Spiritual Formation: I'm very encouraged by the focus on cultivating our spiritual vitality. It would be very easy for these 3 years to become a stressful, competitive, and overly academic time. And although we will make mistakes and experience those things, they care deeply about developing our hearts and souls. The orientation and the Bridddge program started with worship each day, and it's been a different and special experience worshiping with people who are embarking on a similar journey of preparing for ministry. One service that was particularly powerful was one where we remembered our baptism, which I have never done before. We went one by one to the front of the room and dipped our hand in water as we were told "Remember your baptism..." This conjured memory after memory of when I was baptized - standing in the lake with Pastor Dave, being put under the water and coming back up, seeing my mom and giving her a hug afterwards. I surveyed the last 10 years since I was baptized in my mind. As I thought of the journey I've been on, I don't know if I've ever connected with God's faithfulness in such an intimate way. When I sat down I wept and wept until the service was over. I've had many challenges, questions, and fears since I've been baptized, but God has been good. God is good.
I'm also looking forward to the spiritual formation groups we meet with weekly, morning prayer every morning and worship Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These three years will not just be studying theology, it will be experiencing theology.
Community: One of the primary emphases is that we learn best in community. During orientation we have constantly heard the message that we are in this together. One of the speakers told us to look to our left and our right at the people sitting next to us - our job is to make sure that in 3 years, they are still there. The worship and prayer that I mentioned before is for our spiritual growth, but it's also for us to be worshiping together. This does not replace finding a local church, it is rather an opportunity to worship with our fellow students.
I started to get the sense that this could become a constant retreat. This means it's important for me to be involved in my neighborhood and other parts of Durham and Duke so that I understand and connect with the world at large, not just in the Duke Divinity bubble.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
A New Home in Durham and Duke Divinity School
In just three days I begin my first semester in the M.Div. program at Duke Divinity School. When I first arrived about a week ago I participated in the "Bridddge" program, which is designed to connect Duke Divinity students to the Durham community. We visited historical sites, heard speakers, worshiped together, and were prompted to think theologically about everything we saw. It was a great time to meet some of my new fellows students too. Here are a few highlights:
The second day of Bridddge, we visited Paul Cameron's slave plantation from the early 19th century. He treated his slaves better than most slave owners, but there is ample evidence that it was out of economic rather than compassionate motives. This makes me think of other powerful people during our time who oppress the weak under the pretense of good will.
An incident that occured later that day related to this. One of the directors of community affairs at Duke University (the entire schoo, not just the Divinity school) led a bus tour through Durham. As we visited different areas he pointed out what good things Duke University has done in one way or another - they gave money here, built this there, etc. The constant laud of Duke was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable, especially when we drove through Walltown, the low-income, predominately African-American community, where I'm living. At the end of Walltown closest to the university, Duke bought out a whole row of houses and established a policy in which only Duke staff and faculty can purchase them. They're renovating the houses to make them over $400,000 each. He said something to the effect of "many will call this gentrification, which people think is detrimental, but the way we see it is that we're revitalizing the area." I shifted in my seat and whispered to a 2nd year who lives in Walltown, "What do the people in Walltown think?" He said "They think that Duke is trying to push them out of their homes and buy out the neighborhood - they're not happy about it."
That was the depressing part. The encouraging part was what happened when the tour guide got off the bus. As soon as the door closed, Rev. Brady, one of the Bridddge leaders from the Divinity School, erupted from his seat and launched into a sermon about the dangerous subtleties of how the world sees things, and how we are to see things by the Spirit and with a Kingdom vision. The sincere, spontaneous passion in Rev. Brady was encouraging and inspiring. Some other Bridddge leaders and students spoke up and the whole bus was filled with "Amens." This was a beautiful picture of how the good news of Jesus' Kingdom enters reality - speaking into oppressive systems and caring for the disenfranchised, giving them a home when their worldly homes are taken away.
Another highlight to the Bridddge program was the privilege of visiting Ann Atwater, a civil rights leader in Durham during the 1960's. There was a book written about the friendship between Ann and former KKK Exalted Cyclops C.P. Ellis called The Best of Enemies. We went to Ann's place and she joyfully welcomed us with open arms. We all piled in the back room and sang a hymn together. I could hear Ann from the other side of the room singing boldly with her weathered voice. She told us stories about prayer meetings, sit-ins, vigils, and marches she led. Someone asked her, "What inspires you to be so vocal and so active?" She said, "When I was a young girl, someone told me that I must stand on the truth, and if anything goes against it, I must speak up about it." In light of this conviction, she had us read the first chapter of James together, emphasizing the part that urges, "prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."
