Individualism, Comfort, and Action (#dminlgp #campusministry)

A Brief Guide to IdeasA Brief Guide to Ideas by William Raeper


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm glad to have this handy resource as a part of my library. Beginning with epistemology, and an examination of the foundational ideas of Plato and Aristotle for Western thought, the authors move through history and the development of philosophy...


 


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How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and CultureHow Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis A. Schaeffer


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm still working through some of this book, but I have absolutely loved what Schaeffer has to say, especially in regards to the dangers of a society that is primarily concerned with personal peace and affluence. He asserts that such a society will eventually allow an authoritative type of government to rise into existence out of a fear of losing "comfort". This certainly does not happen quickly, but is something that develops over time.


Interesting, but our culture today bears the marks of Schaeffer's description. When I speak with young people today about their hopes and dreams, and about their definition of success, they nearly always communicate this idea of "comfort"--of personal peace and affluence. They are willing to sacrifice much for achieving, and maintaining, this aspect of their life. To Schaeffer, this is an extremely dangerous place to be as a society...


View these reviews, and all my reviews here


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I've been reading a couple of different books this past week, both of which examine the past in order to help navigate the way forward in life. I'm understanding more and more that who I am today, and how I think, is largely dependent upon my historical context. This realization has caused me to want to examine, and to understand, my roots. It is also causing me to ask questions, and to seek out other historical perspectives that have something to offer me as I deepen my faith in God.


So, you may be asking, "What have I discovered about my history?"


The list is growing, but here's one important item that I've been pondering for several months:


I live in the Western social context, which is built upon the idea of individualism, or the primacy of self. This is a worldview that has developed over many centuries--from the Renaissance, through the Reformation and the Enlightenment. It is a deeply embedded way of understanding the world in which I live, and its formative force on my behaviors and beliefs is powerful. I've talked about this before, but it is worth mentioning again, it is a particularly dangerous frame of reference for someone who is striving to live the self-sacrificing way of Jesus.


Where do I see individualism most clearly in the university campus context? It's immediately evident in the dreams and aspirations of college students today. They live in a culture that tells them success is about personal peace and affluence (a lifestyle marked by "comfort" is the primary word used to describe it). Over the past couple of years I've been interviewing students about this. My findings are overwhelming--students value comfort above all else.


This should not surprise us at all. The message we all are hearing today through a multitude of advertisments is that life is simply about self, desire, and the pursuit of whatever is out there to make us happy.


It's so easy to conform to the world around us.


Schaeffer's book (see link above) calls attention to the dangers of living life from the perspective of self as the center. At its worse, it is a form of idolatry and will, ironically, prevent us from experiencing the life of abundance that God intends for us. 


What do I do with this historical perspective? Is it enough to simply study history, or am I to actually respond in some way?


Schaeffer certainly believes we have an obligation to respond. His book is appropriately entitled, How Should We Then Live? As we study history, our discoveries should ultimately move us to act. Christians have a responsibility to influence society in ways that demonstrate the love God has for His creation.


Schaeffer asserts that we are to use our wealth compassionately. There is nothing inherently wrong with working hard, or being wealthy. Indeed, I think we are created to work, and to find joy in our work as it brings glory to God. There is a problem, however, with viewing our wealth from a self-centered, individualistic perspective. Afterall, The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it (Ps 24). We are to act as God's stewards. We have been blessed in order to be a blessing to others.


I encourage you to examine your history--to discover your roots. Explore how you have been influenced by philosophers, scientists, theologians, and others. Determine to critically examine your biases, and to go beyond learning. Take action. Influence the world around you in ways that demonstrate the goodness of God. 


Take a close look at our consumerist culture, and how it feeds into this idea of self as sovereign. Find ways to do battle with those daily messages that tell us life is all about comfort.


 



 

The inspiration of my life, and thought (#campusministry #dminlgp)

The Scandal of the Evangelical MindThe Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll


 


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


 


Noll adresses Evangelicalism's "scandal":  The absence of deep thinking and the engagement of the arts and sciences from a Christian theological perspective.


