act of trying to live as a Christian (as Christ) is part of what is desired.

When coupled with metanoia, to form Metanoia Praxis, the title of this blog, praxis implies intentionally putting new activities into practice based on the new thinking God has given. So, if we are new creatures, after our conversion, we should intentionally (not passively) choose to act like new creatures. We should be seeking to do new things in new ways. As we study, and learn how to be better followers of Christ, we should intentionally seek to put that learning into action as well. And, if we come to a different understanding of God’s will (even after many years as a Christian), we should intentionally adopt new actions to correspond to our new understanding. So, to be a growing Christian is to be in a constant state of growth (in terms of thought and action).

Most people accept this easily in the secular activities, but somehow seem reluctant to “practice” spiritual disciplines. Perhaps we feel performance does not matter to God, we are adequate already, or perhaps we have not yet thought about practicing our faith in new ways. The old hymn “Just as I Am” best describes how Christ receives us, not how he intends to leave us.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NRSV)

Images from www.allposters.com

Comments

  1. Teresa EasonAugust 19, 2010 at 6:51 AM

    Great blog, Ricky. You managed to convey something very complex in a way even a simple mind like mind can understand and practice. Keep blogging!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Choose Carefully Whom You Will Serve

Image
          How are things with you and your family? Is your home a place where everything runs smoothly? Are your family members all dedicated to a common purpose? Is their peace and tranquility in the midst of industrious effort for good? No? Don't feel bad, we are still working to improve at my house too.           Family is special — so special that our families are usually our dearest earthly relationships, the family is the oldest human institution on the earth, and family life is the foundation of society. Family is important and doing family life right should be one of our greatest concerns.           Joshua recognized the importance family life as he gave final instructions to the Israelites in Joshua 24:1-28 . After initial success in the promised land, the Israelites renew their covenant with God despite the requirement for righteous living it carries. We would be wise to follow...
Read more

The Meaning of Metanoia Praxis, Part One

Image
Some have asked about the title of this blog, Metanoia Praxis . Metanoia is a Greek word that is has different meanings in different contexts , but the idea always involves a changing of the mind or thoughts. In rhetoric (the art of using language to communicate effectively), metanoia refers to a technique to retract a statement just made, and then state it in a better way. In psychological, metanoia refers to a process of self healing that could be extreme, even to the point of a psychotic breakdown. It is not always best to prevent such episodes in psychosocial treatment because the underlying issue that caused the problem would still exist. According to Carl Jung , metanoia , in this context, is a “spontaneous attempt of the psyche to heal itself of unbearable conflict by melting down and then being reborn in a more adaptive form.” The term metanoia is most often used in the context of theological discussions where it is usually means repentance, or more literally, the ch...
Read more