Post date: Oct 15, 2013 8:35:10 PM
mtg w/ Lyndsey
prayer
for Jemmy
Winnie
Jordan
watch for conflict
Sophia
Bob
Wed. evening
6pm departure - Lyndey +4 in car, tw talk to Brian about trading cars
8pm snacks and structured, Lyndsey
line up helpers -- assigned list
have a meeting, expectations
Thur.
8a breakfast
LG feedback
Speaker: Kevin & Mike down, Winnie up, Josie liked the qs,
Thoughts on mtg w/ Nancy
I, too, want to thank you for coming to our meeting.
In retrospect, I thought my comment about secularism being similar to religion might sound odd, and I can make the point more simply. It is just the idea that secularists shouldn't assume a privileged point of view vis-a-vis people of faith, especially without reflection or (rational) argument. I make the same point to LCF students all the time, but when they feel themselves in the minority and regularly challenged, they are likely to be reflective about their worldview and less likely to slip into dogmatism. IV is interested in what Christians call "discipleship of the mind," so working with Christian students in this setting makes my job easier in that respect. It is often this "unreflective assumed privileged viewpoint" that chafes Christian students who really want to be full participants.
I myself came to Lawrence with this sort of view. I simply assumed that religious people had second rate intellects, and actively sought something better than my nominally religious upbringing. Some bright Christian students "got under my skin," however (without having to try too hard), and I had to re-asses. A familiar "kid full of himself goes to college" story. Ultimately, I believe God "got under my skin," but we Christians know that such statements transgress the rules of public discourse. It is an example of how an acceptable reference from within our community needs careful translation in the broader LU community.
A classic example of this is the parable of the blind men and the elephant (usually one hears that the various religions are the blind men groping about for part of the truth). But of course the storyteller really must give an account of why he can see the whole elephant, when others cannot.
I might venture a more concrete application of this. President Burnstein offered (I think) a compelling vision of the modern university community unified under a common view of shared participation. But some Christians are more motivated by the old robust vision of the university unified and intellectually integrated in Christ, with theology the "queen of the sciences" (with its own account of pluralism and rationale for tolerance, etc.). Arguably, this is a point of view of Lawrence in the early days. Christians are often deeply loyal to and committed to Lawrence, but want Lawrence to be a place open to hearing viewpoints of a different vision of "the best Lawrence."