Ichthus Spring 2016 by The Harvard Ichthus

ich hus

a st u d e n t j o u r n a l o f C h r i st i a n t h o u g h t a n d e x p re s s i o n at H a r va rd C o l l ege

FA L L 2 0 1 5

Editor’s Note • Is God Just?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

When the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage

This question has puzzled Christians for millennia, and

this past summer, my Facebook page unveiled the

Daniel Lowery takes up it up in this issue.

diverging notions of justice present among contemporary Christians. Some of my Christian friends posted that

And if God is just, how should we live out God’s justice?

God’s justice was in tension with this ruling, while

Molly Richmond argues that Christianity presents a

others showed support by transforming their profile

unique vision of a “restorative” response to injustice.

pictures through rainbow refractions. This diverging

David Paiva argues that the church is neither inherently

understanding of what justice looks like according to

conservative nor liberal. Justin Sanchez considers the

the Christian narrative is not anything new; think of the

problem of the Vatican’s wealth while so many people live

film 12 Years a Slave, set on an antebellum plantation,

in poverty, and guest writer Brianna Millet focuses on the

which includes both a slaveholder citing New Testament

story of Jesus, Mary, and Martha to show that God desires

passages to encourage his slaves to be obedient and a

justice through equal opportunities for women and men.

slave’s conviction that God will punish the slaveholders

Hailey Reneau explores the origins of violence using

for their unjust actions. It is easy to wonder what sort of

Scripture and the latest thought in evolutionary biology.

vision of justice the Christian God is supposed to stand

And Brandon Wright finds injustice in a place many of us

for.

prefer to ignore: the realm of pornography.

In the first centuries after the life of Jesus, places

Justice is something lived, too, not just philosophized

where early Christian communities would gather were

about, and sometimes we can only grapple with the deep

marked with “ΙΧΘΥΣ,” a code that disguised their faith

issues of life through the arts. To that end, we include in

to avoid another injustice: religious persecution by the

this issue poetry, fiction, and a reflection on the poetry of

Romans. Their secret symbol, transliterated “Ichthus,”

Gerard Manley Hopkins.

is an acrostic for “Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr,” translated “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior,” and we

Whoever you are, you probably care about justice. But

take it up today as the name of this journal of Christian

you probably are not exactly sure what it means or how

thought, a journal by and for Harvard undergraduates.

to seek it. This issue doesn’t have all the answers, but it

We do not use this name simply to recall the days before

aims to point to the God we think does, however tricky to

Christianity became the official imperial religion, after

figure out He may be.

which point Christian states perpetuated plenty of their we believe is justice incarnate. In the Christian story, Jesus of Nazareth, the very incarnation of the one true God, dies an undeserved

Peter Hickman

death on a cross, taking upon himself the punishment

Editor-in-Chief

forgiven of sins and given the chance to come back to God. But how does this sacrifice represent God’s justice?

A Resorative Response to Injustice

editor-in-chief

Molly Richmond

managing editor

Henry Li ’16

Cosmic Justice Daniel Lowery

features editor

Will Sack ’17

Is the Church Inherently Conservative? David Paiva

The Vatican Billions Justin Sanchez

design editor

Peter Hickman ’16

Brionna Atkins ’16

business manager

Andrew Pardue ’16

social media director

Marina Spinelli ’18

webmaster

Brandon Wright ’18

Growing Towards the Light Brionna Atkins

faculty advisors

I Went to the Holy of Holies and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt Greg Scalise

editors

Naming the Good: Biology and Faith on the Origin of Violence Hailey Reneau

David Paiva ’16 Siobhan McDonough ’17 Marina Spinelli ’18 Brandon Wright ’18

Porn is Not Private: Why Viewing Pornography Perpetuates Injustice Brandon Wright

writers

Preacher-Woman: Martha and Mary Retold Brianna Millet

After August Veronica Wickline

Created to Creator Kate Massinger

Brooke Dickens ’16 Daniel Lowery ’16 Kate Massinger ’16 Veronica Wickline ’16 Julian Nunally ’17 Hailey Reneau ’17 Obasi Shaw ’17 Haley Curtin ’18 Greg Scalise ’18 Christian Schatz ’18 Brandon Snyder ’18 Eric Yang ’18

