F r o m photo by Eric Kelley
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The Glimmer in Pullman's Darkness
here are two different attitudes Christians can have about popular culture, neither of which is entirely healthy. one is to indulge in it—to go to the movies, indulge in hours of tV, stay glued to the ear buds of an iPod, buy all the newest video games—without any real assessment of the messages both these forms and their content are projecting. this is not wise, and far too many Christians today, especially our teenagers, do not seem distinguishable from their more secular peers in their attitudes, values, speech or action largely because buying and trying the newest electronic product on the market is one of their primary goals in life. the other extreme viewpoint toward these forms of entertainment is also dangerous, however. Christians have long had battles over how much to separate from “the world” in order to obey the famous dictum of Jesus to be “in” the world, but not “of ” it (John 17:6-26). the dangers of such withdrawal from the world are many, not least of which is the possibility of failure to obey the command of Jesus to love our neighbor as we should; how can we love our neighbor properly, when we really have nothing in common with him or her? somewhere we must find a balance in our understanding of popular culture and our relation to its forms. While most Christians in America participate in our popular culture, they usually do so with a healthy respect for the power of the electronic media, especially when it comes to their children’s interaction with it, and this is a good thing. Probably because we have a greater understanding than most of our own finiteness, coupled with a deep sense of our fallibility, we know how easily influenced we are toward the bad, the false, and the ugly. We fall short of God’s, and even our own, standards every day, and so we become cautious when confronted with the challenge. sometimes, though, we may miss appreciating the way God shows himself even in the most pernicious representatives of satanic designs in our world. once again, C. s. Lewis said it well. in the early chapters of Mere Christianity, Lewis makes clear that one of the really attractive philosophies, other than Christianity, is dualism, the belief that there are two opposite, but equal forces in the world, Good and evil. dualism is so attractive precisely because it seems so right to us; the Good, when we come to experience it in God is so very good, that anything opposing it seems totally evil and to be avoided at all costs. But Lewis makes clear that dualism in the end is wrong because it puts evil on some sort of equal footing with good, and the scriptures and sound Christian theology have always taught that there is no equal to God and his goodness. he stands alone in all his truth, goodness and beauty, above, and separate from, all his creation. All evil, in fact, is a perversion of the good, and so satan is not an equal combatant of God, but a fallen version of michael or Gabriel. so what does this mean for Christians, as we view
popular culture? more than we can go into here, but one recent phenomenon in the American world of movies illustrates at least one application from which we can benefit. the recent appearance, and dismal box-office failure, of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass has been celebrated by many Christians as a great triumph for the forces of good over the forces of evil in our society. Pullman, once an oxford lecturer of english literature, is the author of a trilogy entitled His Dark Materials, the first of which is The Golden Compass. make no mistake about it, Philip Pullman is an enemy of Christianity. this is not a title we have placed upon him, but one that he has adopted for himself. in a 2003 interview in The Sydney Morning Herald, Pullman stated baldly, “my books are about killing God.” there is no shortage of this sort of attitude in His Dark Materials; as the “good” king ogunwe says near the end of the trilogy, “the Kingdom of heaven has been known by that name since the Authority first set himself above the rest of the angels. And we want no part of it.” Pullman does not reserve his attacks only for some vague notion of Christianity, either; he is often quoted as saying of Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles that they are “one of the most ugly and poisonous things i’ve ever read” and “nauseating drivel.” All this gives us plenty of pause before deciding to read Pullman, so where is the balance in our approach to His Dark Materials? Where is the “true humanity”, the imago dei in his fallenness? i think it is found in his love of story. even though the story of Materials perversely twists the one true story into an anti-Christian paean to the fall, anarchy and evil, it nevertheless reflects a universe in which events are connected and matter, and that is not true of all anti-Christian thinkers today. in his acceptance speech for the Carnegie medal, Britain’s most prestigious prize for children’s literature, Pullman said, “there's more wisdom in a story than in volumes of philosophy”, and there is a great truth in that statement. Pullman’s love of stories even brings out the one glimpse of humility i have found in all my reading of the British author. in a first person description of himself, found on his publisher’s website, Pullman writes, “if you put the emphasis on yourself rather than your work, you’re in danger of thinking that you’re the most important thing. But you’re not. the story is what matters, and you’re only the servant, and your job is to get it out on time and in good order.” And so Philip Pullman — atheist, evangelist for godlessness, “killer of God” — turns out to reflect God’s truth after all, in spite of all his protestations to the contrary. this is the great irony of human culture: no matter how twisted or evil it becomes, it cannot escape living in God’s universe because it has no choice. if we look for them in our culture’s products, we can always find the signs, however faint, of his grace, and give him praise. — drew trotter
