Connecting with Peers FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS WEEK FOUR!

Transcription

1 Connecting with Peers FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS WEEK FOUR

2 IN THIS WEEK S STUDY 1. Discussion Guide 2. The Relativistic Bog 3. Finding Common Ground: An Interview with Tim Downs

3 CONNECTING WITH PEERS WEEK FOUR FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS 1. From Acts 17. What led Paul to address the people of Athens? 2. How does Paul begin his ministry here? How does he respond to the philosophers in the Areopogus? 3. Paul tried to establish common ground with his audience by praising what he could and then proceeded to reason with them in a respectful way. How do you see his apologetic strategy develop? 4. What was the result? 5. What has been your experience in your department as you ve tried to establish common ground and reach others? Sneering? Questioning? Embracing? Does anyone even know you re a Christian? APPLICATION Tim Downs wrote Finding Common Ground: How to Communicate with Those Outside the Faith While We Still Can. In an interview with Grad Resources, Tim talks about the importance of having a long-term perspective as we interact with our graduate student peers. Intentional effort is needed to steer everyday conversations about current events, personal struggles, or departmental issues toward meaningful spiritual discussion. It is taking a long-term Sower s Approach to outreach rather than a short-term Harvesting Approach. Begin by committing ourselves to be available to God for His use. List five people in your department whom you would like to see come to faith. Pray for them daily. Think of how Jesus has made a difference in your life. Then look for opportunities to connect (say, over coffee or lunch) in a discussion of significance. Remember that we are told that HE draws people to Himself (John 6:44) and we simply need to abide, be dependent, and available. The Relativistic Bog article is one way to present the claims of Jesus in the midst of so many varied opinions. THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

4 THE RELATIVISTIC BOG WEEK FOUR FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS Aristotle,theGreekphilosopher,wrote,"Philosophybeginswithasenseofwonder,"andconcluded thatthehumanmindcannotbesatisfieduntilithasrisentotheknowledgeofthehighestthings.the being."thefrenchexistentialistalbertcamuswrote,"thereisonlyonereallyseriousphilosophical problem,thatofsuicide.tojudgethatlifeisorisnotworththetroubleofbeinglived,thisistoreplyto thefundamentalquestionofphilosophy."1althoughpascal,aristotleandcamusrepresentvery differentpointsofview,theirremarkspointtothesamebasichumancharacteristic:weseekmorethan theassuranceoffood,drink,andwarmthtomakeushappy. Instead,wewantanswerstoquestionsaboutthemeaningoflife.Whenweask"WhoamI?","Whatis mypurpose?","isthereagod?",and"ifso,whatisgodlike?"or"whatdoesgodhavetodowithmeor mypurpose?"wetipourhand:eachofusisonaquesttomakesenseoutofthefragmentarypiecesof ourexistence. Whenwegoaboutthetaskofmakingsenseoutoflife,weunconsciouslyrelyonasetofbeliefsthatwe alreadyhold.thesebeliefsactasasortingmechanism,orfilter.theyhelpusfigureoutwhich experiencesaremoremeaningful,important,orrelevantthanothers.thesebeliefs,evenifwearenot consciouslyawareofthem,areamongthemostimportantthingsaboutus.theydeterminewhich questionswewillask,andwhichanswerstothesequestionwewillconsider.inthisshortessay,iwill suggestamethodforbuildingandtestinganadequatebeliefsystem. EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION Theintellectualstructurethatweusetointerprettheworldiscalleda"worldview".Ononelevelitcan bearguedthatthereareasmanyworldviewsasthereareindividuals.yet,wecanidentifysomebasic classesofworldviews.forexample,theproblemoftheexistenceofgodcanbeapproachedinatleast fivedifferent ways,eachwayleadingtoadifferentsolution.let'scatalogthembriefly,accordingtothe differentconclusionstheyreach. Terry%(classical%theism):"Goodthingsliketheorderandbeautyofnatureorourcapacityfor loveandhopesuggestanultimatesourceofgoodness.thismaximallygoodbeingwecallgod, whoisperfectinintelligence,power,andgoodness." Chris%(finite%or%"process"%theism):"Theendlesshistoryofwar,famine,sufferinganddeath suggeststhatifadivinebeingexistsatall,thisdeityisnecessarilyimperfect,orlimited,in intelligence,power,orconcernforhumankind." THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

