1 . The Lone Truth-Teller and Tonto: Fundamentalist Fistfight in Heaven - By Jake Quinton^
Sherman Alexie tells bad jokes. He tells jokes that, for the most part, propagate bad stereotypes, my favorite being his quip about his wife hanging out with gay men being great since he is freed from his spousal burden of shopping, presumably for clothes. But his presentation on January 30 wasn’t all bad. He did start off with a remarkable I’m coming at this in a very Christian sort of way, since, thanks to my upbringing, I’ve been socialized into these beliefs of the church like there is a thing that we call God that’s an Eternal Unchanging Being that created everything, that this God wants to have a relationship with me, that It exists in a threeperson Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I really like this book by Rob Bell though, called Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. He’s got a great take on the matter, that this idea that we use to think about this God thing, the Trinity, isn’t permanent. His idea, though hard to swallow for those of us who have grown up and been socialized into this way of talking about our beliefs, is that if something like the Trinity seems like it is getting in the way of our discussion of, or contemplation of God, we should get rid of it. Throw it out like yesterday’s discussion of whether or not homosexuality is a mental disorder and replace it with a newer, more suitable model (the American Psychiatric Association actually did this in 1973, for anyone who’s keeping score). This walks a very narrow path, however. Those who are interested in continuing our discussion in The rest of us, however, aren’t convinced that there isn’t actually a God out there, that the sort of thing that has been placed at the top of every hierarchy of reality since Augustine does actually exist outside of how we choose to talk about It. Rob Bell even goes as far as to claim that anyone who is convinced that they have the whole God thing understood, blocked out in neat little lines and syllogisms, those people really aren’t talking about the sort of thing that is on top of all these hierarchies at all anyway. I’d even take this thread and push it a little further. Bell talks some about how people go to universities and ‘lose their faith,’ or they’re confronted with some nasty little entity like evolution or psychology and can’t reconcile the things they learn from their professors to the things they learn from their pastors, priests, and parents. So they go with one or the other. In all honesty, however, it seems rather narcissistic (to speak like Alexie) to claim that our seven-pound seats of consciousness are capable of reconciling two clashing ideologies that claim to be speaking the truth. Instead (to speak like Bell) if something is true, claim it. Recognize that there is something more going on than our own limited understanding of that little thing we call Truth, that if we are to hold out any hope for our socialized religion that we learned when we were small, we must at least understand that, at least in matters of things being true, True, or not true at all, that space between our ears isn’t quite sufficient for all of it. Alexie was at least right about that part.
insight; that through some great sense of narcissism, we assume that the seven days of the
creation story are seven literal twenty four hour periods. I find this incredibly poignant. This same sort of narcissism, it seems, is responsible for the belief that the seven-pound chunk of grey matter that resides beneath my hairline has some sort of stranglehold on strange, beautiful concepts like, well, Truth. Or Beauty.
the way we have for as long as they can remember, or what Bell calls ‘Brick’ theologians, would consider this some sort of progressive semantic for replacing the hard lines of Christian faith with whatever happens to feel good at the time. Or, if you’re more sympathetic to the change, whatever happens to resonate with us in that place that comes alive when we hear something we intuitively grasp as true.
2 . The Homoousios Quest for Meaning - by Fr. John Mossi, S.J.^
Have you ever been to a theatre production, poetry reading, liturgy or lecture in which the text was proclaimed in an exciting and fresh way? To stand in the presence of a captivating speaker who understands both the power and meaning of word is truly electrifying. The script that is proclaimed becomes alive, interpreted with high voltage energy, instead of being rendered as dull and boring. Articulate thought explodes like fireworks. There is connection. The hearer is captivated and inspired. The critical theme of this issue of Charter is language. By its nature, language possesses meaning. Effective language consists in words arranged in a coherent, convincing manner. From embarrassing comments highlighted in red on returned papers, we all know that there is quite a difference between a first draft composition and a well crafted work. The first is carelessly thrown together like a tossed salad of ill-formed sentences. The second must simmer and reduce so that the flavors of meaning, form and content blend with artistic insight. I must confess that I am fascinated with language. As a very impressionable youth at Saint Ignatius High School in San Francisco, I recall my exposure to a vocabulary building book entitled Word Power. This was my introduction to etymology, word history, derivation and the correct use of language. Now, as a Jesuit professor, I strive to model proper speech in the classroom arena and at liturgy. In my imagination, I contend that it is my linguistic duty to hold off the destruction of civilization and language from the gibberish of instant messages, the slang so common in electronic mail and the postmodern prevalent overflow of "whatever," "random," and the pervasive "like." My students are acutely aware that sentence structures, both oral and written, must be complete, intelligent and compelling. This is the teaching goal that I like to achieve on a good day, when my synapses are working. Currently, homoousios ranks as one of my favorite words. If you have ever recited or studied My preoccupation with homoousios has significant implications for the human person and our St. Augustine captured this human hunger in his classic phase found in the first book of The Homoousios also articulates the heartache of the human journey in all of its complexity. While At Eucharist, we enter into a heightened sacramental union with one another in community In many ways, the human person is on a homoousios quest. Our own incompleteness, our cravings and drives impel us towards the mystery of the unknown. This search might be for a very special "Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, O God." Augustine eloquently captured our human condition that never stops searching for both human and divine intimacy.
