Grace

Although the word χάρις underwent several changes in meaning during its long lifetime, in English grace returned to its original polytheistic meaning, in German Gnade was conflated with mercy, the Christian meaning of χάρις is nevertheless still with us in examples.

I noticed the other day, yesterday, actually, how much alike Philip Kindred Dick and Paul Harvey Aurandt looked in their youth. But see for yourselves.

 

It is most remarkable that these two gifted young men were able to become influential cultural figures in the United States at their time. It says something about their environment. Never mind the obstacles they had to overcome and the way they did it, ultimately they succeeded, because their environment was pliable and they knew it.

Grace is the sowing of the seed and the United States were good soil at the time. But there is another aspect to this that I'd like to emphasise. You would be within your rights to call these two young men geeks, meaning that they formed their mental world on their own and hence certainly had some rather idiosyncratic notions.

Differently put their fate tells us that the cultural life of the United States wasn't shaped by schools (of thought) at their time, but was indeed the result of a chaotic boil of ideas.

As exciting as this may be for the observer, it is rather tragic for the preserver: the work can't grow beyond the man. So the ocean of time opens up and the waters rushing in bury the past.

Dick and Aurandt weren't born as entertainers, but as guides. And although they guided, nothing they had to say was declared canonical. So all what remains is the inertia of the waves they caused.

There is something to be said in favour of schools. They mellow the disciple and continue his work. Who in the great experiment of self-justification known as the Reformation harvests the fruits of grace? Ultimately it's always the people, but if nobody steps in between and affirms its value, eventually everything's just passing by.

Pondering this I must say though that it's lucky then that at least the affirmation of the original grace hasn't died yet. And since it is complete, it should suffice to restore everything that might be lacking today.