We serendipitously saw Ann's "doing" in action. She had organized a clean-up day in her neighborhood (she's still going strong in her later years), and there were some other Duke students going door-to-door asking homeowners if they'd like help cleaning up their trash. As they were walking around, a firetruck picked them up and brought them back to Ann's place, saying it was "dangerous" to be out walking in that neighborhood. When they told this to Ann, her jolly smile became a scowl and she said "Hand me the phone!" She dialed 911 and said "I have some students who took some time out of their day to help clean up trash, and they were told they couldn't be doing what they were doing...this is Ann Atwater...give me the chief of police...he's not there?...well I need to find out why these students can't be walking through this neighborhood." And we listened as she shared her frustration. She said "OK, thank you" and hung up, then proceeded to call the mayor. He wasn't in either, but about a minute later a police officer showed up at the house. When he came in, she said, "Come on over here and set next to me." He politely and awkwardly came in and took a seat in a room full of 20 wide-eyed entering Divinity students, some undergrads, and Ann Atwater. She explained the situation, he apologized and said it was fine for them to be in the neighborhood, and Ann invited him to join us if he could. So we proceeded with our questions and Ann's stories - except now we had a Durham police officer joining the party. He was very happy to stay, so we took advantage of it and asked him questions about the relationships between the police, some of the distressed neighborhoods in Durham, and Duke students. I think our time in Ann's living room brought those three worlds together in a wonderful way.
The second day of Bridddge, we visited Paul Cameron's slave plantation from the early 19th century. He treated his slaves better than most slave owners, but there is ample evidence that it was out of economic rather than compassionate motives. This makes me think of other powerful people during our time who oppress the weak under the pretense of good will.
An incident that occured later that day related to this. One of the directors of community affairs at Duke University (the entire schoo, not just the Divinity school) led a bus tour through Durham. As we visited different areas he pointed out what good things Duke University has done in one way or another - they gave money here, built this there, etc. The constant laud of Duke was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable, especially when we drove through Walltown, the low-income, predominately African-American community, where I'm living. At the end of Walltown closest to the university, Duke bought out a whole row of houses and established a policy in which only Duke staff and faculty can purchase them. They're renovating the houses to make them over $400,000 each. He said something to the effect of "many will call this gentrification, which people think is detrimental, but the way we see it is that we're revitalizing the area." I shifted in my seat and whispered to a 2nd year who lives in Walltown, "What do the people in Walltown think?" He said "They think that Duke is trying to push them out of their homes and buy out the neighborhood - they're not happy about it."
That was the depressing part. The encouraging part was what happened when the tour guide got off the bus. As soon as the door closed, Rev. Brady, one of the Bridddge leaders from the Divinity School, erupted from his seat and launched into a sermon about the dangerous subtleties of how the world sees things, and how we are to see things by the Spirit and with a Kingdom vision. The sincere, spontaneous passion in Rev. Brady was encouraging and inspiring. Some other Bridddge leaders and students spoke up and the whole bus was filled with "Amens." This was a beautiful picture of how the good news of Jesus' Kingdom enters reality - speaking into oppressive systems and caring for the disenfranchised, giving them a home when their worldly homes are taken away.
Another highlight to the Bridddge program was the privilege of visiting Ann Atwater, a civil rights leader in Durham during the 1960's. There was a book written about the friendship between Ann and former KKK Exalted Cyclops C.P. Ellis called The Best of Enemies. We went to Ann's place and she joyfully welcomed us with open arms. We all piled in the back room and sang a hymn together. I could hear Ann from the other side of the room singing boldly with her weathered voice. She told us stories about prayer meetings, sit-ins, vigils, and marches she led. Someone asked her, "What inspires you to be so vocal and so active?" She said, "When I was a young girl, someone told me that I must stand on the truth, and if anything goes against it, I must speak up about it." In light of this conviction, she had us read the first chapter of James together, emphasizing the part that urges, "prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."
