A few quick responses to your post, grant.
First, my comments are in the specific context of Calvin’s Commencement and should be read in the light of my understanding of Commencement as a ceremony of identity. Commencement in the life of a Christian academic institution is an annual opportunity to reconnect with the institution’s tradition and to challenge the institution to remain faithful to its distinct calling. Perhaps I’m making too big a deal of it, but this event seems incredibly important in the life of a Christian college.
Second, if we take the effects of sin seriously, recognizing that the [i:5370c7c3dd]whole of creation[/i:5370c7c3dd] its curse, then we are not merely dealing with an individual. We are dealing with entire systems—political, economic, social—that have betrayed their divine callings through the actions of millions of individuals throughout history. World political systems have long abandoned biblical norms, opting instead to follow the idolatrous values at the core of political ideologies from socialism to classical liberalism/free market capitalism. Christianity, since Emperor Constantine’s conversion, has grown far too comfortable with its relationship to empire and has co-opted its values in many ways.
Third, I didn’t say Christians should “avoid any connections with the Empire;” I said, “a Christian institution should be extremely wary of associating itself with the symbolic representation of empire.” Seeing Commencement as a celebration of identity is important here. By inviting the ultimate representative of contemporary empire into this ceremony, Calvin is symbolically taking the values of empire into its identity as an institution. Other venues would be far more appropriate.
Fourth, the only reason the President of the United States would be invited to speak at Calvin College’s Commencement is his position. Implicitly, then, the college is recognizing his “honored” status in the eyes of the world; in fact, Calvin’s press release seems to indicate that they’ve bought into the world’s notion of the President:
“It is a great honor to have the President of the United States speak at Calvin,” he says. “By virtue of his position, he is undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the world. We want our students to leave this place challenged and motivated to renew God’s world in whatever they do. For our graduates to hear from President Bush as they prepare to leave Calvin and make a difference in the world is an extraordinary opportunity for them. The presence of President Bush will certainly make this a Commencement that students, parents and the Calvin community will remember for years to come.”
Byker says regardless of one’s political persuasion the opportunity to hear from the President of the United States is a singular opportunity.
Finally, my main point in the larger conversation of how Christianity relates to empire is this: “we need to fully recognize and acknowledge ideologies competing for our attention before we can appropriately act.” I don’t think North American Christianity is even remotely close to discerning its responsibility as transformational conduit, primarily due to its inability to distinguish Christian values on both individual and systemic levels. As Miroslav Volf puts it:
Our coziness with the surrounding culture has made us so blind to many of its evils that, instead of calling them into question, we offer our own versions of them—in God’s name and with a good conscience.
Before we can go about transformational/reformational work, we need to first identify what it is that needs reforming and what it should look like (approximately, recognizing our sinfulness in humility) when it is reformed.
That wasn’t as quick as I hoped it would be … I realize I left a lot out, but I really need to be writing a paper right now.
laurencer
Apr 28 2005
05:34 pm
A few quick responses to your post, grant.
First, my comments are in the specific context of Calvin’s Commencement and should be read in the light of my understanding of Commencement as a ceremony of identity. Commencement in the life of a Christian academic institution is an annual opportunity to reconnect with the institution’s tradition and to challenge the institution to remain faithful to its distinct calling. Perhaps I’m making too big a deal of it, but this event seems incredibly important in the life of a Christian college.
Second, if we take the effects of sin seriously, recognizing that the [i:5370c7c3dd]whole of creation[/i:5370c7c3dd] its curse, then we are not merely dealing with an individual. We are dealing with entire systems—political, economic, social—that have betrayed their divine callings through the actions of millions of individuals throughout history. World political systems have long abandoned biblical norms, opting instead to follow the idolatrous values at the core of political ideologies from socialism to classical liberalism/free market capitalism. Christianity, since Emperor Constantine’s conversion, has grown far too comfortable with its relationship to empire and has co-opted its values in many ways.
Third, I didn’t say Christians should “avoid any connections with the Empire;” I said, “a Christian institution should be extremely wary of associating itself with the symbolic representation of empire.” Seeing Commencement as a celebration of identity is important here. By inviting the ultimate representative of contemporary empire into this ceremony, Calvin is symbolically taking the values of empire into its identity as an institution. Other venues would be far more appropriate.
Fourth, the only reason the President of the United States would be invited to speak at Calvin College’s Commencement is his position. Implicitly, then, the college is recognizing his “honored” status in the eyes of the world; in fact, Calvin’s press release seems to indicate that they’ve bought into the world’s notion of the President:
Finally, my main point in the larger conversation of how Christianity relates to empire is this: “we need to fully recognize and acknowledge ideologies competing for our attention before we can appropriately act.” I don’t think North American Christianity is even remotely close to discerning its responsibility as transformational conduit, primarily due to its inability to distinguish Christian values on both individual and systemic levels. As Miroslav Volf puts it:
Before we can go about transformational/reformational work, we need to first identify what it is that needs reforming and what it should look like (approximately, recognizing our sinfulness in humility) when it is reformed.
That wasn’t as quick as I hoped it would be … I realize I left a lot out, but I really need to be writing a paper right now.