Christian as Citizen: Class #1

                Yesterday afternoon I made my way down to the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple for a class offered by Garrett Seminary called “Christian as Citizen.” This class is taught by the president of our seminary, Dr. Phil Amerson and asks the question, “What is the role of a Christian as citizen?” This class is not only offered to Garrett students, but also those who attend First UMC. Throughout the course we will be following different news sources, the presidential election, and different political and social movements to look for what it means to be a citizen and what it means to be a Christian citizen. We will have guest speakers (which I have posted below) each week that are citizens of the Chicago area and who are involved in politics, advocacy, etc.

                Over the three hours of the course we discussed many interesting and important questions that come up for us as citizens of the U.S.A., specifically as Christian citizens. We started off talking about how we, as people, have become a commodity. In the 1970s, the service industry made up about 25% of our workforce while the manufacturing industry (physical goods, farming, etc.) made up about 75%. Today, the service industry makes up more than 90% of our work force, while the manufacturing industry has been reduced to less than 10%. What does this mean for us as citizens? If most of our workforce is devoted to service, what is the actual product that is coming out of that? The answer is we are the product. We are reduced from living, breathing, human beings to a client; to a commodity. The important question to think about now is, “When did it all go wrong?” A member of our class pointed out that we can usually find the answer to that question by tracing the money.

                We then moved this discussion to think about citizenship in the context of the Bible. Where in scripture do we find the topic of citizenship and what does this mean for us? Many people recalled the many times Paul discusses what citizenship should/should not look like in his letters to various peoples. An interesting thing to note is that when Paul writes about citizenship, he is looking at citizenship through the lens of being a Roman citizen. Another instance of citizenship in the Bible is addressed when Samuel is wondering if he should anoint Saul as a king. Samuel warns the people about becoming a state. After discussing many other instances, we realized that our Christian heritage is full of questions about citizenship. This lead to the question, “Is democracy the ideal state for Christians?”

                If we think back to the early church, there was no Christian state. Christians were the oppressed and the marginalized. They were persecuted by the Roman Empire and had no form of government of their own. When thinking about Christians living in a democracy today, the term “liberty” is often used. We hear it in our own U.S.A. constitution, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and because it is very close to the word “God,” we assume that this was meant to support Christianity as an institution. If we really look into where those words came from however, they were written by deists and many politicians today use them to support the oppressive institution of Christianity by not separating church and state. When we think about the term “liberty,” it is usually used to promote individualism (we have the right to freedom and we do not have to listen to anyone else; we can do things how we as individuals want to). This is not actually the Christian way, however, because Christianity is focused on community, not individuals. Maybe a democracy would work for the Christian citizen if he or she actually acted like a Christian.

                One of the books we are focusing on in this course is called, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. One of the troubling and thought-provoking messages that Haidt mentions in his book concerns the many spheres of morality (care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, liberty/oppression) and how politicians address them. Being a very liberal person, it was difficult for me to hear (which Dr. Amerson also mentioned about himself) that Democrats tend to only address three (care/harm, liberty/oppression, fairness/cheating) out of the six aspects of morality, while Republicans usually address all six. Haidt argues that this is why Republicans appeal to a wider audience: they know how to address all areas of concern when it comes to morality. It will be interesting to see how many spheres of morality both Obama and Romney address in the upcoming presidential debates.

                At the conclusion of this first class meeting, I was left with many questions. Why, as people, did we let ourselves become a commodity? Do Democrats stand a chance in this upcoming election if they confine themselves to only discussing three spheres of morality? How did the foundations and understanding of Christianity come to be skewed by politics and the government? What is the ideal form of government for us as Christians? Although I hope to find some answers to these questions throughout the semester, I have a feeling that my question list will only get longer. However, I feel blessed to have finally found a place to openly discuss these important issues and be in dialogue with people who have different views from me. It is in places like these that we can truly have “holy conversation” around controversial issues.

