Mark Schaefer is the author of The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue (Wipf & Stock, 2018). Address: Troy, NY, United States
Coordination phrases (CPs) like between you and I and give this to your mom or I, wherein the nom... more Coordination phrases (CPs) like between you and I and give this to your mom or I, wherein the nominative/subject case is substituted for the expected accusative/object case, have been increasing in frequency in contemporary spoken English. Such constructions are generally assumed to result from a hypercorrection to avoid constructions like Me and Bob went to the movies. However, hypercorrection alone cannot account for all the instances of this construction, especially more recent examples such as Please stop asking out of respect for she and I. To explore possible root causes for this construction, I examined instances of spoken and recorded speech and surveyed speakers to draw out the underlying rules governing the case used by speakers when forming coordination phrases. Initial results suggest that hypercorrection is unlikely to account for the use of the subject case in all such instances, and instead, there is evidence for the emergence of a nominative absolute construction creating coordination phrases that are unaffected by the syntactic demands of the surrounding sentence.
Cultural consciousness around gender identity and the use of personal pronouns is changing rapidl... more Cultural consciousness around gender identity and the use of personal pronouns is changing rapidly. In particular, the use of the singular they is increasing among non-binary and gendernonconforming individuals. Such usages pose difficulty for some speakers, not because of ideological reasons, but because of grammatical categorization and the features assigned to personal pronouns like they. Perceptions of they either as a definite, plural third-person pronoun or an indefinite, singular third-person pronoun come into conflict with the contemporary usage of they as a definite, singular third-person pronoun.
This paper presents an exegetical study of a passage from the Hebrew scriptures (Isaiah 30:8-18).... more This paper presents an exegetical study of a passage from the Hebrew scriptures (Isaiah 30:8-18). The text is analyzed using historical criticism, form criticism, text criticism, and linguistic analysis. The text's themes of reliance on divine promises versus human initiative are explored in both original and contemporary settings.
In recent years, some Christian leaders have argued for Christian Zionism, a belief system that s... more In recent years, some Christian leaders have argued for Christian Zionism, a belief system that supports political Zionism and the policies of the State of Israel as an expression of Christian theology, in particular, end-times eschatology. This paper engages in a critique of the arguments of Christian Zionism and lays out several objections to it ground in Christian theology and fundamental Christian doctrine.
The disenfranchisement of the citizens of the District of Columbia from participation in their na... more The disenfranchisement of the citizens of the District of Columbia from participation in their national legislature is an issue that has affected Washingtonians for over two centuries. A review of Christian scripture, tradition, reason, and experience reveals that the current situation is not morally tenable and must be opposed by the communities of faith.
An examination of Psalm 79 identifies it as one of the Psalms of Lament. An in-depth review of th... more An examination of Psalm 79 identifies it as one of the Psalms of Lament. An in-depth review of the underlying Hebrew text shows an author wrestling with the prolonged absence of God yet refusing to yield faith in God’s deliverance. The text provides a model for faithful honesty in the midst of alienation and despair.
Students of Russian are often told that the difference between the adverbs здесь and тут ("here")... more Students of Russian are often told that the difference between the adverbs здесь and тут ("here") is a difference between the standard and the colloquial. This paper explores the deictic nature of both exploring the dimensions of physical and emotional proximity that each adverb carries.
The most common understanding of life-after-death among contemporary Christians contemplates a sp... more The most common understanding of life-after-death among contemporary Christians contemplates a spiritual state on another plane of existence. This particular belief system represents a problem for Christianity because it is inconsistent with the historic confession of the Church and has implications for the here and now. This paper explores the history of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and argues that the health and vitality of contemporary Christianity depend on the affirmation of this ancient teaching.
Abstract: It is generally assumed that Christian confessions concerning the person and nature of ... more Abstract: It is generally assumed that Christian confessions concerning the person and nature of Jesus Christ represent an irreconcilable divide between Judaism and Christianity. On the surface, a cursory examination of Christian religious language would appear to confirm this assumption. However, given that Christianity arose out of the religious worldview of First Century Judaism, a deeper examination shows that most Christian Christological beliefs have parallels in Judaism and offer an opportunity for greater connection than for division. This paper explores key Christian Christological concepts and analyzes their compatibility or incompatibility with Jewish thought. This exploration reveals two religions that have far more in common, even on questions of Christology, than is generally assumed.
Atheism and fundamentalism are often viewed as having diametrically opposed points of view on the... more Atheism and fundamentalism are often viewed as having diametrically opposed points of view on the religious spectrum. An investigation of fundamentalist and atheist attitudes on questions of beliefs suggests instead that while atheists and fundamentalists may differ in their conclusions, they agree in their assessment of what religious faith is: a set of objective truth claims that are to be either accepted or rejected.
When we look deeply into the religious traditions, we see that the religions not only use metapho... more When we look deeply into the religious traditions, we see that the religions not only use metaphor in their sacred scripture, in their creeds, and in their theologies, but they use metaphor in everything. Word, sacrament, symbol, sign, rite, office, ritual-all are vested with metaphor. Every aspect of religion invokes metaphor, to the point where the religions can be seen as grand metaphors themselves.
This paper is a chapter excerpt from "The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue," Wipf & Stock (2018).
