[nfbmi-talk] "Why J.I. Packer's Ministry Has Ended" from Christianity Today

Kane Brolin kbrolin65 at gmail.com
Fri Jan 15 23:02:16 UTC 2016


On 1/15/16, Heather J. B. Ghormley <heather.ghormley at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for passing that along, Kane. Yes, you’re ability to do just about
> everything despite your blindness is truly inspirational. I bet it’s
> especially hard for people who lose their sight in old age to learn those
> skills, but I think you’re right! It’s worth trying.

Heather, my contribution toward life on this planet is very humble,
enabled largely by people who have made unbelievable sacrifices and
who have developed unbelievable technology to help me go forward.

Dr. Packer is 89 years old now.  And it's quite possible he has
significant health concerns by this time that trump even his
blindness.  But this does not appear to be a condition that pounced on
him overnight.  He used to be younger.  The sad thing for me is that
he appears not to have prepared for this or taken the time to figure
out ways to compensate when he was more able to do so.  He just
resigned himself to fate, thinking his growing inability to do things
just must have been God's will.  Very Calvinist and noble-sounding,
but very wrong.

Many Middle Eastern intellectuals consider Taha Hussein, a blind man
who worked a lot in the 1920s and '30s, to be the finest scholar of
Arab literature in our era.  Bar none.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taha_Hussein

And for a really mind-blowing example, look at the life of the great
British, Christian poet John Milton.  He lived prior to the invention
of the Internet, prior to tape recording--about 180 years ahead of the
invention of Braille.

"In February of 1652, the English poet John Milton went completely
blind. Many great artists have suffered blindness, but the twist in
Milton's case is that he went blind before he wrote his best works,
including the immortal epic poem 'Paradise Lost'. Milton had written a
few great poems before 1652, such as the elegy Lycidas.' But he was
not a famous poet by this point."
http://www.shmoop.com/consider-light-spent-blindness/

Considering their common religious heritage, I'm amazed that J.I.
Packer didn't reflect on Milton (and even Homer, another great blind
poet of ancient Greek renown) when he looked forward to his own visual
impairment.  All this is an object lesson for others.

Yes, I'm becoming an activist here.  Sorry for the rant.  I'm now
officially done.

-Kane




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