5 Dale%(monism):"GodcannotbeviewedaseithergoodorevilbecauseGodsubsumes everything,includingwhatwethinkisgoodandevil,inthedivineonenessofbeing.godis everythingandeverythingisgod." Robin%(naturalism):"Natureneedsnoexplanation:itissimplyallthereis,orevercouldbe.God isasuperfluoushypothesis,anunnecessaryextra,forsupposedlyexplainingthecosmos.the materialuniversehasnomorefundamentalcausethantheinterplayofmatter,energy,time, andchance." Kim%(subjective%idealism):"Theexternalworldismerelyanillusion.ThemostthatIhaveaccess 'ultimatebeingssomewhereoutthere'becomeirrelevant,imaginary,ornonsensical." Howcanwerespondtosuchavarietyofviewpoints?Onenaturalresponseistosaythateveryoneis right,thateachonehasdiscoveredwhatis"trueforme".thisresponseiscalled"relativism".relativism seemssafe,becauseweneverhavetosay,"ithinki'mrightandyou'rewrong."however,thisavoidance ofdisagreementcomesatahighprice:itmuddlesthequestionoftruth. Viewsascontraryasthesefivecannotbealltrue,sincetheycontradictoneanother.Theonlywaywe cansaythattheyarealltrueisbywateringdownourconceptof"truth".thenitbecomessomething KNOWLEDGE THROUGH INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION Ifwearetoescapethebogofintellectualpessimism,wemustfindsomesourceofknowledgethatis called"inductiveinference". Aninferenceisasteporprocessofreasoning.Indeductiveinference,wemakeexplicitwhatisalready inductiveinferenceinvolvestakingastepbeyondwhatiscontainedinthedataathand.through inductiveinference,ourmindobservespatternsinhumanexperienceandusesthosepatternstoform THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

6 However,therearetwoimportantlimitationsorqualificationstothisuseofinductiveinferenceto establishthenatureofultimatereality.first,thereisnounanimityaboutwhichinferencestodraw. PeoplelikeChris,Dale,Robin,andKimabovereachverydifferentconclusionsfromthesameevidence, therealworld,wherepeoplebearsomanylimitationsandprejudices,theinductivemethodisnot perfectlyreliable.weneed,therefore,anindependentsourceofinformationabouttheexistenceand characteroftheultimatereality,onethatcouldcorroborateorcorrectthetentativeconclusionsthatwe havebasedoninductiveinferencealone. Second,evenatitsbest,theinductivemethodleavesanumberofvitallyimportantquestions unanswered.forinstance,evenifweconcludethatgoddoesexist,wewouldstillwanttoknowthe answerstoquestionssuchas:"whatdoesgodexpectofus?whatdoesgodthinkofus?doesgodwish toenterintoamorepersonalrelationshipwitheachofus,andifso,how?what,ifanything,doesgod intendtodoaboutourfateafterdeath?"itwouldbenearlyimpossibleforustobaseanyspecific answertothesepersonalorexistentialquestionsmerelyupongeneralfeaturesoftheuniversearound us. DIVINE REVELATION IN HISTORY: A COMPLEMENTARY SOURCE Ifwearetogainadequateanswerstotheseexistentialquestionsaboutthe"supernatural"realm (assumingforthemomentthatsucharealmexists),thenthesupernaturalmustbreakintothenatural realmandrevealtheanswerstous,usingmeaningfulhistoricaleventsandinspiredmessages.thisis called"special"or"historical"revelation,incontrasttotheso@called"generalrevelation"ofultimate realityinnatureandinthestructureofhumanconsciousness.ifsuchspecialrevelationexists,thenit hasthepotentialofaddingtowhatwehavealreadydiscoveredthroughinductiveinference.together, thetwosourcesofknowledgehelpustobuildasatisfactoryworldview. REVELATION'S PROBLEM IS CREDIBILITY Revelationhasaproblem,though:theproblemofcredibility.Thefactisthattherearemanydocuments andteachersthatclaimtorevealtousthenatureofultimatereality.how,then,arewetodetermine whichoneistheaccuraterevelationofgod? Thequestionof"Whichrevelation?"appearstobeevenmorepuzzlingthanthequestion,"Which inductiveinference?"however,wearenotleftentirelywithoutdirection.thecompetingsourcesof divinerevelationchampionedbymajorreligions,includingthebibleorthekoranorthebookof Mormon,haveincludedclaimsregarding: (a)thesupernaturalforesightofitssacredwriters(i.e.,prophecy), (b)theextraordinarylife,wordsanddeedsofitsfounder(i.e.,miraclesandwonders),and (c)thetransforminginfluenceofthereligiononthelivesofrealpeople(i.e.,impact). Thesethreecriteria,then,determinewhatshapeaninvestigationintothecredibilityofanypurported revelationmusttake.ifchristianity,oranyotherallegedrevelation,emergesasaclearwinneroverits rivalsonthesethreepoints,thenweareonsolidgroundinbelievingthatitstextsofferanobjective referencepointthatbypassestherelativisticbogandpointstowardthepossibilityofknowinggod. THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

