The RegenT Fall 2007• Vol.19, No.2
to god be the glory ...... 1 awards .......................... 2 changes ......................... 3 celebration weekend .. 4-5 news and kudos ............. 6 finances......................... 7 regent bookstore .......... 8
A
s we come to the end of the “Writing the Next Chapter Chapter” campaign, we should ask the question: who was responsible for making all this happen? Was it the 772 donors who gave so generously so that the budget was met and the College absorbed no long-term debt? Was it those who met with donors to present the story in a compelling way? Was it the project manager and architect who brought their competence to the table and created something that is both functional and beautiful? Was it the gifts and skills of the construction workers who toiled through a very wet winter? Was it the staff at Regent who worked hard behind the scenes so the project proceeded without major disruption to the life of the College? You could provide a tentative “yes” as an answer to each of these questions. All of these individuals had a role to play and they were thanked publicly at our Celebration Weekend. However, it is a tentative “yes” because none of these people can claim credit for the entire project or argue that they were responsible for making it all happen. To understand who is ultimately responsible we need to be clear about our theology. W hen I wa s a teen ager, I rememb er b ei ng c on f u s e d by interactions I would have with some of my spiritual heroes. When they did something–speaking, preaching or encouraging–that I found helpful, I would often say something like, “I appreciate what you said tonight. It was encouraging to me.” This was often met with a puzzling answer: “It was not me; it was God.” I was sure I saw their lips moving but they claimed that it was not them.
To God be the Glory
There are at least four potential ways to deal with human responsibility. The “self-help” camp, by definition, elevates the individual and argues that they are completely responsible for what happened. It would be like our architect, Clive Grout, claiming that the whole project was his responsibility and he is the one who made it all happen. The “God-does-some; we-do -some” camp suggests that God does some good and we do some good and that we share responsibility with him. It would be like our Building Committee chair, Bill Stewart, indicating that he was able to take responsibility for some things in the project and God was able to do the rest. The “let-go-and-let-God” camp would affirm that there is a constant tension between what we do and what God does and the solution is to stop trying and let him do it for us. It would be like our project manager, James Yong, saying that the whole project has been a battle for him, trying to stop doing things himself and letting God do it. The “all-good-comes-from God” camp, one that I propose is rooted firmly in biblical teaching (Philippians 2:12-13; 4:13; Colossians 1:10-12, 29), makes it clear that all the good we do, we do by God’s wisdom and strength. This flies in the face of the self-help camp that does not require God’s involvement at all. It also gives God his rightful place as the ultimate source of good rather than having him share it with us. Finally, it
frees us from the life of struggle and introspection trying to figure out whether it was me or God or some combination. God does not do it for us, instead of us, or in place of us, but everything ultimately can be traced to his wisdom and strength. With that backdrop it seems appropriate to me that we ended our Celebration Weekend with a worship service on the Sunday morning. We had experienced an open house on the Saturday morning, a time of celebration and thanksgiving on the Saturday evening, but we still needed to answer the question: who was responsible for making all this happen? And so on Sunday morning we prayed, sang praises and were encouraged by the Word. While the campaign was not mentioned directly, the covert and overt message was clear: we needed to end the campaign in the right way – to God be the glory! This day I call to me: God’s strength to direct me, God’s power to sustain me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s vision to light me, God’s ear to my hearing, God’s word to my speaking, God’s hand to uphold me, God’s pathway before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s legions to save me. ~Prayer of St. Patrick Rod J. K. Wilson Regent College President