Genuine Community IS Possible

The past two or three weeks of this course have been the most meaningful for me. This is not simply because I am Christian, and we are studying Christianity. What has made is so meaningful is the level of discussion that we have all been having. I wish that we had used these blogs more over the course of the semester. I know I personally sucked at keeping up with it, but I think they enhance our understanding of this course and of each other.

I have really enjoyed reading what everyone has had to say and think that everyone has said some very important and intellectual things. I have enjoyed commenting on your blogs and generating this religious discussion.

To be honest, I have always thought of Wheaton as a particularly secular institution. We have no chaplain, our chapel is not a chapel, and there is only one religious service offered weekly (a Catholic mass). I have been so encouraged by this class. I have discovered that people are curious about religion and spirituality and that this campus has such a immense potential for growth in these areas. I'm going to quote Josh because I really liked what he said (read the rest of his post...its a good one). "United we will stand together, but different." I think this is a realizable goal here at Wheaton.

I'm a little sad to be ending this course now. I hope that we will continue to discuss and think about the things we have learned.

My Sermon

I thought I would take a page out of Professor Kraus' blog and post my sermon. So here it is...

I am reminded of a time, which to me seems so long ago, when I was quite a few inches shorter than I am today. I am reminded of lunch tables filled to capacity and of hall passes. I am reminded of a time when I slow danced so far apart from the girl I had a crush on, that we may have well have stayed on our own side of the auditorium. I am reminded of the living nightmare that is middle school. When I wasn’t busy doing my best to avoid any and all social deathtraps, I sat through classes which long ago have faded out of my memory. I can recall, however, a particular history teacher that I once had; Mr. Porter. It seemed as though everyday of class, Mr. Porter would lean back in his chair, curl his arms up and behind his head, and say “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” At the time, I remember thinking, “Mr. Porter has been working here a bit too long.” Today, as a student at Wheaton College, I am beginning to understand what Mr. Porter was expressing to us.

Everyday, we wake up to a world that seems more cold and perilous than the one we shut on eyes on the night before. We live in a time of war, of world-wide poverty and famine, and in a time in which the sex trade has become a bigger industry than illegal drugs. Even within the realm of our Wheaton bubble, we face issues of race, gender inequality, and homophobia. Sometimes it is so hard to believe that on this campus, it is possible for a woman to be held at knifepoint and sexually assaulted, but it is.

As college students on one of the nations preeminent liberal arts colleges, we are called for something more. The world that we live in is a world with an infinite potential for love and for united friendship. For every headline of despair, there are hundreds of moments filled with happiness and hope. If we allow ourselves to be molded by God, we will see His unending goodness and works in this world. Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, my friends, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

God is a living God. A God who warms us, a God who lifts us up, and a God who believes in us. It is time for us to accept God’s trust and become vessels for His great works in this world. For each of us sitting here today has the opportunity to take this day as if it were the first day we have ever lived. The opportunity to step outside into our world and be an example of change, of morality, of love, and of God. Paul goes onto say in Romans 12:4-5, “For just as in a single human body there are many limbs and organs, all with different functions, so we, who are united with Christ, though many, form one body and belong to one another as its limbs and organs.” Together, as members of one body, we can defeat the malicious urges that so often jeopardize our potential for greatness. Let us live in such a pure and good way, that this campus will begin the journey of awakening to a better world.

I want to reassure all of you that though this world we live in can be cold and full of suffering, that even now, we have the promise and potential of a perfect world. As Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians in chapter 5, verse 1, “Now we know that if this earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” As living sacrifices, we have the opportunity to transform this earthly tent into a building befitting of the people of God.

I pray that we can all live lives which encourage positive changes in this world. Lives that will touch the governments of mighty nations as well as the individual lives of those with whom we share this earth. I tell you this morning that today is the first day, of the rest of your lives; go out and live it.

How Shall They Hear?

