Tag: theology

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Opinions

On American Christianity and Its Failures

By Paul Claydon

Everything in life carries a scent. My mother’s town, home to a sugar factory, was burdened by a pervasive odor. But over time, its residents grew accustomed to it. This is a phenomenon known as nose blindness. Our senses, whether they detect smell or sound, often tune out habitual stimuli. Just as city dwellers become immune to traffic noise, American Christians have developed a form of theological nose blindness. Enveloped in a belief system centered on individuality—my will, my heart, my experiences—this faith tradition can overlook the profound, comforting work of Christ.

American Christianity has become a realm where the focus subtly shifts from Christ to the Christian. This shift is grounded in theological assumptions that many believers accept without question. However, there exists an alternative perspective: one that regards the Bible as both true and divinely inspired, offering clarity and comfort through its teachings.

When discussing American Christianity, I’m not singling out any specific denomination. This term is much broader than Southern Baptist, Wesleyan, or even American evangelicalism as a whole. Across American Christianity, four significant errors have emerged: Revivalism, Pietism, Mysticism, and Enthusiasm. Each in its own way diverting attention from Christ and his words of comfort and life.

Revivalism champions the idea that the Christian journey starts with a personal choice to follow Christ. It elevates the role of emotions, often seeking to stir a decision through orchestrated experiences. However, this approach contradicts the biblical teaching that humans are “dead in sin” (Ephesians 2:1). Salvation is portrayed as a gift from God, not a reward for human choice (Ephesians 2:8-9). In American Christianity the Christian receives Christ as an act of their own will. In Biblical Christianity, Christ receives the Christian as an act of God’s will. Life and faith should not be built on the foundation of your decision but on the foundation of grace given to you by God as a free gift.

Pietism identifies the Christian life with the progression of good works. It emphasizes personal piety as the hallmark of true faith. Yet, such emphasis can overshadow the gospel’s core message: that Christ’s work, not our own, assures salvation. The purpose of the law is to show us our sinfulness and highlight our need for a savior. The gospel is the good news that our savior has come and paid the penalty for our sins. Pietism focuses on the law and neglects the gospel. 

Mysticism claims believers can experience God directly, without mediation. While personal spiritual experiences are valuable, elevating them above Christ’s mediated work on the cross can lead to an inward-focused faith. I’m sure you’ve heard phrases like “I’m going through a drought, I’m just not feeling it in the spirit”, “I’ve lost my passion”, “I feel far from God” and many others. Mysticism causes Christians to base their faith on feelings. As a young person, I would go to church camp every summer and feel deep sorrow and conviction about the way I was living my life. I would go up to the altar during service and cry, having people praying over me and I would commit myself to living a better life for Jesus. But every year after camp ended, I would slowly go back to the way I was before. I felt terrible, especially when my mom would say things like “was camp really for nothing”. This is what happens when you base your faith on your feelings. The Bible never guarantees we will be able to feel the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t there. Mysticism only offers comfort through experience and if that experience isn’t there then the comfort is gone. It teaches that God is there and he loves me through my feelings but when those feelings aren’t there I’m left to conclude that either he’s not there or he doesn’t love me. 

Enthusiasm teaches that spirituality is chiefly an inward journey. It prioritizes personal spiritual experiences over the communal and doctrinal aspects of Christianity. The problem with this is, enthusiasts look for God for his certainty, for his truth, for his comfort and for his spirit only on the inside. Enthusiasm fails to see that the Lord’s work is chiefly on the outside. Enthusiasm is bad because it takes our focus off of Christ and puts it on to our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 says “‘The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Our salvation isn’t found in our hearts, in our feelings or anything inside of us. Our salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, his promises and the grace gifted to us through the word and the Holy sacraments.

The teachings prevalent in American Christianity can be heavy and burdensome, contrasting sharply with Jesus’ invitation to find rest in Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The true yoke of Christ is light; it is centered on forgiveness, mercy, and loving-kindness. The core of Christian faith should pivot on these aspects rather than personal determination or emotional experiences. There is a profound comfort and assurance found in trusting God’s promises over our own efforts.

