No ifs, ands or buts, this is it. I am done with my bachelor of arts in Theology and in Humanities. Hooray. I walked across that blasted stage six months ago so technically I could qualify to walk again this May with the original class I was supposed to graduate with. Should I fork out the cash and walk again? I mean, who else can say they have graduated from college twice for the same blasted degrees?
Don't get me wrong, I have missed most of you wonderful Mobile people but you know there just comes a time in most relationships where you just...you know...can't exactly...well, I guess what I'm trying to say...is that I'm having to break up with all of you.
This long distance torrid love affair has been hard on all sides if you will be honest with yourselves. It's hard to write and think about someone you don't see everyday and really...I promise, your the best people I ever knew at college (please ignore the fact this has been my only university i have attended >_>)
I couldn't forget you people if I tried and to quote Bilbo Baggins "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Much love, many hugs and many happy returns.
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...you know, if it wasn't for the fact I already am living three hours north of Mobile that would actually seem sentimental or at least serve some kind of point. It's amazing of the useless things you do when you haven't slept in about twenty hours and have written for about seven hours non-stop.
Speaking of writing, I do think this has been the best paper I have ever had the privileged of writing. It took me all of these months and help from some special people but it is finished as best as it will ever be. I am always reluctant to share anything about my personal beliefs because I have this horrible habit of opening my mouth and shoving both feet into my mouth simultaneously.
Heck, anyone who is honest with themselves know they aren't perfect...but for whatever reason I feel compelled to live as best as I can...partly because I genuinely love people and do not want to hurt them and mostly because of the odd change in my life that love has wrought. Does the world need someone else throwing out their beliefs? Or do we need someone who is an 'honest' hypocrite?
I honestly have no clue. I look in the mirror and most days I see someone I haven't known for years...it's odd and surreal...but I think I am gradually coming to accept the fact that I am somehow this wonderfully odd assortment of broken parts slowly being turned into something truly beautiful. At least, that is my eternal hope and desire.
Well, without further adieu, I present my final paper for the good ol' U of M:
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Although there has been a tumulus history between Christianity and the field of Humanities, this has not always been the case. Christianity has never simply been an exercise of the spirit alone and neither was the study of the Humanities intended to be a mere exercise of one’s pure intellect. Both are intended to be holistic approaches to better understanding life as a whole, not just a single facet of the human experience.
The Humanities as a field has developed as being the study of the history of human thought. Included in this is the extremely broad spectrum of study in which the humanities encompass; included in this is everything from philosophy to literature, from art history to theology. This wide array of study is an attempt to better understand humanity as a whole and what is a person’s own relation to that whole. In other words this field of study makes an attempt to answer questions such as ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where am I?’, ‘Where am I going?’, ‘Who is God?’ and ‘Does He care?’
Christianity is intended to be an all encompassing worldview which helps believers to develop over time into what could be considered a fully Christ like person. Similarly the field of Humanities is concerned not just with deep thought but also on the historical, modern and contemporary interaction between people. Because a Christian worldview is intended to shape the entirety of a person’s life, the Humanities offer a vast pool of knowledge that can aide and complement in this endeavor.
The way in which a Christian worldview interacts with the fields of theology and the humanities is manifold. The fields of Humanity and Christian Studies themselves are two diverse and divergent fields of study that still have many overlapping areas. By choosing to study Humanities a Christian can expand his understanding of the different peoples and cultures around him. This becomes a vital resource because it is impossible to minister practically to those whom one does not have a basic understanding of.
Because of the field of Humanities covers such a broad array of subjects it proves nearly impossible to show its relation to a Christian worldview in such a short paper. However, Christians are not intended to be ignorant of the world of academia around them. Because of the timeless nature of God’s truth it is impossible for it to become irrelevant, despite the change of culture. However if Christians are not willing to learn and understand the culture that is growing around them then their approaches to ministry and relating the Word of God to the culture are doomed to become outdated and irrelevant. A few of the many important areas concerned with the humanities are philosophy, literature and history.
One of the most easily recognized branches of the humanities is the area of philosophy. Philosophy is defined as being “the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge and conduct.” (The Oxford English Dictionary) Also, the Greek words which make up the word philosophy help to expound upon its meaning. ‘Philo’ meaning love and ‘sophy’ meaning knowledge; one can then infer that philosophy is meant to be both the love and pursuit of knowledge. Simply put philosophy is the attempt to understand and apply truth.
Philosophy as a field of study was originally developed by the ancient Greeks. Arguably the most famous Greek philosopher, Socrates, once remarked “…that the life which is unexamined is not worth living...” (Kolak, 61) This famous quote is in and of itself one of the most fundamental ideas of philosophy. The thought process continues along with the idea for a student to be successful they should constantly and continually question what they are taught as well as their own cherished personal beliefs. If one is not willing to attempt understanding of why they believe what they believe then they are merely living a half life, not truly reaching their potential as a person.
