latin – Houghton STAR

Can a Christian hold convictions strongly, yet at the same time be willing to compromise?

Browsing over the lunches of my second grade classmates, I searched for food items that I thought my taste buds would find more satisfying than the bag of pretzels in front of me. Hmm … we had a small pack of Skittles (an option), a bag of baby carrots (too healthy), some Goldfish (those looked good, but their owner was a girl and girls still had cooties), and an array of other snacks, none of which measured up to my pretzels. So, I decided to eat my pretzels. Into my body they went, part of my body they became. Such is the way with convictions.

Your convictions define you. They are a part of you. This is always the case. But there is a hierarchy of convictions. What is it that differentiates the Christian from the non-Christian? It is her fundamental convictions, held by grace. The Christian could not and should not compromise or barter on issues challenging fundamental convictions. However, there is a time to compromise and barter on certain issues; history reminds us of the dangers of thinking otherwise.

The word conviction is derived from the Latin noun convictio, or verb convincere, which translates to “with conquer,” implying that holding convictions involves both a conqueror and a conquered. Holding convictions can do violence. But be not fooled: there is also danger for the disciple of Christ who is unwilling to hold convictions uncompromisingly.

In Romans 8:38-39, Paul says that he is convinced that nothing can separate “us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He is convinced of this, he holds onto it with certainty. The Christian must have distinguishing fundamental convictions, rooted in the certainty of the love of Jesus, on which she is not willing to compromise or barter. There are also issues that the Christian should be willing to compromise and barter on in order that she does not compromise on a more fundamental conviction within the hierarchy.

Economic theory tells us that a free market economy with pure competition maintains allocative efficiency; that is, goods and services go where they are most desirable. In the same way, if we compromise and barter on all issues, we will end up holding whatever convictions we find most advantageous to us. The Christian should be uncomfortable with bartering on issues that conflict with fundamental convictions. To barter on these issues makes one’s convictions meaningless and turns one into a disciple of self. Instead, Jesus calls us to follow him and be his disciples. If we have no discipline in holding fundamental convictions uncompromisingly, then how are we to be disciples of Christ?

Look at the conquest and evangelization of the Americas that marginalized native peoples. Many people would see this as Christians who were unwilling to compromise and barter on issues with the native people. While I think this is true, I would argue that, at the heart of the matter, it was Christians who were willing to compromise on the fundamental convictions in order to use “evangelization” as a means to power and domination. Because it was advantageous, fundamental convictions were abused. This is the danger of a “free market economy of ideology.”

Because convictions make us who we are, we must never compromise on the fundamental convictions that are inseparable from our Christian identity. We have a table at which we are formed. No, it is not the second grade lunch table. At the Eucharist table we partake of the embodiment of our fundamental convictions. May we always hold to these uncompromisingly.

Professor Meilaender, political science, is on sabbatical this semester. While the words for “sabbatical” in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew connote a “ceasing,” Meilaender has kept himself very busy as he translates and researches the works of early 19th century Swiss-German author Jeremias Gotthelf.

In the United States the works of Gotthelf are few. Meilaender said that, “almost nothing he wrote has been translated into English” further explaining that he probably has, “the best Gotthelf library in the States.”

Meilaender first heard about Gotthelf while reading a work by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in which Bonhoeffer mentions Gotthelf and explains that his readings were very enjoyable and interesting. Meilaender followed up on this reference while visiting Switzerland. In particular, Meilaender soon developed a keen interest in Gotthelf’s writings of fiction in which characters would dialogue about the major political issues of the time including topics such as socialism, communism and industrialization, to name only a few.

Gotthelf, who was a pastor in a small fairly conservative Swiss village, wrote while living through several French revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars. He called himself a republican (lower case), and warned that Europe was coasting towards far-left political philosophy which, in his opinion, went against Christian doctrines. His contemporaries Alexis de Tocqueville of France and earlier statesman Edmund Burke of England were all, at the time, discussing similar issues focusing around the same centennial period.

Gotthelf novellas are well-known in Switzerland and Germany (where the novella is more commonly accepted in literary circles than it is in the United States). However, most of his fiction tends to average at the 500 page mark. By the time Gotthelf turned 20 years old, he had written 42 volumes, 60% of which was fiction. He is regarded as one of the top three 19th century Swiss authors and actively pursued reforming Swiss poverty law and education. The Willard J. Houghton library possesses one book written by Gotthelf “on order,” another book by him in the stacks, and a brief biography of him also in the stacks. All of these books are written in either Hoch Deutsch or Swiss-German, languages that very few students speak. Thus, the work that Mailaender is undertaking this semester will be of great academic benefit to Houghton College and others.

Specifically, Meilaender is presently in the midst of a long and difficult process in translating several of Gotthelf’s works and compiling a comparative political philosophy book in which Gotthelf’s theories will be compared to other political philosophers of his time.

The struggle throughout this process has been translating Swiss-German as a non-speaker. Dr. Meilaender, who is quite able to translate from German to English, is reading in Swiss-German which, though similar to German, is still a unique and complex language. Presently, Meilaender is translating a Gotthelf novella The Son of Tell, which is a Swiss version of the famous Wilhelm Tell story. During his interview for the Star, Dr. Meilaender explained that though translation is easier when he can take his time and read the language, he is stretching his translation skills with Gotthelf. He expressed that Swiss radio podcasts have been helping him develop better skillful translation of the language, but the translations are still coming slowly.

This sabbatical for Meilaender has been a time of intense, and enjoyable, academic research into the works of a lesser known political philosopher and Christian.

Through his work, Meilaender shows us that while the pursuit of knowledge may be lengthy and difficult, it ultimately provides satisfaction and new opportunities for more than oneself.