RELIGIO
An Undergraduate Journal of Christian Thought at Duke
April 2009 Volume 3, Issue 1
IT’S FOR YOU. GOD
Discover what God has in store for you. PathWays at Duke is looking for interested students and recent graduates to become PathWays Fellows. •
Live in the PathWays House (1115 W. Chapel Hill St.)
•
Work in ministry and non-profit organizations.
•
Receive a generous stipend, housing, meals, courses and retreats.
RELIGIO
April 2009 Volume 3, Issue 1
FEATURE:
Children of the Transfiguration A sermon preached by Gregory Morrison, a Duke sophomore, about the significance of Jesus’ transfiguration. The sermon was delivered at Duke University Chapel earlier this spring. p. 6
Christianity & “The Good Life” Our Heart is Unquiet Until it Rests in You Matt Gay p. 4 Recreational Hookups or Emotional Hangups? Kylie Harrell p. 10 The Eruditio Part Chrissy Booth p. 12 Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Katie Swails p. 20 The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God Matthew Keshian p. 22 Dr. Pepper on the Rocks Andy Crewson p. 24 Gladdening the Heart Leigh Edwards p. 25 The “Hallelujah” of Christian Music Nate Jones p. 26 A Review: Living the Sabbath Amy Little p. 28
ALSO INSIDE: Where I Serve Christ in Durham: Personal Accounts from Members of the Duke Community p. 14
Why the Conflict? A Scientist’s Take on Christianity and Evolution p. 16
Editors Nate Jones and Gregory Morrison Business Manager Andy Crewson Publication Manager Chrissy Booth Staff Sponsor Craig Kocher
Religio is an Independent Publication recognized by the Duke University Undergraduate Publications Board.
2
Material in this journal is either original, published with permission or used pursuant to the fair use doctrine. The use of any copyrighted material pursuant to the fair use doctrine or otherwise is not intended to represent the views or opinions of the original producer of the work. Additionally, no work or image published herein may be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the journal.
Note from the Editors The staff at Religio is excited to bring you our fifth issue, “Christianity and the good life.” Religio began in the spring of 2007 as a way for students to read, write and reflect on their Christian faith. Our first issue centered on the theme of Christ’s resurrection, the most central event in Christianity. Since then, we have explored themes such as “Christ in film and fiction,” “Christianity, the mind and the body” and “Christianity and the public square.” Since ancient times, humans have consistently reflected upon, argued about and sought after “the good life.” Aristotle, for example, considered the good life to be one in which growth in virtue through friendship was central – the word he uses to describe such a life is eudaemonia, usually translated as “happiness.” St. Thomas Aquinas, then, takes Aristotle’s eudaemonia and gives it a Christian turn – no longer is the good life simply identified as “happiness” but now also “blessedness.” For Aquinas, the Christian has a profound stake in the “good life” conversation. In this issue, then, we hope to offer ways in which Christians have something distinctive to offer to any conception of the good life. The cover depicts a man both resting and working at peace with himself and nature: a powerful representation of the good life. Matt Gay suggests we see nature and the outdoors as God’s good gifts, Kylie Harrell challenges the current sexual culture at Duke and Leigh Edwards and Andy Crewson square off over the appropriateness of Christians drinking alcohol. We are also pleased to publish our first faculty piece, by Dr. Alex Glass of the Earth and Ocean Sciences Department. 2009 marks the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and Dr. Glass outlines the history of Christian anti-evolutionism, while suggesting that Christianity and evolution need not be at odds. Religio is also online – read any past issue at www.duke.edu/web/religio. You can also find information there about writing, advertising or donating. Finally, we would like to thank Duke Chapel for their generous support, Craig Kocher for being our staff sponsor and all the various students who have volunteered to make this a possibility. We hope you enjoy it and come away with some ideas for living a good Christian life. Grace and Peace,
Nate Jones, Trinity ‘09 Gregory Morrison, Trinity ‘11
3
Our Heart Is Unquiet Until It Rests in You A Reflection on Matthew 11:28-30
Matt Gay, Trinity ‘11
Rest is a hard thing to find at Duke. The academic culture tells us that we are to earn good marks, engage in as many extra-curricular activities as we can handle, and develop meaningful relationships, all for the sake of gaining a sense of purpose for our lives. Students are not only expected to succeed, but to do so in a manner that appears ‘effortless’ by displaying a strong confidence in their own abilities. This performance-based culture fosters an inappropriate relationship with work. The problem is not necessarily the work itself, but rather an inner desire to prove one’s worth to others. This intrinsic yearning to legitimize oneself makes all work not directly related to that goal exhausting. In the film Chariots of Fire, Harold, commenting on his upcoming race, remarks that he will only have 10 lonely seconds to justify his whole existence. Like Harold, we too feel that our time at Duke is meant to justify who we are. We suffer from a deep need of rest—not just physical rest, but rest for the soul. What does it mean to rest? We read in Genesis 1 that God rested after he saw that all he had created was “very good.” The God of the universe, who never tires, rested. Resting is not just a physical rest, but a satisfaction in what has been accomplished. We further read in Hebrews 4, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” To enter into faith in Christ is to be truly satisfied; it is to say that we are free from the pressures of seeking after worldly approval because all the work that we need to do is finished. To be a Christian is to say, “I rest not on my work, but on Christ’s work, who is the perfect mediator and intercedes for me even now.” This should fill us with joy and assurance, not based on who we are or what we’ve done, but rather, what God has done in his plan of salvation to secure us to himself. Augustine famously writes in Confessions, “You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.” Augustine asserts that the only way one can experience true rest is in God. Our lack of rest stems from our inability to see Jesus as the giver of satisfaction. Instead of obeying God and experiencing the peace of rest, we are prone to seek rest in our efforts and our acceptance in others. However, Jesus invites broken people to himself and promises to give them rest. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, not only promises us rest, but also shows us how to find it: “Take my yoke upon you—it is easy and my burden is light.” To receive this yoke is to be set free from restlessness and condemnation. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because his death and resurrection accomplished salvation for those in Christ. On the cross, he stood as our substitute and experienced infinite restlessness, receiving the wrath of God that we rightfully deserve in order that sinners would be reconciled and restored to their creator. Paul says in Romans 3 that the one who has faith in Jesus has been “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption
4
“Come to me, all who l laden, and I will give yo upon you, and learn fr tle and lowly in heart, a for your souls. For my burden is
Matthew 1
labor and are heavy ou rest. Take my yoke rom me, for I am genand you will find rest yoke is easy, and my s light.”
that is in Christ Jesus.” God imputes righteousness to sinners, declaring them righteous in his sight so that God is able to look at us in Christ and say it is “very good.” This is the glory of the gospel: God restores our relationship to our creator despite our sin. We are not justified by anything we have done, not on our own merit, but through Christ’s gracious gift. Augustus Toplady sums this up nicely, “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to your cross I cling.” This frees us to rest in the knowledge of God that he loves us in Christ. There is no other work that remains unfinished. God is satisfied through the work of his Son. Christ’s death is complete; there is nothing left for us to do but to enter into the joy and peace of knowing that it is finished. The more we know God, the more we experience his riches of grace and mercy, and the more his peace will calm our soul.
11:28-30
What would it look like if students at Duke enjoyed God’s way of rest? The gospel has strong implications for how we should treat the relationship between work and rest. Jesus invites us to rest in God’s gracious promise that the work is finished. We should respond in faith and repentance, not out of fear of condemnation but out of fear of the mercy of God in Christ. It is a continual struggle to avoid the pitfall of unhealthy perfectionism, with all of its anxieties and self-criticisms, but in Christ we find freedom in trusting in the Father’s complete control of all of life. This mindset of cultivating the Sabbath into our daily work can be frightening. It contradicts everything society tells us. We are, in fact, slaves to our insecurities, cultural expectations and the fear of man. But once we let go of the chains that bind us and look to Jesus as the giver of rest, we will experience the peace of God.
Matt is a Trinity sophomore majoring in Biology. He is involved with Reformed University Fellowship and enjoys playing the guitar and tennis in his free time.