               

New Friends, New Insights

Sometimes I sit back and I cannot believe I am actually in seminary...finally! I was sitting by the lake with one of my new closest friends yesterday, reading. I stopped for a minute and looked out onto Lake Michigan, at the city of Chicago, and at the waves crashing onto the shoreline. It took my breath away and I could not believe I was finally at Garrett after all of this time waiting to follow through on God's call for my life.

Today during chapel, the sermon preached by Dr. Mark Fowler made me think about another aspect of God's call that I had not really thought of before. He spoke about Moses and the burning bush and how Moses turned aside to listen to God. Dr. Fowler pointed out however, that this was not the whole story of Moses' call. In the few verses before this, people were broken and crying out for God, so THEN God called Moses to address the needs of these people and minister to them. His sermon went on to talk about how when we were called by God, it was because there were broken people crying out and God knew that we would be the right ones to minister to those people, wherever they are. When I think back to my call from God and my warmed heart experience with God, I knew that I wanted others to feel that same peace, warmth, and love. However, I had never thought about who these people were, what they looked like, where they were located, and what exactly they needed. God knows who they are and God knows that I will be able to minister to them. It is so strange to think about, but it is also so humbling.

Something I am truly thankful for since coming here are the amazing people I met: students, faculty, staff, and others outside Garrett. There were a lot of things I was worried about as I prepared to transition into seminary, but I thank God that God has put these specific people in my life. It might be strange to those of you who know me from other places besides seminary to be hearing how I have all these amazing friends already that I am really close to. I do not really know how to explain it, but I am extremely thankful for the fact that I have close friends. I guess it is a combination of having a strong belief in God, a calling to ministry, passion for the same things (social justice, helping others, ministry, etc), and just appreciation for being at Garrett that brings us all together. I pray that as we move forward on this journey together that our bond as friends becomes even stronger.

P.S. Classes are going really well too! I am not really a history person, but I loved my first history class last night on the early church. Old Testament is fascinating and I will have my first Christian as Citizen class at the Chicago Temple this Thursday night. I will try to keep you updated! Love you all!

Long Awaited Update

The bad news is I have not had time to update this blog in awhile, but the good news is, it's because I have been having an amazing time!

Last Wednesday-Friday I had Orientation at Garrett where I got to meet many amazing people. Our entering first year class is made up of 110 students (including Masters, Doctorate, and Certificate students) and I was happy to find out many of them are around my age. Orientation was a whirlwind of meeting new people and getting prepared for the semester. On the last day of Orientation, we had the pleasure of visiting the Chicago Temple which holds the First UMC of Chicago. The pastor lives in a penthouse on the 24th floor (which we got to see along with his balcony that looks over Chicago). There is also a Sky Chapel which is the highest worship space in the world. The steeple on top of the building is the highest in the world as well. This will be where I will take my Christian as Citizen: Moral Theology class each week.

Each night after Orientation I got to go out with new friends and explore Chicago and Evanston. Over the weekend I showed some friends the Evanston Farmer's Market, some local restaurants, Holy Covenant UMC (where I had attended church the previous two weeks), and my favorite local tavern that has board games! I can already start to see who is going to end up being some of my very close friends through this journey. It is very refreshing that I don't have to drop the "I want to be a pastor" bomb on them either (haha).

Although yesterday was the official first day of classes, I only had chapel choir (which was great!). Today was my official first day and I started off with Old Testament. I was a little nervous since my only real Bible education comes from Sunday School and I had met many students who majored in Religious Studies in college. Luckily, the first day of class went well and the professor assumes most people do not have much prior knowledge of the Old Testament. She even showed a movie clip in class from Mona Lisa Smile to emphasize that even though some of us might know the bible, she will be challenging us to think a different way from how we would normally think when we read it.

