Reflection Paper

The college I have graduated from has changed my way of thinking and imagining the world in ways I didn’t see coming. It would take an apologetics conference in Atlanta, Georgia to realize fully what my college experience had planted in my heart, and it was ugly.

In the middle of June, I attended the RZIM summit, which is a world-class Christian apologetics conference featuring Christian intellectual speakers–many of whom are Oxford scholars. They didn’t carry themselves like the most brilliant people in the room. My sister and I held a few lunch and dinner conversations with individuals we didn’t realize were speakers until it was their time to lecture (they didn’t have a green room?!), some of whom are well-known authors. The Second surprising observation was made in worship every morning before the lectures would begin. John Lennox, an Oxford Mathematician, lead every devotional and would raise his hands in worship. My impression of intellectual Christians, especially from what I picked up at my religious Intellectual-wanna-be school, is that

Please don’t give each other a hard time for having different convictions. Let a student think cursing is wrong. Allow people to express their excitement for Jesus. Don’t pressure students to loathe the Bible Belt (since when were we taught to hate others?). There are plenty of people who speak Christianese, who have made an impact in strategic institutions, (whether you respect them or not). Every member of the body of Christ has been wired differently. Some are outspoken and passionate while others are stoic and quaint. To silence the passionate personality from campus is to say no to diversity. I am not asking anyone to agree with individuals with convictions that appear dry. I am asking that we have disagreements peacefully and respect one another on personal convictions and denominational backgrounds with the common goal to pursue