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Breathing our Prayers for the Next Four Years

The Future Will Not Be What You Imagine… It Will Be What You Make of It… and What You Make of It Begins With How You Breathe Today. One of my duties as a Chaplain in Residence at Georgetown University is to write a weekly reflection for the students in my community. The following is an expanded piece I penned a few weeks after election day. I am posting it here now a few days before the inauguration in hopes it might provide a wider audience a means for spiritual practice and reflection in this terribly tense and contested time.

*** Like many of you, I woke up Wednesday morning after the election groggy and uncertain of what had just passed. I had stayed up late enough to be more or less assured of Donald Trump’s victory. I browsed my Facebook feed viewing posts from friends from both camps. I felt my stomach turn. As a Chaplain in Residence, one of my first thoughts was to reach out to the students of my community. After sending my kids to school I popped open my laptop and penned this email…

“Good morning: the election has passed and we are all standing at the cusp of a new time and place. We are filled with every kind of wonder and fear. Like anything else in life worth doing: we must be intentional and active in working with these feelings to make a way ahead. I wanted to share these words from a friend and former colleague of mine at American University (where I used to teach). I think they provide us a starting point to ponder in the days ahead…

“The future will not be what you are imagining. Most likely you are creating an image of the future that makes it seem more like whatever you are experiencing today than it will be. If you are a Trump supporter today and excited for the future, there will also be troubles brought on by this election that you do not see. If you opposed Trump, there will be opportunities in the future that you do not now see. I’m inclined to think it best if you are a Trump supporter to acknowledge why you are joyful today, as that speaks to a truth, but to remember that there is more you are not seeing. If you are a Trump opposer, I’m inclined to think it best to acknowledge why you are sad or angry or frightened today because that tells some truth, but also to remember that there is more you are not seeing.”

No matter how you voted and what you hope or fear ahead, there is more to see. Stay watchful. Listen carefully. And, with God’s mercy, seek justice and love mercy.”

It has been several weeks since the election ended. Whether we liked it or not, the routine has forced us to move on despite our hopes and fears. Life goes on.

But you know what? Life should not go one exactly the same as it did before. It should go on in such a way that centers us to live out of our deepest convictions in close relation with the new context in which we find ourselves.As part of my spiritual practice, I have practiced a form of centering prayer that moves with the simple rhythm of everyday breathing. This practice has been especially vital to me during the tumultuous weeks since the election. I want to share this practice with you in hopes that you can use it in the days and weeks ahead to care for yourself, orient your post-election goals, and remain mindful of the responsibilities you must juggle as a student. It is a practice for people of every religious tradition and none. As long as you breathe life, it can be done. It’s simple really: the basis of this practice is selecting a single phrase that can be stated within a single breath. Once you have this phrase, practice speaking it in your mind every time you breathe out.

For example, a common prayer in the Christian tradition is “Lord, Have Mercy.” In this case, one breathes in and, while breathing out, recites “Lord, Have Mercy.” After a couple of mindful breaths, one can learn to recite phrases in their mind during any and every occasion: walking in between classes, sitting in class during a boring lecture, eating alone in peace and quiet. After all, we are always breathing. As we repeat, we center our dreams and anxieties unto the phrase. With practice, these few words will begin to carry our hopes and fears, orienting us toward what we want to be and do. Each breath becomes a moment to both rest and strive.As I have prayed, reflected, and read news, op-eds, and facebook posts of friends from both sides of the political spectrum, two phrases came to mind that became my centering breathes…

1) “Stand with the Vulnerable” : In the aftermath of this election, there are sure to be people left vulnerable to various forms of abuse. Come what may, my Christian convictions demand I do everything I can to stand with those who are most at risk. And while I am not certain of what I can or ought to do to protect the vulnerable at this moment, I must prepare myself to do so when the moment arrives. Every time I breathe this phrase, I widen my eyes to look for ways to strengthen my resolve to act. 2) “Listen to the Hurt” : I’ve come to realize that the motivations behind the results of this election are grounded in forms of unheard and unheeded hurt, and that ignoring such hurt might result in even more dangerous forms of anger. When I breathe this phrase, I am reminding myself that every person needs to be heard, even if I do not agree with him or her. In the weeks ahead, I must listen to those I disagree with greater care than ever before. Every time I breathe this phrase, I am looking for those I would not otherwise listen to and considering the kinds of questions I ought to ask to foster some form of reasonable understanding.

