Chiastic

Chiastic structures are commonly found in Greek literature and Biblical texts. The word chiasm comes from the Greek letter X or Chi. A chiasm is essentially a thematic method of organizing a story or narrative into two halves. The first half of the story’s points are repeated in the second half of the story in reverse order. It mirrors or reflects on the words, thoughts, or ideas in the first half. Reflecting on them in the second half. It is, in essence, an arrow head >. The theme or point is found in the center, and it can be either stated or implied. Chiasm focuses and emphasizes the theme making it structurally clear the central point! This form of communication in its more complex use, say in a book, requires an understanding and awareness of its presence.

Our traditional western structure of three points, followed by the theme, also tells us where to look for the central point. However, if the structure is chiastic, you will literally pass up the central point on the way to the end. Chiasms are often discovered by looking at their bookends. That is recognizing the first point and the reflection of it at the end. The use of points and reflections in a chiastic structure is a beautiful way to enrich and illuminate the central truth to the reader.

MacDonald’s Use

MacDonald uses chiastic structure is everywhere in the Unspoken Sermons. Each of the series, as well as the book itself, are chiastic. This awareness alone changes the whole way you must look at his writings. How much more clarity and richness it is to see its use in communicating his thoughts to us. I have organized the outline of the book in the GM Sermons in chiastic structure. You will see clearly the sharp point this places on his central themes. He also uses it in simpler ways in the text itself. Let’s look at the Kite Story that welcomed you to this conversation for it, too, is chiastic. First, let’s look at the story in its native paragraph form.

“What boy, however, willing to be a disciple of Christ and a child of God, would prefer a sermon to his glorious kite. A kite is the most divine of toys, and with God Himself as his playmate, watching it together in the blue wind, tossed hither and thither in the golden sky! He might be willing to part with his kite, the wind, and the golden sun, and go down into the grave for his brothers, but surely not to be admitted to an eternal prayer-meeting! For my part, I rejoice to think that there will be neither church nor chapel in the heavenlies. Yes, in heaven there will be nothing of religion but its Love and no law but the perfect Law of Liberty.” (GM Paraphrase)

Chiastic Structure