Jack Pelham

What if I were listening?
Trying to understand your words
Your meaning
Your desire―
To bend me to you,
Rather than you to me?

What if I were letting not my heart be troubled
But trusting in you
Leaning on you
Casting the dividing anxieties on you―
All of them―
Just like it says?

What if I were seeking with all my heart,
And not just some of it?
Leaving no stone unturned,
Making every effort,
Wholehearted
All-out
Not double-minded, but finally decluttered?

Is it not your promise
That this is when I would find you?

And if I do find you,
Will it be better
Than merely assuming that,
Having made a token effort,
I must have found you already,
Like the others constantly assure me―
However bland and lightweight the encounter?

What if I were to find in you a Presence
I’ve not yet been able to conjure up on my own?
What if there were a Power and Clarity in it
That surpasses what I have yet dared
To ask or imagine
Or to seek with all my heart?

What if the scarcity of my life
Were to be the actual fruit
Of my not-listening, not-seeking ways?

What if reason I have not is that I ask not?
What if the reason I lack the “life more abundantly”,
“Thirty, sixty, or a hundred times as much”
Were simply that I have never sown
The intended seeds?

What if you had actually been serious
About all these things,
And had really meant them,
And I had simply been assuming,
Quite stupidly
That it weren’t that demanding a process?

What if you were calling my bluff?

Having dared all this what-iffing,
I am left for the moment with
The troublingly-clear idea
That this is not going to come down
To the religion being complicated,
But to the fact that I have simply been
Unwilling to clear the World from my table
And focus only on you―
And that you have, in fact,
Kept me out until
I was all in.

Just an old rooster,
Crowing at the sun ―
The latter barely even seen by the masses,
And most certainly not heard,
For almost no one hears the sun.
Almost.

And the former,
Taken mostly as a nuisance ―
And mostly when crowing, naturally ―
Being otherwise useful
Only as a quaint trophy to themselves:

“Yes, we like to keep a rooster around;
Because we are cool like that.”

But they have no clue
What all his fuss is about ―
And why he would bother
To herald the day.

And they do not care to find out,

It will not occur to them even to wonder
What all the sun has seen
And heard and understood,
For they sleep and rise
Only to sleep again,
Having been roused
Only to roll over and hope
For more time in bed.

I’m coining the term, attunology, because it appears we need such a word in English, and we certainly need such a focus in Christianity.

at·tun·ol·o·gy
\ ə-ˈtün-ˈä-lə-jē , ă- \ noun

Etymology: Coined from attun(e) (Middle English attonen, from ad- + ton tone, signaling alignment to a pitch or frequency) + -ology (Greek -logia, from logos, study, discourse, or underlying reason).

1. The systematic study and conscious practice of mutual resonance, relational alignment, and receptive awareness between distinct beings, whether human, animal, or divine.
2. The methodology of tracking, understanding, and cultivating harmonious connection across human, animal, or divine systems.
3. In General Theology: The study of the personal disposition, attitudes, awareness, and behaviors intended by the Creator for His followers in relationship a) with Him, b) with his “holy angels” (as opposed to the rebel angels), c) with his authorized apostles and prophets, d) with other believing humans, e) with non-believing humans, f) with animals, and, not least importantly, g) within oneself. (This includes the inner landscape of one’s thoughts, emotions, intentions, desires, attitudes, convictions, and behaviors, as well as the somatic connections between these internal realities and the physical body, as addressed in Somatic Internal Family Systems and other psychological modalities), h) and with truth/reality itself, showing a vulnerability and accommodating spirit toward what actually exists, as opposed to one’s own perceptions, wishes, opinions, or biases about it. (This latter is the core of Jack Pelham’s philosophy of Reality-Based Thinking.)

Attunology applies particularly to a spirit of aware, respectful, and willingly accommodating attunement and unity, proceeding from God’s design for His creation.

Pronunciation Note: The primary entry (\ ə- \ or “uh-“) flows naturally into everyday speech, while the alternate entry (\ ă- \ or short “a” as in action) gives the prefix an active, focused emphasis when introducing the term formally.