After class I got to spend some time walking by Lake Michigan with a friend. We then joined the rest of our peers at the (free) weekly Community Meal. Then it was on to the Gospel chapel service which was incredible! The music was amazing and we sang from a hymnal I had never heard of before (Zion Sings). Instead of a sermon, people were invited to give testimony that was inspired by the scripture reading from that evening. It was a very powerful service and a blessing to hear different people's experiences with a "good Samaritan."

I honestly feel blessed to be at a place like Garrett with a strong emphasis on community. I have made many friends and already feel very close to some of them. It is wonderful to be able to start and end classes with prayer and to be able to experience three different worship styles with friends each week. I am eager to learn more about God, the people at Garrett, and myself.

New Classmates

Sky Chapel at Chicago Temple...Highest Worship Space in the WORLD!

First UMC at Chicago Temple

With some friends at the Bean

Learning to Live Alone

As most of you know, this is the first time I've had an apartment and the first time I've lived alone. As most of you know, I'm not really the "alone" type so the past few days have been interesting. I cleaned my apartment several times, spent an entire day cooking various things, caught up on tv shows when my Internet was installed, applied for a job, and walked around the neighborhood.

Now, you may be thinking, "well that's great, you got so much done," but I still have an entire week until orientation begins. Luckily, one of my friends I met at General Conference paid me a visit the other day. We caught up, enjoyed the dinner I cooked, had a sleepover, and walked around Evanston.

Today, I got to meet my "companion" from Garrett's new program, "Companions on the Journey." It was designed to pair up incoming students with current students. My companion had been very helpful as I was preparing for seminary, so I was very excited to meet her. We went out for lunch with her boyfriend, a recent Garrett grad, and she made sure I was adjusting to the neighborhood ok. She also gave me different tips on how to get places (Target, the big grocery store, etc). I am really grateful to have her as my "companion" and she even lives in the same apartment complex I do.

So before you all worry that I'm having a hard time living alone, I'm actually doing alright. I know that in the next few months when the workload piles on, I will long for the days I had nothing to do. I'm very excited for school to start and to meet new people, but I'm just going to have to play the waiting game for now.

Last Full Day with the Fam

This morning we all got up and and took the El to the Holy Covenant UMC in Chicago. My pastor had suggested this church as her husband has been the pastor there when they lived in the area. The church was very welcoming and I even met the director of the praise ensemble I will be in at Garrett.

Today was one of those times that you knew God had put you in a place for a reason. The sermon at Holy Covenant was about intimacy in all types of relationships. The pastor giving the sermon was a single, heterosexual woman who laughed about how she was the one to preach on the verse in Ecclesiastes which talks about how "two are better than one." She spoke about the importance of building relationships and how God is with you to help you do that. She highlighted the fact that God made us to be people who need to be in relationships and community so we should not worry about being alone. This was extremely helpful to me as I have just moved halfway across the country and I do not know many people.

After the service, I met a couple of Garrett students who attended worship at Holy Covenant. They made me feel so welcomed and gave me tips for seminary. One of them included: "if you don't feel like you are a completely different person after the first semester, then you're not really getting anything out of seminary...Be prepared for your entire world to change beyond just moving to a new place." This seemed a little intense, but I'm prepared to be transformed in the love of Christ.

After church, we had lunch at Penny's Noodles (delicious pad thai) and then took the El to Wrigleyville. We walked around for awhile and then grabbed dinner at Las Palmas Mexican restaurant.

That basically concludes my last full day with my family before they leave tomorrow. On one hand, it will be nice to finally be on my own and get more settled into my apartment, but on the other hand I think I will miss them more than I realize (maybe after a few months haha).

Wiped Out

After two days on the road, moving into my apartment on the third floor with no elevator, and two days of walking around/exploring Evanston, I was officially wiped out today.

This morning, my mom and I had a delicious breakfast at the local bakery. Bennison's. We then went shopping at a place called "World Market," which is basically like Pier1. I got a few decorations for my apartment and then headed over to the Evanston Farmer's Market across the street. It was huge! There were all kinds of fresh vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit, and more! I picked up a few fresh basil, oregano, and chive plants for my kitchen. I can already tell this is going to be a problem because I will HAVE to go back every Saturday now.