the Nicene Creed, written in the year 325, you have encountered homoousios translated as "one in Being with the Father." The etymology of homoousios stems from two Greek words: homo which means
"same as" and ousia, "being". Ousios is the adjective form of ousia. Homoousios means "one" or "the same in being." Within the framework of the Creed, homoousios is theological term that describes the divine nature of Jesus. Jesus possesses the same fullness of divine nature as the Father. What is said of the Creator of us all is equally true of Jesus. Jesus is fully divine as the Father is fully divine; hence, Jesus is truly "one in Being with the Father." Homoousios provides a pivotal insight into the central, Christian mystery of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Spirit each are fully divine, co-eternal, distinguishable and inseparable.
search for meaning. The core understanding of homoousios represents in an analogous way the on-going longings of the human spirit. Our hearts, minds and bodies yearn for a completeness and unity that is achieved in the mystery of another being, that person and mystery that is beyond our own confines and limits. The engine room depth of homoousios contains our innate cravings for unity—with a significant other, with family and friends, with community, and ultimately, with God who is our eternal Other.
Confessions: "You have created us for you and our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God." In many ways, our quest for meaning, intimacy, relationship is centered within the DNA structure of the Trinity. The divine relationship of the Trinity models for us in a most extraordinary manner the understanding and love, unity and diversity, of our human relationships. As creatures we cannot match the majesty of the divine, but with homoousios as an arrow, we have a direction and end point for which to strive.
Jesus shares a privileged unity with the Father, each of us is called to such imago Dei intimacy in our own way. As part of the magnificence of creation, we bear the signature of the Creator in and through the beauty and dignity of our humanity. Our hungers for communion and fullness are mysteriously intertwined in relationship to the Author of all being.
and with Christ. Our veil of separation is lifted. We not only partake of the sanctified Body and Blood of Christ but also through this action we enter into deeper union and relationship with one another. As we become transformed through the reception of this Holy Communion, we become Christ-like. Our human nature remains human, but infused with grace. We understand in a clearer way our relationship to one another and with God. We have stepped beyond our confines, prejudices and fears into communion and mystery.
other who will be the chief significant person in one’s life, or those others who comprise a network of important friends or associates, or the otherness of our study and passion, or the great Other of our eternal restlessness.
3 . The Unspoken - by Dan Hess^
‘The eye is the window to the soul’. It’s a phrase we hear all the time, but do we ever really pay attention to what it means? It is estimated that around 80 to 90 percent of all language is communicated nonverbally. From body language to tone of voice, these unspoken signs at times become much more important than the words we hear every day. Through seeing how people hold themselves while they walk, watching their facial expressions during conversation, noticing their appearance, hearing their breathing patterns, and observing their amount of eye contact, a lot of what a person is really saying can be perceived. While often subconsciously, we all observe these (and many other) unspoken cues of the people around us and it affects how we think and act in all situations. From talking with someone and noticing they are shifting their weight from side to side, to catching the eye of someone attractive across the room and holding that eye contact for an extended period, there are times where no words are needed to express what is being said. This unspoken language can be noticed in many settings, and is certainly not confined to one-on-one situations. When walking in a store, sitting in a café, or riding in an airplane, we constantly observe the people around us. We look at them and study their appearance, looking for subtle clues as to what is on their mind, what they are doing, and why they are doing it. While done every day, and by everyone, this act of people watching has almost become its own art. A college campus like Gonzaga provides a great location to observe people, and observe interactions. In places such as the Crosby Student Center, the COG, and the Administration Building, it is very easy to watch people and study their unspoken communication. While standing in line waiting for coffee one morning, a person passes by slowly, their shoulders slouched and their head down. A couple minutes later, another person passes by moving quickly with their head up and a smile on their face. While neither of these people said anything, it is obvious which person is having a better day. Later that same day, while eating dinner, a group of people sit at a table nearby. At one point during the course of the dinner, one of the people leans back in his chair, crosses his arms, and smirks. At another point, the person at the edge of the table leans in, eyes wide, as she listens to the conversation. Again, no words were said, but their body language gave away exactly what was in these two people’s minds. When asking ‘How are you?’, if the response is ‘Fine’ but the person has eyes red from crying, their response is probably not the truth! While we do not necessarily think about it, we constantly have to rely on nonverbal communication to understand situations and interactions. Without that knowledge, without those silent cues, our comprehension of language would be completely different. At the same time that we use our sight to understand unspoken visual cues, we also rely quite