How did I decide on these two phrases?

First, I began with asking myself what kind of person I want to be in the world regardless of what is taking place in society. I needed to center myself in my own beliefs and values. I have always wanted to be an advocate for justice with those who are ignored and taken advantage of. At the same time, I have always sought to be compassionate and a peacemaker. This is who I have always strived to be and this will not change with a new president. What kind of person do you strive to be regardless of the world around you?

Second, I had to get in touch with the fears that this new context brought out in me. It would not do to ignore them. Articulating our fears is the first step to actually dealing with them. As I imagined the worse of what might come, I was shaken by the prospect of violence and abuse in both interpersonal relations and systemic structures. I fear an outpouring of hatred in words and deeds. What are you afraid of in this new time and place?

Third, I thought through concrete verbs that I knew I wanted to do to confront those fears, grounded in the values I strive to live. I pondered what kind of opportunities I now had to become what I have always desired to be – to be an advocate and a peacemaker. The two verbs that emerged were to stand and to listen. Although what these words mean may change depending on the situation, I know them to be true to who I am. What kind of actions do you want to take How can this new time and place in American history propel you to become the best of who you are?

“Stand with the Vulnerable.”

“Listen to the Hurt.”

I have breathed these phrases throughout these weeks and they have begun to orient me toward the kind of person I want to be in the weeks and months ahead. They have helped me move forward with the daily routine in a mindful way keeps me away from both paralysis and willful ignorance. These two phrases also reflect the wisdom of my friend’s words regarding expanding my range of vision to identify opportunities for myself while also acknowledging the truths that may be spoken by those I disagree with. For me, the beauty and power in these phrases come, in part, from their applicability to all persons regardless of their social, cultural, or political identities. Just because a supporter of Trump has won does not mean they are not hurt or vulnerable. Just because a supporter of Clinton lost does not mean they are innocent or victims. In this sense, these breaths keep me humble. They keep me from quick judgment even as they push me to act.

What kind of person do you want to be in the next four years? What kinds of actions will embody those traits? What words express these hopes? When you find those words, breathe them day in and day out. Let them saturate you, sharpen your mind, open your hearts, and move your hands and feet.

I hope you’ll take some time to literally write down some of your answers to the questions I have posed here. I hope you’ll process them in such a way that you can distill a phrase that you can breathe for the next four years. This simple practice of centering breathe can provide you a way to continue processing the aftermath of this election with both strength and mercy. As you breath deeply, remember you are amidst many who likely strive for the same things you do, and as such – join together in community and breathe together.

May peace and power dwell in your hearts in the years ahead.

Questions for Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong, the young Hong Kong Self-Determination Activist, swung by Georgetown University this morning. I had the opportunity to ask him about his thoughts regarding the role of religious faith in Hong Kong's umbrella movement. He said at the personal level, as a Christian, his faith played an important role motivating and sustaining his commitment. He also noted the importance of faith to other leaders like Benny Tai. However, he also stated his faith was not a primary influence in political demands, and that love for country and the people are just as important.

My sense is Joshua wanted to be careful about giving any impression that this was a religiously motivated movement, emphasizing it first and foremost as a movement for all people and for rule of law. Faith is a private matter, though certainly a very important base from which to drive for public change.

If I could have followed up, perhaps in a more private venue, I would have asked how his faith sustains his involvement and advocacy, his particular spiritual practices and how the presence of his faith community shapes his lens for viewing what is happening. I'd also want to learn more about his methods for balancing his religious commitment with public good, if they ever conflict or if he feels they seamlessly harmonize. Questions for another time...

