Bizarre art in hallways. Late night conversations. A plethora of simple carbohydrates.
What do all these things have in common?
THE CLASH.
In light of the fact that I sat in that fluorescent-lighted lecture hall no less than 25 times, absorbing truth from the teaching of no less than 7 gifted leaders, I’ll have to limit this summation to 4 specific areas where God seemed to speak and work most clearly.
.one.
Having more questions than answers is not a bad thing.
As we entered into the more government-centered lectures this week, I began to be especially curious about the answer to the question “What is the role of government?” More specifically, “Is marriage a God-delegated State responsibility (regardless of the fact that it has become a State responsibility)?” The intent of my question was to discover whether or not it was truly the government’s duty to define marriage, and if defining it was outside its boundaries. As I asked several of our speakers this question, I heard, more than once, an answer I was not expecting. Their answer was that marriage was originally given to creation, but when creation relinquished that role, it was given to the State. Nowadays, as one speaker pointed out, because the definition of marriage is so integral to many government policies, it is necessary that it be defined by the state. Now, although I am so grateful for a true answer to my question (which I had never heard or thought of before), I would still like to delve into the Biblical evidence supporting this view, particularly because--coming from a more libertarian, small-government political view--this is a great deal different. I’m excited, however. This particular question, which was broad in scope when I first arrived, is now far more refined and conducive to evidence-centered research (not to mention that hearing an answer from men far wiser than myself, differing from my somewhat strongly-held views was a humbling experience).
.two.
The Bible is the source of all truth, and the centerpoint for a worldview.
Before panic ensues, allow me to set the record straight. Yes, I did know this fact before this past week. However, as I became reminded of both how every man (Christian or not) has a heart that attests to the existence of God, and how no truth or philosophy has any firm or logical basis without presupposing God, the importance of a Biblically-aligned worldview was reinforced. In application, this means that finding out what the Bible has to say regarding a certain aspect of a worldview means more to me than logical or pragmatic reasoning. This was well summed up in the quote that, for all intents and purposes, became the theme for the week: “Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch of the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!” (Abraham Kuyper). Neutrality in this world is nonexistent – Christians may have differing convictions, but God has something to say to each of our hearts about every thought, deed, and belief.
“…The struggle between Christian theism and its opponents covers the whole field of knowledge. It is not as though we are at the outset dealing with the question of the knowledge of the world about us and that the only point in dispute is whether or not God can be and need be known…Christian theism’s fundamental contention is just this, that nothing whatsoever can be known unless God can be and is known…There is not a spot in heaven or on earth about which there is no dispute between the two opposing parties. It is this point that can bear much emphasis again and again.” (Cornelious Van Til)
.three.
Biblical fellowship.
I mentioned late-night conversations, and many and sundry there were. Morgan, Sarah and I managed to talk through metaphysics, modern art, and the foundations of government (and that was just in one evening). We can sleep in heaven, right? Quite seriously though, I felt like the lectures primarily served as catalysts for the excellent (and quite deep) discussion into which we eagerly delved. In addition to the academic conversations, though, I felt like I truly experienced Biblical fellowship in discussion group, times of encouragement simply between roommates, and the outdoor time of worship, testimony, and prayer Friday night that lasted ‘till 1:30am. There is no sense that can be compared to that of being surrounded with truly like-minded individuals—ones who are willing to share scripture and prophetic words, pray over those who have asked, and humble themselves to talk about the issues of the heart with openness. I thank God for each individual I had the pleasure of interacting with this week.
.four.
My calling.
It sounds awfully cliché to say something along the lines of “I discovered my calling at church camp.”, but Jeff Purswell’s second-to-last session was a real encouragement to my heart. During this time, God truly put the future of wife and mother back in its proper perspective—as a glorious and high calling. And oh, how this affirmed was again and again in my heart through the men at the conference stepping up in their role. When Mr. Emerson referred to us as “men and women” (though we are all between the ages of 17 and 20) at one point in discussion group, it struck me: we no longer need to be subject to the mere expectations of being teenagers, but we can truly be men and women now.
Gentlemen, thank you so much. You may not be fully aware of the impact your actions have on the ladies around you, but in this culture which both explicitly and implicitly inundates women with the lie that motherhood is an inferior occupation for inferior women, having a man reaffirm his role (even in seemingly small ways) relieves much pressure to step into that role. Seth, Josh, Peter, Rob, James, Andrew, Jason, Noah, and Zach: many thanks to you, specifically.
The second aspect of this calling was summed up in Jeff Purswell’s final point on the priority of the local church, but in a slightly different way than expected. First of all, it made me doubly grateful for my decision to stay in Richmond this year and remain part of KingsWay. On the other hand, however, when I returned home and was dialoguing with my parents, my dad expressed the thought, in faith, that if, after reevaluation, VCU is not where God is calling me, he would not be closed to the idea of praying about a college in a different locality, provided that there be a strong local church. I currently have no reason to anticipate a change of college, but to know that wherever God may call me, a local church would be a necessary component, was a comfort.
”…and that isn’t even the half of it…”
Thank you, Lord.
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