An informed position

February 8, 2006 | 2 Comments

Mr. Senft believes that the humanities (in particular, the discipline of philosophy) have no substantive place in a Christian university. The purpose of a university, in his view, is to support the most popular and most practical programs (business, education, etc.). Additionally, this purpose is most consistent with our Christian mission, to send out professionals (not academics) into the marketplace. All of these assumptions reveal that the author has no understanding of what a university is supposed to do for its students. A liberal arts education, which is the very core of our university’s identity, requires that our students give themselves to the contemplation of the great questions. What is humanity? What is the good life? What is the meaning of their existence? This sacrifice, which a study of the Great Books
of the West (and beyond) both requires and articulates, is meant to enrich the very souls of our students, to take them (and their professors) beyond their parochial context to have a conversation with the thinkers of all ages. Presumably, the author assumes, as a practical fellow, that the only thing students want from a university is to help them adapt to the popular and practical concerns of their own time, not to help them understand the concerns of all time. How does he know that all of our students are so parochially minded? The most shocking assumption of the author is that a Christian university must focus on the professional programs, to satisfy the imperative of evangelism. The author assumes that the graduates of these programs require only “practical skills” to spread the gospel of Christ. Presumably, the need to reflect on the nature of the soul, good and evil, and social injustice (all concerns of the humanities) is not “practical” and is not consistent with our university’s mission. Yet the author should recognize that an education in skills alone is no education: skills on their own may foster a sense of efficiency, but do little to cultivate a thoughtful and critical mind. Was Christ simply teaching about “skills,” or demanding that his people thoughtfully critique the idols of their time? By all means Christians should “infiltrate” the professional fields, as the author suggests, but a true Christian professional must think. The Enrons of our time are full of “professionals” who are practically minded and unreflective at the same time. I agree with the author that the humanities will never be popular, nor should its practitioners seek to have this quality. The humanities, especially when informed by the biblical tradition, will always question the credos of any age. As long as TWU supports this mission, it is a university, not a technical college.

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Alright, I’ll go down to $5, but that’s it

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Materialism, exploitive commercialism, and manipulation of the consumer mind are all very powerful and negative concepts. We as modern Christians live in a world in which such concepts and words are commonplace, yet at the same time spiritually disturbing. How is a Christian to operate in a world increasingly fraught with such things? No, I’m not talking about the capitalist marketplace, but rather, the Christian subculture that mirrors it. We Christians like to associate all sorts of evils with the world and with the faceless people who we say are “of it and in it,” but how often does one hear a critical reflection on our own Christian culture? Perhaps it’s just me, but I have very rarely heard anything, much less a sermon, on the topic. From a business standpoint it makes perfect sense to find a niche market and exploit it: being the first into a new market is extremely lucrative, especially if it is as big as an entire religion. However, is that behavior something we can truly call appropriate? Is taking advantage of the Christian demographic a good thing? Or even more controversial, is profiting from the message of Jesus moral? Many modern North American Christians have unquestionably accepted the capitalistic way of life, and in doing so have totally lost the concept of holiness. There is nothing for contemporary Christians that can’t be bought or sold. It seems that nothing, not even God Himself, is so special as to be beyond the grasp of Adam Smith’s almighty invisible hand. How holy can we truly consider the image, words, and life of Jesus when we use Him as a marketing gimmick? Granted, marketing is always easy
to make fun of, but how moral can Christian marketing be? The amazing thing about Christ’s teachings is that they are intensely selfless and sacrificial. Numerous times Jesus condemns those who value earthly gains over spiritual ones. Wealth is often condemned as spiritually dangerous and charity is praised as virtuous. Those teachings of Christianity are difficult (perhaps impossible?) to reconcile with a greed-based economic system like capitalism. That doesn’t mean that making a profit is wrong, though. Selling Bibles, for example, is something that is morally defensible. In an economy like ours there are costs to print, costs to distribute, and costs for administration. By charging money for Bibles the companies that produce them are able to continue to do so. Where a company could go wrong, though, is by buying into the capitalistic mantra of “Bigger! Better! More!” Rather than simply providing a useful service to the Christian community by furnishing necessary goods, some companies become greedy, milking the community for all it’s worth. What purpose does a Biblezine, such as Revolve, really serve other than to extract cash, encourage consumption, and in doing so, foster materialism? No, Christianity should never become the target audience or a market niche. We Christians need to learn to be in the world but not of the world. We should no longer conform to the economic patterns of this world, but transform the world in reaffirming our faith as too holy to buy and sell.

