Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach a course called "Engaging Culture". This course is geared toward students interested in youth ministry, but there are a variety of disciplines represented. So far we have been working to establish the foundations for discussing the relationship between Christianity and culture. We are reading - or at least trying to read - Neibhur's Christ and Culture, which sets forth the different "solutions" Christians have given to the "problem" of Christ and culture throughout history. An important undercurrent of this discussion is the recognition that many Christian scholars question Neibuhr's motives and conclusions, even if he provides an important foundation for beginning the discussion.
But today the focus was scripture. How should we Biblically understand our relationship to culture? As we progressed from the Old Testament to the New, we ended with a passage from Paul. Colossians 1:15-20. Towards the end of this passage Paul says this:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
This led to two important questions: What does Paul mean by "reconcile"? And what does Christ's blood have to do with "all things"? Good questions. To take it one step further - what does this mean for culture?
Clearly this passage forces us to move beyond the individualistic expressions of Christianity held dear by many Americans. For sure, Christ did die for our sins...but the power of his death and resurrection reaches much further. Jesus Christ is not just Lord of my life, in an individual sense, he is also Lord of the entire cosmos. All of creation has been impacted by the fall - including the culture we create. For Paul, the good news of the gospel is that in Christ, all creation, including culture, is being reconciled to God.
What are the implications of this? Salvation is not just a human thing. The redemption Christ brings is for horses, grass, rivers and lakes; it is for ipods, airplanes, tractors, and power tools; it is for schools, hospitals, governments, and grocery stores; there is no aspect of culture untouched by grace. What does this look like? Well....that's what class time is for. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
What ever happened to "magic"?
On Monday - Wednesday - Friday I teach Theology 101. This is the general education requirement for students attending Dordt College - a Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Reformed tradition. Because it is a Gen Ed. requirement most of the students are either underclassmen, or upper classmen who have avoided taking it. Overall, it really is a joy to teach.
Today we had an interesting discussion. Students are required to read C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, mainly to help get them to think differently about reading scripture. So many Christians want to treat the Bible like a doctrinal text book - open up to Genesis 12:3 and pull out doctrines X,Y, or Z and apply them to life abstractly, ripped out of context. It's really amazing the idols we are able to construct for ourselves treating the Bible this way - making God in our own image. The Magician's Nephew forces the reader to think about story, which I believe is the proper way to view scripture. Not story as in "myth" or "fairy tale" - please know that I believe the Bible is rooted in historical events. But story as in narrative. This is really the power of the Bible - the narrative. The powerful story of God acting - creating, redeeming, re-creating; first in the history of Israel (Old Testament) and more fully in the person of Jesus Christ (New Testament).
The discussion this morning focused on the idea of "magic". In the Magician's Nephew, the adults have a difficult time in Narnia. Uncle Andrew does not hear the song of Aslan as he sings creation into existence. He sees the new world from a utilitarian perspective, focusing primarily on the money he could make exploiting the resources of the new land. His reaction to the world of Narnia is fear - which instinctively leads to the desire for control. The kids, however, see the world differently. They are awed by it. They hear the sweet song Aslan sings - and make the connection between the melody and the creation it brings forth. This discussion always makes me think about my kids - especially my daughter. She is 5 - and she is in love with the world. She talks to the moon and the sun, she plays with ladybugs, loves to lay in the snow, and watch the clouds. To her, the world is magical. Things happen....leaves turn yellow, the sun sets, the rain falls, and she doesn't understand how any of it works. But that's ok by her. As far as she is concerned all of life is magical. She believes in God, and knows that Jesus is in her heart - although she cannot figure out how he got in there - but that does not diminish the magic.
So what happens? How do we go from small children enchanted with the world to adults who are bored with it all? Don't get me wrong...I believe learning is a good thing. I think C.S. Lewis does too. After all having faith like a child does not mean being immature or stupid...it means being open to the possibility of mystery and magic. So why does so much "schooling" tend to destroy this sense of mystery instead of foster it? Why does Christianity, and more specifically Christian worship, get turned into cold, abstract, doctrinal propositions, and 30 minute lectures that explain everything? Especially since the scriptures are ripe with mystery and symbols...the waters of baptism, the bread and wine somehow connected to the body and the blood, a baby born in a manger that somehow is both fully God and fully human...And think about the stories! Bread falling from the sky, waters parting, Kings, prophets, fire from the sky - all the makings of an exciting narrative - a great story! And yet we get soooo bored with it all. Amazing.
