What is College For? Finding Grace and Truth Between Russell and I80

MP3

John 1:1-18

So, your college choices have brought you to this little town where you are going to spend 60 to 80k and 4 of the most energetic years of your life.  And tonight I just want to pose a simple question …”Why?”  Seriously, why would you do that? Why would you drop that kind of coin and that many years (not to mention the opportunity costs) to spend a few years reading Foucault, going to Football games and doing 8 page Fourier Transforms?  The question I want you to consider tonight is really fundamental, and how you answer it will affect your experience…the question I want to ask is ‘What is College For?’  You see, it is pretty important to understanding what a thing is for BEFORE you try to use it:

And what you’ll find if you start looking into this question is that a lot of smart people have thought about this and come up with very different answers.  For example Gary Gutting, a NY Times opinion columnist and a professor at Notre Dame recently posed just that question in a piece called “What is college for?”  He starts out:

 “the raison d’être of a college (ok, you already know this is going to be REALLY practical– I mean, who talks like that – but I digress)

Now that sounds very elegant and grand…But he got eviscerated in the comments by people who argued that the huge cost and debt burden is not worth this kind of flowery abstract purpose…so he wrote an unprecedented sequel called “What is College For: Part 2” where he got more practical

In other words going to college proves to the corporate world that you are good information age cubicle fodder.  When he really got pressed on it, he admitted that college is essentially a 4 year endurance sport that will signal to perspective employers how responsible you are.  Kind of like a white collar version of ‘Survivor’ where as long as you don’t get voted of the island, you’ll win the fabulous prize of getting to work a dull job….well at least that’s what you would have won in a good economy…now you might get a dull unpaid internship…if you’re lucky.

Are you inspired yet?  So far it’s pretty grim.  Now I found a bunch of attempts by smart people to answer this question, ‘what is college for’ that were exceptionally diverse…and I had to cut most of them for time…But surprisingly, possibly the best answer I found out there was from the famously scholarly website, known for its incisive analysis and depth of insight: “Cracked.com” Seriously, this was right next to the “you might be a zombie internet quiz.  Which makes me wonder, who’s taking that quiz.  I mean, if you are a zombie…are you really not self aware enough to realize it.  And are there non-zombies who wake up wondering if they are one?  I have so many questions…Anyway the article starts out:

But then it delivers this answer to the question ‘What is college for?’

It's Not About Getting a Degree, It's About Becoming a Person 

And here’s the thing, I think they totally got that right.  But the problem is that it just poses another question.  It moves from the why question to the how question.  And, here is the method that the article gives for ‘Becoming a person’ in college:

 “College is the ultimate self-discovery school, a Brownian personality-builder that bashes you off other people to help you all stop sucking.”

Essentially they argue that college is a string of random events in which a homogenous group of people bash into each other aimlessly and randomly and somehow acquire wisdom and character in the process…and honestly, that strikes me as optimistic…that a bunch of random encounters with other people is going to automatically build wisdom and character…when it could just as easily go the other way. 

It makes you wonder…is there a better way to take on this project of ‘becoming’ without aimlessly bashing into other people who have dignity and nobility of their own, in a kind of chemically fueled, sexually charged, random number generator.  Is there a way to optimize the acquisition of wisdom and character…and maximize the ‘becoming’ while minimizing the damage you do to yourself and others?

And for that Cracked.com may not be the best source of wisdom.  Because as one of the commenter’s on this article said:

 “Honestly people, if you are taking advice from a site that specializes in Batman and (penis) jokes you are beyond help.”

But, if college is, in fact, not primarily about getting a degree or making social contacts but about becoming a person…the question of ‘What is college for?’ is just a version of the question “What are you for?”

The answer to the little question “Why are you here (at UCD)” is also the answer to the Big question “Why are you Here (existence)”…

…and the answer can be found in a text more ancient but more helpful than Cracked.com or even the NY Times opinion page.

 So tonight we are going to look at the first 18 sentences of one of the ancient narratives that tells the story of the life of Jesus…the New Testament book of John…a text that we are going to spend roughly 20 of the Tuesday nights we get together this year walking trough.  And tonight’s passage gives a concise yet profound mission statement for your project of “person building.”  Twice it points to two distinct yet intertwined pursuits that are at the heart of “the process of person building”:

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

What is college for?  It is an opportunity to grow in grace and truth.  It is a time to build a foundation of grace and truth that will set a trajectory for the rest of your life.  And so we are going to look at what these opening sentences of the story of Jesus has to say about each of these in turn.  Tonight I am going to focus on the truth component by looking at 2 big ideas and 3 implications…we are going to do a little theological heavy lifting with the two big ideas and then bring that to bear on our college experience with the 3 applications…and then will briefly turn to grace as an introduction to what we will be doing in the next 3 weeks. 