heavily on our sense of touch. A hand on a shoulder while someone is crying. A pat on the back after the successful completion of a task. A hug. All of these actions convey meaning, but yet all remain unspoken. The last time I wrote for Charter, while my piece was about how travel has affected my life, a major part of my story revolved around my father and his battle with cancer. In early November, we found out his cancer spread from his bloodstream to his spinal fluid. Throughout the next month, the cancer’s effect on my dad became very pronounced, and he declined quickly. From movement to memory, the cancer affected everything. Eventually, the cancer took over so much that communication became extremely limited, and it was then that nonverbal communication, this unspoken language, became essential. The touch of a caring hand. The feeling of warmth, of comfort. The feeling of family. The feeling of love. Those forms of communication were all we really had during my dad’s last days, but as I discovered, those forms of language are not just for when it is hard to convey thoughts and words, but also for when there are truly no words which can be said. Since my father’s death, while words of consolation have always been appreciated, it has been hugs, the paramount nonverbal communication, which have meant the most. While this small branch of communication is rarely thought about consciously as language, it affects people almost every day. When hugging a friend hello or goodbye, while words may be exchanged, it is the touch of a friend which brings the two people together. Nonverbal communication has a larger impact on our lives than we ever think about, and sometimes, it is the unspoken language in something like a hug or a smile which contains a more powerful communication than any spoken word ever can.
4 . "Like OMG!": The Vital Role of Language in Modern Society - by Claire Keller-Scholz^
Language is a fluid, ever-evolving process by which mankind communicates. Whether written, spoken, or even signed, human beings have developed an extensive vocabulary with which to express themselves. In the twentieth century the advent of the internet and the electronic mail and instant messaging which came with it caused the evolution of language to take an enormous leap forward. The words "e-mail" and "instant messaging" themselves are new constructs which Electronic mail began as a way to write letters and send them without the physical use of paper and pen, transmitted via the internet. As such, the formality of the letters depended largely on the author and intended recipient, with the wide variety of styles such a subjective process entails, including poor grammar and spelling. One’s attention is drawn, however, to the lack of The habit of ignoring grammar and punctuation is especially prevalent in instant message Not only has instant messaging led to the creation of meaningless acronyms, it has also Human interaction relies on communication to further the development of relationships, and
have become a regular part of today’s vocabulary. Yet, one could argue that slang and the shortening of words which have become so prominent among the instant message and e-mail culture is actually detrimental to language as a whole, since it accepts the reduction of words to mere symbols and nonsensical sounds. Language cannot remain static and must change or else become obsolete and useless, but accepting the disrespect of the English language also validates the disrespect of cultural traditions.
propriety all too often displayed in e-mail communication as in the example of a letter from a potential employer to someone he was looking to hire. This individual wrote an entire e-mail peppered with grammatical errors, including lack of proper capitalization and missing commas, despite the fact that it was a business offer which one would expect to be highly professional. What is it about the medium of e-mail which makes some people think that proper use of the English language is optional? Simply because it does not exist in a physical sense does not mean that it is any less real, or that people will not judge the writer by his style of writing. Unfortunately, the ease with which one can learn to type a letter, and bypass the effort of actually creating each figure by hand allows for laziness which is evident in the language and form of many e-mails, such that it becomes too much of a challenge even to hit the "Shift" key for a momentary capitalization. Laziness on a small scale such as writing an e-mail may seem insignificant in view of the bigger picture, but if one is not willing to take the time to write legibly and follow the rules of English, the person who receives such a letter is more likely to perceive a lack of respect which may affect relationships and future communications. There is a marked distinction between writing a letter to a close friend, who knows you personally and will not be offended if you forget to put in a comma or happen to address the e-mail with "Hey," and a business letter—and the ability to tell the difference is a vital skill in the modern world.