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Inked Beauty

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

“Not much of a bleeder, are you?” Donovan commented, jarring me out of my meditative state and back into the vintage decor and rock-and-roll sounds of Lady Luck Tattoo. I had been thinking about suffering and art, an appropriate topic considering the inked, methodical pricks into my forearm. Donovan is renowned for his professional skill with black and grey tattooing; his off-handed intelligence and easy-going nature are just an added bonus. As Donovan worked he talked, giving me a glimpse into his career of eleven years. His work at Lady Luck Tattoo began with the usual apprenticeship: a year of unpaid “gophering” to distinguish oneself from the throngs of would-be tattoo artists. For Donovan, this initial discipleship to the shop has resulted in his ownership of it and his chance to be an active participant
in the community which he grew up in. I wondered why so many people were willing to endure the hours of pain for a symbol on the body. “A lot of people are searching for things to tie them to this world,” he responded philosophically. He pointed out that in many ancient cultures tattoos were symbols of place in the tribe, and “there aren’t a lot of things like that in our culture, especially if you’re not religious.” Family crests or memorial tattoos give people a visible identity, but Donovan chooses not to tattoo names of romantic partners: “It’s amazing how they come back two weeks later and don’t want the tattoo of their girlfriend or wife,” he explains. As far as the pain goes, Donovan’s experience has shown that “the pain and ritual of going through it makes you stronger, puts you in charge
of your own body and your own faith decisions.” Once endured, the memory of pain is a residual story, a work of art all our own. Throughout my time with Donovan, I was impressed with his insights on art and suffering, though somewhat saddened by his disillusionment with religion. As he recalled his exclusion from a best friend’s wedding party because of a religious family’s disapproval of tattoos, it occurred to me that Donovan saw religion as being inauthentic. “You can’t change the world,” he told me realistically, pointing out all of the hatred justified in the name of forceful faith. “But you can try,” was my feeble answer, fumbling for proof that Christians were called to something higher than prejudice and judgment. At times, my suffering became intense. The inner wrist work sent me into such a
shaking fit that I cursed the very idea of art. Yet as the piece progressed and I began to see the bigger picture, a calm was bestowed on me. Through struggle comes clarity, and understanding the purpose of pain can ease its sting. Perhaps Donovan is right, and we can’t change the world. Yet we try to evidence our place in it and our priorities surface to tell the story of what is important to us, be it family, faith, or beauty. Suffering is art when the scars it leaves behind tell our story of struggle, our dedication to principles higher than mere comfort. Suffering becomes art when we remember how it transformed us.

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The Pen May Waltz

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Remember the story of the elephant and five men? Five blind men approach an elephant, one at the trunk, one at the feet, one at the tail, one at the ears, and one at the belly. Each blind men describes to the others his own representation of what he felt—the man at the trunk describes the entity as a hose, another believes that the ears are a sail, the third speaks of tree trunk features, the next describes the tail as a rope, and finally, the last man said the belly was a large boulder—none of them are exactly wrong in their descriptions. Yet none of them are correct in their conclusions, in knowing the entire animal. Each person perceives a different reality, and has a different explanation of our metaphysical state. And whether we agree with these alternate perceptions of reality or not, we must consider them. Because
without these beliefs, we lose the human spirit. Now, I cannot simply make a claim that the human spirit is lost in ignorance. But the story of the blind men and the elephant presents a metaphor for how we are all born blind into this world, conditioned through family, through our settings, and through life experiences in what we believe and do not believe. Whether we choose to accept or reject presented philosophies and theologies is a matter of human will; our will being the single most powerful deterrent in every situation. And yet, there is no way for a person to reject everything imparted to them. Likewise, it is impossible to avoid choosing, because in doing so you have already made that choice. Influence is just as powerful as will because reaction and choice are inevitable. Every choice you make, by action or
inaction– whether you should go to the movies before dinner or after dinner, if you should acknowledge the commercial asking for help for children overseas, or if you should marry the person you have been in a relationship with for the last four years—is heavily affected by all the influences of our lives. If we choose not to consider the views of others that may seem ridiculous to us, then we are setting ourselves on a pedestal of superiority. Some my call this liberal thinking, but it really falls in the category of consideration and respect. Culturally speaking, North Americans– most notably in the youth– lean towards seeing ourselves as invincible, whereas European and Middle Eastern countries often view Americans as high-handed, rude bullies. And plenty of other nations view other nations disproportionately
as said example does. I challenge Sense and Mars’ Hill readers to appreciate and understand the differences of each person you come in contact with, and especially those that you disagree with—in art, in musical preference, in political debate, in philosophical argument, in theological and spiritual contention. It’s a wonderful thing to have an intelligent debate with a person who vehemently disagrees with you, yet still each walk away sympathetic to their viewpoints. When this happens, it could be said that we have circled to the other side of the elephant and felt what the other described.

