Paradigms. What are they? 

We often hear people use the word paradigm, or the term paradigm shift. What does the word mean? 

Paradigms

What are they?

We often hear people use the word paradigm, or the term paradigm shift. What does the word mean? Here are some technical explanations about the word itself. (If you’re not interested in grammar and etymology, you may skip this.)

A paradigm is an example, or a pattern.  Late Latin authors and speakers used the word paradigma, from Greek paradeigma (παραδηγμα) [“to show side by side”, “from” (para) + “to show'' (deiknynai)]. The term paradigm is broadly described in fields of philosophy and psychology as “a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind”. 

(“Paradigm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm. Accessed 2 May. 2024.)

As you know, the books of the New Testament were written in Greek. The term paradigm is not found in the N.T., although different forms of the word appears, such as υποδειγμα [upodeigma] (“an example” in John 13:15, 2 Peter 2:6, James 5:10), παραδειγματιζω [paradeigmatitzo] (“to hold up to contempt” in Hebrews 6:6), ενδειγμα [endeigma] (“evidence, or plain indication” in 2 Thessalonians 1:5), and δειγματισαι [deigmatisai] (“to make an example of, to expose, to shame” in Matthew 1:19). 

The books of the Old Testament of the Bible were originally written in Hebrew, with some texts in Aramaic. During the period between 285 and 247 BCE, seventy-two Jewish Scholars translated the books of the Old Testament into Greek. This translation was called the Septuagint (or abbreviated as LXX - after an earlier title “The Translation of the Seventy''). The Greek word παραδειγμα [paradeigma] appears a number of times in the Septuagint. The meanings used were “an example, a pattern, a plan (like a blueprint for a construction)”.  

In short, a paradigm is a pattern of something. In psychology and philosophy it is chiefly a thought pattern, and this is where the relevance of paradigms to Romans 12:2 comes in: 

“Do not conform to the pattern (paradigms) of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2(a) (NIV).

We have gotten so accustomed to doing different things in a particular way - because we have always done it like that, or because everybody does that - that we often don't realise that some of these habits have become either outdated, or contrary to what we should be doing, or should be believing. Here are a few examples:

Where do we go first when we encounter something that we do not understand, or when we are curious to know, or when there is an area where we need expert advice? Google of course! Truth is, it has become such an ingrained habit to get the quickest answer to our question, and “everybody does that”. The general paradigm is “Google never lies”. And we are blindly following the pattern of, and with the rest of the world.

There is nothing wrong with using Google for everything, right? Maybe not, but do you check (1) how long ago that answer was posted, (2) what credibility the author has, and (3) do you do a cross-check to make sure other “real experts” agree? No, we don’t normally do that, because who in the world would want to provide “fake” information on the internet? I use Google many many times everyday, for work, for play, for trivia. It is hard not to. I have a different paradigm about Google. “Use it, but proceed with caution.” When I use Google for information that I have to trust, I follow the three points listed just now.

If your paradigm was “Google never lies”, but you listened to what I said, and decided to “Use it, but proceed with caution” from now on, you just made a paradigm shift! Congratulations!

Look again at our scripture passage in Romans 12. If we read further on in the chapter, we find other paradigms that may seem impossible at first glance. For example:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Romans 12:19-20 (ESV)

Now that is a completely different paradigm than what we are used to. “We need justice!” And we look to the courts to give us that justice. Or some communities would turn to “mob-justice” to “take justice in their own hands”. This is a bit extreme. Isn’t it?. 

Take something small and insignificant. Yesterday, your neighbour came home after work while you were watering the garden. He always greeted you before, and you would wave back at him, and maybe spend a few minutes chatting over the fence. But not Yesterday! He just ignored you and went into his home. How do you react? (1) Do you make nothing of it and never think about it again? (2) Do you wonder if something happened to him that might have upset him?  Or (3) Do you get upset? Your television may have been playing too loud last night while you watched that scary movie. “If that is what he is upset with, I couldn’t care! If he doesn’t like it, he can move somewhere else. I have a right, too! And it wasn’t that late anyway! I get so fed-up with people who do not allow me to live my life the way I want to. And, I am a child of God, after all. And greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”  Why on earth would someone react like that over such a non-issue? The reality is that many people do. Their paradigm is “It’s me against the world! I will be the victim, if I do not look out for myself.” If you (in the abovementioned – completely fictional – scenario) reacted differently, you would be feeling much happier right now. If you, let’s say, went around to the neighbour saying “Hi neighbour, I am going to the corner-shop. Do you need something? I can save you the trip.” you would be feeling very good about the whole thing. That is your instant reward for reacting from a different healthy paradigm!