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Visit the Center's Web Site at: www.studycenter.net
The Center for Christian Study is a non-profit education and outreach ministry serving the University of Virginia and Charlottesville-Albemarle region since 1968. Through programs, ministries, and partnerships, we provide opportunities and resources for the corporate and individual investigation of the truths of the historic Christian faith. Some of the ways we do this include courses, lectures, seminars, student-run fellowships, internships, mentoring opportunities, discussion groups, and special events. We proceed believing that men and women will be transformed by the Truth, which will be reflected in their thoughts and actions, both in their private lives before God and in their public lives as members of society, the family, and the Church. Center for Christian Study 128 Chancellor Street Charlottesville, VA 22903 Phone: 434.817.1050 www.studycenter.net Praxis is published quarterly for our friends and supporters. Carl Briggs, Editor carl@studycenter.net University Christian Ministries, Inc. (dba Center for Christian Study) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation EIN 51-0192618.
The Center for Christian Study pledges financial accountability through our membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Study Center Welcomes New Board Member
K
en Botsford, a physician from Birmingham, Ala., has joined the Center for Christian Study as a member of the Board of Directors. Ken and his wife, Nina, are parents of a recent graduate of the University of Virginia — daughter Din — and son Bruce, a second-year student at UVa. They also have an older Botsford daughter, Charlotte. Ken holds bachelor's and medical science degrees from UVa. He is a vice president and chief medical officer of HealthSpring of Alabama Inc., a Birmingham-based health maintenance organization. As a student, Ken won the Pete Gray Award in 1974 (now the Gray-Carrington Award) and the Raven Award in 1979. Concluding their service in 2007 on the Center's Board of Directors were Michael Guthrie of Charlottesville, chief executive officer and manGuthrie
aging broker of Roy Wheeler Realty Co.; and Rich Dean of Vienna, Va., a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP. Guthrie earned bachelor's and master's degrees from UVa. Dean earned his master's Dean degree and law degree from UVa.
Holcomb Receives UVa Award Justin Holcomb, Director of Graduate Ministries at the Center, has been honored with the 2007 Distinguished Faculty Award from the Z Society of the University of Virginia, presented annually to a university faculty member who exhibits outstanding teaching and service to students. Justin is an adjunct lecturer at UVa, teaching in the departments of religious studies and sociology. Holcomb
Counseling and Caring for Students By Amy Zell Director of Counseling Resources
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INSIDE Community at the Law School 40th Anniversary, August 8 - 9
Praxis V11 N4
Winter 2008
Pr a xi s
Embracing Embodiment
ments are informal discipleship and mentoring. The content of these meetings helps students integrate their faith to their studies, family relationships, friendships, and personal growth and development. However, a more formal counseling ministry has grown as I have been working toward obtaining licensure as a professional counselor in Virginia. Some of the areas in which I work with young people are identity, perfectionism, low self-esteem, stress management, gender roles, depression, anxiety, and grief counseling. Other, self-destructive issues faced by some students include alcohol abuse or dependency, self-injury, sexual abuse, and eating disorders. It is important to emphasize that, surprisingly, most students experiencing these difficulties are not all low-functioning or on the edge of failing out of school; rather, most of these students are high-functioning, and many serve as student leaders in the broader Christian community on Grounds. Individuals are changing; they are acknowledging struggles with me that they have never shared with anyone, and they are finding that God does not reject them because of the struggles. Many who struggle with their relationship with God are finding how this is connected with other pain in their lives. For example, a woman whose family idolizes intelligence and independence is learning why