The wind pushes the surface of the river upstream I follow its ripples with my eyes defying gravity yet underneath the flow rushes downhill still though I cannot perceive it To what end can I know which way history moves? In what direction shall I row my humble ship? I’d like to close my eyes and just float but I am afraid that if I do I will simply sink

Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with Tea & Students

Tonight is the first night of the Mid-Autumn Festival! A traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates the beauty of the full moon with moon cakes and lanterns of all shapes and sizes. Learn more about the Mid-Autumn Festival

As a Chaplain in Residence at Georgetown, we open up our homes once a week for students to come by and chat. Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival in many parts of East Asia, was the perfect opportunity to get out my tea set and set up on the outdoor common area by my apartment. I celebrated with a few students over Ali-Shan Oolong, mini Taiwanese pineapple shortbread cakes, and, of course, mooncakes. It was a bit cloudy, so no moon sightings, but a lovely evening nonetheless!

I haven't had the opportunity to serve Chinese tea in this traditional fashion since my days teaching in Anhui province. It's something I used to do regularly. Tea service can be a meditative act when you find the right rhythm. I pray it imparts a little peace in a cup to those I serve.

中秋节快乐！ Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all those who celebrate it. Even if it's just by reluctantly eating a slice of mooncake that you don't really like. =D

Protestant Worship at Georgetown University

I joined Georgetown University Office of Campus Ministry's Protestant Worship service yesterday evening. Who would have thought this Jesuit school harbored such a lively Gospel choir?

At a time when Sunday mornings are often still, as Dr. King put it, "the most segregated hour in this nation,” it is encouraging to see this university working hard to bridge some of those gaps. The Gospel choir is a mainstay of the Georgetown Protestant Ministry, integrated with traditional hymns and praise choruses. The communion is conducted in a higher liturgical fashion along with prayers of confession and the passing of the peace. There's a question and answer period following the sermon to encourage richer engagement. I hear student sharing will soon be incorporated as a weekly element to emphasize the importance of community voices.

This hodgepodge of high and low church, of "white" and "black" styles of worship, can seem a bit jarring at first... but I really loved it. Diversity is work. It does not just happen. If you're never uncomfortable, you're probably not really experiencing difference. I believe in the Trinity, and somewhere in the God as Three in One craziness is a truth about unity expressed in diversity. There's something especially holy about real differences reaching out together for one God.

I've regularly identified myself as a "Protestant mutt" having traversed several traditions. I think I can make another home here. Thanks be to God.

Who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

“If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the dividing line between good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being, and who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I Teeter on the Brink of Endings

O God of endings, you promised to be with me always, even to the end of time. Move with me now in these occasions of last things, of shivering vulnerabilities and letting go: letting go of parents gone, past gone, friends going; letting go of children growing, needs outgrown, prejudices ingrown; letting go of swollen grudges and shrunken loves. Be with me in my end of things, my letting go of dead things, dead ways, dead words, dead self I hold so tightly, defend to blindly, fear losing so frantically. I teeter on the brink of endings: some anticipated, some resisted, some inevitable, some surprising, most painful; and the mystery of them quiets me to awe. In silence, Lord, I feel now the curious blend of grief and gladness in me over the endings that the ticking and whirling of things brings, and I listen for your leading to help me faithfully move on through the fear of my time let go so the timeless may take hold of me. -Ted Loder

"Beautiful though it is, I find the language of epic unconvincing, for I cannot accept that the myths we tell about our first lives prepare us for the brighter, more authentic second lives that are meant to begin when we awake." -Orhan Pamuk

A Dogen inspired poem on Zen Enlightenment.. .

Empty Buddha, where are you?

There is no water on the moon.

Yet the moon is seen in the rivers and the dew drops.

Enlightened, all things reflect one another.

On mountain peaks and dark caves.

In the songs of angels and the grip of demons.

Struggle in the one bright pearl.

Emptiness in myriad forms.

The Buddha Nature IS all things.

Happy Year of the Monkey everyone! 猴年吉祥

Civil Wars

“The bloodiest wars are civil - brother vs brother - father vs son - sister vs sister... I am praying against this in Christianity today.“

A dear friend from Baltimore shared this thought on his twitter feed today. I can only assume he is alluding to any number of growing schisms among Christians and their varied institutions - from racism across the country to same-sex marriage within the Anglican Communion to interfaith relations at Wheaton College. His allusion to civil wars brought to mind President Lincoln's second inaugural address... a thoroughly theological pronouncement in many ways. In particular: "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?"