own injustices. We use this name to proclaim the person

for human failings. Through this sacrifice, all people are

STAFF

Last Things Obasi Shaw

designers

Prof. J. Mark Ramseyer Prof. Laura S. Nasrallah

Isabel Espinosa ’18 Brandon Wright ’18 Rebekah Chun ’19

The Ichthus is made possible in part by contributions from the Cecil B. Day Foundation, the Collegiate Network, Christian Union, and the Undergraduate Council. reach us at: ichthus@hcs.harvard.edu

Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae

engagement must be linked, and that as a Christian my perspective and approach must be unique because of my faith in Christ. Christians are called to reconciliation” for everyone (2 Cor 5:18). The message of

Molly Richmond

the gospel includes making all things right, and Christians serve a God who loves justice and shows compassion for

he sticky heat tried to swallow us as we milled

both publically humiliated the woman and reflected the

around the Liberian market. As casually as we

accepted dominance of the man. Even though we came to

could (although our American identities made that

share the love of Christ and to do his work, when confronted

hard), we talked and engaged with local shoppers. A group

with this blatant instance of injustice no one with me knew

of us from my church came here to partner with a local

what to do – would intervening help or make things worse?

Christian health NGO in practical ways, and also to see if

Quickly, it was over. I sobbed as we walked away,

we might have a long-term relationship with aid workers

overwhelmed by the brokenness I had witnessed and the

and local pastors. To be honest, many of us did not know

realization that this abuse happened because of profound

what we were doing, myself (thirteen and naïve) least of all.

gender inequality. I wept because situations like this

Standing in the market on the dusty earth, smelling ICH

the mango and the

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content. En masse,

Then

are common in homes across the United States.

cooking food, I felt at ease and

Later, anger surged through me and a subtle

we heard the scream.

cynicism set in. How was this still a reality?

we pivoted towards the noise, and a scene of startling violence stunned me. A female vendor

a world so broken? After the Liberia trip, I transitioned into a high school where I became deeply involved in my school’s Christian social

in front of us,

justice

bent slightly,

under the mentorship of the

while a man

incredible Dr. Michael Chen

slapped

(whose ideas are influential

her

institute.

There,

and yelled at

in this essay), I began to

her. Not just

wrestle with what it meant,

instance

theologically and practically,

domestic

to be a Christian engaged

v i o l e n c e ,

with

though

justice. I learned very

that would

quickly that the two

also

sobering, this

stood

How do we respond to

act

issues

social

realms of faith and social

the oppressed (Isa 61, Jer 9:24, Jas 1:27, Isa 58:6, Ps 103:6 and many more). If Christians are called to imitate Christ, who is our forerunner (Eph 5:1-2, Heb 6:20), and spread the good news of his gospel, then this means we too must be justice-doers in the world. Since I began thinking this way, I have constantly wrestled with how I, as a human who experiences measures of injustice and as a person who seeks to do justice in this world, should approach injustice. Do I meet it with indignation and retaliation, or is there another option? I believe that something deep and right lies at the root of our anger in confronting injustice. As Genesis tells it, when sin entered the world, everything fell apart and was fundamentally broken. As development expert Bryant Myers writes in Walking with the Poor, “The scope of sin proved very broad – very holistic, if you will. It led to widespread deception, distortion, and domination in all forms of human relationships—with God, within one’s self (and family), within the community and between others, and with the environment.”1 This means each of us lives in a state of constant imperfection, yearning for a wholeness we were created for but not quite getting there. As Romans 8:22-24 reads, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved” (NIV). The Christian vision encompasses nothing short of redemption and a new earth, and yet the reality on earth often seems 1 Myers, Bryant L. Walking With The Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development. New York: Orbis Books. 2008. Print. P. 27.