he privilege of working with University of Virginia students includes seeing God at work in their lives as they learn to trust Jesus’ promise to meet them and lead them. But the reality of their lives also includes facing what a former UVa Dean of Students, Penny Rue, has said about students: students seem to be unaccustomed to academic difficulty, they live over-programmed lives, and they are experiencing greater levels of psychological problems than before. While students are intelligent, high achieving, and accustomed to success, many are not used to failing, asking for help, or negotiating personal conflict. Each semester, I have met more and more students for whom these things are true. There is a lot of pain in the lives of highly functioning college students — pain from dealing with struggling families, pain from not achieving all they feel they should, and pain from dealing with personal issues. A recently published study reports that as many as 45 percent of university and college students had at least one episode of functional impairment from depression in the past year. Even more distressing, one out of 10 students seriously considered suicide at least once in the past year. UVa’s Counseling and Psychological Services department reports difficulty Continued on first inside page in keeping up with the demand of students seeking help; psychiatric hospitalization of students has been steadily rising and has almost doubled since the 1999-2000 school year. We at the Study Center are working to respond to these needs by being more available to students. Hiring Ashely Mejias as our new full-time Director of Women’s Ministry has helped us meet with more female students, and has allowed me in my new role as Director of Counseling Resources to focus my time on students, both male and female, who are experiencing significant difficulties that require direct counseling as an appropriate measure. Most of my work continues to be meeting one-on-one with young people. Some appointAmy Zell, in her counseling office (photo by Carl Briggs)
Embracing Embodiment By Bill Wilder Director of Educational Ministries
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n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
Christians worship a God who delights in his creation. In Proverbs 8 God creates the world through his Wisdom, a figure who both feels his delight and is filled with it in an exuberant “rejoicing in the world, his earth” and “in the sons of men.” Later this figure of Wisdom lies behind the Apostle John’s description of the Word who, in the beginning, was “with God” and, indeed, “was God.” In the fullness of time (as we remember at Christmas) this “Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” This is anything but a distant and removed God. From creation through redemption to the consummation of all things, Scripture reveals a God whose purpose from the very beginning was to fill this creation (bodies, communities, the world) with the glory and goodness of his presence. At the Center for Christian Study we have chosen to honor this aspect of our Christian faith and hope by making embodiment our theme for the year. Much of what we do at the Center for Christian Study is already tied to this theme, because undergirding everything that happens here is a conviction that the particular places and times we inhabit really do matter in the plans and purposes of God. This is true whether we’re responding to the latest Academy Award nominees for best picture, interpreting the Old Testament in light of its historical context, sponsoring a seminar on Understanding Popular Culture, or a course on Cultural Engagement (all things we do every year). Our slate of lecture series this year makes the same point. Doing Science in Theistic Universe; Religion in Comic Books; Death and Dying; Bodies, Heaven, and the Christian Hope — all these (and others) are attuned to the presence of Truth (or lack thereof) in our everyday activities, vocations, rituals. In addition to these events and programs at the Study Center, we have once again devoted a special year-long lecture series to the theme of embodiment. In the same way that we hosted four lectures last year on the theme of authority, we have chosen four aspects of embodiment that we believe deserve special reflection and attention. The first two of those lectures have already taken place: a lecture on October 11 by our own Drew Trotter, president of the Center, on Body and Soul: A Theology of Embodiment, and a large University of VirginPresident Drew Trotter presents ia on-Grounds event in the Newcomb Hall Theater enthe first embodiment lecture
titled Body and Sex: Beyond Pleasure, by author Dawn Eden. This semester we will conclude the series with lectures on Body and Community: The Fellowship of Resistance, by author Amy Sherman (January 31), and Body and Environment: The Fragrance of God, by author Vigen Guroian (March 26).
Dawn Eden, right, speaks to students at UVa
The word embodiment suggests two things: the importance of bodies themselves and the even greater importance of that which they embody. To a world that acts as if the times and spaces and bodies we inhabit were simply limitations to be transcended, we offer the vision of a God who delights in the particularities of things. To a world that at the same time sees no place for the transcendent, attempting only to banish “the ghost in the machine,” we offer a vision of God dwelling in his temple, finding joy in filling his people and his world with his presence. It is that Christmas truth which we are seeking to honor at the Center for Christian Study this year.