Embedded in these words is a tragic and sober acknowledgement that God may very well be behind such civil wars... perhaps as a means of rendering changes that would otherwise never come about in the hands of humans alone. In hindsight, it's hard to even conceive of a Christianity so fervently for the institution of slavery.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. How many Christians of his time cursed Dr. King’s work in the name of God? Or, if not so hatefully, pleaded with him to "slow down" and not be so "confrontational" about equal rights. In many ways, the civil rights movement is but an extension of the civil war...

How shall God and history assess today's divisions? Will it take a war? How do I act in such a war with brothers and sisters on both sides? Anyone who knows me knows I hate conflict... but when I reflect on our shared history... I cannot help but acknowledge that perhaps such conflict was necessary for God's will. I hate such realities. I wish God could render God's will upon us in the most gracious and benevolent way possible. But human beings can have awfully hard hearts. I suppose it would be easier today if God sent unambiguous plagues from heaven to confirm which side God was on in the same manner as the Exodus narrative. Alas... I don't think that is going to happen. Instead, we will continue to divide as the church has always been dividing since the beginning of time... and somehow God's grace shall cover it the way it always does. So I ponder what God is doing in the division of the church today, for God is certainly doing something. Seen in such a light... I don't know if I can pray "against" such conflicts, as if they should not exist. However, I can certainly pray against civil war, against violence uncalled for, and healing for the casualties. Nonetheless, the actual issues on which these battles are forming... perhaps they need to be dealt with the same way slavery could no longer be ignored. I can only pray my contributions, as humble as they are, reflect both the justice and mercy God calls for... #LordHaveMercy

As I begin my second semester of PhD studies, my coursework takes a dramatic turn in content. In my first semester i studied religious pluralism and dynamics of religion and violence from the standpoint of Christian thought as well as an extensive look at the theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher. This Spring I'll be studying Confucian thought, nondualism in Buddhist and Daoist thought, and the history of 20th Century China.

This Orthodox icon honors the Chinese Christian martyrs who passed during the Boxer Rebellion in the early 1900's. It is a fitting image to express the convergence of content in my first year of doctoral studies.

Why I #SupportDocHawk

Here is a well articulated explanation from Brian Howell, a Wheaton College faculty member, on why the wearing of academic regalia (or in my case... posting a picture) signifies and embodies a degree of solidarity with Dr. Hawkins...

"Wearing my regalia in solidarity with Larycia Hawkins is not to stand against Wheaton, or to shame or belittle those who act on its behalf. Instead, I seek to stand with the mission and meaning of Wheaton as an institution for Christ and His Kingdom, where we can trust one another in this mission. I wear it because I believe in the integrity of tenure and its importance to the academic life. I wear it because I believe that Larycia Hawkins has acted with integrity to uphold the ideals of academic freedom, and I stand with her in seeking a restoration of the relationship between her and Wheaton College. I wear it because I believe in the mission of Wheaton as an institution of higher education rooted in a Christian mission guided by God and His word. I wear it to stand with the ideals of this school and my fellow faculty who strive to uphold them." (See more: http://brianhowell.blogspot.com/2016/01/why-i-wear-my-regalia.html)

Some wonder why I'm spending so much time following this situation. It's not about theology for me. There have been theological disagreements since the beginning of Christian faith and there will continue to be. As long as we are not killing one another over it (which we used to), it’s fine. As a Christian university, Wheaton is entitled to have a statement of faith.

What I am terribly concerned about is the very idea of Christian Higher Education itself. I believe Christian conviction can rest at the center of one's learning and engagement with the world without compromising the search for truth. I believe in it because I was formed by it. If Christian truth is, in fact, True - it ought not fear any form of sustained critical inquiry. Like any other worldview, the Christian faith brings to its inquiry a unique set of values and attitudes about the world. In the spirit of a true and meaningful diversity, the Christian voice, along with other religious traditions, are as important to learning as any secular discourse. A rigid secularity ought not to have the last word on teaching, research, and learning (nor can it realistically).