Professor Kraus said today that those who did not identify as Christian were able to give more effective sermons that persuaded the listeners to believe in the four points laid out by Proctor. I also think that this is true. I think that for Christians, our spirituality, our faith, and our understanding of the world is channeled through Jesus. Thus, for this assignment to have been an assignment in "Christian" sermon writing and performance, Jesus must be the focus. Four points of effective sermon writing do not lead to a sermon that is enherently Christian as Bailey mentioned in class. For those who do not believe in Jesus, following those four points was effectively applied through their own personal experience. I think that for Christians, Jesus is our personal experience. One of my favorite quotes comes from William Blake, "I accomplish nothing, the Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me." I think effective Christian preaching to audiences like our class can be found in Jesus' own ministry. Through his parables, Jesus first allowed his audience to personally relate to a situation they understood and were familiar with, and then revealed to them how this situation was really about a relationship with God. Just as Jesus was always concerned with who his audience was, modern Christians must do the same in order to spread the good news of Jesus to those who have not yet received it.

African American Theology

I found many parallels between this article and "How Shall They Hear." As Proctor wrote, the essence of preaching is using the Bible as a pathway to evoke spiritual awakening and understanding. I think the style of preaching outlined in this article is some of the most effective. Today, I think that Jesus' humanity is emphasized more than ever. By understanding that Jesus took on human form and experience all the temptations and trials that we earthly beings go through, allows believers to relate to Jesus in a deeper way. This was certainly the intention of preaching in way which connects the divine with the mundane.

This article opened my eyes to sermons as an artform and to its intricacies. There are so many parallels between the form of this sermon and the way that Jesus preached. Jesus also spoke using double entendre so that "through seeing, they may not see; through hearing, they may not understand (Luke 8:10)." So that the message would be received by those who were open to receive it with a joyful heart, and not out of malice. Also, Jesus spoke in terms of the audience he was addressing. Jesus' use of parables is an example of this. He uses parables which contain typical scenes of His time which His audiences would recognize and comprehend.

What impressed me the most in this article is the genius and passion which it took to convey the message of redeeming grace and freedom to the preacher's fellow African-American slaves. Each word was chosen carefully and balanced so that the message would be understood correctly and would not be seen as a threat to informants. Asking "how they shall hear," is truely an important question to ask.

Bible in 20th Century Protestantism

As this author pointed out towards the end, I think it is very difficult to define one's own experience and understanding of scripture in terms of black and white. I think that there are those who may see the Bible in more of a moralist or doctrinal perspective, but I also believe that they don't solely experience the Bible in this way alone.

Each individual experiences the Bible in a different way. I think that these individual experiences, however, can be shaped by how they experienced the Bible in church or environment. I grew up in a liberal Methodist church in New England. In my experience, the Bible has always been a tool which helps our understanding of God, through which, we learn how to direct and live our lives. Scripture readings are always a part of our services, however, they were never the central part of the service...at least not for me. I considered my own experience and understanding of Jesus and faith to be a much more integral part to my faith.

After coming to Wheaton and being involved in Christian Fellowship here...the Bible has been stressed much more. Here, it is looked at with more moral authority and plays a more central part in faith. I have gone from my old experience to leading a freshman bible every Monday. Now, I would say my own experience is a hybrid between my two faith environments. Now, I look to the bible more and consider it a bigger part of my faith...yet I still feel that knowing Jesus, through the Bible, but also through my own spiritual connection with Him and my faith experience...is a more valuable part of my faith.

I think that this example is typical of Christian understanding of scripture. It is not all the same wherever you go. I found that my own understanding of the Bible was most similar to that of African-American protestants. I think that depending on what each person finds they need guidance in, that is they primary way they will read the Bible.

Bach's St. Matthew's Passion

I really enjoyed our class on Friday dealing with Bach. I had never thought of music as a form of scripture, but after class, I began to understand it as such. Growing up in church, I remember hearing the choir sing and singing hymns with the congregation, even singing in the choir for a number of years, but I don't think these were ever spiritual experiences for me. Primarily, because I didn't allow them to be.

Two years ago, I went to my first Creation Festival, which is a huge Christian music festival in Pennsylvania. About 100,000 people come each year. Before going, I had never listened to Christian music and feared that the music would 1. be lame 2. repetative, and 3. did I say lame? I'm happy to say that I was very mistaken. Those 4 or 5 days were some of the most intensely spiritual of my life. I found that musically, the bands were just as good as those which I normally listened to. This music, however, spoke to me in a way which secular music never had. I felt close to God and literally opened my arms to welcome His presence. It was then that I realized music's spiritual value.