7 CONCLUSION Wehaveseenthat,tobuildaworldview,itwouldbehelpfultousebothinductiveinferenceand historicalrevelation.thesetwomethodsarenotmutuallyexclusivebutcomplementary.weoweitto ourselvestousethebestmeansavailableforgainingknowledgeaboutgod,ourselves,andourplacein theuniverse. However,asweusethesemethodswemustfacetwofacts.First,inductiveinferenceisinherently limitedasameansfordiscoveringanswerstoallofourexistentialquestions.second,becausethereis morethanonereligionthatclaimsdivinerevelation,wemustfindsomewayofweighingthecredibility ofeachclaim.itseemsreasonablethatarevelationworthyofcontributingtoourunderstandingofgod mustfirstdemonstrateitscredibilitythroughfulfilledprophecy,crediblemiracles,andwidespread impact. ascitedinfrederickcopleston,ahistoryofphilosophy(newyork:bantamdoubledaydellpublishinggroup,inc., 1985)IX:392. THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

8 FINDING COMMON GROUND: AN INTERVIEW WITH TIM DOWNS WEEK FOUR FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS Graduatestudentoutreachisanadvancedministryskill.Theaveragegraduatestudentrequiresa uniquesensitivityfromtheonewhodesirestobeaneffectivesower. Inthebook,Finding&Common&Ground,Iaddressedtheissueofsoildeficiencies.TheSowerrecognizes thatcertainsoilelementsarenecessaryforapersontobeabletounderstandandbelievethegospel.as Jesussaid,therearegoodsoilsandbadsoils,andeachagehasitscharacteristicsoildeficienciesthat challengethegrowthofthegospel.thesower sfirstjobistocultivatethesoilddtoworkinthelistener s lifetocreateanatmospherewherebeliefisatleastpossible.shedoesthisbylearningtorecognizeher listener sspecificsoildeficiency,andthensupplementingthesoilinthatarea.buthowdoesthesower analyzethesoil?simplythroughconversation andnotnecessarilyaboutspiritualissues.general,dayd toddayconversationcantellyoualotaboutaperson sattitudesandbeliefs. Inpreparingtoworkwithgraduatestudentswithinaspecificdepartment,oneshouldalsotakethetime todoasoilanalysisofthedepartmentitself.letmeillustratethispointbycitingtheexampleofafriend whoispursuinghisph.d.(i llcallhimfred).thereisabookfredoughttowriteabouthisexperiencesin hisdepartment,butunfortunatelyitwouldbecounterproductiveforhimtodosobecauseitwould destroytherapporthehasbuiltsofar. HehashadgreatsuccessinhisfieldofCulturalStudies.Hehasspentextensivetimediscoveringthe sacredground inhisdepartment.forexample,hecantalkwithothergraduatestudentsaboutsocial issuessuchastheplightofwomen,violence,orhatecrimesbecausetheseareareaofconcernstohis peers.thesearealsomajorissuestochristians.however,hefindsthathecannottalktotheminany negativewayabouthomosexuality,feminism,orabortion.theseissuesareapartoftheirsacredcenter. Hewillmakenoprogresswiththemspirituallyorrelationally,andtheywouldmarginalizehim,thereby slammingallfuturedoors. Hehashadtospendasignificantamountoftimedeterminingtheirhotbuttons,askinghimself questionssuchas, Whatissacredtotheircommunity?Whichtopicswillbeofflimitsorcounter productive?inwhichareasdomyinterestsasagraduatestudentoverlapwiththoseofmypeers? I believethisisthefirststepforanygraduatestudentasasower.theanswerstothesequestionsmay changefromdepartmenttodepartment,thoughontheaveragecampustherearecertainthingsthat canbeassumedtobehotbuttons,sharedinterests,orpotentialpitfalls. Someaskifitisnotcowardlytopurposelyavoidtopicslikehomosexualityorabortionsimplybecause theyarecontroversial.shouldthesoweravoidthesesubjectsalltogether? Inministry,wealwaysneedtoaskthequestion, WhatdoIwantfromthisperson? DoIwantmy listenertochangehismindabouthomosexualityorapoliticalposition?youmaybepassionateabout THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

