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The Bonsai Conspiracy

A Conspiração Bonsai

Introdução

Oct 08 2007

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Written by Paul Anderson-Walsh

Monday, 08 October 2007

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Whilst on the flight to Philadelphia this morning I was reading an intriguingly entitled book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves.” It is a charming little book written by Lynn Truss. It’s unapologetic purpose being to delver the English speaking world from the curse of satanic punctuation. As I chuckled my way through what is a very witty book, a thought suddenly dawned on me. What if there was such a thing as law grammar and grace grammar. If grammar really is ‘a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling’ then “law” grammar could cause bible readers not only to stumble but to fall from grace altogether!?!?!

I was educated in the 1970’s a period in which High School educators assumed [wrongly] that grammar was adequately taught in Primary School. As a Christian educator I have long-since abandoned the notion that the average evangelical Christian has been taught anything at all apart from the numbing vocabulary of legalism.

Imagine for a moment that there are in fact these two types of grammar. Punctuation can alter the entire meaning of a sentence. If I understand my friends in legalism correctly, they seem to infer that somehow, not only is their own personal salvation dependent on their self-effort but actually the entire plan of redemption somehow hinges on their valiant efforts. According to their eschatology Christ will not return until the church has evangelized the entire world. Apparently it is all down to our prayers, and our witnessing. If I listen to the teachers of the gospel of works righteousness it would appear that God somehow needs us. To put it in grammatical terms what they’re saying is “A Christian: without her, God is nothing.” Surely what they mean is “A Christian, without her God, is nothing.”

Christian: without her, God is nothing”

A Christian, without her God, is nothing.”

It is all about how you punctuate the sentence. A colon here and a comma there make a big difference eh? Maybe that’s why sometimes when God needed to get something done in the OT he tended to insert a coma – no, that’s not a typo’ I meant coma not comma. A coma can make all the difference and can be very helpful to God when He has stuff to do and doesn’t need Christians interfering. Ask Adam, he got put in one when the Lord wanted to make a bride for him. Then there’s Abraham, he got put into a coma [all right I know it says deep sleep – get over yourself] when God wanted to make covenant with him. Anyway, be careful where you place your commas today won’t you…. Now I must go and get on my friend … DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PUTTING A COMMA IN THAT SENTENCE!?!?