communication, but because this system is more often used as a means of conversation more so
than an exchange of missives, one is more willing to allow for the occasional lapse in structure. The human brain has the ability to recognize words simply by their first and last letters, regardless of the order of the other letters within the word, allowing for communication despite typos and other results of quick typing that is not proof-read. Because of the speed with which instant messaging is carried out, not only does one lose grammar and punctuation; it is not unusual to lose entire words in the course of a conversation. A large part of instant message communication is done without words at all, using acronyms and symbols instead. Acronyms are a recognized and accepted part of common language usage, and are often accepted as words in and of themselves, such as the acronym LASER. Yet, there is one acronym commonly used in instant messaging which defies any kind of legitimacy because of the manner in which it is used. Three letters, L-O-L, are the source of this discontent. Ostensibly, LOL stands for "laugh out loud," but not only are the letters rarely capitalized, they are constantly and consistently used out of context to the extent that they are used prolifically as the catch-all response to any statement, regardless of whether or not there is any possible way it may be construed as humorous. The use of "lol" after every sentence typed out and sent through the instant message server is not so much a sign of disrespect as it is one of mediocrity. Rarely, does the person typing "lol" actually make a noise of laughter while
they are reading or typing instant messages, yet it is nevertheless the most common "word" used
in such conversations. Other similar phrases are "OMG" standing for "Oh My God" and "brb" for
"be right back" but these are more often used when the meaning they stand for actually applies to the conversation. Only "lol" has the distinction of completely and totally losing all actual value, and becoming the response people use when they have nothing to actually add to the conversation. Perhaps three random letters typed at the end of a sentence may serve to fill in "dead air" or the electronic equivalent thereof, but overuse of them leads to a total loss of communication. When an acronym loses the meaning for which it was created, it becomes valueless.
contributed to the decline in actual speech patterns of youth in today’s culture. Young people have always been on the cutting edge of the change in language because of their desire to go against the status quo and use words incorrectly or in different forms, but there is something unsettling about hearing letters pronounced as an exclamation of humor when a laugh or an actual word would do just as well and take the same amount of time and effort. Using a phrase commonly found in instant message communication in speech as a jest once in a while is nothing to what
one observes regularly at schools and gatherings of young people today. It is not uncommon
to hear exclamations of "ell oh ell!" or "oh em jee!" Perhaps most discomforting of all is when a teenager finds it necessary to say "jay kay" to his or her friends, informing them that he or she was only joking. "JK" may be an acceptable acronym for "just kidding" when one is typing quickly, but there is no reason why it should replace the actual words when there is no loss of time or effort spent in the act of speaking. Similarly, why would one declare "LOL" in the midst of friends for any reason besides simple mockery? If one finds something funny, why not laugh, chuckle, giggle, or otherwise express one’s emotions out loud? It is understandable to type out three letters instead of three words, for example "laugh out loud," to indicate one’s feelings to someone not present to observe them, but that should not necessarily transfer to verbal situations. The transformation from whole words to simple letter-sounds in common speech may be only the current phase of rebellion among the youth culture, but it may also be indicative of a general loss of respect for how people speak and communicate to one another. The words and phrases used in conversation are far more significant than just their immediate meaning, and can lead to confusion and chaos or understanding and order.
language plays a vital role in this process. Language constantly experiences change as society
grows and develops. The youth culture plays an especially vital role in determining the future, often being the first to experience innovation and transformation, and without these changes, society would grow stagnant and eventually deteriorate. Nothing, however, indicates that the growth and evolution of language and society will be easily accepted, and history reveals that it is human nature to resist change for fear of the unknown. The slang and acronyms used in electronic communication today are built into the society of the 21st century, particularly the youth culture, but should not be allowed to detract from the importance of all that has gone before, particularly commonly used speech patterns which people from all areas of the United States understand. Slang has its proper place, but it should not be mistaken for proper grammar or used in its stead. Likewise, disrespect of the English language should not be considered a capital crime, but people should be aware of the significance of their words and the effect they may have on relationships and future events. One is much more likely to be hired by an employer if their application consists of proper grammar, likewise when writing to one’s grandmother via e-mail, it should not be addressed "hey" or include "lol" anywhere within the letter. Disrespect shown to the English language, as seen in the examples previously discussed, ultimately indicates a general loss of common sense in modern society. One would hope that common sense would counteract the laziness so as to allow one to find the proper key on the keyboard to use grammar and spelling in appropriate situations. Yet experience reveals that this is not so, as in the example of a high school student who turned in an essay containing many of the aforementioned acronyms and symbols used in instant messaging. Language is vital to the continued growth and development of the human race, but the direction that development will take only time will tell.