(Note: Thanks to Landon Elis for the art)

So, What is college for?  Well, unsurprisingly, it is a time to grow in “Truth”

1. Grow in Truth

 

You see the people who say college is all about forming advantageous relationships and that what you learn doesn’t really matter miss part of the point.  College is a time to uncover and discover “Truth”.

But, you will find that around here, before you can ask a question like ‘what is the truth?’ you have to answer the question ‘is truth even a thing?’

Most of your academic mentors here will be skeptical about the existence of a Truth capitol “T”.  And you know what, they should be.  The academic tools you will be offered, both in the sciences and the humanities, are valuable but fallible.  And your academic mentors will have spent their careers embroiled in debates where highly intelligent and educated people come to fundamentally different explanations of reality.  If you spend enough time trying to squeeze ideas into words you realize the simple fact is that words are slippery…

If you think about it little symbols on a white background might seem to be a pretty thin medium for transmitting something as grand as truth…yet, there they are the main currency for the process by which we engage ideas.

But here’s the incredible thing about this text…God totally seems to get that.  God realizes that words are complicated, but that does not mean that truth is unattainable. 

You see, the big idea of this passage is that when he wanted to give us Truth…he didn’t just put it in sentences…he didn’t just use text…he also showed up…he spoke AND embodied.  The passage makes the counter-cultural assertion that “truth” comes through Jesus…it argues that if you want to grow in truth, the process needs to include Jesus…and it makes that case by introducing us to two big theological ideas: incarnation and illumination.  So let’s take them in turn: The first reason that Jesus should be central to the process of growing in truth is The Incarnation:

Big Idea 1:  Incarnation 

Incarnation is just a fancy word for the idea that Jesus is simultaneously God and human.  And so, the reason that Jesus is the interpretive key to reality is that he fully inhabits empirical and metaphysical reality…the material world and the spiritual world.  He was an agent of creation and also a participant in it.  And so he has unique insight on how it all works together.  Here’s how GK Chesterton puts it:

“For orthodox theology has specially insisted that Christ was not a being apart from God and man, like an elf, nor yet a being half-human and half-not, like a centaur, but both things at once and both things thoroughly.” Chesterton – Orthodoxy 138

Which reminded me of 90 of my favorite youtube seconds of all time…

http://youtu.be/oJGgJmnKS_k

(Note: I cliped the trapper keeper joke for the talk.)

You see, most people think that Jesus is a lot like a unicorn…99% person and 1% more awesome person.  But JESUS IS NOT A UNICORN.  And he isn’t a centaur

…this kind of awkward half person and half god entity with all the mental gymnastics that requires…he is a unique entity in all of reality…all God and all human…simultaneously bipedal primate with a nervous system and brain chemistry and yet the creator of carbon itself…he has fully experienced material and metaphysical reality…and having walked and lived in both, he has unique insights into how we can live as little carbon creatures which also have spiritual reality…he becomes uniquely qualified to guide us into truth.

Which brings us to that obtuse opening sentence of this passage.  Let’s look at it:

 “In the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word (Logos) was with God and the Word (Logos) was God.”  -John 1:1

Um..What? 

Um…let’s try that again:

“In the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word (Logos) was with God and the Word (Logos) was God.”

OK, good thing it is early in the quarter, because that one is going to take some work.  You see the Greek word used in the original, ‘logos’, is one of the most difficult to find a good English equivalent for.

Here’s what my favorite commentator, FF Bruce says about it…just a little Braveheart joke there…:

“No doubt the English term ‘Word’ is an inadequate rendering of the Greek logos, but it would be difficult to fine one less inadequate.” 

Here’s what’s going on here.  You see, John who is a follower of Jesus as well as his biographer, has also kind of gotten into Greek philosophy.  He digs it.  And at that time The big questions in Greek theology was what is the thing that makes senses of everything else.  And they came up with all sorts of ideas about this…some said it was water…others said it was spirit…but in John’s time, this central thing in Greek philosophy that made sense of reality and human relationships, was called ‘the Logos.’

And John kind of looks at the state of philosophy and says, ‘you know’ that’s totally the right question.  There is a logos, a central interpretive truth that gives coherence to the rest of reality...but what it turns out to be is a little surprising.