diametrically and

grotesquely

opposed to that ideal. So a Christian response to injustice should involve a deep discontentment and frustration and a desire for restoration. Where we direct our strength of emotion, however, seems to matter enormously. It is easy to look at a perpetrator and say that the problem lies uniquely in him or her. Yet I do not think Christians can do that. The problem of sin marks every person and every culture. That reality should cause us to step back for a moment. As a woman, it is easy to bitterly point fingers at the male gender and heap blame and anger upon it for injustice directed at me and other women; often this is a very legitimate injustice. However, while Christians are called to recognize sin and evil, and to actively work to rectify them, our understanding of the cross demands that this work be redemptive, restorative, and merciful. Upon the cross, Christ took the weight of sin (individual and systemic) upon himself. In the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NIV). My sinful nature makes me a participant in the deeply entrenched systems of injustice in this world. How is this so? As community development specialists Steve Corbett and Bryan Fikkert write in When Helping Hurts, “People affect systems, and systems affect people,” and, “The effects of the fall are manifested” in these various “economic, social, religious, and political systems that humans have created throughout history.”2 Put simply, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10), and because we are embedded in the context of specific cultures, inextricably bound to the systems of those cultures, we contribute to their brokenness.3 Yet Christ died for this brokenness and 2 Corbett, Steve and Brian Fikkert. When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself. Chicago: Moody Publishers. 2012. Print. P. 56, 58. 3 Myers, Walking with the Poor, P. 48.

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restorative justice, and we have been given a “ministry of

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A Restorative Response to Injustice

made us a “new creation” through absolutely no work of our

and multifaceted. What we feel towards injustice usually

own (2 Cor 5:17). These earth-shattering ideas of sinfulness

is beyond our control. I am not saying you should “feel” a

and unmerited, sin-overcoming grace are what lead Jesus

certain way, especially those who have been victims. What

to say, “Blessed are the merciful,” and, “Blessed are the

I am inviting us to explore is what the active response for

peacemakers” (Mt 5:7, 9), and James to write, “Mercy

all who bear the name of Christ looks like.

triumphs over judgment” (Jas 2:13). For Christians, our

We certainly have to respond by seeking to make

foundation is that hope of redemption, that Christ “died for

systems whole (for more on this, Myers’ book and

all” (2 Cor 5:15), which radically includes perpetrators of

Corbett and Fikkert’s work are highly recommended).

injustice. As theologian Miroslav Volf writes, summarizing

We are also reminded in 2 Cor 5:19-20 that because of his

theologian Jurgen Moltmann, “Just as the oppressed must

reconciliatory work, God “Has committed to us the message

be liberated from the suffering caused by oppression, so the

of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,

oppressors must be liberated from the injustice committed

as though God were making his appeal through us.” This

through oppression.”4 Jesus categorizes his own ministry,

is a fundamental role for Christians. It means that even in

from the beginning (Luke 4), as a freedom-bringing, poor-

the injustice around me and around us here on earth, we

uplifting, oppression-releasing work. And at the same time,

are called to love and show mercy even to those who do

he befriends the corrupt

evil, to regard “no one

tax collector, he saves

from a worldly point of

Saul the murderer of Christians ICH

the

into

apostle.

Paul

This

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revolutionary. I had a profound experience

several

years ago that makes me believe it is actually possible to live this way. I was in a large Asian city

with

red-light

a certain way, especially those who have been victims. What I am inviting us to explore is what the active response for all who bear the name of Christ looks like.

sizeable

district.

view”

“Christ

died for all” (2 Cor 5:15completely aware of the near-impossibility

this task, and as I wrestle through it, I see that it is only possible through the Holy Spirit’s work. This is a complex issue, and my attempt to discuss it compellingly needless

say,

both theologically and

Christian women spent time in this part of town, laboring

practically insufficient. Yet my goal is to disrupt our natural

to reveal the injustices going on and striving to be agents

inclinations, to challenge us to explore what the Christian

of healing. A little rough around the edges, they were not

faith asks of those who claim it. When we confront injustice

your picture of typical missionaries. But something far

both experientially and from a distance, there is something

more meaningful distinguished them as well. Along with

important in our anger. But for Christians, empowered

befriending prostitutes, they befriended the pimps – the

by God’s grace, we are invited to move rapidly beyond

persecutors — believing that showing them mercy and

simple anger to a position of the deepest humility, mercy,

fighting for their transformation was just as much a part of

and eagerness to partner with the Holy Spirit in restoring

their responsibility. This is living like Jesus.

our world. As Micah 6:8 reads, “And what does the LORD

Let me be clear. As humans, our emotions are difficult

require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I pray I can respond in this way.

hrist died for your sins.