9 yoursocialandpoliticalviews,buttheyarenotessentialintheprocessofcomingtochrist.iwanttobe carefulofwhatiamusingasmyapproachtothegospel.oftenourproblemaschristiansisthatwe bringlotsofbaggagetothegospelandthatextrabaggagecouldproveahindrancetoaperson sfaith decision.thesetopicscanbesoloaded,soemotionallyhot,theyactuallyconfoundourabilitytoever gettothegospel.soilanalysisrequiresustoaskourselves, Whatarewetryingtoproduce? Thesamecanbesaidofcertainacademictheoriesorissues.Thesetoomayraisebarrierstobelief.If onemakestheassumptionthata YoungEarth viewofcreationisarequirementtofaith,seculargrads mayinwardlyask, DoIhavetocompromisemyscientificpositiontobecomeaChristian? Youcouldbeimplying,byleadingoffwithacertaintopic,thatyouareasocialconservativeoran academicoutcastwithanagenda,andthesearestringsattachedtopersonalfaith.christiansneedto ask, Whatisreallynecessarytothegospelandwhatisnot?Whataretheinroads,thecommonsacred groundinthisdepartmentwhereicaninvitedialogwiththemwithoutcreatingunnecessarybarriers? OneexcellentexampleiswhenFredjoinedagrouponcampus, MenAgainstViolenceAgainstWomen. TheyaskedhimtowearoneoftheirTDshirtsandhesaid, Absolutely Sohere sfred,agraduate studentteachingaclass,andhe swearingthistdshirt.he sbuildingcommongroundwiththepeoplein hisdepartment.heisabletocreatesomegoodrelationships.nowthisiswhathappened:ashe staken thetimetounderstandtheirsacredgroundandtopromotetheirissueswhereverhecan,hefindsthem moreopenandmorewillingtotalkabouthissacredground. Ithinkinanygrouptherearesimilarcircumstances,similarchallenges,similarclassesandprofessors, andtheseallrepresentopportunitiesforcommonground.butyou llfindindividualcasesaswell.letme giveyouanotherexample.whenlookingatanygraddepartmentthereseemstobeaplacethatisthe commongatheringplaceforthedepartment.infred sdepartmentthereisacouch.thereisan uncomfortablevinylsofathattheyplacedinthegradoffice.it swhereeverygradstudenttakesanap. Hesaiditisanuncomfortableplaceonwhichtosit,butitisimportanttogotheretotakeanapfrom timetotime,simplybecauseeveryoneelsedoes.inotherwordsitisimportantforhimtobewherethey are.itisanotherwayofsaying, Ioccupythespacewhereyouare;Igowhereyougo. RecentlymysonwastakingatourofNCStateintheirelectricalengineeringdepartment.Inthat engineeringdepartmentthereisalounge.allthegradstudentstheretoldus, Thisiswhereallthe studyingtakes place. It stoohardtostudyinthelibrary,soallthestudentsareinthislounge.thattellsmethatthat s whereishouldgo.soimightmakecookiesandtakethemtothatlounge.iwouldmakemyfaceknown inthelounge.iwouldtakeanaponthesofainthelounge.thatiswhereiwouldhang. Liketheforeignmissionarywhostudiesanewcultureforcluesandinsights,thegradministryworker needstodiscoverwhataretheculturalissues,importantvalues,habitpatterns,language,andtraditions oftheirpeers.weneedtonotgoinwithourownassumptionsbuttofigureoutwhatmakesthisgroup tick.thatmaychangefromdepartmenttodepartmentordisciplinebydiscipline,becauseinelectrical engineeringthey venoteventhoughtaboutwhatthehumanitiesfolksarediscussing. Whiletheprocessofgraduatestudentministrymightnotbeassimpleorastransferableasministryto undergradsmightbe(e.g.traininginsharingthe4laws),whatistransferableisasetofskills.itisa THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