In conclusion, American Christianity, in its various expressions, has drifted towards a self-centric theology. To address its shortcomings, believers might embrace an approach that prioritizes the grace and promises of Christ over individualistic interpretations. By doing so, they can rediscover the rest and assurance that the gospel promises, and center their faith back on Christ, where it rightfully belongs. ★

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Opinions

Theology Matters 

By Danielle Skinner

I hear them all the time: subtle, and not so subtle, arguments against theology. “Why don’t we just love Jesus?”, “It’s just so dense”, “It doesn’t really matter”, or my personal favorite: “I’m a pastor’s kid/missionary kid/Bible major/minor, I’m good”. 

Houghton is a beautiful place, with many people from different traditions and backgrounds and I think that is a wonderful thing. However, it seems that many times when we are all able to come together, it’s not because of unity in our desire to think through our own beliefs and be willing to hear others out on theirs, but out of a general attitude of apathy. I hear more criticisms of Chapel and required Spiritual Life classes than of any other requirement on campus (except, perhaps, the infinitely hated Transitions). And the complaints, more often than not, are not directed towards the theology expressed, but towards the very fact that we have to sit through theology at all. 

First off, let’s take a second to define theology. Theology isn’t dusty volumes of heavy books packed with endless, impossible to understand jargon. Theology is simply the study of God. Literally, it’s the word “Theos” (God), paired with the word “Logos” (logic or study). You literally cannot talk about God without expressing some form of theology. It’s just a question of whether your theology will be intentional, well thought out, scripture-based, and logical or half-baked, contrary to scripture, and undefendable. 

I hear, more and more, unsound arguments proclaiming theology as useless, unnecessary, and a low-on-the-list priority to any Christian concerned more with following Jesus instead of appearing Holy. With that, here are some of the most common arguments I hear against having a solid understanding of theology, and exactly why theology is necessary for walking with God.

  1. Theology just doesn’t really matter that much

    As you can probably already tell, theology matters a great deal to me. Our view of God impacts our worldview, our values, who we strive to be, our political views, and our actions. It impacts the songs we sing in worship, the church we go to, and the preaching we listen to. It impacts every aspect of our life and our walk with God. Therefore, there is no other area of human knowledge that could be more important to us. The Bible upholds the importance of wisdom and understanding, throughout the Old and New testaments. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon are literally called The Wisdom Books, the entire book of Romans is Paul walking us through sound theology, and I could go on.  Without sound theology, heresy creeps into our personal beliefs, churches, and Christian communities. The songs we sing speak of a God inconsistent with the God of the Bible or turn into self-worship disguised as God worship. We can not defend our faith and, in fact, start questioning it with the slightest strawman argument against it. 

  2. Let’s just love Jesus

    First off, I love that you love Jesus. That’s great! But you know what you do when you love someone? You want to know them. You want to know what they like, what they don’t, and what they care about. You want to know all about them and their character. And that is exactly what theology is. It’s studying God, trying to know and understand Him and His Word better. So not wanting to study, talk about, or hear about theology so that we can just focus on “loving Jesus” doesn’t really work. We need to know God to be able to love Him.

  3. We need to leave room for the Spirit to move

    Yes and amen! However, how is knowing less about God going to make Him more able to move in your life? How is it going to give you more discernment in hearing His voice? God, by His very nature, cannot contradict Himself (Welcome to Theology 101). God speaks to us naturally, through creation, His Word, and apologetics, and He speaks to us supernaturally through miracles. There is no great cosmic battle between God the Father and God the Spirit on which way to talk to us. God is one, and in knowing Him more, studying Him makes us more aware of His presence and His voice.