We serendipitously saw Ann's "doing" in action. She had organized a clean-up day in her neighborhood (she's still going strong in her later years), and there were some other Duke students going door-to-door asking homeowners if they'd like help cleaning up their trash. As they were walking around, a firetruck picked them up and brought them back to Ann's place, saying it was "dangerous" to be out walking in that neighborhood. When they told this to Ann, her jolly smile became a scowl and she said "Hand me the phone!" She dialed 911 and said "I have some students who took some time out of their day to help clean up trash, and they were told they couldn't be doing what they were doing...this is Ann Atwater...give me the chief of police...he's not there?...well I need to find out why these students can't be walking through this neighborhood." And we listened as she shared her frustration. She said "OK, thank you" and hung up, then proceeded to call the mayor. He wasn't in either, but about a minute later a police officer showed up at the house. When he came in, she said, "Come on over here and set next to me." He politely and awkwardly came in and took a seat in a room full of 20 wide-eyed entering Divinity students, some undergrads, and Ann Atwater. She explained the situation, he apologized and said it was fine for them to be in the neighborhood, and Ann invited him to join us if he could. So we proceeded with our questions and Ann's stories - except now we had a Durham police officer joining the party. He was very happy to stay, so we took advantage of it and asked him questions about the relationships between the police, some of the distressed neighborhoods in Durham, and Duke students. I think our time in Ann's living room brought those three worlds together in a wonderful way.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
God's Economics
Over the past year I've been working for the researcher/writer/capacity builder Amy Sherman, and one of our main projects has been implementing a program that teaches at-risk kids about economics and how to manage their money. It seems like a worthy program since disenfranchised communities are the predominant victims of predatory lenders, and it empowers kids by helping them to earn their way out of poverty. However, at moments throughout the year I've had reservations about what I'm actually doing. Am I really helping kids, or am I just feeding their tendency toward materialism? Am I teaching them to build character, or am I teaching them to strive for the American dream? Am I helping them, or am I helping America's economy?
Over the past week I've been at the annual conference for the National Association of Street Schools, where they are making a zealous push to incorporate economics into the education of their network of schools. As I'm thinking more about Economics, I'm realizing it's not necessarily bad nor good, but rather a neutral science that can be harmful or beneficial. What's important is the value system that one employs as she or he approaches economics. Let me explain.
Economics is all about making choices. Because of scarcity (unlimited wants and limited resources to satisfy those wants) we are forced to make choices. Those choices have consequences. For example, since I have a limited number of hours in the day (24) I can spend 16 of those hours checking facebook and reading people's blogs, but the consequence is that I won't be able to join my friends when they go for a hike (do finish reading this before you turn off your computer and go outside).
So when I think about the resources that I have (time, money, emotional energy, possessions), I am always doing a cost-benefit analysis to determine the best way to use my resources, and the consequences of my potential decisions. Economics has given me reservations over the past year because too often people's value systems say "How will my choices benefit ME." That is why many businesses and individuals tend to oppress the weak with their decisions - because in a sinful world a person or company can make a self-promoting choice where the only negative consequences are faced by the marginalized in society.
However, a Christ-like way of doing economics asks "How will my choice serve the welfare of others, even if it costs me a great deal?" It's reversed from the way the world does it. When Jesus was in the garden before he was crucified, he did a cost-benefit analysis - the cost was his life, but the benefit was the life and freedom of others. So it is great to learn about economics, as long as it's coupled with a value system that puts God first, others second, and us third.
Over the past week I've been at the annual conference for the National Association of Street Schools, where they are making a zealous push to incorporate economics into the education of their network of schools. As I'm thinking more about Economics, I'm realizing it's not necessarily bad nor good, but rather a neutral science that can be harmful or beneficial. What's important is the value system that one employs as she or he approaches economics. Let me explain.
Economics is all about making choices. Because of scarcity (unlimited wants and limited resources to satisfy those wants) we are forced to make choices. Those choices have consequences. For example, since I have a limited number of hours in the day (24) I can spend 16 of those hours checking facebook and reading people's blogs, but the consequence is that I won't be able to join my friends when they go for a hike (do finish reading this before you turn off your computer and go outside).
So when I think about the resources that I have (time, money, emotional energy, possessions), I am always doing a cost-benefit analysis to determine the best way to use my resources, and the consequences of my potential decisions. Economics has given me reservations over the past year because too often people's value systems say "How will my choices benefit ME." That is why many businesses and individuals tend to oppress the weak with their decisions - because in a sinful world a person or company can make a self-promoting choice where the only negative consequences are faced by the marginalized in society.