10 specialmethodologythatdependsonyourabilitytoassessinterest,makeconnections,anddeliver thoughtprovokingandappropriatelychallengingcontent. WhenIwrotemybook,FindingCommonGround,whatIwasthinkingis:thisisadvancedministry. Almostanybodycanbetrainedtohandtheballofftosomeoneelse(orabookletforthatmatter),but sowingisanadvancedministryskill.asyoumoveintospecializedrealms,andcertainlygraduatestudies isoneofthese,itismoredifficulttobecomeaninsider.thelevelofexhaustionorstressishigher,the competitionisintense,thepotentialforfailureloomslarge,andtheskillsetforthesowerismore specialized. Graduatestudentsareanunreachedpeoplegroup.Reachingthemrequiresthestudyofethnology.IfI couldtakemywholebookandsummarizeit,iwouldsayitthisway:weneedtoapproachamerica todayasifwewerevisitingathirdworldcountry.we vemadethefoolishmistakeofthinkingweknow thiscountrybecauseit sours,andwedon t.it sacollectionofunreachedpeoplegroups.butherewe re toolazytodowhattheoverseasmissionaryknowshemustdotosurvive. Consideringthevaluesystemofgraduateeducation,someSowerswillneedtodevelopasetofskills thattheirverygraduatetrainingisworkingagainst.inotherwords,graduatestudentsarenot encouragedtosay, Idon tknow. Whenaskedaquestionwithintheirfieldgraduatestudentsoften hesitatetoappearuninformed.however,thebestresponsetoacomplicatedworldviewquestion(like whythereissomuchevilintheworld)mightbe, Youknow,I mstillworkingthatthroughandidon t knowthatihaveresolvedallthesethings. ItallowsyoutobeseenasacoDstrugglerwiththeminissues thatarechallengingevenforbelievers. Alongwithasincerelyhumbleapproachtoapologeticsandworldviewissues,thegradSowerneedsto developinterpersonalskills.whileanorganizationlikegradresourcesprovidesanationalcrisisdline, promotionalphonecards,andgradsurvivalkits,withouttherelationalconnections,itislikethrowing materialsoverawall.abreakdowntakesplaceataninterpersonallevelbetweenthegradsowerand thenondbelievinggradstudent;thebreakdownisalackofrelationship.christiangraduatestudents needtofocusontheinterpersonalskillsnecessarytorelatetotheirgraduatepeers.thisiswherefred hasdoneanexcellentjob.hecanmakegooduseofresourcessuchasthosegradresourcesprovides becauseofwhathe salreadydonetocreaterelationshipswithhispeers.hewasmakingthe connectionsbeforethetools.hehasestablishedcommonground. Doanaudienceanalysisofyourowndepartmentandtellmeaboutthepeoplethatyoufindthere.Bring itdowntotheindividuallevel.tellmewhatthey refeelingeveryday,tellmewhatthey rethinking. Whataretheirbiggeststruggles,theirbiggestpressures?Whatwouldmostgivethemabreak?What wouldbemostrefreshing?whatyou relookingforisameansofcrackingsomedoors.idon twantto characterizethisasfriendshipevangelism.it sfardeeperthanthat,itisintentionalevangelism.itisthe questforcommongroundwithinadepartmentaroundsharedlifeexperience.inanenvironmentthatis extremelycompetitive,connectionswillmakeadifference. SupposeI manorganicchemisttalkingtoanotherorganicchemist.i mstartingtogettoknowyoua littlebit.westartfeelingthatwe reinthistogether.iseethatyouhavecompassion,andthatmakes ourrelationshipasafeenvironment.safetyisakeytoallowinggreaterdepthofcommunication.when youcansay, I mnotshockedbyanythingthatyoumightsay, we refreetogoanywhere.andnowthat THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