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Jesus Christ and the Life of the MindJesus Christ and the Life of the Mind by Mark A. Noll


 


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


 


Great book. Refreshing to see someone focusing on the life of Jesus and the relevance he has for the mind and theology.


 


View these reviews, and all of my reviews here


 


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I just spent the past couple of weeks reading two books by Mark A. Noll. Though separated by 17 years, they both address the topic of the place of the mind in Evangelicalism. Noll's latter book encourages Evangelicals to not only allow Christology to shape how they engage the world, but to also allow Christology to inspire deep thinking in the arts and sciences.


Noll includes in Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind a quote from J.I. Packer's, The Bible in Use. Packer says,


The Bible has been given to us, not to define for us the realities of the created order, nor to restrain our interests in them, but to enable us to diagnose, understand, appreciate, and handle them as we meet them, so that we may use and enjoy them to the Creator's praise. (loc.1438)


Noll then adds,


For a truly biblical view of the Bible, it is important not to treat the Bible as a storehouse of information sufficient in itself for all things, but to embrace, rather, the Bible's own perspective that leads its readers to a God-ordained openness to all things.


What is it that Noll (and Packer) are saying? We must be careful to interpret this correctly, because it is extremely important.


I hear them both encouraging us to not view Scripture as a textbook for understanding the arts and sciences, but as a textbook for understanding the nature of the Creator, and to allow that understanding to inspire us to think deeply on the marvels of Creation.


I think this is an important disctinction. We approach God's Word to come to know the character of God, and to be utterly transformed into that same quality of character. We then walk in this world, illuminating it through our understanding of the Creator, applying what we know about God to our own contexts.


Neither Packer, nor Noll, are giving us permission to be OF the world, but they are encouraging us to be at work for the purpose of living out the Truth of God IN the world.


As campus ministers, our task is two-fold.


We are, firstly, to help students develop true godly character by teaching them to pursue it through study of Scripture. [Of course, there is more to spiritual formation than the study of Scripture, but this is certainly a key element.]


But, the second task, application, is also extremely important, and perhaps often neglected. We are to teach them to actively engage the Created Order, as Christ would, freeing them to "understand, diagnose, appreciate, and handle" (Packer's words) their world through the power of the Spirit at work in them. We should be encouraging them to pursue the arts and sciences from a deeply reflective theological perspective. [I recommend Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth (chapter 3) for an excellent discussion on the historical background of the separation of the Christian mind from the arts and sciences.]


Jesus, the Wisdom of God, the One who was with God in the Beginning, is certainly capable of guiding us through our engagement of the arts and sciences. As the inspiration of my life, and thought, he has freed me to embrace learning--enjoying my discoveries to the Creator's praise.







 

Giving deeper thought to our consumerist context (#campusministry)

I came across this video several weeks ago, and have watched it many times since. It does a great job of illustrating (quite literally) some of the deeper societal issues of consumerism.


As you watch it, consider how often you think about our social context (Western consumerism in a postmodern, capitalistic, free market system) as you design and implement your ministry programs. In other words, does your approach to ministry take into consideration the social context of those to whom you are serving (contextualization)?


Also, I would love to hear your reflections on this video.


What new thing(s) did you learn?


With what did you disagree?


Does it go far enough? Are the suggestions made adequate in terms of teaching college students how to live like Christ in this consumerist society?



The video is the product of The Center for a New American Dream.

Am I wrong? If so, please correct me. (#campusministry #dminlgp)

I'm human, obviously, and thus able to make errors in judgment and mistakes. I always hope they are few and far between.


This past week, my previous blog post drew some sharp criticism. Part of it may be from my failure to communicate clearly, part may be from an error on my part, and part may be due to the extreme sensitivity of the topic: homosexuality.


I received an email from trusted friends and supporters, questioning one of my recommendations given to campus ministers to find a GLBT person to co-lead a Bible study on campus with you.


My friend suggests that this act would communicate that the campus minister would be condoning the gay lifestyle.