  4. Theology makes people proud and hypocritical

    We all know that person. They are so proud of their knowledge of God, they fail to see that their own life is riddled with sin. The self-proclaimed “Super Christian” who can rattle on about divine simplicity or the absolute attributes of God, but then go cut someone off in traffic, berate the poor Starbucks worker for not getting them their coffee order right, and yell at their kids for not being ready for church on time. We know the person who loves big words and jargon but looks nothing like Jesus. The idolatry of doctrine over God is a subtle but very real phenomenon. It is absolutely true that loving God requires not just hearing the word, not just knowing the word, but doing what He says, following His teachings. However, faith needs to be based on a sound theology. Without knowledge of the truth of scripture, idolatry and heresy run rampant. Faith becomes useless because it is based on a God of our own creation. Faith requires both understanding and action, a sound knowledge of doctrine and a willingness to do what it says. Jesus argued against the Pharisees and Sagisties with a perfect knowledge of scripture and infallible logic. Theology doesn’t make people prideful, sinful nature makes people prideful. Theology combined with action is the solution, not trying to forfeit theology all together.

  5. Theology is too dense and difficult to understand

    True, some theology can be VERY dense. However, I am not arguing that every Christian needs a doctorate of theology. I certainly don’t plan to get one. However, you don’t need a doctorate to have a solid, defendable theology. You don’t need to know the term Divine Simplicity, but you do need to understand that God is self-sustaining and depends on no one, to understand that God can love us perfectly because He has no needs on which that love is contingent and He can not fail as He is not made up of parts or lesser beings, which are fallible.

  6. No one can ever fully understand God

    Yes, this is true. We all possess an imperfect theology. Our human reasoning is fallible and unable to fully comprehend an infinite, all knowing, and all present God. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We are all sinners in the process of being sanctified, who can never truly be free from the presence of sin on earth, but in growing closer to God by pursuing righteousness, we also grow closer to God through studying theology, though imperfectly. 

    The pursuit to know God is one of the most influential experiences we can go through. A solid understanding of theology should humble us, strengthen our faith, prepare us to “give a defense to anyone who asks”, and most importantly, align, not only our values, but also our actions more and more with Christ. How in the world could that possibly not matter? ★
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Stories In Focus

Potter Profile: Naomi Woolsey

On a four-pronged stool, a young woman sits, preparing a ball of clay to be thrown on the potter’s wheel before her. The quiet studio is dusty; the art residue turning afternoon sunlight into a soft, dawn fog. Nodding her approval she centers the clay on the wheel.

Naomi Woolsey RGBNaomi Woolsey, a Houghton graduate of 2010, has been practicing ceramics in Houghton College’s studio for over 5 years. She did not major in art, but has felt a love for creating ever since she was a child. “Some of my first memories are of playing in the creek here at Houghton when I’d visit my grandparents,” said Woolsey, “I’d make tiny pots out of the creek clay.” She paused, laughing softly, “Things have really come full circle.”

Woolsey is currently the Teacher’s Assistant for Professor Gary Baxter’s ceramics classes including Ceramics 1, Ceramics 2, and Figurative Clay Sculpture. Baxter became acquainted with Woolsey when she took his ceramics classes as a student.  He noticed her aptitude for acquiring necessary skills and the joy she derived from creating. Thomas Eckert ‘16, a student in Ceramics 1 this past semester said, “Naomi’s joy is evident from the way she works. That joy is imbued in the pieces she produces.”  

When asked about her craft Woolsey explains, “A lot of potters become potters because they fall in love with the material. You’ve got your hands in it. You can really immerse yourself in earth, fire, water, air.” She went on saying, “It records your movement. Even your fingerprint could stay there for tens of thousands of years.”

After graduation Woolsey helped out in the ceramics studio and continued making her pieces.  A year later when the TA position became available she was the natural choice. Her responsibilities now include helping students, doing demonstrations, firing the kilns, and constituting glazes. Baxter has been very pleased to work with her and said, “She’s very responsive, willing to help where she can, and reliable.”