Coordination phrases (CPs) like between you and I and give this to your mom or I, wherein the nom... more Coordination phrases (CPs) like between you and I and give this to your mom or I, wherein the nominative/subject case is substituted for the expected accusative/object case, have been increasing in frequency in contemporary spoken English. Such constructions are generally assumed to result from a hypercorrection to avoid constructions like Me and Bob went to the movies. However, hypercorrection alone cannot account for all the instances of this construction, especially more recent examples such as Please stop asking out of respect for she and I. To explore possible root causes for this construction, I examined instances of spoken and recorded speech and surveyed speakers to draw out the underlying rules governing the case used by speakers when forming coordination phrases. Initial results suggest that hypercorrection is unlikely to account for the use of the subject case in all such instances, and instead, there is evidence for the emergence of a nominative absolute construction creating coordination phrases that are unaffected by the syntactic demands of the surrounding sentence.
Cultural consciousness around gender identity and the use of personal pronouns is changing rapidl... more Cultural consciousness around gender identity and the use of personal pronouns is changing rapidly. In particular, the use of the singular they is increasing among non-binary and gendernonconforming individuals. Such usages pose difficulty for some speakers, not because of ideological reasons, but because of grammatical categorization and the features assigned to personal pronouns like they. Perceptions of they either as a definite, plural third-person pronoun or an indefinite, singular third-person pronoun come into conflict with the contemporary usage of they as a definite, singular third-person pronoun.
This paper presents an exegetical study of a passage from the Hebrew scriptures (Isaiah 30:8-18).... more This paper presents an exegetical study of a passage from the Hebrew scriptures (Isaiah 30:8-18). The text is analyzed using historical criticism, form criticism, text criticism, and linguistic analysis. The text's themes of reliance on divine promises versus human initiative are explored in both original and contemporary settings.
In recent years, some Christian leaders have argued for Christian Zionism, a belief system that s... more In recent years, some Christian leaders have argued for Christian Zionism, a belief system that supports political Zionism and the policies of the State of Israel as an expression of Christian theology, in particular, end-times eschatology. This paper engages in a critique of the arguments of Christian Zionism and lays out several objections to it ground in Christian theology and fundamental Christian doctrine.
The disenfranchisement of the citizens of the District of Columbia from participation in their na... more The disenfranchisement of the citizens of the District of Columbia from participation in their national legislature is an issue that has affected Washingtonians for over two centuries. A review of Christian scripture, tradition, reason, and experience reveals that the current situation is not morally tenable and must be opposed by the communities of faith.
An examination of Psalm 79 identifies it as one of the Psalms of Lament. An in-depth review of th... more An examination of Psalm 79 identifies it as one of the Psalms of Lament. An in-depth review of the underlying Hebrew text shows an author wrestling with the prolonged absence of God yet refusing to yield faith in God’s deliverance. The text provides a model for faithful honesty in the midst of alienation and despair.
Students of Russian are often told that the difference between the adverbs здесь and тут ("here")... more Students of Russian are often told that the difference between the adverbs здесь and тут ("here") is a difference between the standard and the colloquial. This paper explores the deictic nature of both exploring the dimensions of physical and emotional proximity that each adverb carries.
The most common understanding of life-after-death among contemporary Christians contemplates a sp... more The most common understanding of life-after-death among contemporary Christians contemplates a spiritual state on another plane of existence. This particular belief system represents a problem for Christianity because it is inconsistent with the historic confession of the Church and has implications for the here and now. This paper explores the history of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and argues that the health and vitality of contemporary Christianity depend on the affirmation of this ancient teaching.
Abstract: It is generally assumed that Christian confessions concerning the person and nature of ... more Abstract: It is generally assumed that Christian confessions concerning the person and nature of Jesus Christ represent an irreconcilable divide between Judaism and Christianity. On the surface, a cursory examination of Christian religious language would appear to confirm this assumption. However, given that Christianity arose out of the religious worldview of First Century Judaism, a deeper examination shows that most Christian Christological beliefs have parallels in Judaism and offer an opportunity for greater connection than for division. This paper explores key Christian Christological concepts and analyzes their compatibility or incompatibility with Jewish thought. This exploration reveals two religions that have far more in common, even on questions of Christology, than is generally assumed.
Atheism and fundamentalism are often viewed as having diametrically opposed points of view on the... more Atheism and fundamentalism are often viewed as having diametrically opposed points of view on the religious spectrum. An investigation of fundamentalist and atheist attitudes on questions of beliefs suggests instead that while atheists and fundamentalists may differ in their conclusions, they agree in their assessment of what religious faith is: a set of objective truth claims that are to be either accepted or rejected.
When we look deeply into the religious traditions, we see that the religions not only use metapho... more When we look deeply into the religious traditions, we see that the religions not only use metaphor in their sacred scripture, in their creeds, and in their theologies, but they use metaphor in everything. Word, sacrament, symbol, sign, rite, office, ritual-all are vested with metaphor. Every aspect of religion invokes metaphor, to the point where the religions can be seen as grand metaphors themselves.
This paper is a chapter excerpt from "The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue," Wipf & Stock (2018).
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This paper is a 2023 revision of a 2001 original.
Books by Mark Schaefer
This paper is a chapter excerpt from "The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue," Wipf & Stock (2018).
This paper is a 2023 revision of a 2001 original.
This paper is a chapter excerpt from "The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue," Wipf & Stock (2018).