April 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
We started Mars’ Hill this year with the question, “Called to what purpose?” Like the idea of being called, there are many beliefs in our lives that we assume have answers, but when these beliefs are challenged, the answers turn out to be merely superficial. The reality is that we take many things for granted, and although we may begin our education with conviction in our beliefs and systems, this assurance is swiftly challenged as we engage the world we live in.
READ MORE (683 words).
March 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lately I’ve noticed the endless volumes of books that lament cultural apathy in my library. Almost all of them are from classes I’ve had to take over the years, and they say much the same thing about the severe lack of passion and imagination in our society, particularly in our youth. However they don’t really address what we’re going to do about it. Rather, the acknowledgment of apathy seems to be followed by hopelessness in current or future generations. I suppose this is a result of resignation in the face of the sheer hopelessness of it all. But if we’re going to point fingers at the current generation, it’s a good idea to realize that apathy has been a symptom of society long before our own generation.
READ MORE (573 words).
February 20, 2008 | 6 Comments
An editorial in the New York Times titled “Evangelicals a Liberal Can Love”, written by Nicholas D. Kristof, commends conservative Evangelicals for their activism in greater social issues such as AIDS, poverty and climate change. In addition, The Colbert Report reported on the latest evangelical initiative to condemn global warming and encourage activism, albeit with a mocking reference to James Dobson’s response that “any issue that puts plants and animals above humans is one that we cannot support.”
READ MORE (439 words).
February 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The day before Ash Wednesday is Mardi Gras. Coincidence? Hardly. It’s not surprising that prior to the month of religious fasting one decadent festival was the final chance to indulge in as much pleasure as possible: an indication of the fascinating relationship between religion and celebration. This is what inspired the Mars’ Hill issue on partying - the fact that people always have and always will party. What is particular at Trinity Western University, however, is that the concept of partying comes with some very distinct expectations.
READ MORE (576 words).
January 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Justifying the concept of missions is a crucial question for Christians hoping to fulfill the call of evangelism. Addressing what missions really does forces us to examine the confusing relationship between salvation and the Western church. The commission that Christians are charged with holds us accountable to sharing the message of Christ, but how has the tradition of Western Christianity impacted our encounters with people from different traditions? And what exactly is the message of salvation that we are imposing?
READ MORE (586 words).
December 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Something about the traditional Christmas creates a distinctive seasonal feeling. Yet the holiday memories we treasure are easily hyped and distorted by obsessive shopping and hopeless expectations. We end up putting a barcode on sincere memories by trying to reproduce the same feelings every year through consumerism. Despite the sincerity of our love and appreciation for the season, holiday rituals become mere imitations of our overwhelming expectations. The holidays get bigger every year, and the values we waste on superficial sentimentality end up devoid of any worth.
READ MORE (589 words).
November 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Why is sex used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste? Entire industries thrive off of the idea that “sex sells”, and it is more than true. But why is sexy so physical? Advertisers don’t use well reasoned arguments to sell their product - they use a provocative human body to visually blast you with desire.
READ MORE (703 words).
October 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment
An acquaintance and I were once debating the term “fundamentalism.” The acquaintance maintained that he was a fundamentalist Christian, and I strongly disagreed. I said he would never want to call himself that for Christian fundamentalism is a radically narrow minded sect of Christianity, and so we argued for a bit. We finally understood that we disagreed because we both had completely different ideas of the meaning of a Christian fundamentalist.