NOTE TO THE READER: I just want you to know where this article is headed. I’m going to show you a few passages of scripture at the end ― passages that I believe should demonstrate (to those with “ears to hear”) that this attunement between God and his Creation should be a compelling topic for us. But first, I’ll write some short thoughts on what seems to be missing in the churches, and in Biblical Scholarship.

The Gaping Void of Attunement in Christian Circles

In recent decades the Barna Group has famously reported the troubling fact that it is statistically difficult to differentiate the churched from the unchurched when considering their life behaviors. And it’s not only a matter of statistics, but of common experience in the churches, where one regularly hears members bemoaning the sad state of the churches, whether it’s spoken of as “the remnant vs. the compromised church,” “the falling away,” or as a lament over the loss of reverence or of doctrinal purity. It’s something of an “elephant in the room”, or even an “open secret” that so many in Christianity simply don’t live highly attuned to God, Jesus, and the principles they have promoted. That is, we all know it (or should know it) but the fact doesn’t seem to be treated with the alarm it deserves. The disattunement doesn’t seem to be the five-alarm fire it ought to be. But then, who better to fail to sound the alarm than a disattuned church?

What many consider to be “The Church” is a highly-fragmented community of organizations that are generally about the business of something in the general ballpark of being “God’s family on Earth”, or of doing God’s business on Earth ― and particularly the business of evangelism. “The Church” may bring more and more in, but it’s failing to produce droves of high-attuned, Jesus-following individuals who have done a very good job of this:

Ephesians 5: 8-10 Live as children of light … and find out what pleases the Lord.

Something’s missing. As it turns out, it’s pretty easy to find out what pleases “The Church”, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that many among them will have a personal disposition of caring deeply how the Lord wants them to live. When one considers the broad view across all the various church cultures, that just doesn’t seem to be all that strong a focus.

Modern Bible Scholarship Isn’t Helping Much: The Missing “…ology”.

Over time, a general scholarly nomenclature has developed for talking about what’s in the scriptures, as well as about what the churches do. It is the fashion that each of these terms end with “…ology” (as in “theology“, for example. The ending simply means something like “the study of” or “the science of” ― something in that ballpark. I asked Google’s Gemini to make me a short list of the most common of these terms used by Bible scholars, and here’s the result:

The Main “…ologies” Under the General Theology Umbrella

• Theology Proper – The study of the nature, attributes, and existence of God the Father.
• Christology – The study of the person, nature, and redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
• Pneumatology – The study of the person, role, and work of the Holy Spirit.
• Bibliology – The study of the Bible itself, including its inspiration, authority, and canonization.
• Anthropology (Theological) – The study of humanity, specifically our creation, nature, and relationship to God.
• Hamartiology – The study of the nature, origin, and consequences of sin.
• Soteriology – The study of salvation, justification, and how humanity is reconciled to God.
• Ecclesiology – The study of the nature, structure, purpose, and sacraments of the Christian Church.
• Eschatology – The study of end times, prophecy, death, judgment, and the final destiny of humanity.
• Angelology – The study of created spiritual beings, including angels, demons, and Satan (often sub-divided into Demonology).
• Missiology – The study of the church’s mission, evangelism, and cross-cultural engagement.

Note that while some of these terms might have ancillary connections to what I’m calling attunology, none of them addresses the subject squarely and thoroughly. I did underline “relationship to God” under the Anthropology heading — but for the record, I don’t recall ever hearing any expansive study at church about the things that fall under the attunology umbrella I’m proposing here. I even went to one church for a number of years that would surprise many of its visitors by talking constantly of a Christian’s “relationship with God”, but even so, it lacked what would seem to be now like a deep and wide foundation of all that the scriptures have to say about what God wants from us. More was needed. Just talking about it some was not enough, I believe, to make the fellowship into what would be wholly pleasing to God.

