Torch, Fall 2003

8 TORCH / Fall 2003 As in playing basketball, chess, or the piano, true freedom, creativity, and joy are unleashed when we discover and master the rules, not when we ignore them. The celebration of virtue — courage, wisdom, self-control — makes our ships strong and fast — the finest of all the fleets. ft|Ä|Çz gÉzxà{xÜ As a Christian university, we build on the truth of Jesus Christ as God’s revelation to all of us. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). God’s answers to our most pressing questions are found not in propositions or pronouncement, but in a Person. He accepts us not because of what we have done to earn a place in the family, but because of what He did for us on the cross. Thus, those of us who embrace Him as Lord are in awe of His acceptance and grace, so undeserved yet the very essence of hope for a world on the verge of self-destruction. How some who call themselves Christians can take this message of acceptance and grace as a bludgeon against those who disagree is the greatest embarrassment in the quest for truth. Too often we are known for what we are against rather than what we are for. Because we have been so loved by God, we cannot help but love others. A Gallup Poll revealed that the stereotypical picture of a Christian as narrow-minded and bigoted is wrong. Gallup said, “We find that these people, who have what might be described as a ‘transforming faith,’ are more tolerant of others, more inclined to perform charitable acts, more concerned about the betterment of society, and far happier.” 4 g{x gÜâx Wxáà|Çtà|ÉÇ I don’t think the destination is a place we must conjure up ourselves. Nothing in this life can satisfy your deepest longings. Our journey begins and ends with God. The true destination is a search for the heart of God — not a world ruled by a set of laws we determine, but a society, a world, where no one is left out or left behind. We love by giving; we lead by serving. We find the greatest joy in our creative works. Charles Murray, in his book, Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 , studied the great human achievements on a global perspective. His conclusions regarding the magnificent creative accomplishments and scientific discoveries and inventions that propelled Europe ahead of the rest of the world were astonishing, particularly in light of the fact that he is an agnostic. The Greeks laid the foundation for Western achievement in the arts and sciences. But it was the transmutation of that intellectual foundation by Christianity that gave modern Europe its impetus and that pushed European accomplishments so far ahead of all other cultures around the world. Christianity’s revolutionary potential begins with its core teachings that all human beings are invited into a personal relationship with God, that all individuals are equal in God’s sight regardless of their earthly station, and that salvation is available to all who believe and act accordingly. It is a theology that empowers and energizes individuals as no other philosophy or religion ever did before. The emptiness of our academic nihilism and shallowness is slowly ebbing away. This generation, I think, will be the ones to bring light to our darkness and salt to our blandness. Scholar and historian David McCullough scans the history of mankind and concludes, “While there are indeed great, often unfathomable forces in history … the wonder is how often events turn on a single personality, or the quality called character.” 5 One person committed to a cause is far more influential than a thousand who are only interested. extwç yÉÜ à{x ]ÉâÜÇxç So our fleet is ready to sail. Our journey is a great one. The command to virtue, the charge to serve others sacrificially, and the challenge to seek and find truth are great and holy callings. Pettiness disappears in the light of our great calling. May God give us grace and strength for the journey. ==== 1 From Chapter 11 of C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity. 2 The Chronicle of Higher Education ’s findings were mentioned in Leo, J. (1997, July 21). A no-fault Holocaust. U.S. News and World Report , 123 (3), p. 14. 3 Mueller spoke these words in 1982. 4 Neuhaus, R.J. (1993, March). The public square. In First Things, Vol. 31 , (pp. 57-58). New York: Institute on Religion and Public Life. 5 McCullough, D. (1992). Brave Companions: Portraits in History . Simon & Schuster. f xàà|Çz f t|Ä T