You see, it turns out that the Truth, capitol T does exist, but it is not a what, it’s a who.  In a plot twist so shocking that he loads it into his opening sentence…truth is not a something, it’s a someone…Jesus   

There was a movie that came out a couple years ago called ‘Stardust.’  Now everyone I have talked to about this film has said essentially the same thing “You know, that wasn’t half bad.”  It is one of those films you go into with no expectations and turns out to have likeable characters and engaging plot and at one point, Robert Dinero is dancing around in a dress and Ricky Jerveis gets his voice stolen by a witch because he is being annoying (and honestly I’m not sure which moment I enjoyed more)…I mean just good times all around. 

But at one point, the protagonist is trying to impress this kind of vapid pretty girl.  (Dude really needs to come to a good CL dating talk...but we will talk more about that in 2 weeks.) Anyway, while they are talking, a shooting star flies over their heads.  And so the girl, played by Sienna Miller tells the young man that if he can return with the falling star in a couple days, she will marry him.  So like a total tool he takes off looking for this falling star and he gets to the crater and looks into it…there in the middle of the crater…is Clare Danes. 

And that’s the central plot twist of the film.  It turned out that the object of his quest was not something…it was someone. 

And that is essentially the central plot twist of our narrative as well.  The preeminent object of your quest for truth isn’t a something…it’s a someone.  And that will fundamentally alter how you go about trying to grow in Truth. 

The one thing that gives the right context and scope by which all of the other ideas are to be organized and evaluated…the Logos…is the one who was God from the beginning, who made everything, yet has done the whole ‘living on earth and being made out of carbon thing’ and has unique insight on how to integrate material and spiritual realities… In the words of the passage:

¹⁴The Word (Logos) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

its Jesus.  So you want to grow in truth…you need to get to know Jesus, and come terms with the incarnation. 

And, briefly the second big idea this passage gives for why Jesus needs to be involved in your pursuit of truth is: 

Big Idea 2: Illumination

You see, the word “Light” is used six times in this passage.

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

And this is a familiar one if you have given any attention to the UC Davis seal:

Light is a metaphor for the conditions of truth seeking both in the Scriptures and in UC Davis’ symbology…because, we are not objective perception machines.  How we see the world has a lot to do with how it is lit.  To illustrate this idea I am going to have to roll out a clip I know a few of you have seen before, but it illustrates the point so I’m just going to run with it.  This is a clip from The Office where Dwight and Michael are getting ready to have a party in their hotel room and they decide to test the black light.

 Office illustration: http://youtu.be/aKCS49wfdpE

“Semen, blood or urine.”  You see, Michal learns a very important lesson in that clip…he learns that there are aspects of reality that can only be perceived with the right light.  Which, in a sense, is exactly what John 1 says.  There are aspects of reality - both disturbing and lovely - that you can only see with the right light….which is Jesus. 

This text argues that Jesus is instrumental in growing in truth, because he illuminates reality.  You see, Jesus might not be a unicorn, but he is the blacklight of reality. 

He gives perspective and context that you need to put the puzzle together.  And so, that is the theological heavy lifting…Jesus can help you grow in truth because he brings Incarnation and Illumination to the table.  But these kind of abstract theological ideas have a couple practical implications for how you ‘grow in truth’ here in this place. 

First of all, All truth is God’s truth…and so you can take your studies seriously.  You see, the passage argues, that every aspect of the natural world, artistic expression and human interaction fundamentally emerge from Jesus. Look back at those opening sentences:

“In the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word (Logos) was with God and the (Logos) was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made.  Without him nothing was made that has been made.” 

Here’s the idea.  All truth is God’s truth.  God cares about your studies, wants you to see the world of art and science and philosophy in light of Jesus…and see Jesus in them.  He is not confined to religious studies classes.  He made it all, so we can expect to find him there, if we look for him.  I mean, just look at our text…the apostle John obviously found non-Christian philosophy interesting valuable…but he studied it with and for Jesus.  So Jesus people should be the most intellectually curious and academically adventurous people on campus. 

I mean if John could find Jesus in greek philosophy, you can find Jesus in anthropology, entomology or etymology.  John found Greek philosophy useful…but he did not allow it to define his reality.  Which lead us to the second application: 

Second, Not everything you hear in college is true.

But not everything that challenges your world view is false

Not everything you learn in college is true.  Tim Keller likes to say, 1 book will make you annoying, 2 books will make you confused, 100 books will make you wise.  The same is true with classes.  And this was captured perfectly in that iconic bar scene in Good Will Hunting.  You know the scene…but I’ll play it anyway.

http://youtu.be/e1DnltskkWk  (start a few seconds earlier when Affleck is hitting on Driver and end after Damon’s evisceration)

Don’t go all in on the first idea you hear.  Maintain a little healthy academic skepticism.  By the time you are a senior you will realize that most of the tidy materialist theories you learned in your intro classes are not nearly as tidy as they seem.

