Abide Project Public Lecture
August 13, 2025
Above and Below, Above in Below: Transposition and the Glory of Preaching
Evening, August 13, 2025. Location TBD
Is preaching the Word a sacramental version of ‘Protestant transubstantiation’? In his talk, Rev Dr. Ed Gerber will explore this question while interacting with CS Lewis’ brilliant essay ‘Transposition.’
Taking the strange phenomenon of glossolalia or ‘speaking in tongues’ (as opposed to xenoglossolalia or ‘speaking in other nation’s tongues)’ as his point of departure, Lewis observes the limitations of the human body with reference to the soul. Since the experiences of the soul outdistance the body’s range of manifesting abilities, tears flow for joy, relief, anger, and sadness. Similarly, the experience of spiritual rapture or union with God, Lewis argues, can be seen to result in the effusion of non-words or gibberish or glossolalia. Scripture recognizes other experiences wherein the movement of the soul is stopped short of articulate speech, as when in prayer the soul groans and the Spirit renders these groans intelligent before the throne of God. As with the inarticulate creation and creatures of creation itself, then, there are times when the human being speaks more than they utter. All of this is fine at the level of private experience. For the good of church and world, however, I will argue that, in accord with our uniquely human vocation conveyed in Scripture as it relates to Lewis’ concept of transposition, followers of the Word must strive with zeal and passion to Word-keep and word-make as sanctified sense-makers. For as Christians in cooperation with the Spirit preserve and work with the truth(s) of Scripture to make the inarticulate articulate, the unutterable uttered, the as-yet unspoken spoken into languages and idioms that are comprehensible in our day (as in days gone by), we participate sacramentally in God’s creative and redemptive purposes in the world.
Thanks to a generous donation we are able top offer $50 off the convention fee for the first 100 attendees! Register quickly to secure your spot!
Additionally, we are pleased to offer a discount to seminary students who are seeking ordination in the CRCNA. Email abideprojectorg@gmail for more info!