This is what we talked about today in class.
Today we had an interesting discussion. Students are required to read C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, mainly to help get them to think differently about reading scripture. So many Christians want to treat the Bible like a doctrinal text book - open up to Genesis 12:3 and pull out doctrines X,Y, or Z and apply them to life abstractly, ripped out of context. It's really amazing the idols we are able to construct for ourselves treating the Bible this way - making God in our own image. The Magician's Nephew forces the reader to think about story, which I believe is the proper way to view scripture. Not story as in "myth" or "fairy tale" - please know that I believe the Bible is rooted in historical events. But story as in narrative. This is really the power of the Bible - the narrative. The powerful story of God acting - creating, redeeming, re-creating; first in the history of Israel (Old Testament) and more fully in the person of Jesus Christ (New Testament).
The discussion this morning focused on the idea of "magic". In the Magician's Nephew, the adults have a difficult time in Narnia. Uncle Andrew does not hear the song of Aslan as he sings creation into existence. He sees the new world from a utilitarian perspective, focusing primarily on the money he could make exploiting the resources of the new land. His reaction to the world of Narnia is fear - which instinctively leads to the desire for control. The kids, however, see the world differently. They are awed by it. They hear the sweet song Aslan sings - and make the connection between the melody and the creation it brings forth. This discussion always makes me think about my kids - especially my daughter. She is 5 - and she is in love with the world. She talks to the moon and the sun, she plays with ladybugs, loves to lay in the snow, and watch the clouds. To her, the world is magical. Things happen....leaves turn yellow, the sun sets, the rain falls, and she doesn't understand how any of it works. But that's ok by her. As far as she is concerned all of life is magical. She believes in God, and knows that Jesus is in her heart - although she cannot figure out how he got in there - but that does not diminish the magic.
So what happens? How do we go from small children enchanted with the world to adults who are bored with it all? Don't get me wrong...I believe learning is a good thing. I think C.S. Lewis does too. After all having faith like a child does not mean being immature or stupid...it means being open to the possibility of mystery and magic. So why does so much "schooling" tend to destroy this sense of mystery instead of foster it? Why does Christianity, and more specifically Christian worship, get turned into cold, abstract, doctrinal propositions, and 30 minute lectures that explain everything? Especially since the scriptures are ripe with mystery and symbols...the waters of baptism, the bread and wine somehow connected to the body and the blood, a baby born in a manger that somehow is both fully God and fully human...And think about the stories! Bread falling from the sky, waters parting, Kings, prophets, fire from the sky - all the makings of an exciting narrative - a great story! And yet we get soooo bored with it all. Amazing.
This is what we talked about today in class.
What I don't want this to become......
A few weeks ago I was listening to Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion. I enjoy the Lake Wobegon stories because, like for so many others, they remind me of my family. In this particular story he was talking about the obsession so many people have with My Space, Xanga, and blogs. He made a statement that made me laugh....he referred to them as "narcissistic monuments to ourselves". So true...yet here I am creating a blog. What gives?
What I DO NOT want this blog to become is a "narcissistic monument to myself". I do not want this to become a space to brag, boast, complain, or poke fun. I DO want this to become a space to express and wrestle with ideas. As an educator, I am wrestling with ideas everyday. My students help me wrestle with ideas through the questions they ask and the challenges they raise. My hope is to use this space to let others in on this wrestling.
Please feel free to enter into the fray - and let me know what you think.
What I DO NOT want this blog to become is a "narcissistic monument to myself". I do not want this to become a space to brag, boast, complain, or poke fun. I DO want this to become a space to express and wrestle with ideas. As an educator, I am wrestling with ideas everyday. My students help me wrestle with ideas through the questions they ask and the challenges they raise. My hope is to use this space to let others in on this wrestling.
Please feel free to enter into the fray - and let me know what you think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