I certainly see the point my supporter is trying to make.


First, let me be certain to communicate with you where I stand...I believe homosexuality is a serious sin, and should not be condoned. I believe God abhors sin of any kind, and I also believe that the sin of homosexuality is explicity condemned by God in Leviticus. To me, it is very clear in those straight-forward words that God absolutely abhors the homosexual act. My position is that in the act of homosexuality we are willfully spurning the design of God, acting in extreme pride and arrogance against God. God always hates it when we, as His creation, do not give Him the glory that He is due.


Setting my beliefs aside, my point was to encourage campus ministers to engage the GLBT community as a member of God's kingdom by taking steps to "live among" the GLBT community. This is a "mission field" on our college campuses that is in need of our presence. I will remind us all that the purpose of this blog is to stretch our thinking, as campus ministers who serve in the context of the university.


Whether we recognize it or not, students are already engaged in the conversation with their friends (this is a fact of the social context of the university), and we need to find ways to allow Spirit-led dialogue to exist. We should lead the way for them in this. So, with this in mind, my thought was that if we could gather both the GLBT community and Christian campus ministries together, this would allow room for the Holy Spirit to lead through the study of scripture.


Whenever we engage with others, we in a sense, I believe, have to allow them to "lead" with us (or perhaps the term should be to "walk" with us along the path to Christ-likeness). It is very difficult to simply walk into someone else's home and tell them you are going to lead them in a Bible study. Instead, we have to commit to a dialogue, and to the possibility that they might have something to teach us, approaching them in humility. When we do this, we give the Spirit the opportunity to work among us--He is, afterall, the One who convicts of sin and who leads us into righteousness.


When I lived in Africa as a missionary, I learned so much from the people who I served. To this day I reflect on the lives of some of those men who sat "under me" in Bible study when I think about a visual image of "God as a loving father".


Learning to love people, all people, means that we love them no matter their lifestyle. We can find ways to love people without condoning sin. My point in this is that the Church often has not loved the GLBT community, and that we need to find ways to bridge new relationships for the purpose of allowing the Spirit to work in us, and through us.


But, even saying all of this, I submit myself to the greater Body of the Church, and to correction. If there is an error of which I am to be corrected, please correct me, and keep me from falling into sin. This is YOUR role, as my brothers and sisters in Christ...to hold me up, and to keep me on the path, as I walk this journey of faith.


May He be glorified in me, and through me.

More talk on sex, GLBT, and theology (#dmingml #dminlgp #campusministry)

Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay CommunityLove Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community by Andrew Marin


 


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


 


Marin begins by narrating his story of how he ventured into the gay community (as a straight heterosexual) when three of his closest friends "came out" within a period of three months. He advocates for open dialogue with the gay community, and the avoidance of closed-ended questions (on both sides) because they tend to squash conversation.


Believing that we all can learn something when gays and straights listen to one another, Marin chastises Christians for not being willing to incarnate the gay community. He rightly recognizes that Christians are willing to inhabit many different cultures for the sake of sharing the gospel, but rarely does he find Christians who are willing to step into the social context of the GLBT community. 


 


View the rest of this review, and all of my reviews here


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For those of you who read my previous post on the topic of the GLBT community, you may recall that I committed to a second post this week. In preparation, I read another book, this one much "lighter" reading than Thatcher, yet packed with good thoughts.


Andrew Marin encourages both the church and the GLBT community to enter into conversation with one another. No, not one-sided monologues (which typically define how the two communities engage one another), but true conversation where a lot of listening takes place, and where closed-ended questions do not predominate (closed-ended questions tend to build walls and stifle dialogue).


In campus ministry it is impossible to avoid this topic. Young people today are asking challenging questions, and they are doing so in the open. They're not afraid to talk openly about topics that, not long ago, were taboo. If those of us who work with these students are not willing to engage them in dialogue, we are going to miss out on a lot of opportunities to "live life" with the world around us.