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cran

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Picture an 11-year-old boy dressed up like a nurse, playing DJ with his own cheesy electronic music to his audience of parents and friends. What do you think happens when this kid grows up a little bit, almost dies a few times, and realizes how much he appreciates life, music, and God? Cran happens. Cran is Jonny Hughes, now one of Trinity’s own, a 1st year Art major, and a musician who has come a long way since his “DJ Nurse” days. Since he started Cran about three years ago, he has stimulated quite an attraction, locally and beyond, to his music. Aside from his trumpet player Neil Zubot, who often plays with Jonny, Cran is a solo act. It has been an intense journey for Jonny, yet he humbly treks on, smiling, trusting God, and of course, making music. Jonny’s style of electronic music, combined with unashamedly
vulnerable vocals, is influenced by artists such as Atron Family, Soul Junk, and Carol King, among others. On describing his style, Jonny says, “If someone’s really into the whole underground or indie scene (Jonny finger quote-unquotes ‘indie scene’) they could understand if I said like indietronica… or glitzpop; but normally people aren’t really into that and I don’t want to sound snobby so I just say, ‘Have you heard of Björk or Radiohead?’ It’s sort of like that.” The name Cran started out as an inside joke, as many good band names do. Jonny found amusement from writing meaningless words on message boards, and the word cran came out as an evolution of words like cranberry, rad, and the expression “keep it real.” He ended up thinking, “If something was really true it should be called cran
because someone who is really superficial and has lots of walls up, to see them say the word cranberry, it looks silly. Anyone who says the word cran can’t say it without laughing or feeling silly.” With the music he creates, Jonny recognizes the opportunity to use his gifts for God. “For Cran, it’s all about trying to witness and this is me trying to witness to people who don’t know God and Jesus, and just to show that, or hopefully show, that not all Christian music has to be cheesy.” He often gets opportunities when talking to people about music, to witness about his faith. “I’ve had tons of surprisingly amazing times talking to people who I know are atheists, or don’t know what they believe, say there’s some kind of purity about me that they really like, or that when I play, it gave them a really
weird feeling that I know is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.” Jonny’s authentic, charismatic character combined with the music of Cran has attracted the interest of more than a few people, including many local bands, and some record labels. Last summer, Jonny played at In Medias Res’ homecoming tour show, with Notes From the Underground and The Robosexuals. “I played like four sets in between every band, and it was one of the greatest days ever. There was like 500 people there and everyone sang along to my sing-along-song ‘We’re Gonna Make It’ and it was just…I almost cried. That was one of my favourites.” As far as other favourites go, Hughes says, “Usually every time I have some kind of crazy health problem and almost die, my favourite shows are the ones that I play two days after that. I
really enjoy those.” He’s not kidding, either. Last semester Cran played a show with Starflyer 59 and Maplewood Lane. Two days prior to this show, Jonny had undergone surgery for testicular cancer. He explained to his parents that it would hurt less if he stood up, and he really had to play. Thankfully, Jonny is now cancer-free. “I’m so happy to be alive . . . just feeling a little frustrated at why that kind of stuff has to happen, and just trying really hard to make the best of it and see God through everything.” Cancer is not the only health struggle Jonny has had. Last year he broke both his arms in an accident that should have been fatal. This incident also only encouraged his optimistic outlook on life and God. “I should’ve been dead, but just knowing that by human standards I shouldn’t be alive–
like it doesn’t actually make any logical sense– [I’ve realized that] God has a calling for me so I can’t be sloppy. I need to work hard when I’m at school and work hard at work and put everything into what I have, because God wanted to spare me. It’s the most intense thing ever.” Jonny gets excited because he strongly believes that he’s doing something with his music that the devil doesn’t want him to do, something for God’s kingdom. He moves forward with an optimistic sense of purpose, values each day of life, and puts all he has into his work and music. Having been through so much, Jonny has some last-minute, lifechanging advice to offer to the masses: “If you want to win the heart of a girl, use domain name jokes. It helps.” Look for Cran’s next album, Arms Legs Feet, to be released in the near future.