A lot of people come to college ready to be skeptical about their faith, to reject the advice and wisdom of their parents and youth pastors, only to uncritically embrace a new narrative from a tenured professors.  What you have to understand is that these students haven’t become skeptics.  They have just transferred their allegiance to a new set of clerics.

And so you have to realize that not everything you learn in college is true.  But just because not everything you learn in college is true, it does not follow that everything you find challenging to your faith in college is false.  The honest pursuit of truth will require reassessment of a wide variety of things you believe. 

So study whatever interests you…but also throw yourself into a Christian community and spiritual disciplines to help you process the new ideas…which leads to the third application…  

Third, Add Jesus to your Course List.

Don’t limit your investigation to the material realm.

You see, I’m a scientist.  I love science.  Seriously, I freeking love it.  Science is the means by which we unlock empirical and material realities.  And it’s really good at that.  But science only claims to access to observable and repeatable phenomenon.   And here’s the mistake people make…they make the mistake of thinking that because science is really cool and these are the only things science can know, they are the only things that humans can known. 

And that is an epistemology fail.  It’s just bad philosophy.  Growing in truth has to include the pursuit of material AND spiritual realities…and they need to happen in parallel, because they inform each other.  So you need to add God to your course list.

If you already follow Jesus…if you recognize that he is indispensible to the process of growing in truth…then you need to keep office hours with Jesus.  Choosing the right major is not as important as choosing the right tutor.  You need to get into a Christian community as quickly as possible and develop spiritual disciplines that will keep you connected to Jesus while you process all the amazing things you are going to learn.

If you aren’t really committed to this narrative but are fundamentally a truth seeker…I would encourage you to add one more line of investigation to your inquisitive portfolio this year.  You see the Christian story says that if you want to know what God is like you need to get to know Jesus.

You see a lot of people start with a fuzzy picture of what god is that they got from sit coms, music and film and then figure, well if Jesus represents god, Jesus must be like that.  But that is exactly backwards. 

And the passage tells us why.

John 1:17-8 “…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”

You see, the central insight that Christianity getting to know Jesus is the means God set up for getting to know him.  And it just so happens that we have an opportunity for you to do just that. You see, we are going to spend 20 Tuesday nights this year walking chapter by chapter through this story of Jesus.  So join us for Tuesday nights this quarter, and test the hypothesis I just offered you…see if Jesus doesn’t bring an unexpected clarity to the fog of ideas and facts you learn in your classes. 

Ok, so let me just say a couple words about grace before I wrap up. 

2.     Grow in Grace

Even with its considerable deficiencies the university can be an ally in your pursuit of truth…but the hard cold fact is that this place has no interest in growing you in grace. 

This place will build your collection of facts, it will build your capacities and it will build your capabilities.  But this institution will not build your character…not on purpose at least.  College can be a catalyst for character formation…but the actual process of character formation is on you.  You will receive no grade in humility.  Generosity will not be computed in your GPA.  Your transcripts will not include a line reporting your self forgetfulness. 

Just stockpiling truth can make you an unbearable person.  The way my brother puts it is that… ‘Love is the stabilizer of knowledge.’ Or Grace is the stabilizer of truth.

Your time here needs to be a two-pronged quest…a quest for Grace AND Truth. 

So you need to pair your academic exploration with a robust pursuit of the person of Jesus…and you need to take this time as season of serious character formation in the context of Christian community. 

And so over the next few weeks we are going to get really practical with a topical series where we will talk about how to grown in grace and truth in college in the context of: 

1.     Your Studies (next week)

2.     Your Relationships (the week after)

3.     Your Spiritual Development (at retreat)

You see I could not be more committed to this idea that our projects of person formation should revolve around these two poles of “grace and truth”. 

And so let me wrap up with a brief illustration that will seem like a total non-sequiter but you’ll just have to trust me that it isn’t…I want to wrap up by introducing you to my daughters… Charis and Aletheia.  These are great (and truth be told, occasionally bizarre) kids…and one of the things that we love about college ministry is Audri, Michelle, and Haley are among their favorite people.

Now let me go back and read our central verses again…and just like I did with ‘Logos’ I’ll leave a couple key words un-translated:

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of charis (grace) and aletheia (truth).”

John 1: 17 “…charis (grace) and aletheia (truth) came through Jesus Christ”

You see, my wife and I are all in on this.  We named our first two kids Charis and Aletheia…‘Grace’ and ‘Truth’…because we can think of nothing that we want more for them…and we can think of nothing that we want more for you.