5 . A Still, Small Voice: The Spirit of Truth as the Soul of Language - by Chris Sparks^
In all the great stories, in all the enduring myths, there are echoes and resonances from the It all comes from somewhere outside, something that some men and women have the ability It wanders the world, speaking through men. It raises up champions, and masters of art, and They know that the truth of what they do can only be expressed in an opera, sometimes, that it needs to move beyond a lab report and made into something that captures the imagination, that evidences the movement of the Spirit of Love and makes beautiful the mundane in their work. There is a soul of language called meaning, the reality expressed through the human constructs And again, the extremely rational, extremely stripped down exercise of the human intellect that is the modern scientific endeavor depends upon things beyond its ken. Einstein worked through pictures, visualizing the interactions of objects in order to come up with relativity. The human mind transcended human experience; we had never experienced true free fall. We had never been in space. He drew from his imagination a true image of the world, a true construct of reality in the absence of an experience, and it has shaped our world ever since. Some scientists have seen in a dream the solution they so earnestly sought; until recently, most scientists were believers in God. There is something beyond, something outside of the physical world that we are drawn to, that The Spirit of Truth struggles desperately to be heard through all the static of incoherence and meaningless noise that we clutch so close these days. The Spirit of Love cries out with such power and authority, it takes a great deadening of the human soul to ignore. The soul of language pours out upon the world all that it has, all that it can give, and humankind laughs, ignores, despises, has been so completely led astray by a will-o’-the-wisp, a false light, that we turn away from that which we so deeply desire, require for survival, and run desperately towards the terrible, lowering night.
thought of former ages, of cultures and imaginations halfway around the world, out of reach.
There are the universal archetypes, defying all explanation other than a certain universality in the human condition, certain experiences, and sometimes the claim that all has sprung from the same golden mead, the golden source of language, of meaning, of dreams.
to reach into, to draw out of it song, and story, and meaning. The depths of this well have yet to be fully plumbed, and it has been called by many names: the well of Poesy, the golden wine of the gods, the Muses speaking, the breath of the Spirit of God inspiring, allowing mankind to express Truth, and Beauty, and Reason. This Holy Spirit breathes art into the minds of some, poetry into the minds of other, songs, tales, ballads dreams. We hear it calling to us out of the pages of the great books, out of a line, a word, an image, a notion: the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Life, that moved over the chaos and darkness of the time before time, and breathed all things into being with the Word.
great ones through which it can move most strongly. It makes humans into archetypes, and makes our lives into song and story. We are not merely living in a mechanical word, with the fumes of our labors pouring forth from the waste ends of society. We are in a living world, a world where some things cannot be reduced to an equation. Not all truth can be distilled through experiment and concentrated into a chart or graph; some things can only be expressed in their fullness through a myth, through a painting, through a sonata. Science itself knows this—hence the popularity of science fiction among scientists.
of the written word, the spoken syllables. But there is also the language of music, and visual art, and dance—whenever any of these are beautiful, they communicate something. Whenever these are stunning, or captivating, or intriguing, something is passed on to the audience. When the movement of the Spirit from the time before time is felt through an interaction with some work of human hands, then we call it great. Then some puzzle over what captivated them, trying to quantify it in terms of neurons and synapses, of biochemical responses, of the geometry of the picture, of the patterns triggering some aspect of the shared human experience passed down genetically. Whenever an explanation of this kind is offered, it always seems somehow less than what was experienced, somehow incomplete, not commensurate with the dignity and the grandeur of the great passions, truths, humanity expressed through art, not equal to the task of expressing what the great artists could convey with a quick sketch, what Shakespeare could get across with a paragraph, a line.
we long for. We search for meaning in a world gone mad. We seek beauty in a world obsessed with destruction. We look for love in a world of trivialized love, one night stands, and an indulgence of all passions. We quest for justice in a world of tyrants and despots, of ideologies that destroy any concept of individual dignity while disintegrating concern for the other. We strive for authentic being, for being true to ourselves, in a world that claims we are merely animals, we are merely physical beings with no transcendence possible or even desireable. The great things expressed in our art, our music, our many different languages, our means to convey meaning, are being denied in the world today. We have somehow gotten lost on our way to glory, and no one will admit it. We have somehow gone from a time of great promise, to a time that promises great destruction. We began last century with the confidence of great growth in humanity and swift progress towards justice, beauty, truth, being. We enter this century looking back on a time of unprecedented horror, fantastic technological development, and a growing conviction that everything we have, everything we are doing, is contributing to the dehumanization of our actions, our expectations, and our concerns.