However, a Christ-like way of doing economics asks "How will my choice serve the welfare of others, even if it costs me a great deal?" It's reversed from the way the world does it. When Jesus was in the garden before he was crucified, he did a cost-benefit analysis - the cost was his life, but the benefit was the life and freedom of others. So it is great to learn about economics, as long as it's coupled with a value system that puts God first, others second, and us third.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Why I Like Shane Claiborne
A few nights ago I went to see Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President tour with some friends. Afterwards, and for the few days following, people have been asking me how it was, and I usually tell them "I love what Shane Claiborne is doing." Then when they ask details I have a hard time saying what I liked so much about it. So after thinking about it, I've realized that what is so encouraging about Shane Claiborne's writing, speaking, and lifestyle is that he begins with what the Scriptures say about Jesus and and how we should live, and then models his lifestyle off of that, rather than beginning with his own interests, affections, and lifestyle and trying to fit a Christian identity into that.
During the first half of the talk, Shane and his co-writer Chris Haw talked about the political sphere during Jesus' time, and emphasized how Jesus used explicitly political language to subvert the powers of Caesar. So he wasn't politically ignorant, nor was he marrying God to the powers that be, but rather he was testifying that with his arrival a whole new kingdom has come that will take over the powers of this world. But it will not take over in the manner the world is used to - by wealth and power and prestige - instead it will rule by becoming small, becoming the least, and serving the world in love and humility. This observation about Jesus' time has direct application to our political situation in America, where the Church is either manipulated by politics (traditionally by the Conservative agenda but now increasingly by the democratic party), or pretends that it can function without acknowledging the political situation. But what Jesus did is turn politics on its head by testifying of the Kingdom of God - that he is the King - which scared the crap out of the political leaders of the time.
I think we need to keep our eye on Shane Claiborne, because he is really becoming a leader worth following, who is drawing the Church away from its love affair with America and into deep intimacy with Christ and a lifestyle that Jesus intended for us.
During the first half of the talk, Shane and his co-writer Chris Haw talked about the political sphere during Jesus' time, and emphasized how Jesus used explicitly political language to subvert the powers of Caesar. So he wasn't politically ignorant, nor was he marrying God to the powers that be, but rather he was testifying that with his arrival a whole new kingdom has come that will take over the powers of this world. But it will not take over in the manner the world is used to - by wealth and power and prestige - instead it will rule by becoming small, becoming the least, and serving the world in love and humility. This observation about Jesus' time has direct application to our political situation in America, where the Church is either manipulated by politics (traditionally by the Conservative agenda but now increasingly by the democratic party), or pretends that it can function without acknowledging the political situation. But what Jesus did is turn politics on its head by testifying of the Kingdom of God - that he is the King - which scared the crap out of the political leaders of the time.
I think we need to keep our eye on Shane Claiborne, because he is really becoming a leader worth following, who is drawing the Church away from its love affair with America and into deep intimacy with Christ and a lifestyle that Jesus intended for us.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Ego v. Othercentric
Today I was reminded of a quote by C.S. Lewis that had a huge impact on me a few years ago, but has drifted out of my life. It was in the last few sentences of the chapter on pride in Mere Christianity, where he says essentially that a humble person will not go on and on about their flaws, but rather they will take a deep interest in others. When I had read that before I remember setting out to having that others-focused attitude, but as I look on the past year or two of my life, my own desires and pursuits have pushed that mindset away. I'm glad that God reminded me of this because although my natural tendency is toward self-obsession, I truly do find more joy in celebrating the lives of others than focusing on myself.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
New Sacred Music Guy at Duke
Welp, Duke is now complete. I've been blown away since I visited Duke Divinity school about how perfect of a fit it is. They have some of my favorite theologians, they are very intentional about involving students in ministry rather than just having them sit in a classroom, they take spiritual life seriously by having morning prayer every morning and setting up spiritual growth groups for us, they care deeply about the Church and at the same time bringing the gospel to the public realm. However, the one area I would have admitted that it's not ostensibly the BEST place to be trained for ministry is theology and arts. I think most people would say to go to Yale if you really want to focus in that area. Well, I just heard yesterday that Duke hired Jeremy Begbie to be a professor starting next year. From what I hear (I haven't read anything by him myself), he is a leading theologian in sacred music. They want him to teach classes and start a number of arts and theology initiatives. Since God has been rekindling my love of art, particularly music, over this past year, I'm very excited to have the opportunity to study under him.
