I have learned something in my recent blogs. No one is as interested in Greek derivations as I am. When I go Greek, my readership drops like a stone. My Zotikotita post was one of my least read of the last seventeen years. So, based on this learning, here we go again.

θαύμα πλήρωμα – thauma pleroma – a concept we may not encounter much today, but one which every Christian should know, understand, and apply. Good luck with that. Want to know what it means? Too bad. I’m going to tell you anyway, though I now understand that most of you won’t really be interested.

θαύμα – thauma – generally mistranslated as “miracle,” but more accurately, “marvel.” What is the difference between a miracle and a marvel? Miracles are supernatural; marvels are natural. Miracles defy nature and God’s design; marvels celebrate nature and God’s creation. A sunset is a marvel, not a miracle. Space exploration is a marvel, not a miracle. A heart transplant is a marvel, not a miracle. There is nothing denying the possibility or potential for a miracle in θαύμα, but that which amazes and astounds is well within the realm of possibility rather than beyond it. In the Greek world, a θαύμα was one of the highest forms of evidence, indication, and support for something exceptional. Thauma said to one and all, “pay attention to this, understand it, and accept it.”

πλήρωμα – pleroma – nominally translated as “fullness,” came, in the Christian understanding of Jesus, to mean “absolute divinity and completion.” Cool. But think of it deeply for a moment. Jesus as pleroma was the confirmation of the perfection of the Christ made human, God fully and completely present with us, offering – and get this – a pathway to fullness and completion for each and every one of us. Through faith in Jesus the Christ, we could accept our place in the body of Christ, becoming incarnation in our world. Yes, we could join the Christ essence through the power and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to BE Christ.

Now, hold on. Not to displace Christ. Not to delusionally adopt Christlikeness. To allow God to reconnect and renew us into God’s will and intention for all our lives. Anything else is half-assed Christianity. Now, I know what you are thinking, “okay Greek geek guy, there was not ancient Greek term for half-assed.” Well, you would be wrong. There is a word – μισογύνης – which translates almost exactly half-assed, and ironically it is misogynis, from which we get the word misogynist. (Talk about half-assed, incomplete, and destructive…)

For the Greeks, to be half-assed meant “to deny reality; to settle; to compromise.” In today’s vernacular, it meant “to phone it in,” or more condemnatory, “to pretend something not real.” A half-assed Christianity is to claim something that simply isn’t true. Warmongering Christians? Not only a contradiction in terms, but a clear indication that the faith is not real. Racist and sexist Christians? Anti-disability Christians? Greedy, manipulative Christians? Bible-abusing, scripture misquoting, theologically offensive Christians? Anti-love, anti-mercy, anti-empathy, anti-compassion, anti-immigrant Christians? To name them half-assed is simply an insult to asses everywhere.

Our values as Christians – okay, I hesitate to go here, but I painted myself into a corner – must be full-assed. Our faith must reflect the πλήρωμα (pleroma), the fullness, completion and perfection of God, as a true, real, knowable, and accessible θαύμα (thauma) marvel. True faith is nothing short of marvelous. True faith witnesses to the total divinity, holiness, goodness, and grace of God. Our world cannot tolerate half-assed Christianity. We may not pay lip service to the transformative and redemptive love of God; we must live it, love it, share it, and in every way make it who we are!