The first trimester of school passed by so quickly, and now I find myself soon approaching another whirlwind of business and activities. In the last few weeks I've been reflecting on what I've learned thus far in this experience. At the suggestion of a friend, I decided to write down a couple of things that I believe are different about me. The biggest thing is what I've learned in terms of critical thinking. A huge part of conducting research (or rather 'good' research) is the need for diligence in observing certain details. I realized that shortcuts only lead to dead ends and re-writes. I used to gloss over certain information and extract only the neccessery quotes that fit my argument close enough. This time around, close enough is not enough. After a devastating last minute re-write that left me frantic, I realized that good work is hard work. It takes time, time to think, to read, to reflect, and to question. The greatest advice my supervisor gave me was that anything you read should not be taken as truth. Everything is a point of view, an idea postulated by an individual. We have the right to agree, and the right to disagree. Research is really the process in which we "search". It is our reasoning, our analysis, our gaining of insight and knowledge, not just an argument.
Recently, I had a discussion with a friend regarding a video that went viral on a spoken word poem written by Jefferson Bethke, called Jesus > Religion (you can watch the video by clicking through the link. We talked a bit about what we thought, and maybe reasons for why the video went viral. Both of us felt as though perhaps he was a bit harsh on religion. I won't discuss too much on the details of what I think, as there is more than enough information on the internet regarding different positions on the matter, including an article shared by my friend Dorothy on The Gospel Coalition. What surprised me most about the discussion was that there was actually a discussion taking place. I respect Jefferson for putting his point of view out there, and all the others who responded. No matter what we think Jesus' convictions were, I believe that he was a man of reason, open to discourse and discussion. His early life was spent in deep learning, something the gospels made a point of mentioning. He cultivated his wisdom by asking questions to the teachers in the Synagogue. Even during his ministry, he allowed space for discussions. He often engaged people in thought, and asked for their opinions on certain matters. I used to wonder about the story of the Canaanite woman, and asked myself why Jesus was so harsh on her? But I believe that the encounter was a chance for the woman to reason with her own faith and to reason with Jesus. Jesus ignored her request for healing at first, then responded that it's not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs. She responded with a counter reason that even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their Master's table. She had an opportunity to challenge Jesus, to argue for what she wanted, and she got it.
Have Christians lost their ability to reason these days? It makes me sad that whenever you see a Christian portrayed in a movie or tv show, they're often unreasonable fanatics, or unintelligent uninformed individuals who fold under the powerful reasoning of scientists. Perhaps it is not only Christians, but an entire generation of individuals who aren't encouraged to question, to be skeptical, or to search deeper into matters, to discuss intelligently the ideas put forth. The Internet is strewn with information, and our ability to sort through what we should listen too, and what not to listen too is even more important these days. Robert Bly in his book Sibling Society writes that American culture can no longer demand difficult work from individuals, instead "sloppy technique becomes evidence of honest expression". Close enough is good enough because it's honest, it's human, and human's are made to be imperfect. Has this become an excuse? A reason to not reason? It scares me to see that culture, even christian culture, has become just a talent show. We show off what we can do, our skills, our "gifts", but rarely do we discuss what we do. Rarely do we discuss God, or faith. Rarely do we question the more difficult things. The Jefferson Bethke video opened up discussions between an urban youth culture and perhaps a more scholarly culture. It's a shame that they have to be separate. Does Jefferson have talent? Yes, I believe so. I also believe that he is an intelligent young man who is in search of something, but at the same time, I hope he chooses to listen to some of the counter responses and use them as a chance to grow even deeper in his own understanding, that a poet can become a scholar and vice versa. Faith can exist with reason, just as grace must exist with righteousness. Just because we have one, doesn't mean we forfeit the latter. I hope that in the greater search for truth, christians and non christians alike, we take the time to reflect and learn, to work through the more difficult things with patience instead of lowering the standards to make things easier.