While at Houghton, Woolsey studied Theology and Biblical Studies and has used that training in her artwork. In 2012, Woolsey started an online Etsy site because her basement started filling up. Since the foundation of the shop it has grown sustainably. Luminaries – rounded, decoratively porous candle holders – are among her bestselling items. She also specializes in communion sets and liturgical ware.

In addition to these objects, she also produces work on commision. Last year she was hired by a church in Rochester to make a prayer vessel. The church leaders wanted a physical object to be used in the liturgy where written congregational requests could be placed and later incorporated into the pastoral prayer. The main idea to be conveyed by the piece was that God hears our prayers and God’s people hear our prayers.
Woolsey explained, “Thinking about my field in ceramics and imagery in the Bible I created a vessel that brought together the ideas of the golden bowls placed before God in Revelation and the story in Exodus of Moses and the burning bush. Both of these images convey ideas of God hearing prayer and acting on it by enabling a human servant to hear the people’s prayer and act on it.”

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News

Faculty Attend Wesleyan Transgender Conference

On January 24, 2014 representatives from Houghton College, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University were invited to attend a meeting at the Wesleyan Church Headquarters, in Indianapolis, IN, to look over a draft policy statement on the issue of transgender.

Courtesy of saxony-indiana.com
Courtesy of saxony-indiana.com

Representatives from each college typically consisted of an administrator and a theologian. It was decided that Dr. Richard Eckley, professor of theology and an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church, and Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President for Student Life, would be the two representatives for Houghton. The group of representatives was called together by the Church even though the policy had already been through the denomination’s general board “to further review the issue,” as Eckley explained.

“I was hoping to help my denomination think through the foundational areas necessary for making a sound pastoral approach to this issue.  The homosexual question has been addressed by all with little common ground,” said Eckley.

Eckley described the trip as “a meeting of representatives of the

Wesleyan Church’s colleges/universities to look over a draft policy statement on the issue of transgender.” A total of eight people were present at the meeting, each being given the policy draft ahead of time to be looked over prior to the start of the meeting.

Eckley expressed, “The transgendered person is a part of our churches, and therefore is more than a topic; it is a question about how the Church gives hospitality to the people that make up her congregation.” At a time when transgender is a delicate topic, especially in the church, the policy is aimed to be a guideline to create a careful balance of honoring scripture, but also to know how to pastor and show love and support to people going through questions of expression.

“The policy statement is shaping up to be a kind of ‘middle way’ approach,” said Eckley. Eckley explained how the Church seems to be taking a traditional approach to the Biblical, theological, and scientific research, while also not forgetting the importance of pastoral guidance in churches and learning communities.

“If there’s a singular thing I learned, its try to be more Christ-like. More clear on what the scripture says and doesn’t say, and not to be afraid to honor the scripture,” said Pool. “I want any student to be able to come here and thrive.”

A second motivation for the policy, and reason for the meeting is guidance for the possibility of future ligation on the subject of hiring in Christian colleges and universities. In the past Christian institutions have faced legal disputes on the matter of transgender faculty. The idea is to prevent schools without a policy from being in a bad position to have a clear response in these cases.  “Of course, as a theologian, I am not that excited about documents drawn up primarily for lawyers,” Eckley joked.

It is clear that the completion of the policy will not fix all problems, but it is definitely a start, as Eckley referred to the meeting as “an attempt to refrain from judgmentalism and to offer understanding and compassion to those struggling with sexual identity dysphoria.” The college has taken a big step towards making the campus a place that welcomes all people, and with the policy colleges can have a consistent approach on doing so.

The final draft will be ratified within the next few weeks, where once completed, can be viewed online at the Wesleyan Church website.

Apart from the policy being put together by the Wesleyan Church, Houghton College had also begun to create a pastoral letter on homosexuality for its campus. The letter will aim to show how “as a community Houghton can help, support, and pastor those with same sex attraction,” explained Pool.