After we got back from our morning shopping, I started to notice that the allergies I had this morning were more like a cold. So, while the rest of my family went to Chicago, I decided to relax at my apartment (they were just doing touristy things I had already done anyway).

I spent the afternoon fixing up my kitchen and then took a much needed nap. When my family got back, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Noyes Street Cafe just down the street from my apartment.

Tomorrow, we will go into Chicago for church where my pastor's husband served while they lived in Evanston/Chicago. After that, my family is trying to plan their roadtrip back home to Massachusetts which could be tomorrow afternoon or Monday morning. Luckily, I have some plans with friends for this coming week so I shouldn't be too lonely after they leave.

A Lovely Day in Evanston

My mom and I started our day with a delicious breakfast at "Fraiche Cafe," right across the street from my apartment. We then went shopping for apartment supplies and groceries for over five hours!

After dropping off my new things, we visited the Garrett bookstore and the Shakespeare Garden. My mom and I got matching Garrett sweatshirts which you can see in the picture below. On our walk back, we found a local grocery store across the street from my apartment with fresh fruit, veggies, and everything I could ever need!

I'm really going to get in shape in Evanston because it's so easy to walk everywhere! For dinner, we walked to Lou Mantali's for famous Chicago deep dish pizza. It wasn't as thick as the pizza I had in Chicago when I visited in October, but it was absolutely delicious.

After dinner we walked more down to Andy's Custard. They make fresh frozen custard every hour. It was so good, but I could only eat half because I was so full.

I'm really loving it here in Evanston. It's going to take a bit to get used to living alone, but there are so many things to see and do here. When I run out of things to do in Evanston I can just take the El into Chicago, which is what my family and I will do tomorrow.

The Big Move

A couple of days ago my family (including my mom, dad, and brother, not sister) left our home in Worcester, MA to drive a total of 16 hours to Evanston, IL. The trip was not actually as bad as I thought it would be. We broke it up into two days, staying overnight in Cleveland, OH. Most of the driving was filled with farms: corn, soy, and grapes. We only hit bad weather once and made it on time to check into my apartment.

Once we finally reached Evanston, I went to the housing office at Garrett, my new seminary. I signed my first lease (nerve-wracking) and went over to admissions to say hello. When I entered the admissions office, I was immediately reminded of why I love Garrett. I was welcomed warmly with excitement and hugs as my dad tried to understand what was going on. After being a little stressed about moving halfway across the country, the welcome was exactly what I needed. It was genuine Christian hospitality and I am so thankful it was there when I needed it most.

We then headed to my new apartment on Noyes Street, which is right above a coffee shop, pizza place (with amazing homemade Italian ice), and a few other stores I need to check out. I trekked up to the third floor, opened my apartment door, and immediately fell in love. The apartment was huge; complete with a bedroom, living room, two closets, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. It was clean and bright with hardwood floors. You could tell the building was old with the way the floor creaked, but luckily I was on the top floor. I will definitely have to get used to the sound of the "El"(elevated train) going by and stopping near my window.

After we moved everything in (with no elevator), we walked through Evanston to the Davis Street Fish Market. We had a delicious dinner and walked back to my apartment on the lakeshore (which is so big it looks like the ocean). My brother noticed the pizza/Italian ice place downstairs, so we concludes our first evening with some delicious Italian ice.

I have to say it is still surreal that I am here. I have been looking forward to this journey for quite some time and I still can't believe it's actually happening now. It hasn't hit me yet that I will be staying here once my family leaves (it still feels like a family vacation). School doesn't start until September, so I'm trying to find ways to keep myself busy once my family leaves. I am so excited to be here, but I'm also nervous. However, I know God brought me to this seminary for a reason and I look forward to all the knowledge (social, academic, and spiritual) that I will gain.