Woefully Absent

Yes, that phrase would describe my posting on this blog. I suppose with the rush of the holidays, that came like a north wind through a house with no windows, as well as my return from Japan and readjustment to America and the time difference, things went by faster than I could control. Overall, God has been gracious and provided for me, and I have no complaints. It was such a joy to be with family and friends over the holidays, although it was somewhat difficult to feel the holiday cheer at times because of the aforementioned conditions. Christmastime was, however, a much needed break and respite from the busy and frentic pace that was mylife at JCMU. Now I am back at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Am I glad to be back at Calvin? Yes and No. I am glad to be back because it means I am now only a fifteen minute drive away from Sarah, and I am also back with the many friends I missed while I was in Japan. The negative side to being back at Calvin is the Developing a Christian Mind class that I have to take. It is ridiculously spoon-fed to students as though we were all little children back in sunday school, which is exactly what the class reminds me of. The material almost feels insulting to my intelligence. The content of the course and the concepts it present, are concepts I have grown up with in a family built on faith in Christ. I believe that the principles in DCM are ones that are very elementary in nature, and I think it is safe to venture that most of the students of Calvin think the same way, if they do any thinking at all, since most of them come from at least nominally Christian homes and schools. The fact that a majority of the students here come from families with a good deal of money is also detrimental to their understanding of what the real world is like. Money can be a great insulater from dealing with the harsh realities of life. Thus, if you have no concept of what the real world is like, if you have only ever gone to Christian schools of your life and been insulated in a Christian community that prefers to keep their hands tucked deep inside their coat pockets, so as not to dirty them with the dirt of unsaved people, you will not be properly equipped to "engage the world from a Christian point of view"(to use Calvin's terminology). Perhaps I am making too harsh of an assesment, as well as over-generalizing, but there is something that bothers me about much of Calvin's ideology that I still cannot put my finger on. Even though I have only actually had one day of this class, I am already sick of it. I weary of Calvin's forced Christian thought and vacillating theology. I suppose I should be thankful that I am at a Christian school that is not hostile to the beliefs I hold dear. Although sometimes I wonder if that is such a good thing. While it provides a certain security and relief from the kind of hostility I experienced at JCMU, is it altogether too insulating? Classes like DCM make me wonder about that times. The method by which the class is taught makes it feel as though the college and professors are acting as though they are our parents, and we are merely ignorant children who must be taught the basics once again about what it means to be Christians. I think the writer of Hebrews had a thing or two to say about that in Chapter five of that specific book of the Bible, but I digress. In essence, I am tired of feeling patronized. If young Christians are to properly and intelligently engage the world from a Biblical standpoint(which this so-called DCM course claims to do), we need to be challenged to think, rather than have all of our thinking done for us. May God have mercy on us all.