Sound familiar? Whether you are a Christian or not, you have probably heard something like

this before. This is not surprising: if Christianity could be boiled down to a simple expression, “Christ died for your sins” would easily be a top contender. This simple statement is both biblically accurate and deeply profound, but “simple truths” can lose truth value if they are made too simple. Constructing an understanding

4 Volf, Miroslav. Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation. Nashville: Abingdon Press. 1996. Print. P. 23.

Daniel Lowery

16). Trust me, I am

is,

Two

because

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the cross, he transforms

I am not saying you should “feel”

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the thief next to him on

Cosmic Justice

Molly Richmond ’18 is a History and Literature concentrator in

of the Cross and Christianity around such a singular

Lowell House.

statement runs the risk of missing the complexity of God’s

redemptive plan and, ultimately, of mischaracterizing the Cross. This happens when we view the Cross simply as an act of love and mercy in which Jesus dies for the punishment we rightly deserve in order to satisfy God’s justice. My argument, rather, is that the Cross was an act of love, mercy, and justice; moreover, the Cross was an act of cosmic justice. So, what is “cosmic justice”? Cosmic justice is a cosmological conceptualizing of justice that says the universe itself is ruled by some standard of justice. This could be an impersonal force or

mean that there is some type of cosmic governor – God –

sin (Nah 1:3; Ex 23:7; Ex 34:18; Num 14:18). Retributive

who administers justice in the universe which He governs.

justice demands that the guilty be punished. Without the

My argument takes the second approach.

atoning work of the Cross, we would all receive God’s

What is “justice”? There is hardly space for a treatise

justice – Hell. Why, then, do we not? It is because God

on the subject, and I will not attempt to commit to a

loves us and, in a great act of mercy, sent His son to die

definitive definition. So, off to the dictionary we go!

for us. Christ offered Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins.

Merriam-Webster’s first definition of “justice” reads: “the

According to Galatians, “Christ redeemed us from the curse

maintenance or administration of what is just, especially

of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written,

by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the

‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Gal 3:13,

assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” Most

ESV). The Prophet Isaiah, too, states, “But he was pierced

conceptions of justice are heavily related to government,

for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities

fairness, punishment, or a “righting of wrongs.” Two types

… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is

are relevant for our study: retributive justice and restorative

53:4-6).

justice.

Has cosmic justice been fulfilled or thwarted? This is the crux of the problem. The typical way of viewing the

Retributive Justice: Penal Substitution

Cross, as shown by the Penal Substitutionary Atonement

clearing the innocent. Transgressions against the law

renders the Cross as satisfying God’s justice, but it is not

demand punishment. It is unjust if a burglar breaks into a

itself an act of justice. It is analogous to giving a bouquet of

house and is allowed to live freely, without repercussions.

roses (in substitute of love) to an angry wife to satisfy her rather than giving the bouquet as an act of love itself.

Likewise, a just universe is one where transgressors of

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model, pits God’s love and mercy against His justice. This

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Retributive justice entails punishing the guilty and

divine law are met with punishment. From this conception

Instead, the Cross should be viewed as an act of love,

of justice, we get author Randy Alcorn’s “If there is no Hell,

grace, mercy, and justice. Now I present an altered version

there is no justice …We all are sinners who deserve Hell.”1

of the Moral Governmental Model (MGM) of atonement,

The issue I am highlighting is not Hell per se but rather the

which places the Atonement within a context of cosmic

close linkages between cosmic justice, universal guilt, and

called Penal Substitutionary Atonement, i.e. “Christ died for your sins,” steps in

Jesus” (Rom 3:25-26). Instead of satisfying a debt created

critical to note here that, under the Moral Governmental

by God’s justice, the Cross is rather an expression of God’s

Model, sin is not an offense against God requiring

justice.