5
Children of the Transfiguration: Student Preacher Sunday: February 22, 2009 Gregory Morrison, Trinity ‘11
Jesus turns and says, “Hey, why don’t y’all climb this mountain with me before we go to bed?” Now, I like a pre-bedtime mountain expedition as much as the next guy, but I bet it wasn’t what the three disciples had in mind. They struggle to their feet anyway and follow Jesus up the mountain, a mountain which, by the way, probably didn’t have the best marked hiking trails. Then they witness the Transfiguration. They witness the Transfiguration. When I can’t picture an event, I seek out those who can. The Renaissance master Raphael painted the Transfiguration – a transcendent representation of the event. In his depiction the sky is a dark–but still royal–blue, a lot like Duke blue, actually. Jesus appears in the center of the painting larger than all of the other figures. A blindingly pure white light surrounds him and illuminates the painting. Jesus is the sun. Jesus is the light. His raises his arms; he presents his palms to the viewer. Moses and Elijah stare fixedly at him, wading through the blue night towards the light. Cast about on the ground, muscles tense, heads and eyes covered, lay the three disciples, quaking with fear. Raphael’s painting almost makes sound. You can virtually hear the rustle of Jesus’ brilliantly white clothes. When I look at the painting, I can hear the voice of God saying “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” Through Peter, James, and John, Jesus was transfigured before all of us, though we live two thousand years after the voice of God spoke from the cloud. Their witness gives us access to an astounding fundamental truth: Jesus, just as he is fully human, is also fully God. In the Transfiguration, the disciples receive concrete proof that Jesus is completely human and completely God – without confusion, without separation, and without division. What, exactly, is a “transfiguration” though? It is a change–a change in outward form. We’ve heard a lot about change, haven’t we? It’s been a change election. The economy is changing. The world is changing, becoming more disparate, more dangerous. On the streets of every town in America we hear ever more frequently, the plaintive “Ma’am can you spare some change?” It’s been said before: the only constant is, in fact, change. But this is not the change sermon, because change alone is wholly insufficient to describe transfiguration. You don’t come out of the beauty parlor with a new hairdo and say that you’ve been transfigured because, you see, transfiguration has an added dimension of exaltation and glorification. On the mountain, Jesus changes his appearance, but is not, fundamentally, changed in essence. The “change” part of the Transfiguration reveals something that is unchanging: the double nature of Christ as both man and God. The physical transformation of Jesus is not the point. What is on display during the Transfiguration is Jesus becoming wholly divine before his disciples, a human face changing into the face of God. Peter, James, and John get to see a change from humanity into divinity. They get to see the man they know and love revealed as divine, known and loved by God the Father. This revelation through change – that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine – is only half of what takes place on the mountaintop: the Transfiguration also profoundly changes the three disciples.
6
On the mountain with Moses and Elijah, Jesus was glorified. But I submit that there is yet another part to transfiguration. Jesus,
8
Moses and Elijah were only half the participants in the action. The three disciples were there too, don’t forget, and their involvement is equally important. The disciples bore witness to the glorification of Jesus, the son of God, and it is the act of witnessing that I believe truly makes transfiguration. A transfiguration must, in some sense, have a witness to be valid. The presence of the three disciples is what makes the event so meaningful. What would have been the point, after all, of a secluded divine pow wow among Jesus, Moses and Elijah aside from trading the wisdom of the prophet profession? Without the witness of the disciples, the event would have lost its power over us as Christians seeking better to know who God really is. It is our duty as Christians to bear witness to the revelation of the Transfiguration: Jesus is God. Just as the Transfiguration of Jesus would have been meaningless without the participation of the disciples, so too would the assumption of Elijah into heaven have been meaningless without the witness of Elisha. In the Old Testament story we’ve just heard, when the two prophets reach the appointed place at the appointed time, Elijah asks if he could do a last favor for his pupil. Elisha asks Elijah, “Give me a double portion of your spirit. Help me to be more wise. Help me to be a greater soul. Help me to prophesy with more courage.” But to get his wish, Elisha must bear witness. When the chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire tore him asunder and the whirlwind came down from the heavens, did Elisha hide his face? Did Elisha run away? No. He bore witness. Like Peter, James, and John, Elisha’s participation made him a witness. And his witness made a transfiguration. As a place of study and religion, eruditio et religio, Duke is a hub of knowledge and of faith. The same teacher-student relationship that Elijah had with Elisha and Jesus had with his disciples characterizes this university. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of allowing professors to announce to their Monday classes that they heard a student compare them favorably to Elijah and Jesus at the Chapel. I think they might have a few more publications to work through before we can begin discussions of Jesus-type tenure. But I do want to suggest that this University equips students with knowledge and that across campus and off-campus—in the Chapel, in churches, in synagogues, in mosques—the Duke community tends a garden of faith. In these dual roles, as a center of knowledge and as a place of faith, the University can, and does, I think, prepare witnesses for the world. I believe that every Christian has the duty to bear witness, but I want to take that a step further. Every Christian also has a transfigurational duty. When confronted with the mystery and the vibrancy and the novelty of the Transfiguration, Raphael, perhaps ignorantly, perhaps fully aware, birthed his own transfiguration. Under his hand, a blank canvass became a vehicle for experiencing the divine. As an artist, he changed one thing into another. As a Christian he did it for the glory of God. I was able to bear witness to a type of transfiguration over Winter break. I visited Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most superb cities in the country. On the streets of Charleston, in the market, African-American women sit and make baskets made from the sweet grass that grows in the low country marshes. It is a skill passed down from generation to generation, mothers teaching daughters, aunts teaching nieces, grandmothers teaching granddaughters. The women take thousands of blades of grass and weave them together to make world-famous
7
baskets of all types. Big baskets and little baskets, circular baskets and oval baskets, tall baskets and stubby baskets, baskets with lids and collapsible baskets, baskets with handles and baskets without. There is literally an endless variety from season to season, year to year. The weaver women of Charleston take the reeds of the marsh and change them into baskets. They make weeds into works of art. That’s the bottom line. They are transfigurational artists. By the grace of God, you and I can make weeds into works of art too. You’ve heard the saying “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade?” I don’t mean to be trite, but when you see weeds, make baskets. Bearing witness to the Transfiguration means that we see the change brought about in Christ and recognize the truth of his double nature. In recognizing that truth, we are ourselves changed, and because of that, we are called to be the agents of change in others. God plucked us from the marshes and made us into baskets for the bounty of Christ. We see reeds in the marsh–poverty, homelessness, ignorance, fear– and as witnesses to the Transfiguration we must stop, take notice, and become artists. Jesus was a man of the world. He ate with tax collectors and prophesied to Samaritan women. He healed the daughters of occupying Roman soldiers and touched lepers. As he moved through his life, as he lived as a man, he saw the reeds around him and made baskets. On the mount of the Transfiguration, the disciples saw everything in fullness and were transformed. They knew Jesus was God. Today when you walk out of the doors of this Chapel, know, really know, that Jesus is God. Through the three disciples, that is how the Transfiguration changes us. Armed with that conviction, be prepared to assume yourself a transfigurational mantle. Once we come face-to-face with the reality of the transfigured Christ, we can never put down that mantle. We are people of the world just as Jesus was. We must see the reeds around us, just as Jesus saw them, and with his help, we can be like the basket weavers of Charleston. We can become transfigurational Christians. Peter’s initial, stunned reaction to what he saw on the mountain was to build a tabernacle. He wanted to exalt God by creating a holy space. He wanted to create a place of faith. He wanted to make a space that would bear witness to what he had just seen. Peter wanted to have a hand in transfiguring the landscape. In the Transfiguration, God calls us directly; he speaks to us without an interpreter. Second Corinthians hits the nail smack dab on the head: “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” In the blinding brilliance on the mountain top, God showed Peter, James, and John, who are ultimately people just like you and me, that God was human, and, in Jesus Christ, humanity was God. In the transfigured face of Jesus, the disciples see truth. In the voice of God they hear truth. In their bones, they feel truth. The transfigured Christ is calling us to be transfigurational people. The Christ of Saint Mark, the Christ in shining raiment, whiter than any earthy snow, calls us to lead Christian lives that go beyond sin and confession, that transcend witness. He is calling us, if you will, to go into the world, making grasses into baskets, making blank canvasses into works of art. The Transfiguration, for all of its holy mystery, simply showed us the humanity of God and the God in all of humanity. One of us is to be the tabernacle-building Peter. One is to be the basket weaving lady. One is to be the painter Raphael. We are all, somehow, called to be children of the Transfiguration.