Listening to St. Matthew's Passion after learning about how Bach composed the piece and its message, became a spiritual experience for me as well. I couldn't understand the words, but somehow, the music conveyed a moving spiritual message to me. I feel like I have a better understanding of the scriptual experience of Islam. The beauty of the music expressed the beauty of God in a way that sometimes escapes words.

Lectio Divina

During our lectio divina study in Luke last week, I think the Christian understanding of scripture became very clear. Even as a Christian myself, I suppose that I never really thought of what the "Christian" understanding of scripture was. I think that especially in lectio divina, it was clear to see that the Bible is intended to have an effect on the individual experiencing it. I think that so often, religious services take that individual experience out of the equation. Scripture becomes less of an experience and that is replaced by a star in the bulletin indicating that it is time to stand and hear the Gospel.

Another Christian element of scripture, is that it speaks for itself. As in the Parable of the Sower, I think many people in our class had very different experiences with lectio divina. For some, it was a new experience which allowed them to experience scripture in their own way and to apply it to their own lives. For others, it may have been difficult to focus on the words because of other things going on in their lives. The thing is, both of these reactions are typical Chrisitian reactions to scripture. As a Christian, I am not always spiritually "there," so to speak. There will be times when scripture will speak to me in a profound way, and others when scripture doesn't make sense to me, or falls on deaf ears.

Finally, leading that lectio study was an deeply spiritual experience for me...even more so than if I had lead that study in a bible study group or in church. I was able to see scripture "effect" people, maybe not in a particularly spiritual way in all cases...but it effected people. Everyone had something to share and it was so nice hearing everyone's own experiences with faith. Thank you to everyone who shared those experiences with the rest of us. I feel like scripture and shared faith experiences can lead to a valuable spiritual dialogue between members of different faiths as well as those who share the same faith. It was encouraging to see that happen in that class.

Qur'an

As a Christian, I have primarily experienced the beauty of God through my own spiritual experience and His message. What impressed me about Islam is the realization of God's inherent beauty through scripture itself. The actual written word of God is an art form unto itself and the Arabic transforms into song. The Qur'an indend has a message, yet also expresses who God is through its actual form.

As I sit at my laptop, my bismillah hangs on my wall right in front of me. This image has never been a part of my spiritual experience, yet I find that it draws me into a state spiritual awareness. "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate." The asthetic quality of Muslim scripture becomes such an important element in spiritual awakening and in the understanding of God.

Midrash

Midrash takes the biblical narrative and makes it personal. It takes the words written on the scoll of the Torah and gives them life to those who study them. By asking questions and by diving further into the text, Midrash, as a process, makes the bond between Torah and the individual stronger.

By filling in some of the details which the bible leaves out (i.e. character descriptions), Midrash creates a much more emotive story. I liken Midrash to some of the Jesus films we watched in the Jesus and the Gospels class. The Last Temptation of Christ attempted to show Jesus' struggle on the cross and expanded on the biblical text in order to create a more personal telling of the narrative.

Midrash challenges the reader to look past the text and to not just digest what they read on a page. Midrash challenges the reader to create a relationship with the text...to be comfortable enough to question it and work to find an answer.

The Elusive Torah

Despite the Oxford Study Bible's translation of torah as primarily being "law," I believe that "torah" is most accurately defined as "instruction." This is not to say that in some sense, torah becomes law. The instructions which are given to Moses come directly from God, giving them divine authority and thus become a set of laws or rules for the Israelites to follow. It is not, however, God's intention to create a prisoned society which is shackled to the rules He creates. God gave man the gift of free will and because of this gift, the rules He sends to Moses act as instructions of how to live.

I think that God gives these rules to Moses with the intention of having Moses teach or perform them to the Israelites so that they may come to know God's will. In this way, torah can also become ritual. Each ritual performed in any faith are intended to teach something about that faith. Thus, torah encourages ritual to teach its message.

Because of this point, I think that it is possible to call both biblical narratives and the rules in Leviticus, torah. Each is intended to teach something about faith, which is the essential element of torah.

Into the world of the Blogosphere

Here goes nothing...