Now, before I leave the terminology, let me be thorough, for the record. I asked Gemini also for a list of the less-popular “…ologies”, and found that only the last one (Koinoniology) tends to deal directly with any part of what I coined “attunology“ is coined to address:

• Mariology – The study of the person, life, and role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, particularly prominent in Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
• Hagiology – The study of the lives, writings, and veneration of the saints.
• Patrology – The study of the early Church Fathers, their theological writings, and their historical context (often closely related to Patristics).
• Israelology – The study of the theological role, identity, and future of the people and nation of Israel in salvation history.
• Satanology – The specific sub-branch of angelology focused strictly on the origin, nature, and actions of Satan.
• Martyrology – The study or collection of the histories and testimonies of Christian martyrs throughout church history.
• Liturgiology – The systematic study of church liturgy, ritual structures, and the theology of corporate worship forms.
• Koinoniology – The theological study of community, fellowship, and the organic, relational life of believers within the body of Christ.

“If it were that important, Jack, it wouldn’t have been skipped!”

It might be easy to think that there’s no way something of huge importance could be missed. One could easily think things like “God wouldn’t have let me miss that” or “God wouldn’t have let my pastor miss that”. But think again! 2 Kings 22 and following tells the story of the Law of Moses having been set aside and lost for a time! That’s a pretty big thing to lose track of, yet it happened! (Note: The Book of the Law had been right there in the Temple all along, but had fallen into disuse, such that it was not even obvious to the priests, one of whom stumbled across it one day. And had it not been for the reformer heart of King Josiah, there’s no telling how long it would have remained outside the awareness of the people!)

And if you’d like a similar example from your own lifetime, answer this off-the-wall question for me: Quick! Name the “five main senses”!

What are they ― these things that every school child for generations has memorized? They are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Right? Well, of course they are. Scientists know there are certainly more senses than these, and they debate somewhat over just what should be called a sense, but our society on the whole has decided that among all the senses, these are the ones that really count ― the ones that are worthy of educating the children about. But can somebody tell me why balance should be left off the list of “main senses”? It’s extremely important, and without the sense of balance, we would all die ― probably, this very day! But however it worked out, something that hugely important can indeed be left off the official list of important things. And so it goes with attunology!

So, Why Do We Need Attunology?

The goal of this post is simply to make the case, while avoiding sermonizing. So let me simply present a list of Bible excerpts, which I take as ample evidence that such matters are highly important to God, Jesus, and their apostles and prophets who wrote the scriptures. Judge for yourselves whether attunology deserves a sit at the Christian table of important concepts.

Remember, attunology, as it would pertain to Christian theology, concerns seven main areas of being attuned:

1. To God
2. To God’s “holy angels” (as opposed to the rebel angels)
3. To God’s appointed apostles and prophets
4. To other believing humans
5. To non-believing humans
6. To animals
7. To ourselves (including our souls and our bodies)
8. To reality/truth as it actually exists, as opposed to one’s own perceptions, wishes, opinions, or biases about it.

So here are just a few passages of scripture (and there are many!) to show that each of these things are important to God.

1. Attunement to God (and Jesus)

• John 10:4-27 …his sheep follow him because they know his voice. … My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
• Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
• Matthew 23:37 …how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
• Ephesians 5: 8-10 Live as children of light … and find out what pleases the Lord.
• Hebrews 3:7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, ⁹ where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. ¹⁰ That is why I was angry with that generation;  I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ ¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

2. Attunement to God’s “holy angels” (as opposed to the rebel angels)

Note: I understand that believers see this in different ways, with some of them thinking that angels are no longer active on the Earth, as was predicted to happen at some point: Hebrews 2:5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

• Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. ²² If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. (Note: They were to stay attuned to his authorized angel, and he would bless it.)
• Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. ²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ²² Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. (Note: This passage shows God’s intended attunement across all his creation, including angels and humans, all under his own authority.)
• 1 Timothy 5:21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. (Note: Paul includes the angels in his charge to the evangelist Timothy, as if not only the authority of God and Jesus, and of the Apostle Paul were in view, but the authority of the “elect angels” themselves. Paul seems to see the whole set of beings, God, Jesus, angels, and believers, as having been intended by God to be attuned together under God’s authority.)
• Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Note: It seems the author thought it important to be hospitable to angels, rather than aloof from them. And for the record, this mention of incognito angels is no proof that none of the angels were known to be angels.)