 

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News

Islamic Studies on the Ropes

As part of a recent series of academic budget cuts, Islamic Studies will no longer be offered as a minor or as a concentration in the Intercultural Studies major. Decisions to make such cuts began back in October, with various meetings with the Academic Council, faculty, and the academic affairs committee of the board of trustees aiding the decision-making process. Academic Dean Linda Mills Woolsey, in charge of making such cuts, stated that, “Ultimately, the decision is my decision as the dean, so I take responsibility for it even though I’ve consulted with other people,” adding that “the decision making for these things is a process.”

Courtesy of http://iqraislamicstudies.webs.com/
Courtesy of http://iqraislamicstudies.webs.com/

One of the driving reasons behind the cuts is a lack of student interest and enrollment in the program. The Islamic Studies program had managed to occupy a middle ground in terms of enrollment in the early years after its initiation in 2006; however, enrollment numbers have since dwindled. The minor has managed to maintain an average of 8.2 minors every five years between 2009 and 2013, but the concentration in the Intercultural Studies major experienced a decline in numbers between 2011 and 2013, averaging 3.6 majors with the Islamic Studies concentration per five years. This year the minor numbers three students while the concentration numbers two. Mills Woolsey cites an overall decline in college enrollment as one of the reasons behind the shrinking of the program, but admits that certain disciplines have suffered more than others. “As our enrollment has declined, it hasn’t declined proportionately across the board, so we’re investing a lot in really small majors.” Michael Walters, chair of the religion, theology, and Bible departments, takes a different view. “I know our numbers in our department have been down a little bit, so I think it’s reasonable to assume that the pool of students who would normally be interested in that sort of thing has been a bit smaller than it was in the past, but I don’t think that’s a sufficient explanation.” Mills Woolsey also expressed a sense of confusion at the lack of student interest. “I thought with the coming of the Arab Spring there would be a resurgence in student interest in Islam, so I don’t know whether it’s that our students aren’t interested in that or that there’s something about the way we framed the minor or the concentration didn’t have a broad enough usefulness for students.”

Further rationale for the cuts determined that the funds from the minor and concentration were needed more in certain under resourced disciplines such as finance, digital media, and biochemistry. According to Mills Woolsey, the cut of the Islamic Studies program is part of the college’s effort to deal with problem areas “where we need to make full-time hires and we don’t have the budget to make those hires, so right now we’re looking at, and will continue to throughout the course of this year, minors and concentrations that have very few students.”

Another problem for the program is its dependence on two part-time professors also engaged in missions work, a situation which creates potential for future career conflicts. “It’s just owing to the good generosity of the missions agencies that Drs. Hegeman and Little work with that we’ve been able to do what we’ve done,” said Walters. “I think that’s very unsettling to a college administrator. What happens if those missions organizations simply say, “we need you to be full-time in Benin or Morocco’? We don’t have anybody in our department who can teach that stuff.” There had been consideration of merging Islamic Studies with the religion department with religion professors teaching similar classes, but, as Walters further explained, “I don’t think we have faculty right now in the department that are qualified to do it.”

While various faculty members expressed regret at the cuts, there is some agreement that changes need to be made to its structure if there is any chance for its reinstatement in the future. Marcus Dean, chair of the Intercultural Studies department, attested to the diversity of the program in its applications, stating that “Some focus on developing an academic understanding of Islam and some are more outreach or missions focused.  This makes the content applicable in diverse areas of service. For example, one of the Islam courses has been an option for international development programs.” Walters also cited applications in international business.

Mills Woolsey wondered if more areas could be covered in the program to capture student interest. “Islamic Studies as we’re doing it is primarily the study of Islam as a world religion and a study from an apologetic, missiological perspective, which are very good things, but it may be that there’s not a big enough group of students who want that perspective on Islam. The other areas where you could study Islamic culture would be social, political, even the art and architecture of the Islamic world. Islamic Studies is kind of a broad field.” She added, “It’s obvious that Islamic Studies is an important field of study, but we haven’t framed it in a way that’s attracting a lot of students, so we have to go back to the drawing board and see what can be done to make this more inviting to students, more accessible to students… sometimes you do have to take something down to build it up again.”