11 therelationshipissafe,asachristianimightbeabletosay, Youknow,don tjumponmeforthis,but sometimesi mnotsosureaboutevolution. IfI vecreatedsafetyandconnections,i vejustopenedaconversationwiththeguyandwhoknowswhat mightcomenext.ifhefeelsmanipulated,orifit smyfirstapproachatevencommunicatingwiththe guy,he snotgoingtobeveryreceptive.butifthere saconnectionthat sbeenmadeandthere sa senseofsafety,thedoorsareopen.youcansay, Ilookedatthisdesigntheorystuff.Didyoueversee thisbefore?itmakesmethink.that salli msaying. Butthesafetyhastobethere. Ifyousenseanawkwardnessduetothesensitivityofthetopic,thenitmaybetimetostoppresenting answersforawhileandbeginaskingquestions.youmightsay, TherearesomethingsI mjust passionateaboutandi msorryifi veoffendedyou.whati dlovetodosometimeisbuyyoulunchand letyoutotellmemoreofyourthoughts. OneoftenDaskedquestioniswhetheraChristiangraduatestudentshouldinsomewaymakeitknown upfrontinherdepartmentthatsheisabeliever.again,fredcanbeusedasanexample.theyknow Fredisabelieverbecausehelearnedtosayitintheirlanguage.Theydon tknoweverythingfred believes,andthereisnoreasontotellthemeverythinghebelieves.thisiswhatirefertoinmybookas shrewdness. SincehehaslearnedtospeaktheirlanguagehisChristianbeliefsareconsideredanothervalued perspectiveinthediversecultureoftheuniversity.hecansay, Iamapersonoffaith. Buthecan tsay, I maconservativeevangelical. IthinkifsomeonesaidtoFred, Soyou reborndagain, Idon tthinkhe wouldacceptthatlabel.heknowswhatcomeswiththebaggageoflabels.hewouldrathertalkabout hisbeliefsintheirterms.thisiswherethesavvyofthesowercomesin. Whenitcomestofindingopendoorsforworldviewdiscussions,thereareavarietyoftopics.Thisissue ofabsolutesisabeautifulone.alicewalker,authorofthecolorpurple,cameandspokeatunc/chapel Hill.ShesaidthatshewasgoingtotheMiddleEasttoparticipateinademonstrationagainstgenital mutilationofwomen.whenastudentraisedherhandandasked, Areyounotjustattemptingto imposeyourownculturalvaluesonanothercountry? Shereplied, That sabunchofnonsense.i m goingtomakeadifferenceandyoucantrytostopmeifyouwantto. Shewassaying, Nevermind postmodernideals,iwanttogetsomethingdone,sotheheckwithphilosophicalwordgames. Thereis aplacefordiscussionandconversationthatdealswithabsolutesinacademia. Weshouldalwayslookforthedoortothegospelorthepartofthegospelthatisgoingtoresonatewith ourlisteners.weshouldlookforopportunitiesfortransparency.weshouldtrytodemonstratetoour peersthatwe llbetransparentandhonestwiththem,becauseithinkweallrespondtothat. Christianityisnotsimple.Idon thavealltheanswers.istrugglesometimesandthere ssomuchidon t understand.thequestionis,arethereanyanswers?notdoihavethem,butarethereany?inthisage, regardlessoftheevidenceyoupresent,peoplewillstillquestionitbecauseoftheirskepticism.what we relookingforisa humbleapologetic. I msometimesaskedifwhati mdescribingis processevangelism. Ineverlikedtheterm process evangelism becauseitseemstoimplythatit saspecialkindofevangelism.itisn t;it sjustevangelism. It sjustamatterofhowlongtheprocesstakes.iemphasizethisbecauseidon twantpeoplefeeling THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS

