"There is an art form and humility to being a person of faith..."

Chris Keller, co-author of the book God Is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself (and MHGS alum!) said something rad:

"The obvious reason for putting together a book is that there has just been so much new atheism literature over the past few years. But then—and this ties into our particularity—everyone who is a Christian in this city is living as a Christian in the midst of a general population that has Bill Maher sensibilities, and thinks Christian faith is simply ‘Religulous’. Does being a person of faith essentially mean living a life that is running blind on the wheels of faith? That’s what pisses Maher off so much. But here’s the catch: that’s what pisses our readership off as well—the anti-intellectualism that grows like a fungus in some Christian cultures. As for Christian responses, we see folks all the time “respond” to atheism with all sorts of tactics like anger, sarcasm, vitriol; the people who do it best in my opinion realize there is an art form and humility to being a person of faith and that we must be in dialogue with people different than ourselves. As Brian McLaren says in his endorsement, ‘atheism isn’t just something to oppose or refute—it also can be a mirror, with much to teach us about ourselves and our distorted and unworthy ideas about God and religion.’ So when we were soliciting content a few years ago for this issue I really felt the pressing need to think about what an authentic response to the new atheism might look like, one that might be able to have some traction in a city like Seattle. I don’t really see the new atheism as a threat to the Christian faith, as such, but it certainly does pose a serious (and much needed) threat to certain iterations of the Christian faith. I don’t feel, most days, offended or threatened by the new atheism, but this is a much more interesting and culturally significant conversation to have than, say, tithing or porn."

Kudos Mr. Keller. You've just boosted book sales by one more. Can't wait to read this one! :)

Blubbering Fool

This is how I felt at one point during my weekend. I was talking to a new friend about my grad school plans and trying to explain the school and it's mission and why I'm drawn to it; what my faith looks like. And I completely fell apart. I'm so not used to talking about these things to anyone (so guarded from potential judgment) that I made a complete fool of myself. I probably came off as the judgmental one! I had no idea what or how to say what I was thinking and feeling that I probably sounded like some clueless fluff. It was embarrassing and I definitely feel ashamed for not having my act together and being soooo afraid to talk about it. I can only pray that this gets better after going to school!

Levity

Things are getting too serious in here. Let me fix that:

Dirty Kitchen Confessions

It's breakfast time, however my (small) kitchen is a frightening place right now and I'm going to avoid it as long as possible. Thus, a blog post.

Well I never thought I'd say it, but I think grad school is in my near future! It's both exciting and scary; a big commitment and more debt, but it'll be a great life changing experience I'm sure. Here's a little blurb from the school (Mars Hill Graduate School, in Seattle WA) that assured me this is the place to be:

A Mars Hill education encourages the holistic development of students, with their unique abilities and giftedness, to love and serve God and others with all their heart, soul, and mind. MHGS students should be able to demonstrate their commitment to Christ, to think theologically, and relationally about contemporary issues, respond practically and effectively to their sense of God's calling, live lives of holy love, and become transforming influences for God's kingdom in their diverse cultural settings.

That's a lot. haha But the awesome, unique thing about the school is how in touch and sensitive they are to today's world and culture. They seem simple in their mission, which I interpret as using the gift(s) God has given you to awaken the world to his beauty and love. It's being sensitive to others beliefs and sharing yours with them as well. There is no pretense, no ulterior motive for pushing my faith onto others. I'm still sorting through my "stuff" with God, so I'm in no position to judge anyone or presume they need saving. (Writing that just made me cringe. I am completely turned off by that kind of presumptuous attitude and thinking.)

So my plan is to attend Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, WA with a degree in Christian Studies. My emphasis would be Creative Arts and Theology. There's a lot that falls under the Creative Arts category and I feel that writing is where it's at for me. But I also feel that other interests (music, photography, etc.) will come into my path as well, which would be amazing!

All this to say I'm incredibly open to this opportunity, but also incredibly cautious because it's a deep commitment that will take me out of my comfort zone and away from relationships I've established here in Madison. I've been here for two years and there's still so much of the city I have yet to experience. The friendships I've made mean a great deal to me and I'm afraid of losing them by leaving on this pursuit. But I also know that I can't hold back on this reason alone. To not go would be a huge mistake so I just pray that I can return to these good people after finishing school. I see that I'm holding on to what I have here in Madison and not being more open to possibilities in Seattle. It's just a big change and hard not to resist. I don't know what's best for me, but somebody does and He's speaking loud and clear, which happens so rarely. So I better listen.

Right now I'm being told to go clean the kitchen. ugh.