The Collegial Crux
The hazardous intersection of religion and politics is not the Capital Beltway, but the college quad. Many conservative Christian parents believe the university campus is an intellectual coliseum in which young minds are thrown to the ferocious beasts of liberalism, secularism, and pluralism. They would be correct! But fear not; the gateways of our nation’s colleges and universities are not marked with “Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.” Rather, they are often marked with Latin phraseology encouraging the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.
Enter the young Christian mind: a deft and nimble athlete learning to maneuver amongst the obstacles of radical feminism and gospel reductionism. Lace up those cleats and take heart; this is more of a practice arena than a coliseum. Here one is able to spar with other intellectual gladiators seeking to hone their rhetorical and logical skills. Here the academic watchtowers of tolerance and inclusivity might actually have our backs if we utilize them correctly. We may be sending our little ones out as sheep in the midst of wolves, but they are not lambs to the slaughter. As Jesus said, Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Mt 10:16).
Though many have strayed from their Christian foundations, the collegial (lit. “camaraderie among colleagues”) enterprise still has a touchstone with biblical Christianity. Consider the proverbs of King Solomon: The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens (Pr 3:19) and, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Pr 9:10).
A profound blessing of the Christian faith is not only that it is historical (evidenced by facts) but is also intellectual; it is true wisdom. St Paul understood this. For him the resurrection of Christ was an historically verifiable event (1 Cor 15:4-8) and thus, also, a suitable rhetorical device for intellectual discussion concerning sin and grace (1 Cor 15:12-22), morality and ethics (1 Cor 15:21-22; Eph 5:20-6:9), wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 1:18-31). St Paul was willing to stand at that intersection of religion and politics, faith and academics, and defend the wisdom of Christianity’s worldview (Ac 24-28). Sadly his commencement concluded with torture and beheading.
Our Christian college students may feel as though they are being martyred too. Yet there is an appeal, of sorts, to Caesar (Ac 24:11). The academic mantra of “inclusivity at any cost and tolerance above all” actually allows the Christian a toe-hold of political and religious freedom on even the most secular of campuses. Clever but gentle, that is Christ’s exhortation. He is Wisdom. He went to the crux of the religio-political battle! And won! His absolution is the King’s final verdict; He has delivered you and your children from evil. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom (Pr 3:12).
Your unworthy servant,
Pr Mierow
Monday of Trinity 14
The hazardous intersection of religion and politics is not the Capital Beltway, but the college quad. Many conservative Christian parents believe the university campus is an intellectual coliseum in which young minds are thrown to the ferocious beasts of liberalism, secularism, and pluralism. They would be correct! But fear not; the gateways of our nation’s colleges and universities are not marked with “Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.” Rather, they are often marked with Latin phraseology encouraging the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.
Enter the young Christian mind: a deft and nimble athlete learning to maneuver amongst the obstacles of radical feminism and gospel reductionism. Lace up those cleats and take heart; this is more of a practice arena than a coliseum. Here one is able to spar with other intellectual gladiators seeking to hone their rhetorical and logical skills. Here the academic watchtowers of tolerance and inclusivity might actually have our backs if we utilize them correctly. We may be sending our little ones out as sheep in the midst of wolves, but they are not lambs to the slaughter. As Jesus said, Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Mt 10:16).
Though many have strayed from their Christian foundations, the collegial (lit. “camaraderie among colleagues”) enterprise still has a touchstone with biblical Christianity. Consider the proverbs of King Solomon: The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens (Pr 3:19) and, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Pr 9:10).
A profound blessing of the Christian faith is not only that it is historical (evidenced by facts) but is also intellectual; it is true wisdom. St Paul understood this. For him the resurrection of Christ was an historically verifiable event (1 Cor 15:4-8) and thus, also, a suitable rhetorical device for intellectual discussion concerning sin and grace (1 Cor 15:12-22), morality and ethics (1 Cor 15:21-22; Eph 5:20-6:9), wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 1:18-31). St Paul was willing to stand at that intersection of religion and politics, faith and academics, and defend the wisdom of Christianity’s worldview (Ac 24-28). Sadly his commencement concluded with torture and beheading.
Our Christian college students may feel as though they are being martyred too. Yet there is an appeal, of sorts, to Caesar (Ac 24:11). The academic mantra of “inclusivity at any cost and tolerance above all” actually allows the Christian a toe-hold of political and religious freedom on even the most secular of campuses. Clever but gentle, that is Christ’s exhortation. He is Wisdom. He went to the crux of the religio-political battle! And won! His absolution is the King’s final verdict; He has delivered you and your children from evil. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom (Pr 3:12).
Your unworthy servant,
Pr Mierow
Monday of Trinity 14
RSS Feed