Gregory Morrison is a Trinity sophomore majoring in History and Public Policy. He regularly attends services at Duke Chapel. In his free time he enjoys reading and travel.
About Student Preacher Sunday
Each year Duke Chapel selects an undergraduate to deliver a sermon on Student Preacher Sunday. All undergraduates are invited to apply. Sermons are evaluated by a Chapel committee. Criteria for selection include relevace of the sermon to that Sunday’s Scripture, sermon delivery and appropriateness of subject matter for a Chapel service. Submissions are typically due mid-January.
Student Preacher Sunday is an event sponsored by PathWays. Gregory’s sermon and past student sermons can be viewed at: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/pathways/studentpreacher.html
8
Serving Christ Over Spring Break: PathWays travels to Honduras Left: Brandon Hudson, a Duke alum and current PathWays fellow, traveled to Honduras on a spring break mission trip with the chapel. He is shown here working on the Habitat for Humanity site in Santa Rosa de Copan.
Right: Christian Pikaart, a Trinity senior, is one of several undergraduates who resides in the PathWays house in Durham’s West End. Christian and his housemates seek to build relationships with the people of Durham when they are in town. Christian is shown here playing with children at an orphanage in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras.
Left: After working hard, the Habitat for Humanity group challenged some members of the community to a friendly game of soccer. Both teams are pictured together.
9
Recreational Hookups or Emotional Hangups? Kylie Harrell, Trinity ‘09
Every August the incoming freshman at Duke attend The Real Deal—a mandatory orientation event that purports to “help you make responsible social decisions at Duke.” No doubt this event is just as rousing every year as it was when I was a wide-eyed freshman. I admire Duke’s efforts to begin conversations about sexual behavior and abuse. However, this shocking presentation—that features everything from how to use a condom to the infamous “orgasm girl”—left me wondering what kind of social scene I had entered.
Oxytocin
Four years later, as I finish my senior year at Duke, I know too well the campus culture around me. What started with The Real Deal continued with other Duke-sponsored events like Safer Sex Week and the infamous Sex Workers Art Show. It is not just the events that bother me. It’s the culture they sustain and the effect they are having. Too many of my friends and peers have fallen victim to the notion that hooking-up is simply a fun weekend activity. Unfortunately, experience teaches otherwise. Every weekend, girls across Duke’s campus wake up sad and confused. The previous night’s choices have not left them fulfilled or content. My girlfriends always seem hurt while the guys easily move on to their next fling. Why are the women upset? After all, it was supposed to be just sex—just one of the “responsible social decisions” discussed in The Real Deal. Without an explanation for their emotions, my friends are left feeling used and embarrassed. All I can do is sit with these women while they let painful tears flow.
Too often we live for temporal pleasure. In doing so we forego the immense blessings God desires to bestow if we choose to live according to His good and perfect will. Our Creator designed us to be connected intimately to one person in marriage.
Our women’s center and sexual health groups failed to tell us the whole truth. They may warn of the physical risks of “unsafe sex” but tend to ignore its emotional toll which also has biological roots. Research suggests that a hormone called oxytocin plays a role in the feelings of attachment and trust that women feel for their sexual partners. Female mammals primarily release oxytocin while giving birth and breast feeding and the hormone facilitates mother-child bonding. Oddly enough, the same hormone is also released during sexual contact causing a sense of attachment. In men, oxytocin’s effects are neutralized by the release of testosterone. Did you catch that ladies? There is a biological explanation for the way you feel and the way he doesn’t feel.
16
I had always thought casual sex had different consequences for men and women. My Christian faith teaches that sex outside of marriage can have detrimental effects on relationships. Too often we live for temporal pleasure. In doing so we forego the immense blessings God desires to bestow if we choose to live according to His good and perfect will. Our Creator designed us to be connected intimately to one person in marriage. God does not set limits to restrict us from having fun, but guides us to the lifestyle in which we can most fully know Him and His blessings. Thus, it makes sense that choosing to live outside of this order would cause pain. Now, I can back up with scientific evidence what I already knew through faith. College women at Duke are suffering emotional pain that’s not only avoidable—but, predictable. Why were we not told this four years ago? Why was this important scientific information absent from The Real Deal? Of all the resources on Duke’s student health website including women’s and sexual health information, oxytocin is not mentioned once. The explanation is a radical feminist agenda that has a foothold in women’s health discussions. As Dr. Miriam Grossman, a psychiatrist at UCLA suggests in her book, Unprotected, “I once assumed campus medicine and psychology had one priority: student well-being. I'm no longer so naive. Radical politics pervades my profession, and common sense has vanished.” To propose that “safe” sexual experimentation may not be emotionally healthy and may be more dangerous for women than men is not politically correct. It jeopardizes the sexually liberated culture Duke and radical ideologies bolster. At Duke, sexual freedom trumps sexual health. The Real Deal fails to give women all the information they need to make good sexual choices. Encouraging the use of latex, getting tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases, and having Plan B on hand just in case may protect a woman’s physical health but does not protect a woman’s emotions or psyche. In attempts to control the negative consequences of its hook-up culture, Duke simply encourages students to practice “safer sex.” But it fails to realize that sex without commitment cannot be “safe” at all. I will continue to sit with my girlfriends as they work through their heartache. At least now I have the essential information that’s needed to make “responsible social decisions at Duke.” Maybe next year the incoming freshman will hear something new. Maybe next year, The Real Deal will give them the whole truth and actually accomplish its goal.
Kylie Harrell is a senior at Duke University and a Public Policy major. At Duke she has been involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Financial Aid Initiative. She is originally from Austin, Texas and plans on beginning law school this fall.
11
The Eruditio Part: Chrissy Booth, Trinity ‘10
Faith and Scholarship at Duke
As evidenced by the consistent crowds in Perkins and the “Study like a Rock Star” t-shirts around campus, few endeavors claim priority over scholarship in Duke students’ schedules. Committed to lofty goals and the pursuit of challenging careers, our student body is not lacking in determination. Among benefits like preparing us for future occupations and developing analytical skills, I believe dedication to studying can also point us toward Christ. Certainly students can respond to Paul’s challenge: “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23) by simply adjusting their motivation for studying. They can direct their efforts toward preparation for service and not just focus on achievement or recognition. To work for the glory of God is both admirable and inspiring. These are some ways faith can influence studying, but how can scholarship, in turn, influence faith?
“An expert in the law tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:35-38
While I principally expected to learn about God in Duke’s Religion Department, I was surprised by the influence my first biology class had on my faith. With each successive class, the complexity of life and the perfection and ingenuity of God’s creation were cast in an entirely new light. Trees are beautiful outward creations, but how much more incredible that God created photosynthesis to sustain them! The microscopic series of events orchestrated by God to keep one creature alive seemed miraculous. As my prayers became increasingly nerdy with gratitude for neurons and the Krebs cycle, I realized anew how amazing God is. In addition to expanding my concept of God’s character, the very process of learning teaches skills applicable to faith. Realizing more and more how much they cannot understand, scholars learn to be humble. From the frustration of attempting problems only to encounter new road blocks, they learn patience and diligence. Struggling through difficult classes can teach students not only how to perform better in school, but also how to study scripture and even worship with more determination and curiosity. Like so many of the classes we take, Christianity can be challenging and confusing. Presented with these problems in class, students cannot become frustrated by complexity and forfeit. They relentlessly question and expand upon that which they know,
16
with their understanding of the subject growing. Among those who have grown in their faith by means of scholarship is Saint Jerome, patron of theological learning. Responding to a dream in which he was called a ‘Ciceronian, not a Christian,’ Saint Jerome chose the path of a scholar to become a more dedicated Christian. He threw himself into studying Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Best known for his translation of the Vulgate, he analyzed the linguistic subtleties of Scripture and seemed to worship God by devoting his mind to these studies. His story reminds the church of the value of academic rigor, especially as a way to better understand God’s word. Reading over the Greatest Commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind” (Matthew 22:37), I have wondered before whether there is any conflict between loving God with all your heart and with all your mind. It seems as though friction might exist between heart-felt emotion and a more academic understanding of theology – between feeling God’s love and knowing of God’s love. Rather than creating a disturbance, I think the two complement each other and offer a comprehensive view of faith. Because so much about God is beyond the scope of our own knowledge, we can only attempt to come closer to comprehending the expanse of mercy, grace, or power. An effort to understand God can reveal more and more the full picture of his character. In this process, Christians cannot help but become more grateful for and amazed by what they learn. As the popular song put it, “To know Him is to love Him.” Christians are, at times, accused of practicing an unexamined faith sustained by nothing more than tradition and emotion. The accusation holds that children simply accept the religion of their parents without pausing to sift through Scripture and consider its message. The result, I suppose, is a mechanical version of Christianity: going to church, following a few rules, repeating a prayer. When faith does not grow, it risks becoming stifled. If Christianity becomes routine instead of exciting, or fills people with indifference instead of awe, a key component is lacking. The dull process of going through the motions of religion could be transformed by the values of scholarship. What if we sought to know God with the diligence and patience demanded by scientific research, to express mercy like poets, or to comprehend the magnitude of grace with the curiosity of physicists? I certainly have not mastered these disciplines, but I think the reminder to fight complacency when learning about God’s character is an important one. The desire to analyze, discover, and understand more about faith in the manner of a scholar can draw us closer to Christ and help us appreciate time spent studying God’s word. Considering Duke University’s motto of “Eruditio et Religio,” I am too often inclined to separate the two: to consider the pursuit of knowledge and the pursuit of faith separately. Having been surprised by the ways each can influence the other, I believe the combination of our motto’s values contributes to a strong and thoughtful faith and invigorates our efforts to know God.