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“Your team hates you”

February 8, 2006 | 5 Comments

I grew up playing soccer with two guys on the UBC Men’s Varsity Team, and catching up with them over the Christmas break, I found out they literally hate Trinity Western University. And it’s not just them, but the whole UBC team. The main reason for the hard feelings is not that TWU beat them in the CanWest finals last November, but that the behaviour of TWU fans at that game was appalling. TWU has the biggest school spirit of any school I’ve been to and isn’t shy about supporting its sports teams. However, much of the cheering at the CanWest finals consisted of cheering against the other team rather than for our team. It may have little effect on the field – if one team simply plays better than the other– but off the field, a crowd that negatively jeers at the visiting team reflects poorly on the school.
Christians (and students of a Christian school) are ambassadors of Christ. Although we shouldn’t live to please others and look “Christianly” on the outside, our behaviour significantly influences how others view faith in Christ. Heckling and discouragement aimed at individual players on the visiting team (called by name, thanks to the program) is common at varsity soccer games, as is chanting, “Your team hates you” after a mistake. Some UBC players even reported hearing, “God hates you” from the sidelines. As funny as heckling is (I thought it was hilarious at the time), maybe it’s not the best way to cheer. Redirecting our efforts into encouragement for our team, although perhaps not as entertaining, will have visiting teams leaving TWU happy with the game, instead of hating the school, its students,
and the God it represents. School spirit and cheering at sports games definitely makes a difference; it’s one of the best parts of “home field advantage.” In the worst case scenario, refraining from insults and booing the other team may yield a loss for TWU. Is losing the game that important when considering what the sacrifice could be? Take, for instance, the CanWest final against UBC — we won the game, but may have lost hearts for the Kingdom of God. It may sound like this is making a big deal out of nothing, but the world scrutinizes Christians. TWU may serve the homeless in downtown Vancouver, but we treated the UBC Men’s Soccer Team like garbage. Integrity includes being godly in all areas, including our sports enthusiasm. If we don’t have anything nice to say at games, let’s keep our mouths closed and redirect our zeal to building one another up.

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Stressed Out Derek Hess

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

JONATHAN SWIFT SAID, “VISION IS THE ART OF SEEING THE INVISIBLE.” When you’re Cleveland-based artist Derek Hess, nothing rings truer than being able to communicate the unseen through ink visuals. Since establishing himself as commercial artist in the early nineties, Hess has proven himself as a strong catalyst of feeling and thought through his simple and expressive pen and ink drawings. Since then, he has created somewhat of an empire with the Derek Hess name and most recently Strhess Clothing. He also launched StrhessFest (an art and music festival) and The Strhess Tour (a sponsored music tour that has spanned both North America and the UK). I recently had the chance to talk with the 41-year-old Hess about his upcoming year and what he wants to impress his fans next.

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24 Minutes With Preston Manning

February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Fast talkers, gum chewers, people who are chronically late: chances are that at least one of these types of people has the potential to drive you up the wall. (Myself, I have a very low tolerance for hall walkers who abruptly stop or turn.) In light of this typology I decided to ask people what bothered them, and at random I decided to ask my good friend Preston Manning. His answer was “wacky people.” While I may not have real philosophical concerns about hall walkers, Manning is very concerned about wacky Christians discrediting the faith and doing things that reflect badly on others with a faith commitment. And while I may want to yell at those unpredictable walkers, that is the extent of my involvement. But Manning has decided to solve the problem of wacky Christians by holding a conference for people on navigating
what he calls the faith / political interface. More and more faith-orientated people are struggling with how to become involved in the political process, and Manning hopes that the conference will help “faithoriented Canadians to participate responsibly in Canadian politics.” I had the unique experience of having Manning call my cell-phone to talk about the conference in more detail, and here’s what he had to say . . .

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