3. Attunement to God’s Appointed Apostles and Prophets

• 2 Peter 3:1-2 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
• 1 John 4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
• Hebrews 2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
• 2 Corinthians 6:11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹² We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.
• Matthew 10:40 Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

4. Attunement to Believing Humans

• 1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
• 1 Corinthians 12:24b …But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
• Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
• Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

5. Attunement to Non-Believing Humans

• Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Note: Their attunement with outsiders wasn’t such that they were to view them as insiders, but that they were to be wise and gracious with them, and conscious of their need to be “answered” and helped.)
• Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Note: They weren’t to look down on outsiders, but to treat them as worthy of the respect of being treated peaceably.)
• 1 Corinthians 9:22 I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (Note: Paul was so attuned to outsiders that he would adapt to be relatable to them ― though this certainly did not include taking on sinful or unbelieving behavior. For an example of this, see Acts 17:28 just below.)
• Acts 17:26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Note: Paul doesn’t see nonbelievers as interlopers on the Earth, but as rightful citizens of it, created by God himself in hope that they may find him. And his attunement with them goes so far as to quote their own pagan poet to show that he agrees with the particular statement.)
• 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (Note: Peter’s attitude toward outsiders was not that God hated them, but it was also not that he indiscriminately forgave those who wouldn’t repent. So it was a nuanced, balanced view.)

6. Attunement with Animals

• Proverbs 12:10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
• Genesis 9:9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
• John 10:3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (Note: While this is actually about human believers, we ought not miss that the metaphor of sheep and gatekeeper is presented very lovingly.)
• Job 12:7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; ⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. ⁹ Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? ¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (Note: Job lumps humans and the other creatures together, and believes all of them should be aware of God’s actions.)
• Matthew 11:28 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Note: Jesus shows his care for animals by using this metaphor implying a beast of burden, whose master cares for with a well-fitting yoke, and a not-overwhelming burden.)

7. Attunement with One’s Own Self (Body and Soul)

Note: Because this topic is not as widely known, I have included more excerpts from scripture.

• Proverbs 20:27 The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that searches all the inmost parts. (Note: Man has multiple “parts” that are in need of being searched out.)
• Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. (Note: The psalmist counsels his own soul, and specifically calls it “all” out, as if having the whole of it involved were important.)
• Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Note: David curiously addresses his own soul, puzzling over an inner disturbance, and directing it toward hoping in God.)
• Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; unite my heart to fear your name. (Note: The psalmist is aware of division within his own attitudes or intentions, and insists on his own heart being united under God.)
• Romans 7:21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. (Note: Paul is aware of a constant battle within him and is diligent to deal honorably and thoroughly with these matters, rather than leaving them to chance.)
• Psalm 32:3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. (Note the heavy “somatic” references to his grief.)
• Jeremiah 31:20 Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord. (Note: Even God, who has no literal bowels, uses this somatic expression, expressing grief as if through the human experience.)
• Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God… (Note: The attunement with God’s will here includes being transformed in one’s mind.)
• 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (Note: All the anxieties in the believer are to be cast on God, and this is part of the process of humbling oneself.)

8. Attunement to reality/truth — to things as they actually exist, as opposed to one’s own perceptions, wishes, opinions, or biases about them.

• Scriptures to follow soon.

Conclusion

I think that information about these kinds of attunement is spread broadly throughout the scriptures, and can likely be found, however subtly, in every chapter therein. I think it’s high time the field got the attention it deserves ― the attention God wanted it to have.

We may observe, with care, that the Master did not say:

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed.”

but

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

He did not say:

“You will seek me and find me.”

but

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

He did not say:

“Seek the kingdom and all these things will be added to you.”

but

“Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added to you.”

He did not say:

“Love the Lord your God.”

but

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

He did not say:

“…casting your anxieties on him…”

but

“…casting all your anxieties on him…”

He did not say:

“…you are truly my disciples.”

but

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

All these things we could observe if we wanted.