Chrissy Booth is a Trinity junior majoring in Religion and also studying Global Health. She regularly attends Blacknall Presbyterian Church and is a member of Campus Crusade for Christ.
13
Where I Serve Christ In Durha St For Christians, a vital component of living "the good life" is service. Jesus said to his disciples, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve" (Mark 10.45). In the Gospels Christ frequently flips traditional social hierarchies upside down. One of the most powerful images in the entire New Testament is when Jesus gets down on his hands and knees and washes the feet of his disciples (John 13). As Christians, one of the surest ways we can emulate the life of Jesus is to serve others. Below we highlight some of the many ways Duke students worship Christ through their service in Durham.
Volunteering with HCEP at the Duke Hospital
Toward the end of my freshman year, through the Health Careers Exploration Program, I started volunteering in the cardio unit at Duke Hospital. My job was to ensure that each patient was satisfied with his care and had everything he needed. On the first day of volunteering, I proudly put on my hospital I.D. and strolled to the cardio unit only to be told to leave by several disgruntled patients. As it turns out, after hours of heart surgery, most of the elderly patients are disinterested in a conversation with a college student. At the hospital I felt like I was encroaching on the privacy of the patients and was an impediment to the staff/ I came to dread my volunteer hours. One afternoon, I decided to give HCEP another chance and tried to keep an open mind. I went to the hospital and attempted to converse with the patients and be as pleasant as possible. While many of the patients still dismissed me, I found that there were a few people who needed someone to keep them company and listen. Of all the patients I spoke with, one in particular left a more lasting impression on me. With one leg, leathery skin, and weary eyes, this man certainly had the battle wounds of a person who had seen and been through a great deal of hardship. When I first entered his room, he seemed gruff and unapproachable, but as I initiated conversation his rough exterior disintegrated, and he began to tell me about himself. The next four hours raced by as he recounted his life story. My new friend spoke of fighting in Vietnam, his relationship with his wife and son, and most importantly his acceptance of Christianity. I have never fought in battle, never worried about feeding my family, and never struggled with a marital relationship, but because of my religion I felt connected to this man. Our common, uniting belief prompted one of the most interesting conversations of my life. As we shared our thoughts and doubts the hours passed, and in doing so truly gave glory to God. Katie Saba Trinity ‘11
14
am: tudent Reflections on Service Serving I see God in people, and I feel God through working with them. I come from a town which is now majority Hispanic, in which many people are dealing with no legal papers BUILD and poorly paying jobs. A lot of my classmates did not have the luxury of joining sports teams or the marching band because they had to go out and work to help support their families. Many of my peers went directly to work after high school, not even applying to college, because they knew they could not afford it and needed to make money on their own. It is with this experience that I came to Duke as a freshman. I participated in Project BUILD, which stands for Building Undergraduate Involvement in the Life of Durham. For me, serving the Latino/a community in Durham through Project BUILD and other opportunities was a way for me to serve God. Sometimes it is difficult to see God through some situations people live through, but I think this is how I can help serve as God's hands on earth. In return, the people with whom I worked taught me important lessons and shared their experiences with me. In those instants, I see God in them.
Communities in Project
Val Tornini Trinity ‘10
On Saturdays, a handful of dedicated students wake up early to volunteer their time at the Durham County Jail. Just before going upstairs to meet with the captives behind bullet proof windows, the students hold hands and pray with the other prison ministers in the lobby. For only one hour, the prison guards allow us to go upstairs to each of the jail house divisions (called "pods"). Occasionally, there is a 10:1 ratio of prisoners to students. The men and women in jail recognize the immense need for prayer. Speaking into someone’s life is such a rewarding experience, and to see positive changes as they encounter spiritual growth is speaking into someone’s life and seeing positive changes as they encounter spiritual growth is such a rewarding experience. The prison ministry is truly a practical example of Isaiah 61. Despite being locked up behind bars, inmates can still experience freedom and abundant life that extends beyond their present conditions.
Prison Ministries at the Durham County Jail
Seeing grown men moved to tears is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit and not of the influence of man. As we pray for God to come and meet us with his presence, He does! It is exciting to escape the college bubble of Duke University and step out into a reality in desperate need of good news and hope. In doing so, the volunteers encounter God on a deeper level and are amazed by the awesomeness of His love. Christian Richman Trinity ‘10
15
Why the Conflict? A Scientist’s Take on Christianity and Evolution Dr. Alex Glass, Earth and Ocean Science
The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (February 12th, 1809), and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work On the Origin of Species. According to darwinday.org the occasion is being marked with over 720 events in over 45 countries, celebrating the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, and the success of the scientific theory of evolution. But it is not just the scientific community that is celebrating this historic moment. Since 2006, religious congregations across the United States have been marking Darwin’s birthday with Evolution Weekend: a time to discuss and reflect on the harmony between the theory of evolution and religious faith. The 2009 event boasted 1045 participating Christian and Jewish congregations worldwide. Evolution Weekend originated as part of the Clergy Letter Project: over 11,000 Christian clergy have signed an open letter expressing their belief “that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist” and that the “theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests.” Despite a worldwide scientific consensus about evolution’s validity, and its embrace by many mainline denominations, evolution remains a controversial subject for many Christians. Darwin Day celebrations are taking place against a backdrop of well-financed efforts by mostly conservative Christians to challenge the teaching of evolution in America’s public schools. Since the beginning of the year, anti-evolution bills have been considered by state law makers in Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Iowa, Alabama, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. These bills seek to undermine the teaching of evolution and introduce sectarian religious alternatives such as scientific creationism and intelligent design creationism. They come on the heels of lawsuits and court battles in Dover, Pennsylvania (2005), Cobb County, Georgia (2005), and Lebec, California (2006) over the introduction of intelligent design creationism in public schools or the presence of disclaimer labels over the evolutionary contents of biology textbooks (i.e. “evolution is a theory, not a fact”). At the beginning of the 21st century, 35% of Americans believe that the theory of evolution is “one that has not been well-supported by evidence” and roughly 50% of Americans believe that humans were created by God in their present form (without evolutionary ancestry) at some point in the last 10,000 years. Whereas evolutionary biologists have countless reasons to celebrate the cutting edge of their highly successful science, American science educators remain puzzled as to why so many of their fellow citizens remain so skeptical. More important to the focus here, American Christians find themselves as divided as ever on the place of evolution in Christian thinking. Young-Earth Creationists (YECs), also known as scientific creationists, are by far the most politically active and organized form of antievolutionism. Despite legal setbacks for scientific creationists in the 1980s (“balanced treatment” of scientific creationism alongside evolution in public schools was declared unconstitutional), the movement continues to flourish, and much of their activities have shifted to local bodies such as school boards. YECs believe in a literal six-day creation week during which the universe, solar system, Earth, and all life was created roughly 6,000 – 10,000 years ago. Most of the rock record and its fossil content is the result of Noah’s Flood, which was nearly one year in duration. Humans were created separately from all other living creatures, ex nihilo, and evolution is limited to small-scale changes within “created kinds” (see
