Jonathan Edwards Resolution 46
In his 46th resolution, Jonathan Edwards addresses the issues of both personal honor and family honor.Edwards’ Resolution #46 (as it was written)
Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eve: and to be especially careful of it, with respect to any of our family.
Edwards’ Resolution #46 (in my modernized language)
I will honor my father and mother and speak honorably about or to them no matter my feelings. I'll do the same for all members of my family.
Understanding Honor and Shame
To understand Marty’s motivations (as well as our own), we need to understand more about honor. And to help frame that, let’s acknowledge that the opposite of honor is shame. Both are a form of recognition. However, one is obviously positive and desirable, while the other is neither. Honor is a recognition that comes through your own actions and reputation. It is also inherited from your family at birth. A child takes on the general honor status held by the family in the eyes of others. Its fluid nature (and selective short-term memory of people in general) means that honor (whether personal or familial) is always gaining and losing intensity. Sadly, shame is much easier to gain and significantly harder to lose than honor. It’s one of the primary reasons we watch the celebrity giants of tv, film, sports and otherwise take such drastic falls after we’ve exalted them to their highest of heights. And yes, while there are comebacks, they are much less frequent than going down for the count.Just How Do You Feel... About Family Honor?
There are many examples of honorable family relationships in the Bible (Matt 6:8–9; Luke 13:16). There are also acts of recognition (Mark 11:1–11; 14:3–9; John 6:14–15) as well as shame (Mark 15:16–20). For this resolution, though, I want to focus on a passage from Proverbs:Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her. Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight. Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents. So make your father happy! Make your mother proud! - Proverbs 23:22-25 (MSG)In her post at Beyond Today, titled Do Not Despise Your Parents When They Are Old, Kathy Sanny observes: “There is a reason why there had to be a proverb put in the Bible about not despising our parents when they are old. As a child it is hard to acknowledge we have less than perfect parents, but as an adult it is far too easy to shift blame to them for what is lacking in us.” One commonly held belief is that psychologists like to take people back to their earliest childhood formations to find the root of people’s personal issues. That may or may not be entirely true, I cannot say, as I am no expert in that field. However, perception is reality in many instances, and it is indeed a perception. A piggy-back to that perception is the idea that this process seeks to find a source of shame. It is implying that there is someone else to blame for your issues, and therefore the reason to complete the exercise. Again, whether true or not, I do not know. However, it does point to a common societal belief that there is always someone else to blame. That’s quite unfortunate. Yes, we are broken - there’s no denying it. However, so too were your parents - as Marty McFly learns. It’s also true of their parents. In fact, it’s traceable all the way back to Adam and Eve. Getting Back to the Future In the beginning of Back to the Future, Marty displays signs of shame about his family. His dad is the coward lackey of the town bully and McFly nemesis, Biff. Marty’s uncle is a prison inmate. And, like most teenagers, he doesn't think he has much in common with mom or dad, nor does he have it with his siblings either. By the end, after spending time with his parents while they were at his age, he gets a new understanding. He learns more about what they have in common and how his legacy connects with theirs. Then, Marty learns from Doc Brown that there's something wrong in the future as it pertains to his kids. He no doubt feels a similar connection and seeks to defend both his personal honor and family honor.
Family honor is more biblical than you might think. And, whether you’re parents are the McFlys or your own, you’re the pivotal character between you, those who came before you, and those who share your lineage into the future.
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