Yet many institutions of higher learning believe robust faith and critical inquiry is not possible. A recent text on graduate school admissions by Julie Posselt explores how several universities go about accepting and rejecting their applicants. A noticeable trend was the bias many committees had toward graduates of Christian colleges. Speaking of one Christian college graduate and applicant, the chair of the committee stated,“I would like to beat the college out of her.” It makes me wonder how my application was received when applying to doctoral programs a year ago.

Wheaton College has long been perceived to be one of the very best institutions of Christian higher learning, yet the current impasse at the school reaffirms the suspicions of many throughout the world that religious conviction hinders, rather than advances, the search for truth.

Why is this matter somewhat personal for me? Because I believe strongly in Christian Higher Education and the contribution it can make to the world and because I intend to be a part of such teaching and research as a professing Christian studying religious pluralism and public life. To do so, academic freedom is essential. Administratively, such freedom requires a trust between faculty, staff, students, and other university stakeholders that all are united in a common vision of God’s reign as it is uniquely expressed in Christian tradition. That trust is falling apart at Wheaton College, and with it, the idea of an Evangelical higher education.

But all is not lost. I have been blessed and amazed by the love and advocacy of many current Wheaton students on behalf of Dr. Hawkins - done so without the toxicity of the culture wars that surround them. They love God, they love their school (why else would they remain there and be so active?), and they love what Dr. Hawkins brings to the institution. I have been encouraged to see many of my former teachers who shaped me while I was at Wheaton raise their voice and support in a strong yet humble tone. These faculty embodied for me what Christian education was supposed to be during my undergraduate studies and they continue to do so for me today.

"More than Ms. Hawkins’s future is at stake. Professors say this case raises the question of whether the administration will allow faculty members the flexibility they thought they had to have lively debates on theological issues, and whether their social-media posts will receive the same scrutiny that Ms. Hawkins’s have. "I think our academic freedom will be compromised if she is let go," said Mr. Green [a New Testament faculty member]. "I think it has already been compromised."" -Chronicle of Higher Education, College Wrestles With Controversy Over Its Response to Professor’s Religious Views

Christian education needs its statements of faith. They give institutions their distinctive vision. But such statements ought to propel faculty into new fields of inquiry rooted in their love of Christ, not police the details of theological nuance. If Christian Higher Education is to survive in its most robust and engaged form - than its members must be given the fullest freedom afforded them so that the principles of their confessions are able to touch all aspects of the world they seek to minister to.

#SupportDocHawk #ReinstateDocHawk

Every year I pray for Peace on Earth to the Prince of Peace, born to us in humble, desperate times. Every year I wonder what has changed, since that Holy Night.

#christmas

Interfaith Solidarity, Christian Values, and Poor Public Relations: Making Sense of Wheaton’s Recent Controversy

Over the past few days I’ve had a number of meaningful exchanges with fellow alumni of Wheaton College over Dr. Hawkins’s statement concerning the “Same God” of Christianity and Islam and the administration’s sudden decision to suspend her until an investigation of her theology can be undertaken. The fruits of these conversations have been a blessing in large part because I listened intently to those I disagreed with. In doing so, I’ve come to a couple of personal conclusions about my own position I feel are worth sharing for anyone who is still working this out. Many heart-felt thanks to friends on all sides of this issue for sharing their perspectives with me. The following would not have been articulated without their encouragement and arguments.

I am a Wheaton alum, and I genuinely care about the school. I am also a doctoral student studying interfaith relations and religious plurality. As such, my motivations for following this issue so closely are two fold:

(1) On one hand, I care about the integrity of my alma mater and I believe the administration’s actions toward Dr. Hawkins are of poor integrity despite reasonable intentions.

(2) On the other hand, inter-religious competency is a must for this age of global religions and everyone needs to learn how to think and talk about different faiths in relation to one another, especially in contexts like Wheaton College.