Genesis 1:21). Most YECs accept “small-scale” evolutionary changes, even speciation, but vehemently deny and discount the evidence for universal common descent. For example: groups such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals were all created separately. The evolution of bacterial resistance, varieties of horses, dogs, finches, laboratory fruit flies etc. are all considered “small-scale” evolution within God’s set limit of “kinds”. “Kinds” can bring forth a variety of species but never another “kind”. Where to draw the line between acceptable “small-scale” and unacceptable “largescale” evolution has not been well defined by YECs, but some have tried statistical comparisons (so called “baraminology”) to identify these boundaries. So far a consistent definition of “kind” is lacking. Acceptance of “smallscale” evolution is not necessarily driven by evidence in its favor but rather by supposed scriptural needs. YECs recognize that the number of animal taxa in need of shelter during a one-year world-wide flood would have far exceeded the ark’s carrying capacity. To save space, Noah only took representatives of each “kind”, such as a pair of “wolf kind” to give rise to the modern day diversity of canines, and a pair of “horse kind” to give rise to all modern equids (horses, zebras, quaggas, donkeys etc.). Although YEC is primarily viewed as a form of anti-evolutionism, its acceptance of Genesis as literal history ultimately puts it at odds with the findings of most of the modern physical and historical sciences. The YEC movement is largely driven by the Institute for Creation Research in Dallas, Texas, and Answers in Genesis in Petersburg, Kentucky. The latter has recently received much media attention for opening a multi-million dollar museum, exhibits of which portray a YEC’s history of our planet. Despite their shared dislike of evolution, Young Earth Creationists are vehemently critical of their more geologically-mainstream cousins, the Old-Earth Creationists (OECs). The degree to which evolution is accepted among OECs varies greatly. The more conservative among them generally agree with YECs view of evolution being limited to within “kinds.” However, most OECs accept the age of the Earth as supported by the findings of modern geology. For them, the “creation days” in Genesis are simply long geological periods and Noah’s Flood was local in extent and/or limited in effect. OECs accept the immense age of the rock record and see the successive appearance of different fossil groups therein as reflective of separate creation events. Some OECs disagree significantly with YECs about the order in which different animal groups were created. However, these arguments focus primarily on hermeneutics and the meaning of particular Hebrew words in Genesis, rather than on the observed fossil record. Perhaps the most widely known advocacy group for Old Earth Creationism is Reasons to Believe in Pasadena, California. The latest manifestation of anti-evolutionism in America is the Intelligent Design movement. Intelligent Design Creationists (IDC), or “theorists” as they prefer to call themselves, are not readily definable by a particular interpretation of Genesis. Hence, they do not hold to a unified view on the age of the Earth and the historicity of Noah’s Flood. Even the various degrees to which adherents of IDC accept evolution varies dramatically. When it comes to biological evolution, IDCs make a singular claim: that the formation of some complex biological structures or biochemical pathways required the intervention of an intelligent agent. In other words, naturalistic evolution, as understood, could not, without external guidance, bring forth some forms of biological complexity. This minimalist claim has successfully attracted the attention and support of even Christians outside the conservative community. Perhaps this is because IDC’s claim does not appear too different from theistic evolution, a view that holds that God created and oversaw evolution to bring forth living things. However, the similarity is only superficial. Theistic evolutionists see God as the source of and authority behind the natural process of evolution: it is God’s way of bringing forth living things without direct miraculous intervention but by working within the physical laws and boundaries of his creation. Hence, theistic evolutionists generally do not claim that God’s presence or “fingerprint” is empirically detectable in evolution. In contrast, IDC’s claim that evolution as a process is insufficient, requiring the designer to “miraculously interfere” with the system at certain stages. Critically, they also claim that the evidence of this external interference is empirically detectable. Although the IDC movement includes those who claim the designing was done by an alien race or by some innate property of the universe itself, the majority of IDCs take the designer to be the Christian God. This is
17
especially true for the biggest advocate of IDC, the conservative Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington. Long-term observers of anti-evolutionism see the IDC movement as an adaptive response to the legal failures of the young-Earth creationist efforts in the 1980s. By stripping this newest form of anti-evolutionism of its biblical and theistic connections (“we are only arguing for the presence of a designer, not necessarily a supernatural one”), the IDC movement seeks to overcome issues over the separation of church and state that have kept earlier versions of anti-evolutionism out of the public classroom. This goal, however, was dealt a heavy blow by a Federal District court in Pennsylvania in 2005 when it not only recognized intelligent design “theory” as being inseparable from its religious roots but also ruled that it failed to meet the criteria for being science. Although the district court’s ruling created no binding decisions to courts outside of its jurisdiction, it sets an important precedent for and is expected to influence any potential future rulings on the subject at the level of the Supreme Court. The casual observer of the debate usually dismisses antievolutionism as being caused by scientific ignorance. Hence, the popular notion has arisen that anti-evolutionism can be remedied by more education. This view has been widely embraced by educators and scientists alike, perhaps in part because it comfortably fits into their rationalist worldview. Unfortunately, this view ignores the fact that, for many conservative Christians, antievolutionism goes hand in hand with a general lack of confidence in modern scientific or rational inquiry. Pointing to scriptural references, such as 1 Corinthians 1:18-20, 26-27, Colossians 2:8, Romans 1-19-22, and 2 Peter 3-7, conservative anti-evolutionists effectively discount rational conclusions and immunize themselves against scientific evidence. Surely, efforts to improve the teaching of evolution are very welcome and are ever more necessary to counteract the grassroots-level pressure that school teachers experience from members of their local community. However, reaching the conservative source of anti-evolutionism will have to go beyond increasing the amount of readily available scientific information and/or how this information is conveyed. The great diversity of anti-evolutionist positions hides a key unifying principle: the belief that an acceptance of evolution leads to immorality. From racism, communism, and the holocaust, to abortion rights, stem-cell research, and homosexuality, all are linked to an acceptance that humans have evolved from lower animals. After all, if your ancestor was an animal, what will keep you from acting like one? Such ad consequentiam arguments are very persuasive, especially where long-winded scientific and theological arguments fail. You don’t have to be particularly well-versed in science and theology to understand that you don’t want to associate with “evolutionists” such as Stalin or Hitler. Indeed, it is the writer’s opinion that a fear over the moral consequences of accepting evolution is the primary motivation behind anti-evolutionism. Many people will be unable or unwilling to see where the evidence for the origins of life’s diversity leads as long as they believe that evolution is at the root of society’s evils. Christians face numerous challenges at the dawn of the 21st century, including poverty, hunger, and widespread social injustice. In light of these more pressing issues, is anti-evolutionism really something Christians should actively engage? There is no easy answer to this question, but Christians should consider carefully. The scientific community’s perception of what Christianity teaches has been heavily influenced by its interaction with the most vocal and active anti-evolutionists. The misunderstanding has been exacerbated by the fact that many mainstream scientists, who are also Christians, have kept silent, largely out of fear of being ostracized for sharing the faith of anti-evolutionists. This will have to change dramatically as Christians could provide much needed leadership in addressing the theological and ethical issues that anti-evolutionists bring to the table. In order to effectively oppose pseudoscience and poor theology at the beginning of the 21st century, science and religion are in ever greater need for each other’s perspective. Perhaps that is something to celebrate.
Dr. Alex Glass is an invertebrate paleontologist teaching in the Nicholas School of the Environment in the division of Earth and Ocean Sciences. His time is split between his research of the fossil record of echinoderms (e.g. brittlestars) and science education. He has been an active participant in the creation-evolution debate for over 15 years, reaching out to the faith community in the form of lectures, discussions, workshops, and Bible studies. He is currently co-leading Duke's Science and Religion Discussion Group. Dr. Glass is a self-described agnostic.
18
Spring Breaks of Service:
Snapshots of Student Experiences
Pathways at Duke Chapel sponsored a spring break mission trip for eight undergraduates and three graduate students to join with the Costa Rican church to complete the construction of a new church in the Changuena region. This project was under the direction of Costa Rica Mission Projects, directed by Duke Divinity School alumnus Reverend Will Bailey.
Students in the class Global Health 211 have been studying ‘Healing in the Developing World and Care of the Underserved’ with respect to medical and theological considerations. Taught by Dr. David Walmer and Dr. Keith Meador, the course emphasizes the importance of restoring broken relationships as the primary goal of care giving. The class traveled to Leogane and Fondwa, Haiti during spring break. Students ran a nutritional assessment at a remote school in Fondwa (right).
