John Sanders

Articles by John Sanders

Words prompt our minds to construct meaning

August 16, 2016 0 Commentsin /by

Words are prompts or triggers for our minds to construct meaning. If someone says they are going to a wedding our minds furnish the event of a wedding with lots of information about the rituals and dress of those involved. The same words may sometimes prompt different meanings depending upon the culture. For instance, take […]

Metaphors and God

August 16, 2016 0 Commentsin /by

The Bible contains over fifty different metaphors for understanding who God is and our relationship to God. Some of these are: husband, woman, shepherd, potter, bear, eagle, and rock. The metaphors structure how humans construe the types of relations and expected behaviors we have with God. For instance, thinking of God as a father involves […]

Truth has many meanings

August 16, 2016 0 Commentsin /by

English has a number of ways to understand truth. We speak of “discovering,” “distorting,” or “twisting” the truth. This uses the truth is an object metaphor in which truth is a physical object that we can “grasp” and do things with. We also think of truth as a journey so that we pursue truth and […]