(1) To my first concern: I respect Wheaton’s right to protect the integrity of what they believe to be the core of Christian faith. I’d be a lousy interfaith advocate if I had problems with any tradition defending the uniqueness of their faith. I concur Dr. Hawkins’s “same God” statement was not necessary to her act of embodied solidarity in wearing the hijab this Advent season. It is also true there is theological ambiguity in her statement. Speaking with friends who are supportive of Wheaton’s position, I have less and less of a problem with Wheaton administration’s desire to double check just what Dr. Hawkins meant. It’s certainly their prerogative to investigate what they feel may be a breach of their orthodoxy… That being said, I still find the procedures taken against Dr. Hawkins to be unacceptable based on my perceptions of professional courtesy in the context of academia as well as through the lens of Christian values. In the same way opponents of Dr. Hawkins’s argue her statement sent an unnecessary and confusing theological message, I argue Wheaton’s administration sent an unnecessary and confusing message in her immediate suspension. It’s not what Wheaton is trying to do but how they are doing it that is so troubling.

Opponents of Dr. Hawkins will argue her statement is an indication of potential universalist theology. I argue Dr. Hawkins’s statement is anything but “clear” for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the genre of the statement is not a theological confession but a rhetorical device with the intention of building interfaith solidarity, especially in the current climate of ISIS, Trump, and Liberty University’s recent remarks. As one of my old Wheaton friends put it: “I think another important point that Dr. Hawkins is not a theology professor. She is a political science professor, and given the current climate of fear and xenophobia/racism etc., her actions represent a living of the gospel as is most relevant to her field. “We worship the same God” may not be theologically accurate, but it is politically prophetic!”” To judge the statement as a clear expression of theological standing is, quite frankly, bad exegesis. If one wants to argue on such literal grounds, supporters of Dr. Hawkins have pointed out Wheaton’s statement of faith says nothing about Islam or other religions, therefore her words can’t contradict something that’s not there. As such, for both sides, this is an entirely unproductive criteria and line of argument. I believe Wheaton’s administration could have avoided this media storm had they went about this with a more gracious route. A public statement communicating Dr. Hawkins’s statements do not represent the views of the university coupled with a promise that leadership is in the process of speaking with her to clarify her intentions would have sufficed to satisfy the majority of reasonable people. If I were speaking on Wheaton’s behalf, I would have strongly emphasized the institution unequivocally supports the spirit of her actions though it has questions regarding her expression of them. It would have shown due diligence as well as respect to all parties involved. To suspend Dr, Hawkins first and ask questions later seems terribly disrespectful on so many levels considering she is a tenured faculty member. The far left would be angry that Wheaton would even dare question her while the far right would be angry they didn’t immediately kick her out of the school. I suppose the administration thought a suspension followed by investigation is a middle way between the two. I sharply disagree. I would reverse it: sit down with Dr. Hawkins first, dialogue and clarify, see if there is any real cause for danger, and - if actually necessary, suspend. This seems a better reflection of what I understand to be Christian values.

Dr. Hawkins’ embodied solidarity speaks volumes more than her perhaps ill-chosen words. The administration’s actions toward Dr. Hawkins, intentional or not, publicly communicate a greater concern for doctrinal purity than interfaith solidarity against violence and discrimination. Note I am not saying Wheaton admin does not care at all about the former. The college leadership is not full of bigots and any attempt to cast them in such a light is uncalled for. They have made statements denouncing Islamophobia. What I am saying is they care more about doctrine, especially in the form of words. Unfortunately, whereas Wheaton admin was more concerned with Dr. Hawkins’s words than her actions, many hear the administration’s actions far louder than their words. I am ever thankful for the faculty and students who visited the Islamic Center of Wheaton in solidarity as well as for the published student statement opposing remarks about “Ending Muslims” at Liberty University. Without those tangible acts preceding this controversy, the school as a whole would have come off even worse.