This got me thinking about theology and art today. I admit that I'm still reluctant about that relationship because too often it seems like people really like music but they want to feel good about it, so they find some proof-text from scripture to show that 'God is the great artist,' or some such justification. But still, my boss told me that Jeremy Begbie says that classical music communicates the order of God. This is a huge simplification and third hand, but I think that's a neat idea. It makes me wonder - in modernity, music was neatly ordered, and so was theology (systematic theology). In postmodernity, liberal theology paralleled postmodern music - the twelve-tone stuff like Shoenberg. The postliberal theology that is quite present at Duke came out of dissatisfaction with modernity and postmodernity. It makes me wonder, what would postliberal music sound like? Postliberal theology views the Bible and the Church as a narrative that transcends the system of doctrines of modernity and chaos of postmodernity. How would postliberal music present that narrative but also present the fragments of liberalism and insufficiency of modernity?
This got me thinking about theology and art today. I admit that I'm still reluctant about that relationship because too often it seems like people really like music but they want to feel good about it, so they find some proof-text from scripture to show that 'God is the great artist,' or some such justification. But still, my boss told me that Jeremy Begbie says that classical music communicates the order of God. This is a huge simplification and third hand, but I think that's a neat idea. It makes me wonder - in modernity, music was neatly ordered, and so was theology (systematic theology). In postmodernity, liberal theology paralleled postmodern music - the twelve-tone stuff like Shoenberg. The postliberal theology that is quite present at Duke came out of dissatisfaction with modernity and postmodernity. It makes me wonder, what would postliberal music sound like? Postliberal theology views the Bible and the Church as a narrative that transcends the system of doctrines of modernity and chaos of postmodernity. How would postliberal music present that narrative but also present the fragments of liberalism and insufficiency of modernity?
Friday, July 4, 2008
Still a long way to go
I was talking with a new friend about spirituality a few days ago at the coffee shop, and I had realized that I'd forgotten how much people are scarred by a perverted form of Christianity. He talked of Jesus with such high regard, but it was sad to realize that his only frame of reference for Christians were were not very much like Jesus. One of the first things he brought up was "How can anyone who is racist say that they love God or follow Jesus?" Great point. Too many Christians think the race problem is a think of the past, but until my friend sees black and white Christians loving each other and fellowshiping together, he won't change his mind. Another thing he commented on was how Christians are focused on wealth and are willing to hurt the environment and go to war for money. Another great point. The testimony of the Christian witness was not the only thing skewed for him, but also the testimony of Christian worship. He had a problem with the idea of worship, so I explained that worship is an expression of humility. He said "Show me a humble Christian." During the conversation I found myself trying to emphasize that the essence of Christianity is in Jesus, and yes, many Christians sadly fit in with his descriptions, but they are not all like that. But I have to admit that it gets old trying to say something that I can't show him. I believe in Jesus, and I believe in the church, but I want so bad for the church to be a credible witness to the world, which will only happen if they start being more like Jesus. We need to reconciled to one another and love one another, and we need to be willing to serve the world rather than try to dominate it with money and power. And it's not just Christians who are doing it, but it's just sad when Christians can't say no to the evils around them.
I was encouraged to see Shane Claiborne's tour on CNN.com the other day. The thing I love about what Shane is doing is that it is nothing extraordinary from the perspective of what the lifestyle of a Christian should look like, but Shane and his crew are so intentional about being like Jesus that they bear witness to the world around them. He always emphasizes peculiarity - and the peculiarity is beautiful. I think that unless we take being like Jesus seriously, we'll blend in with the rest of the world until we realize that we're the oppressors ourselves, which we know is too often the case.
Here's a link to the website of the community Shane is a part of: http://www.thesimpleway.org/
One other thing this made me realize - Christians may think they're doing their job until they talk to someone who is not a Christian. It was talking to my new friend that reminded me that the Church has a long way to go. But with Jesus I have hope that it will go there.
I was encouraged to see Shane Claiborne's tour on CNN.com the other day. The thing I love about what Shane is doing is that it is nothing extraordinary from the perspective of what the lifestyle of a Christian should look like, but Shane and his crew are so intentional about being like Jesus that they bear witness to the world around them. He always emphasizes peculiarity - and the peculiarity is beautiful. I think that unless we take being like Jesus seriously, we'll blend in with the rest of the world until we realize that we're the oppressors ourselves, which we know is too often the case.
Here's a link to the website of the community Shane is a part of: http://www.thesimpleway.org/
One other thing this made me realize - Christians may think they're doing their job until they talk to someone who is not a Christian. It was talking to my new friend that reminded me that the Church has a long way to go. But with Jesus I have hope that it will go there.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
