What is Paul's rheology?

Rheology is the study of the flow of matter.

Stick with me, here.

Rheology studies how much shear stress is necessary for a fluid to deform. You probably know about compression (pushing together) and tension (pulling apart). Shear stress happens when adjacent parts of an object experience compressive stress in opposite directions. Scissors cutting paper is a common example. Or bolts that hold trusses together. Or a guillotine that chops off heads.

But shear happens to liquids, too, on a molecular level. Water requires less shear stress to deform, or flow. Ketchup requires more. Honey that's been sitting in your cupboard for three years takes a lot. If I've learned anything from watching NUMBER3, it's that any flow can be analyzed as a fluid even if the "molecules" are big. Like traffic. Or balls when you knock over the display at Walmart. Or demonized pigs running down a hill into a lake.

Or people who came and went during Paul's missionary journeys.

Paul was an apostle and traveling evangelist. He and his team experienced a lot of compressive stress that pushed them into a tighter team, like when the synagogues would kick them out and they'd group together and form a church (Acts 18:1-8). They also experienced tensile stress, when their ministry tore them apart, like when Paul had to flee Berea and go to Athens by himself (Acts 17:13-15).

The rheology of Paul is the study of those times in his ministry when members of his team were torn between staying with him and leaving. Of course, the primary example that comes to mind is when John Mark wanted to stay with Barnabas, but could no longer bear Paul's body odor. Then, Timothy deeply wanted to continue to apprentice under Paul but also felt a deep conviction to bathe. Tertius the scribe was another victim, and the reason Paul uses a smartphone with a stylus.

What is sad is that their abandonment of Paul had nothing to do with his beliefs. Contrary to what many think, Paul followed Jesus and explained Jesus' teaching in a way that Gentiles could understand and apply. When Paul's companions left, it was under the shear stress caused by trivial comforts; it was never Paul's theology.

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