(2) To my second point, the redemptive edge in all of this is the emergence of greater dialogue on just how Evangelical Christians of Wheaton’s theological shade ought to be talking about God in relation to other faith traditions in an age of increasing religious violence (from all faith traditions). The study of other religions and real dialogue are vital. The reality is that all faiths, especially Abrahamic faiths, share much in common, even as they are distinctly different. Saying they have nothing in common is as ludicrous as is saying they are exactly the same. On one side, a complete “othering” suggests other faiths have no commonalities with one’s own faith tradition whatsoever, that your tradition has a monopoly on truth while others only produce lies. On the other, a complete dissolution of all difference suggests we are all utterly the same. Both extremes must be avoided in general. However, in specific contexts, an emphasis on one over the other may be exactly what is needed. Therefore, there must also be a criteria for discerning how interfaith statements ought to be assessed - and I contend doctrinal purity should not be one of them. Which leads me to my personal criteria for assessing the current situation:

In the context of Wheaton College, does Dr. Hawkin’s statement reflect a real danger of pushing Wheaton’s faith commitments toward that utter sameness? Will her words and actions put her students in danger of doubting the uniqueness of Christ as to cause imminent crises of faith? Obviously some people with power think so to so suddenly suspend her. Obviously, I disagree. Speaking from a minority student and faculty perspective, I know every faculty of color is vital to the formation of a positive experience for students of color. I imagine Dr. Hawkins’s presence for many students of color on campus have been especially transformative in the best of ways. Now she will not have that opportunity to mentor in the Spring, and that is a great loss for her students and the college at large. Or… does her statement push the Wheaton community toward a healthier sense of connectedness? One that acknowledges overlap to the degree that an authentic solidarity is possible instead of a trite tolerance? In this case her statement, while perhaps ill-chosen given Wheaton’s sensitivities, is rooted in a Christ-like love and vision that i see as similar to Jesus’ engagement with the Samaritan/Jew conflicts of his time. The Samaritans and Jews hated each other for clear doctrinal differences despite their common historical origins. Jesus didn’t care about that. Even when pressed to clarify doctrinal issues by the Samaritan woman at the well, he chose to focus on connection rather than difference. He acted in compassion and solidarity. I believe Dr. Hawkins’s is doing the same. All things are contextual, and based on my understanding of Wheaton’s general climate - I believe Dr. Hawkins’ act of interfaith solidarity bears God’s fruit in a way that transcends her doctrinal slip, whether she meant it or not. While the college has every right to examine Dr. Hawkins's theology, a suspension during investigation is not only unnecessary but troubling in what it communicates. It is a down right shame the college administration, and with it the media, have chosen to emphasize her words instead of her actions. For all these reasons, I continue to advocate for the reinstatement of Dr. Hawkins.

#wheatoncollege #reinstatedochawk #interfaith

Actions not Words

“A Wheaton College professor has responded to critics who have questioned her devotion to her Christian faith after she announced last week that she will wear a hijab to show solidarity with Muslims during her celebration of the Advent.Larycia Hawkins is an associate political science professor at the respected Illinois-based evangelical higher education institution Wheaton College, the alma mater of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. Hawkins posted on her Facebook page last Thursday that she will wear a Muslim headscarf throughout the Christmas season.”

-The Christian Post

In the face of a fairly conservative Christian evangelicalism, such performances of interfaith solidarity will be inevitably perceived as radically subversive. In my eyes, such acts are radical expansions of empathy, embodied instead of spoken. They express a willingness to take on a small fraction of the prejudice many Muslim Americans are now experiencing on a daily basis. Hearing Wheaton College administration has suspended Dr. Hawkins for her statements is not unexpected, but terribly saddening and upsetting all the same...

When doctrinal concerns trump empathy, the letter extinguishes the work of the Holy Spirit... Can we please assess a Christian's actions instead of their words?

Yesterday’s lectionary Gospel passage has something to say to this... (Matthew 21:28-32). Read it and ponder:

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

What would better please Christ?

An act of solidarity with the other or censure over the use of a rhetorical device (not necessarily a doctrinal confession, which Dr Hawkins made clear in her interview) If you consider yourself a concerned member of the Wheaton Community, a challenge to this action is being voiced via this petition. Please consider adding your name... “...we declare that the decision to place Dr. Larycia Hawkins on administrative leave is unjust, and we stand against it. We demand that a formal public apology be made by Dr. Ryken and Provost Jones to Dr. Hawkins, and that she be reinstated as Associate Professor of Political Science, effective immediately.”

#ReinstateDocHawk #wheatoncollege #actionsnotwords

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