Here are a few suggestions:



  1. Start a Bible study on the topic of homosexuality and listen for what the Bible really says about it. And here's the kicker...find a GLBT believer to lead it with you! If you're really confident in what you believe, then allow the Holy Spirit to work through the study of scripture.

  2. Be honest with yourself about how you treat "sin" in others. Do you treat the sin of "ignoring the poor among us" with the same disdain that you afford the gay lifestyle? If you actually examine what Ezekiel (16:49-50) says about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, you will discover that the cities were destroyed because of the deaf ear the people turned to the poor and oppressed. How do you deal with THAT sin? More importantly, how are you doing in your own life with caring for the poor? Get serious...ask some tough questions of yourself. We all fall short of God's design for us, and I (I'll talk to myself here) need to be willing to extend grace to others who also fight sin daily.

  3. Incarnate the GLBT community with your students. Marin points out that Christians are willing to indwell many different cultures for the sake of the gospel, yet the church has really been very unwilling to go to the GLBT community. Is this not a mission field? Are we not to model the life of Christ who lived among us as the very image of God?

  4. Open a deep and personal dialogue with one other person, asking them to teach you about their world. Be a missionary by learning the language, understanding the "hot buttons", and displaying the love of God with your own actions. Learn to listen well, and to trust the outcome to the work of the Holy Spirit.


So, there it is...some simple thoughts on being more missional on our campuses among the GLBT community. I would encourage you to read Marin's book. He gives many insights into his journey into the gay community as a straight. He has learned much, and has some incredible wisdom to share with us, if we are willing to listen.


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As a reminder, Guy Chmieleski is hosting a blogathon on the topic of "Sex and the Soul" on his blog later this month.

 

Let's talk about sex... with @GuyChmieleski (#dmingml #dminlgp #campusministry)

God, Sex, and Gender: An IntroductionGod, Sex, and Gender: An Introduction by Adrian Thatcher


 


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


 


This was a challenging read for me...not because the topic is difficult to understand, but because I have not been very willing to give thoughtful consideration to alternative views on the topic of sex and gender...


...Is the church using a theological argument for its beliefs that is outdated (not culturally relevant)? Do we need to do some work on understanding the historical context of both the Old and New Testament scriptures on the topic? 


...Interesting, but the church is amazingly quiet on this topic--other than having a loud voice for "abstinence" and being against homosexuality, there is not much else going on in the discussion. If the church is to be effective in communicating within her cultural context, dialogue must be engaging. This is simply not happening.


 


View this review in its entirety, and all my reviews here


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Sex is one of those topics that, as a father, has always made me sweat with nervousness. I may not have a great memory (especially as I get older), but I do indeed vividly remember every such conversation with my children as they were growing up. I would become tongue-tied, and nervous, and would quickly look for opportunities to shift the exchange in a new direction.


Times are changing, however, and what was once a taboo topic of dialogue between parent and child (as it was when I was a young inquisitive boy), is now a widely accepted area of banter among young people today.


So, as the church, we need to be ready, and able, to talk intelligently, authentically, and thoughtfully with young people today. We need to be able to listen to their thoughts, engage their ideas, and examine carefully their opinions.


Honestly, I don't think the church has done a great job of entering into the topic of conversation on sexuality in our modern world. We have said things like "Don't touch!" but we have not gone much farther than that to explain the reasons we shouldn't touch--perhaps because we are really unsure ourselves?


I encourage us to do some homework on the topic. As campus ministers we need to be ready to dialogue with students who are being bombarded with a multitude of thoughts on sex and gender issues.


Looking for a starting point? The book I just read is an excellent place to begin. Thatcher gives a very thorough introduction to the topic (you can read my full review of the book by clicking on the link above).


You might also check out the upcoming blogathon being hosted by Guy Chmieleski on "Sex and the Soul" at Faith On Campus.


And now that I have said all of this, and managed my nervous twitches well, I'll take a deep breath or two and try to avoid changing the topic. In fact, I'll commit to making another post on sex, gender and theology (*gasp*) next week.


Here's to stretching ourselves as we enter a new year.