12 thatthey redoingsomestrange,variantformofevangelism.inthebookofactspaulvisitedsynagogues everysabbath,weekafterweek,reasoningwithpeople.whydidittakesolong?didhehavealackof boldness?no,hesimplytreatedtheminauniquewaybecauseoftheirspecificneeds.he becameall thingstoallmen. IthinkthisiswhatgenerallytendstohappentoChristians.Nomatterwherewego,weknowwhat we resupposedtodo;we resupposedtosharethegospelwithpeople.it salmostlikeaplacardwe wearonourheads.soiwalkintomygraduateschoolandiseeallthepagangraduatestudents.i immediatelythink, HowdoIbringuphegospel?Idon twanttotalkaboutthis.isuspectthatyou re antagonistic,becauseyou recertainlynotfriendly. Ican tfigureouthowtoinitiatespiritualtopics safely,soibackaway. There safunnythingthathappenswhenonebecomesachristian;there saninitialsocialmaturing processthattakesplace,andthensometimesthere sasocialretardationthatfollows.christiansare oftensociallyverybackwarddueinparttotheir agendaanxiety. Ifthereisnoeasywaytobringupthe Gospel,thenwebackawayfrompeercontact. TheaveragenonDChristianhasamucheasiertimegettingalongwithhispeersthantheaverage ChristianbecausetheChristiankeepsavoidingcontactoutofawkwardness,shame,orguilt.Hejust keepshopingthatsomedayhe lldevelopasupernaturalboldness,orhisnondchristiancounterpartwill developasuddenopennesstospiritualthings. Iwanttoencouragegraduatestudentstotakeofftheirplacardsforawhileandfirstbehumanbeings firstmakeaconnection.weshouldbeabletosaysomethingtoanyothergradstudentwemeet. Hey, howareyou?whereareyoufrom?yousaidsomethinginclassthatblewmysocksoff.wheredidyou getthat?howdidyougrowup?howwereyouraisedtothink? Butinstead,weoftensaynothing.I thinkwhat shappenedisthatwehavepolarized.christiangradstudentshavealittlecornerwherethey fellowshiptogether,helpingeachothertosurvivetheordealofgraduateschool,butnotconnecting withseculargradstudents.wethinkthattheonlycrossingthatcanbemadeisonspirituallines,so oftennocrossingseemspossible.weforgetthatwecancrossoveronhumanlines,simplybybeing willingtomakecontact. THE FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN GRADS