Each year Duke Chapel takes students to Christ in the Desert Monastery to spend spring break with Benedictine monks. The group joins the monks as they worship seven times per day, beginning at 4 a.m. Prayer and theological reflection are key components of living the good life.
19
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Katie Swails, Trinity ‘11
In ninth grade, I invited one of my best friends to go to summer camp with me. While we were there, she started “camp dating” this guy who went to my church. They were several campfires into their relationship when the guy started making comments about how “hot” another one of the girls at the camp was, mentioning her thin physique. My friend seemed upset, but it wasn’t until a few months after camp ended that I found out that the incident had led her to disAn unerring God handordered eating. His crafted us, knowing all our comments made her feel so bad about herstrengths and weaknesses, self that she had and He loves us uncondition- nearly stopped nourally. If we truly believe that, ishing her body. At the young age of fourhow could we possibly not teen, I encountered love our bodies as He does? eating disorders for the first time, and it absolutely shocked me. A few years later, another friend of mine was diagnosed with an eating disorder when she went off to college, having lost over 30 pounds in one month. Once I got to Duke, I was bombarded with girls who had problems with eating or selfimage. Because of this problem, we hear all sorts of secular talks on body image and healthy eating habits—Duke talks about “effortless perfection” constantly. All of these programs are great, and spreading awareness about the problem is important, but I think that an integral aspect of the equation is missing: What does God have to say about body image and disordered eating? And as it turns out, He has plenty to say! As Christians, we believe God to be unerring. Well, in the very beginning, God created men and women “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), and then looked at us and said that we were good (Genesis 1:31). The Psalms demonstrate God’s purposefulness in creating each one of us: "For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:1314). This passage shows that God meant to make each one of us exactly as we are―He "knit" us before we were born and made a plan for our lives. But more than this, God's 20
works are wonderful, and therefore we, as one of His works, are also wonderful. An unerring God handcrafted us, knowing all of our strengths and weaknesses, and He loves us unconditionally. If we truly believe that, how could we possibly not love our bodies as He does? Another point in the Bible that speaks to this topic is in Proverbs 31:10-31, when Solomon describes a woman of noble character. Not once in this passage does God mention that this woman needs to be a size 00. Nor does the passage mention anything about her looks. In fact, Solomon describes the woman as “clothed with strength and dignity” saying “Beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” This nobility of the woman’s strength of character in the eyes of the Lord has nothing to do with her outward appearance. Instead she has prepared herself inwardly, and God “gives her the reward she deserves.” It is so relieving to be able to know that God’s notion of beauty differs from that of Cosmo. We can accept healthy versions of ourselves and work on the beauty that God rewards. At Duke, we live in a culture of being focused on “effortless perfection.” People say that it is an impossible standard to meet, which would be true if we were on our own, but we are not. By trusting in Jesus, we are seen as perfect in the eyes of God, which is all that matters. I am absolutely not advocating for forgetting about healthy lifestyles all together. However, there is a fine line to balance. Going to the gym is great, but doing cardio workouts for hours until your body is exhausted is harmful. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables is fantastic, but you have to make sure that you are taking in enough calories for your body. Eating disorders are not physical problems—they are psychological diseases that need treatment. This is not something that can be handled on our own. With God’s love and assurance, it can be overcome.
Katie Swails is a Trinity sophomore majoring in Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology. She is involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, Hoof ‘n’ Horn, Deja Blue, and ADPi. In her free time, she loves learning about bonobos and dancing around her room.
21
The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God
Matthew Keshian, Trinity ‘11
Deafening silence crept in around me while millions of dazzling stars screamed from the darkened sky beyond. Shooting stars waltzed about the night sky, playfully bouncing back and forth against the black expanse. I was one of just a few human beings for hundreds of miles around, and the night sky, free of all the light pollution to which we city slickers are so accustomed, seemed to celebrate the isolation. The words of the Psalmist inescapably alighted on my mind: “The heavens are telling the glory of God.” Last summer I spent some time on Little Corn Island, a tropical paradise less than three square kilometers in size situated about 70 kilometers off the eastern coast of Nicaragua. Every night, on my way to bed, I would lie still on the beach or the bluff overlooking the ocean, listening to the waves gently lap up against the rocks and watching the stars prance carelessly against a backdrop of black sky, alone in the grand theater of nature. It is times like these that the paradox of Psalm 19 occupies my thoughts: creation silently but forcefully exalting the omnipotent God, creator of all the Earth. Fill in the blank with your preferred location. Take your pick of scenery. Choose a wild animal to observe in its natural habitat. Regardless of the circumstance, all of nature points back to our Creator God, proclaiming His glory and pronouncing His magnificence. The Psalmist opens Psalm 19 with: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.” Emphasizing the potency of the creation’s message, the Psalmist writes with parallelism, employing a chiastic structure to drive home his central theme. The entire Psalm relies on an ironically wordless proclamation that powerfully reaches to the ends of the earth. God’s creation renders human words impotent in the face of such splendor: “There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” No speech, no words, no voice, but the message echoes to the far corners of the world. Evoking the imagery that Isaiah uses to describe God as a bridegroom rejoicing over His bride, Israel, the Psalmist portrays the sun as the bridegroom. Suggesting a nuptial brand of intimacy, he declares: “In the heavens, he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.” The Psalmist accentuates the universality of God’s glory, equating it to the inescapable sun: “It is rising from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.” Like the sun’s unavoidable heat, God’s glory permeates all of creation.
22
The Psalmist continues to praise the Lord’s majesty and honor with extraordinary imagery in Psalm 104: “You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.” The Psalmist employs personification to convey that God’s power overwhelms creation: “You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys, to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.” God provides abundantly for creation, which rejoices in return: “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst. By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.” God supplies the needs of humans: “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.” He provides water for the trees, nests for the birds, mountains for the goats, refuge for the rabbits, food for the lions, and work for the humans. Let us rejoice in our Creator’s abundant provision and praise His magnificence that is reflected so wonderfully in nature. “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” I often find that when I’m immersed in God’s creation, reI often find that when I’m immersed moved from the monotony of my quotidian existence, the awesomein God’s creation, removed from the ness of creation overwhelms me with reckless abandon. Whether I’m casting a fly line in a mountain stream or summiting a volcano in monotony of my quotidian existence, Guatemala, I’m constantly reminded of humanity’s transience and of God’s heavenly creativity and imagination. Last summer, I had the the awesomeness of creation privilege of working at one of South Carolina’s state parks, an experioverwhelms me with reckless ence that confronted me daily with God’s beauty manifested in my natural surroundings. We should all take time like this to imbibe the abandon. work of our Creator God. I’m not saying that everyone should become a park ranger or take up fly fishing, but I am suggesting that we all make a concerted effort to, every once in a while, get away from campus for the weekend and immerse ourselves in the outdoors. Take advantage of the pristine acreage the state of North Carolina has set aside in the mountains or on the coast. At the very least, do what few other Dukies make the time to do and stroll through the Duke Forest or explore one of many foot trails at the Eno River State Park. Whenever our workload moves us to despair, or the follies of life threaten to consume us, we should take a look at our natural surroundings and hearken back to Psalms 19 and 104. We must not lose sight of the fact that God created us with the same purpose as the birds of the air and the fish of the sea: to glorify Him, whether wordlessly or vociferously. The words of the Psalmist convey this beautifully: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works – who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!” Matthew is a Trinity sophomore from Winston-Salem, NC double-majoring in History and Public Policy. He enjoys traveling, reading, politics, tennis, backpacking, fly fishing, kayaking, climbing, scuba diving, and generally anything and everything outdoors.