Bill Wilder presents his lecture series In- and Out-of-the-Body Experiences (photos by Carl Briggs)
Counseling and Caring, continued from front
it is difficult for her to be intimate with and dependent on God. As she identifies some reasons for her struggles, she is learning that she isn’t condemned as a “bad Christian”; rather, she is understanding the hope that God will help her follow Him and know Him. In my meetings with young people, I work to help them develop a theological grid through which they can see and admit the pain of a fallen world and yet have great hope. It is difficult to quantify the quality of change I am seeing in their lives; these are individuals who are facing not only how they have been sinned against, but also their own sin. It is evident that God is at work in this ministry, and I am continually challenged to hope, and am ultimately thankful to see growth in students who bravely face hardships in their lives and seek to be more like Christ.
Service and Community at the Law School
By Justin Holcomb Director of Graduate Ministries
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t’s always as complicated and beautiful as family,” said Jim Baehr of the Law Christian Fellowship (LCF) at the University of Virginia. “Very different people thrown together by God to love and serve each other, to taste a bit of eternity in the relationships He gave us.” Baehr’s comment sums up LCF’s purpose: to be a community of believers who provide encouragement for each other as they nurture growth in Christ. We encourage students to worship in area churches, and many do; within LCF, however, are also stories of conversions, of students reawakening to grace, and of God's support of people in the midst of suffering. In my many meetings with students, concerns range from confessing faith to Carlton Gammons, a first-year student at the law school, speaks at a weekly meeting of Law anxiety to broken relationships to life after UVa. Christian Fellowship (photo by Carl Briggs) “The greatest thing about LCF is getting to spend some time surrounded by people who are driven by the same dreams as you are, (and) in a legal culture that isn’t,” said Baehr, a third-year law student. “The time we spend together can be a point of stillness and reflection after a busy week, or it can be a boisterous night eating together and laughing, or it can be a friend telling you true things when you’re hurt because you’ve been living like the lies are real,” he said. Students at the fall retreat experienced all of that, when they heard from author and speaker Connally Gilliam, a staff member with the U.S. Navigators ministry working in Washington, D.C. At the two-day retreat, 53 students and spouses discussed the tensions of living a Christian life in a secular work place, and their efforts to prepare for the reality of serving the Kingdom as Christian lawyers in a demanding environment. LCF's weekly meetings on Thursday help to create a space for fellowship, worship, and conGilliam sideration of the implications of the Christian worldview in the study and practice of law. About 45 students meet to sing, catch-up, and hear presentations by speakers ranging from Chief Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina to Eric Treene, Special Counsel for Religious Discrimination, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. We also heard from practicing attorneys at two Virginia law firms, Bob Brame of the Charlottesville office of McGuire Woods, and Daniel D. Smith of the Leesburg firm of Smith & Pugh. Jason Shyung, a third-year student, said that Smith's talk “centered on how to reconcile our lawyerly pursuits with our Christian identity. He implored all of us in LCF not to let our law degrees, the prestige of our university, Continued on next page
S pring 2008 F aith & L ife P rogram Special public lectures on Embodiment
Body and Community: The Fellowship of Resistance Speaker: Amy Sherman January 31, Thursday, 7 p.m.
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Body and Environment: The Fragrance of God Speaker: Vigen Guroian March 26, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Courses
Lecture Series (four nights)
Cultural Engagement: Participating in the Reclamation of All Things Begins Jan. 17; Thursday mornings through May; Wade Bradshaw, instructor
Graphic Redemption: Religion in Comic Books Begins Feb. 4; Mon. nights; David Marotta, instructor
From Crisis to Christ: Interpreting the New Testament as Good News in the Real World Begins Feb. 1; Friday mornings through April; Bill Wilder, instructor
Justice and Forgiveness: The Bible (and some Philosophy) on Moral Responsibility, Atonement, and Hell Begins Feb. 6; Wednesday nights; Wes Zell, instructor
God, His People and World, Part 2: Foundations of Christian Faith and Life Begins Feb. 5; Tuesday nights through April; John Wilsey, instructor
Investigating Death in America Begins March 17; Mon. nights; Justin Holcomb, instructor
Reformers, Rationalists, Modernists, Evangelicals: The History of the Church since 1500 Begins Feb. 6; Wednesday nights through April; Scott Amos, instructor Register for Courses and Lectures at www.studycenter.net, 434-817-1050
Other Spring Presentations at the Center for Christian Study Movies & America: The Five Academy Award Nominees for Best Picture, free public lecture by Drew Trotter, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. Saturday Seminar, Understanding World Religions; February 16, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Justin Holcomb, instructor Saturday Seminar, Understanding Popular Culture; March 15, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Drew Trotter, instructor
LCF, continued from middle page
or anything else along those lines drive our life-decisions. mr. smith's comments were especially helpful for me, as well as a number of other students, because it is easy at a place like Virginia to forget why we are here and get wrapped up in the secular demands of prestige and success that often lead us away from our initial plans and dreams.” Five weekly Bible study groups also are important to the ministry. “my LCF women's small group has become one of the staples of my life here at UVa,” said Amber moran, a second-year student. “the girls in it are all women of God, dedicated to learning more about him through the study of his word. it's been such a blessing on my life to have people that i can meet with every week . . . and i know this will be one of the things i miss the most about law school when i graduate.” each of the groups is studying a book of the Bible together throughout the year: romans, Galatians, or 1 Corinthians. “From day one, LCF provided an opportunity for me to fellowship with other Christians at the law school,” said third-year law student Laura holland. “it's been a wonderful group to be a part of. i've been challenged and encouraged by the weekly meetings as well as supported by the friends i've made through the group.”
