"The impatient, who are concerned only about results or practical application, should leave their hands off exegesis. They are of no value for it, nor, when rightly done, is exegesis of any value for them." -- Ernst Kasemann, Commentary on Romans, translated and edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Eerdmans, 1980), iii. Quoted in N.T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God (London: SPCK, 1992), 13 n15.
"In a world of fugitives the person taking the opposite direction will appear to run away." -- T.S. Eliot. Quoted in Philip Yancey 'The Risks of Relevance' in I Was Just Wondering (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Eerdmans, 1989) 128 - 134.
Yancey contrasts the enduring value of Eliot's poetry with the ephemeral nature of his social commentary, arguing for the contribution that art makes to life, even if its immediate relevance is not readily apparent.
I thank God for the many Christian pastors and leaders who tend to peoples' immediate needs, but I pray for more Christian artists and thinkers who can leave a deeper and more lasting impression.
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