23
Perspectives: The Role of A Dr. Pepper on the Rocks
Andy Crewson, Trinity ‘09
Let me get one thing straight: I do not think drinking a mug of beer is inherently wrong or sinful. And I certainly don’t think that choosing to drink disqualifies one from being a Christian. That being said, I do think abstaining from alcohol best bears witness to the heart of God. There are two categories of drinking that need to be addressed: first, drinking to the point of drunkenness, and second, responsible social drinking. Scripture makes it clear that drunkenness is a sin. Paul says, “Let us live honorably…not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:13). Drunkenness is likewise found in lists of sinful behavior elsewhere in the New Testament (Galatians 5:21, 1 Peter 4:3). Why is drunkenness a sin? It is indisputable that consuming alcohol to the point of being drunk is very unhealthy. Christians are called to respect the body as part of God’s beautiful creation. “Or do you not know”, Paul proclaims, “that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Health reasons aside, Scripture also knows that people do not act their best when intoxicated. Genesis tells the story of Lot, who gets drunk and unknowingly commits shameful sexual acts with his daughters (Gen. 19:30-38). In the modern world, we are not unfamiliar with the atrocities committed by drunken persons. In 2007 an estimated 12,998 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes—a figure that represents 31.7% of all traffic fatalities in the United States. Furthermore, it’s no secret that alcohol abuse is highly correlated with domestic violence and sexual abuse as well. It seems fairly conclusive to me that both Scripture and statistics teach us that drinking to the point of drunkenness is never a way to celebrate God’s glory and should be avoided by Christians. Responsible social drinking differs from drunkenness in major ways. It is not unhealthy, runs little risk of harming others, and keeps the focus on people instead of liquor. There is nothing inherently wrong with drinking responsibly, and if everyone did so I would join my friends for a beer over the next football game. The problem is that we live in a world where alcohol is badly abused, and the consequences of such abuse are beyond tragic. Our question becomes the following: does the existence of the alcohol industry exert a positive or negative effect on society? In some respects, it is a difficult question to answer. Alcohol can be used to bring people together and to facilitate celebrations. On the other hand, thousands and thousands of people die each year due to its misuse and many more are mistreated severely. While it is difficult to quantify these varying aspects, it seems to me that the negatives greatly outweigh the positives, leading to the conclusion that the alcohol industry exerts a net negative effect on society. Each of us, as a consumer, wields a financial power. Every time you buy a good in the marketplace, you are supporting the company and industry that makes that good. Thus, Christians have a moral responsibility to use their money in ways that glorify God and make our society more like his Kingdom. So while drinking responsibly is not sinful in its own right, Christians should abstain from alcohol in order to take a powerful stance against an industry hurting society. Of course, it is not just alcohol to which this logic applies. In the same light, Christians should not financially support (i.e. buy goods from or invest in) companies that, amongst other things, practically use pornography in their advertisements, have discriminatory hiring practices, or force their employees to work in unnecessarily dangerous conditions. This idea is not a new one. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, recognized in Eighteenth Century England that men were squandering their money on alcohol after long days working in the coal mines. This was money (and time) being spent on liquor instead of caring for their wives and children. Wesley saw first hand how people—especially the poor—became enslaved to alcohol. The United Methodist Church continues this opposition today: “We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God’s liberating and redeeming love for persons” (Book of Discipline). Paul offers advice to the Corinthian Church that is helpful for our discussion. Members of the congregation are debating whether it is permissible to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. Paul recognizes that there is nothing inherently wrong with eating this meat. However, he is wise enough to recognize that the act of eating the meat has implications that go beyond simple consumption. Thus he tells the Corinthians that they should abstain from eating this meat for, as he concludes, “all things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful, but not all things build up” (1 Cor. 10.23). The same is true for alcohol today: we have the right to drink responsibly, but we should abstain because it does not build others up. I understand that this argument, especially on a campus like Duke, is not easy or popular. The Gospel never is. It does not mean Christians cannot have fun. By all means, go out with your friends and have a good time. But next time someone asks you if you want a beer, simply respond, “No thanks. I’ll have a Dr. Pepper…on the rocks.” Andy is a Trinity senior double-majoring in Economics and Religion. He is active at Duke Chapel and enjoys playing basketball in his spare time. He helped found Religio and served as one of the journal's editors for two years. Next year he will be working at Bates White, an economics consulting firm, in Washington D.C.
24
Alcohol in the Good Life Leigh Edwards, Trinity ‘09
Gladdening the Heart
Jesus’ first miracle in the Bible involves him changing water into wine. Jesus is at a wedding party where the host embarrassingly runs out of wine and only has water to offer to the guests. This story sets the scene for Jesus in the rest of the Bible. He spends a large portion of his time and ministry sharing food and wine with the people around him. On the night before he was betrayed, Jesus ordered his disciples to share food and drink with one another. Paul, in Acts, writes emphatically on the importance of a church sharing a meal together. Wine, at times of celebration and at meals, is an integral part of the mission that the followers of Jesus share. However, some Christians feel the need to abstain from, or at least be extremely wary of, alcohol. The reason becomes apparent when reading other verses in the Bible that talk about alcohol. Romans 13:13 implores: “Let us behave decently…not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” 1 Peter 4:3 reads: “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness….” The beautiful list in Galatians 5:21 warns us against, among other things, “impurity…hatred… jealousy…[and] drunkenness.” These verses remind us of life without God–a disordered, violent and arbitrary life. Christian author G.K. Chesterton, when speaking of a young adolescent’s view of sex, notes that the healthy view of sex is to see it as first beautiful and secondly as dangerous. Much is the same of alcohol. Christians are not called to avoid sex for fear of impurity, relationships for fear of dissension and jealousy, food for fear of gluttony, and, on the same vein, alcohol for fear of drunkenness. Paul advises our enjoyment of food and drink saying, “…whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (10:31). Paul makes clear that we may share whatever food and drink with another person, as a form of thanksgiving unless that sharing becomes an offense to God. Today, for too many people, alcohol is not used to the glory of God. Alcohol becomes the event; it is abused in ways that the Apostles had in mind when rejecting drunkenness. Alcohol becomes a numbing agent that detaches us from the world and people that we are around. This abuse is disturbing, though by no means new. Some may be convinced that until a majority of people learn to use alcohol well, its use is a proverbial “stumbling block” to an abusive neighbor. Jesus emphasizes that charity is not guided by strict rules but rather an even deeper understanding of why those rules exist in the first place. Time and again, Jesus chastises the strict upkeep of a largely beneficial rule—keeping the Sabbath, tithing, giving to the poor–at the neglect of the life and community immediately around us. To share a beer with another can be an aid in conviviality. We are certainly impoverished for shutting out wholesale a good gift from God that may enhance our fellowship. When we sit down face to face with a sister acknowledging our common body and celebrating together, we can respond to, and perhaps even better hear, the call of God. For monks, monastic tradition guides them to break a fast if a visitor arrives with whom the brother may share a meal. In most cases, the opportunity for hospitality is a manner of further fulfilling the reason a monk fasts in the first place: to glorify and to rightly enjoy God. To deny a meal with a stranger would be to puff up the importance of one’s own spiritual practice at the neglect of another. Similarly, to abstain from alcohol may in some instances be a way of puffing up our own self-worth and good deeds. If alcohol does pose a danger to someone, it is no necessary part of life. Yet Scripture makes clear that alcohol can be a gift well used. Just look at the Psalmist’s declaration that “He makes grass grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man; oil to make his face shine and bread that sustains his heart” (104:1415). Alcohol does make our heart glad. We worship God when we rightly enjoy his gifts, and much more so when this enjoyment is shared. We may drink to let down fears that separate us from someone for whom we care. We become more sociable and open to others. However, we should also maintain ourselves enough to be able to actually enjoy their presence. To share a common drink that can make us vulnerable is courageous in a way that, like all courage, makes the world a bit more dangerous. When we consume alcohol together responsibly, we also participate in an even deeper sharing of trust. Christianity is a faith of life abundant. Despite abundant abuses, we should be strong in holding dear those pleasurable gifts we are given by God. Of course, alcohol is by no means necessary for pleasure. We find pleasure in the sounds of an orchestra, a block party, or a long run. To eat and drink together, though, is an irreplaceable part of this life that we share together in the name of Christ. Leigh Edwards is a Trinity senior double-majoring in History and Religion. Second to Jesus, her heart is warmed by local business. Leigh’s favorite beer is Duck-Rabbit's Amber Ale from Farmville, NC because they "sing softly to the yeast" as it ferments. She plans to attend seminary next year.