Comparing these thought with a Christian worldview, Paul mentioned numerous times that Christians should test the teachings they receive and whether or not they line up with Scriptural truth. This fundamental idea is quite vital because of both well meaning yet misinformed teachers, as well as teachers who are deliberately attempting to deceive people so that they can grow their following, can easily mislead someone who is not well versed in why they believe what they believe.
In the first chapter of the gospel of John, the author uses the word ‘logos’ multiple times in the text. Depending on the translation one makes logos can be interpreted as ‘knowledge’, ‘wisdom’, ‘word, or ‘reason’. In his writing John identifies Jesus as being the incarnate ‘word’ or incarnate ‘idea’. The way this would be interpreted in the minds of the Greeks that read his gospel was that Jesus was the wisdom, word and reason of God that became human and dwelt among us. Truth itself was seen as having a corporal body and expressing itself as love and in the miracles of Jesus.
Philosophy itself has had a long and intertwined history in which it has been used to both argue for and against the beliefs of Christianity. From the writings of Justin Martyr to C.S. Lewis there is a long history of philosophy and Christian thought walking hand in hand. In fact, during the Middle Ages many writers such as Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury held that Christian theology and Greek philosophy were compatible and so much alike that they were almost exactly one and the same.
While visiting Athens in Acts 17, Paul observed that the Athenians were very religious in nature as well as their customs. Eventually when Paul spoke to them he spoke of their ‘alter to an unknown god’ as well as quoted from a Greek poet in speaking with those at the Areopagus. In preaching the gospel he was better able to relate the gospel message because of his understanding of their religion and by quoting writings they understood.
Possessing this knowledge that he acquired from his studies he was able to present the gospel in their context, using language they are familiar with and ultimately relating them in ways that otherwise would not be possible. This highlights one of the more practical aspects of the humanities, namely that it increases one’s ability to minister and serve by opening doors that would otherwise be shut.
Another example of the practical application of the humanities was the life of John Wesley. He was well versed in the areas of mythology and other forms of literatures. “The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: a quadrilateral was literally, a four sided figure. The Wesleyan quadrilateral was the four sources we rely on for what we should believe and do. They include Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Of these, Scripture is considered primary.” (Yrigoyen, 109) The methodology that Wesley developed was a practical utilization of the idea that one should bring as many diverse disciplines into harmony with one another. It is the marrying of the different ways of thought that can allow one to better understand who they are and their relation to God’s will for their lives.
One way in which thinking as a Christian affects ones understanding of the humanities is that they will put God’s Word ahead of any work of man. One of the constant battles Christianity has faced has been the one of the intellectual battle field. There has been a constant give and take battle as to God’s existence and for the worst it has directed people’s attention away from God and upon the intellects of those involved.
This battle has become more of a seemingly endless intellectual debate, losing any true spiritual value because of the loss of focus. Donald Miller phrases it this way:
My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care ( Miller, 103)
When the intellect of the person is brought to the forefront it becomes an emphasis on pride and self bloated knowledge, not a focus on the wonders and glories of God. Christians cannot afford to be so caught up in their own pride that they neglect or at worse belittle non-believers because of feeling that they are somehow superior because of their beliefs and schooling.
Another way in which Christian thought shapes one’s interaction with the humanities is that Biblical knowledge is an integral aspect of understanding many literary texts. Older works ranging from Milton’s Paradise Lost and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales up to more modern works such as Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 all contain numerous Biblical allusions that help to define and deepen the works as a whole. Without a reader having the necessary background reading in Scripture, then these great literary works would lose both meaning and impact. So it is to the Christians benefit to be aware of the effects Christianity has had on the literary culture around them.
For the Christian all real truth can be considered to be God’s truth. This fact enables one to be able to freely embrace the humanities with no fear of discovery. As Paul said “I am allowed to do anything – but not everything is good for you. And even though “…“I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything,” (1 Cor 6:12) Just because we have the freedom to learn does not mean everything we study in philosophy or the Humanities will be beneficial. But, just because some aspects are not spiritually edifying does not mean that all of the field of philosophy should be discarded. We should use bold discretion in learning all that we have access to.
Just as theology is the attempt to understand God, philosophy is an attempt to understand knowledge, the logos of the universe. Combined together in study they become a powerful tool in which a person can better understand who they are as a person and how they relate to the God who made them in love. With the betterment of that knowledge once can truly have a changed life that is changing the world.
Works Cited:
Kolak, Daniel. The Mayfield Anthology of Western Philosophy, Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998
Miller, Donald. Blue Like Jazz. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003
New Living Translation. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. , 1988
"Philosophy." Def.5b. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
Yrigoyen, Charles. John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
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Godspeed my friends.
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