2008 Reunion Events University of Virginia
Sponsored by the Center for Christian Study
Darden Alumni Weekend saturday, April 19
darden Alumni Gathering, co-sponsored with the darden Christian Fellowship
Law Alumni Weekend saturday, may 3
THE STAFF & CENTER . . . Justin Holcomb preached at Calvary Chapel Church of sarasota, Fla., oct. 7, and Christ Episcopal Church, Charlottesville, nov. 11. . . bill Wilder preached the homily at the wedding of Andrew Witmer and maureen Whitebread on oct. 20 at Olivet Presbyterian Church near Charlottesville. Andrew is a former resident manager of the study Center and is completing his Ph.d. in history at the University of Virginia. . . Bill spoke on Your Mind Matters at the Trinity Presbyterian Church (Charlottesville) Senior Forum for high school seniors nov. 11. From Jan. 7 - 11, Bill taught a one-week course on Biblical theology to recent college graduates in the Capital Fellows Program of McLean (Va.) Presbyterian Church, in association with reformed theological seminary. . . dreW trotter lectured to college students and others in China during a twoweek commitment oct. 13 - 26. he spoke in shanghai at Tongji University and Fudan University, and at the Two Cities Art Gallery. his topics ranged from Hollywood and the Meaning of Life to How to View a Movie. . . drew also participated in the Virginia Film Festival (Charlottesville) nov. 1 - 4, leading a panel discussion nov. 2 on For the Bible Tells Me So, an oscar-nominated documentary on homosexuality and the Bible. the festival's theme was Kin Flicks. . . drew attended the annual American Academy of Religion meetings in san diego, and met with friends of the Center, nov. 14 - 20. he also attended a working conference on the state of “the evangelical intelligentsia” led by Peter Berger at Boston University as part of the research program of the Evangelical Intelligentsia Project. . . drew met with friends of the Center Jan. 11 - 12 in tampa, Fla. . . he presented Jan. 18 - 20 at Redland Baptist Church (rockville, md.) his Faith & Life Weekend Seminar on Show & Tell: The Christian and the Movies in Contemporary America, and he will lecture Feb. 1 on musician Bob dylan at the Graduate Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. . . drew will speak about the year's Academy Award-nominated movies for Best Picture at a panel discussion at Boston University Feb. 22, and then at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in south hamilton, mass., Feb. 24, where he will present his lecture Movies and America: What the Five Academy Award Nominees for Best Picture Tell Us About Ourselves.
Law Alumni Gathering, co-sponsored with the Law Christian Fellowship
UVa Undergraduate Alumni Weekend saturday, June 7
Christian Fellowships reception, co-sponsored with the UVa Alumni Association For registration and lodging information for the June Alumni Weekend, please visit the UVa Alumni Association's reunion website, www.virginiareunions.com. reunions contact: shelly Pellish, 434.817.1050 or shelly@studycenter.net
Save The DaTe 40th AnniversAry CelebrAtion Center for ChristiAn study August 8 And 9, 2008 for more informAtion, pleAse ContACt: shelly pellish, 434.817.1050 shelly@studyCenter.net