These very different scenarios have one thing in common. Thoughts? Perceptions? Paradigms? We  Google because we think “a-b-c…” We react to injustice because we think “a-b-c…” We let our thoughts run away over something simple because we think “a-b-c…” Most, if not all of our paradigms become evident nowhere else but in our minds. Before we do anything, we think first. Every action – except e.g., a reflex when we touch a hot surface – is preceded by at least one thought. Do you remember what the apostle Paul said just now? “[B]e transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Romans 12:2(a). 

Thinking, or our thoughts are much more important, and powerful than what we may think. Norman Vincent Peale wrote a bestseller self-help book called “The power of positive thinking” many decades ago. It is still in print, and countless people acknowledge the impact that those principles had on their personal and professional lives. I completely agree! It is an excellent book, and is still relevant today. (The book is not “mind-over-matter” in the sense that spoons can bend because you think it must.) The points Peale makes has mainly to do with a change in attitude, through repetition of positive concepts, thoughts, and actions. 

For centuries, science and the Bible were viewed as irreconcilable. One could only believe one or the other. Today, there are areas (in science) where the two are moving closer together. In terms of our thoughts (our minds and our brains) some of the most exciting scientific discoveries of the last twenty years, along with increasing revelation in theology, sheds new light on how paradigms work. Neuroscience has definitively shown that we can grow new brain cell connections (neuron networks) throughout our lives, not just in childhood. (Read more in “How do we think?”)

With more understanding of how the mind and the brain works, we know that we are physically able to control our thoughts. Take a look at the following passage:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)

Without diving deep into a thorough exegesis of the passage, let us point out a few words and concepts. The whole passage can be seen as pertaining to paradigms, or (thought patterns). 

• “pulling down of strong holds”:

A stronghold in physical warfare is a term used (in the Old Testament) as a fortress, or some place of protection. A place we soldiers could hide from the enemy. Today, we (hopefully) do not have many physical enemies out to kill us. We do however, many times have a view that we are a victim, and that we need to put certain actions or thoughts in place to protect us. (Remember the examples above about the need to “take justice in our own hands”, and the “angry” neighbour. A (mental) stronghold is such a self-preservation idea we accommodate. That is a paradigm.

• “Casting down imaginations”:

The term imaginations does not require any explanation, and it is quite easy to see that it represents paradigms. Our example above makes it clear that the “neighbour was angry about something” could have been an imagination, a clear result of a false paradigm.

• “every high thing”:

• Other translations, like the English Standard Version (ESV) uses “every lofty opinion” instead. Many people are of the opinion that “they do not need God” or that “because of their sin, God cannot love them”. These paradigms are raised against the knowledge of God.

• “bringing into captivity every thought”:

This is where the new scientific discoveries help us. It has been proven that – through repetition – an initial unhealthy or toxic thought (triggered by our senses, by another thought, or by our imagination) can be captured and replaced by a different healthier thought pattern. Paradigms can change!

• “mighty through God”:

Here is the wonderful news! God helps us. He made each human being with the capacity to capture our thoughts to be obedient to Him, through Christ. Science proved the Bible!

Paradigms, and paradigm-shifts are biblical, and essential for the Christian notion of repentance, which is nothing other than a series of paradigm-shifts.

Now, let us look at that same “paradigm-shock” of a passage that we read moments ago:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Romans 12:19-20 (ESV)

By thinking about it for just a while, we can get ourselves to at least see that this command, or suggestion from Paul could be possible, if we took the time to think about it, question it in our minds, and then put it into practice. If we think that we do not have to always seem like the winner in every situation, or that we do not have to feel like a powerless victim that somehow needs to get even, we could be able to change this paradigm.

The people that Paul is talking about are believers. The paradigm that he is trying to shift is about their reaction towards non-believers in the world. It is possible to change our paradigms. It takes time and conscious effort, though. One shift we may recognise from this passage could be (it differs from one person to the next): “I am a victim of my enemy, and I have to avenge myself!” 

This paradigm could change to: “Because I am a child of God, and because I now know His will for me, I am happy to bless and serve my enemy with goodness and kindness, instead of repaying him with revenge. And I do it as an act of worship to God!”

Paradigms can shift. Not easily. Not without tests and repetition. But it can change, and God is on our side!

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