25
The “Hallelujah” of Christian Music
Nate Jones, Trinity ‘09
In his provocative 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind, political philosopher Allan Bloom sets forth an intriguing discussion of the nature of music. For Bloom, there is a stark contrast between music like classic rock, which points its listeners toward violence, anger and hatred of authority and classical music, which points its listeners toward true education. Bloom’s account is, I believe, over-simplified. There are certain forms of classic rock that may lead us toward true education and certain forms of classical music that may lead us toward violence. Nevertheless, Bloom rightly brings up issues that are necessary in any engagement between music and Christian theology: how music teaches us what to desire, how it shapes and forms us and how it points us toward a goal. A Christian conception of music, then, should be one in which music teaches us to desire God, shapes us into disciples of Christ and points us toward an eschatological goal. When the beauty of music, which teaches us to desire God, meets the words of the gospel, which shape us into disciples, we are opened to an eschatological dimension of praise. Through its natural beauty, music can teach us to desire the beauty of God. The best music, I believe, is one firmly grounded in the sonic order – it works through relations of pitches that produce beautiful sounds. Two qualifications are needed here: I am not saying that there is no worthwhile music that is not beautiful – rather, beautiful music more fully teaches us to desire God. Second, while the exemplar of “working in the sonic order” is likely J.S. Bach, many non-Christian composers worked within the sonic order – Brahms and Ralph Vaughan Williams are two notable examples. Simply because a composer does not self-consciously write Christian music does not mean such music cannot teach us to desire God through its beauty. In a real sense, all beauty is God’s beauty. It may sound, from the above argument, that anyone, regardless of Christian faith, can write truly Christian music. Not so. While non-Christians can – in a legitimate though limited sense – bear witness to God through natural forms of beauty, there is
20
undoubtedly something missing here from a true account of Christian music. What is missing, I believe, are the words of revelation that teach us how to be Christian disciples. Texts, of course, give music greater specificity of meaning. Whereas instrumental music often provokes people in significantly different directions, textual music has a stronger reference to external realities. When the text of that music is, for example, the words of the gospel, the listener is directed beyond the music itself to the reality of Christ. Moreover, textual music affords significant opportunities for a multiplicity of meaning. Take an example Mozart was fond of using: if eight people speak at once, it is just confusion. But if eight people sing at once, it can be harmony. The result, then, is a multiplicity of meaning in which diverse voices are heard in a certain musical unity. In the realm of Christian scripture, we can hear Old Testament and New Testament texts together, simultaneously, in the same song. If these texts were simply spoken simultaneously, neither text would be intelligible. But when sung, each text has its own specific quality while being drawn into a unified framework. Needless to say, such an approach holds great possibilities for the ways in which we learn about Christ through the Old Testament. We are now very close to the fullest possible account of Christian music – naturally beautiful sounds and the revelation of Christ through language are seen together in a single piece of music. However, there still seems to be something missing – a goal. The fullest account of Christian music is one that is highly eschatological. Stories, truth claims and other forms of language have their place in sacred music, but eschatological utterances of pure praise – Hallelujah or Amen, for example – are the pinnacle. When we sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, we imitate the Heavenly choir, which is so enraptured by God that the only word that really suffices is “Hallelujah.” Moreover, think later in the Messiah to the final piece, “Worthy is the Lamb,” where the choir sings “Amen” for a good three minutes and erupts into one of the most glorious endings of music the world has ever heard. Handel said he saw a glimpse of heaven in writing it – I hope you will too in hearing it. Nate Jones in a Trinity senior majoring in Religion. He enjoys singing, reading and playing basketball and golf in his spare time. He worships at the Duke Chapel, and next year he will be pursuing a masters at Duke Divinity School.
27
A Review: Living The Sabbath Amy Little, Trinity ‘09 Wirzba, Norman. Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2006.
What is the Sabbath? For most of us in the Christian tradition, ‘Sabbath’ is synonymous with Sunday. We know we are supposed to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”, but besides going to a worship service of some sort, we are not exactly sure what to make of God’s commandment for us to rest. As much as taking a break from our hectic daily routines might sound appealing, is that really what Sabbath practice entails? Norman Wirzba, the Research Professor of Theology, Ecology, and Rural Life at Duke Divinity, thinks not. In his book Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight, Wirzba guides us through the theological underpinnings and practical applications of Sabbath living, advocating a Sabbath practice that is guided by God’s own response to his wonderfully made creation. We are told in Genesis that after working six days to create the natural landscape, animals, and humans, God rested and joyfully declared his creation good. He found delight in the created world. Wirzba understands this delight— “to relish the goodness and beauty of God’s work and to see in each other the trace of God”— as the central focus for everyday Sabbath living. Instead of buying into our culture’s idea of joy as something we create and earn through our own effort, Sabbath joy comes from realizing that we are part of a larger creation dependent on God for its sustenance and existence. Even our salvation through Christ is part of our incorporation into a larger creation: Christ came into the world as part of creation in order to save creation. Ultimately, taking part in this joy makes our rest possible, for in its practice we have given up the need to secure our survival by our own hands. How does this daily delight enter our lives in a practical way? In his book, Wirzba outlines how we might incorporate delight into our lives at work, in worship, in education, at home, in our relationship with the environment, and in the economy. In all these areas, living the Sabbath entails moving away from the tendency to “exert total control and exact maximum profit”. We are encouraged to slow down and eschew the efficiency, independence, and competition that tend to rule our lives. For example, Wirzba laments the fact that in the typical American household, parents have become activity managers while mealtimes are individual refueling times. As an alternative, Wirzba practically suggests cutting back on individual fulfillment through activities, returning to family meals, and focusing on the process of making a meal together—the growing, preparation, cooking, and savoring of one of God’s gifts. In the workplace, Sabbath living involves employees and employers caring about each other and the product or service they are rendering. Our daily work should be an extension of God’s work, and we should treat the environment and our fellow humans in a way that makes our work a source of delight to God. In education, an ethic of competition and doubt should be replaced by an ethic of mutual and enchanting discovery. While I appreciated Wirzba’s insights into Sabbath living, I wonder how widely applicable his recommendations are for the typical Duke undergraduate. Certainly we cannot each individually have gardens to grow our own food (although there are several student run gardens on campus that could fulfill this outlet), and I’m not sure if a potted plant on a windowsill in Kilgo counts as developing caring dominion over God’s creation. Our food choices are limited by on-campus food plans and eateries; I doubt any of us could re-create the journey of our delicious Dillo quesadilla from its beginnings to our plate. We cannot have family meals on a regular basis because most of us are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from home. Perhaps most importantly, all of us at Duke have bought into an idea of education, more or less, that stresses the importance of being the best: getting the highest grades, accomplishing the most outside of class, getting a great job or
14
into a competitive graduate school. It simply isn’t possible to get into medical school, in my case, without attempting to be a high achiever based on this world’s criteria. However, we can take to heart the essence of the Sabbath message. The Sabbath is God’s gift to his creation, a time for deepened communion with the living God through rest, redemption, and renewal. These practices shouldn’t be things we only think about on Sundays, but they should be made part of our daily lives. Maybe we can’t eat wholesome, home-grown and cooked meals with our families every night like Wirzba suggests, but we can set aside a few meals a week when we make a concerted effort to gather with friends and have a non-rushed meal while we savor the goodness of our food and of our friendship. Maybe we can’t grow plants in our dorm rooms, but we can take a walk through the gardens or the Duke forest every now and then and stop to appreciate and be thankful for the wonders of creation outside of humanity. We can be cognizant of where we spend what little money we have and we can start to make a habit of giving to the church and to charities in a way that recognizes material goods are gifts from God and not truly our possessions. Instead of only focusing on the end products of our classes and activities, we can take delight in the process of learning, serving, and playing. As we think about our lives after Duke, we can prayerfully consider if the career path we are seeking honors God and aligns with the vocation to which God is calling us. And lastly, as Christians, we can incorporate Sabbath worship into our daily lives, not waiting for Sunday or our weekly campus ministry meeting. We can lift up little prayers of thanksgiving and praise throughout the day—for the sunshine, for seeing a friend, for the beauty of Duke’s campus, for an interesting class. We can try to make sure our daily activities are in accord with God’s commandments, and we can hold each other accountable for our choices. Most importantly, we can remember to rest, to set aside some time each day where we don’t have a commitment, and we can reflect on the ultimate goodness of our lives as part of God’s creation. For living the Sabbath, as John Calvin writes, “is a way of living out our belief that we are not our own; that we belong to God." Norman Wirzba, Author
Amy Little is a Trinity senior double-majoring in Religion and Biology. At Duke, she is involved in the Westminster Presbyterian Fellowship. She hails from Austin, Texas and will begin medical school in the fall.
29