retribution, but rather a rebellious act against the divine

The exact mechanics of Atonement differ between PSA

government which corrupts and threatens the universe as

and MGM. The theology gets pretty technical, but, basically,

willed by God. Justice thus entails restoring the universe.

under the governmental model, Christ paid the ransom for

The cosmic government requires the administration of

mankind’s sin, but He did not pay the punitive price. As the

cosmic justice. But how should cosmic justice be carried

Gospel of Mark writes, “For even the Son of Man came not

out?

to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for

God – as head of the cosmic state – has policy options

many” (Mk 10:45). Jesus paid our ransom and suffered on

for His administration of cosmic justice. He could freely

our behalf, but He did so in substitution because guilt and

offer clemency to all of humanity. But such a policy would

punishment are non-transferable. We need not decisively

undermine the integrity of the moral law. He could simply

accept or reject MGM’s insistence of ransom instead of

annihilate or punish all of His rebellious subjects. But such

punishment. For our purposes, the importance of MGM

an act would betray God’s love for us and also would defeat

is to think about the Atonement within a framework of

the purpose of creation. Neither option would restore

cosmic governance and justice.

mankind or the universe. But there was one act of justice that could: the Cross.

Regardless of the atonement model, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ make reconciliation with

reconciliation with God possible while still maintaining the

the restoration of the cosmos. In this sense, the Cross is

governance and justice.

integrity of divine law and God’s commitment to justice.

the ultimate act of cosmic justice, because it initiates the

Within the traditional governmental model, “Christ by His

restoration of our universe to the way it should be. God’s

Restorative Justice: Moral Government

death actually paid the penalty for no man’s sin. What His

grace and love did not work against His justice and its

death did was to demonstrate what their sins deserved at

retributive demands for punishment, but, rather, His grace

the hand of the just Governor and Judge of the universe,

and love worked with God’s restorative justice to make

and permits God justly to forgive men if, on other grounds

things right in our universe.

Before the Atonement, God reigned over a broken and rebellious universe. As subjects of God’s cosmic government, mankind’s continuous rebellion through

operates on a logic of retributive justice and is the dominant

sin threatened to undermine cosmic order. As head of

atonement model in Evangelical Christian thought. Before

the moral cosmic government, God is concerned with the

moving on, let’s unpack PSA. The Atonement is the means

moral behavior of His citizens, the prestige of his divine

by which mankind is reconciled with God. The Atonement

law, and the integrity of the cosmic order. Additionally,

is penal in that Christ died on the Cross as a punishment

sin corrupted mankind – originally made in the image

for sin. It is substitutionary in that He died on the Cross

of God – into warped versions of who we were meant to

in our place. Moreover, Christ died on the Cross to satisfy

be (Gen 1:27). Through sin, mankind was alienated from

God’s justice.

God, destroying the type of relationship God originally intended.2

such as faith, repentance, works, and perseverance, they

So, yes, Christ died for your sins, but he didn’t do

meet His demand.”3 Paul writes that God put forward

so merely to clear a judicial ledger. Rather, he did so to

Christ “as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by

provide you (and the world) a means by which we may be

faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in

justified, forgiven, redeemed, reconciled, and glorified as

His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It

part of God’s larger redemptive plan to restore the entire

was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that

universe.

He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Daniel Lowery ’16 is a Government concentrator in Dudley House have close fellowship with the Father, live righteously and with love, and possess authority. Romans 8:16-17 says that the redeemed will be co-heirs with

retributive justice and God’s love. All of mankind stands guilty of breaking God’s law (Rom 3:9-11; Rom 3:23; Jas

A broken universe is in need of restorative justice. It is

God possible. Reconciliation, in turn, makes possible

The Penal Substitutionary Atonement model (PSA)

The need for atonement is created by the demands for

expression of God’s justice.

As an act of cosmic justice, the Cross made

the need for punishment. How does God deal with this? Under a retributive conception of justice, a theological idea

Instead of satisfying a debt created by God’s justice, the Cross is an

2 This is a complicated subject, but one has to closely examine the Garden of Eden and God’s relationship with Adam and Eve to understand what is meant

Christ. 1 John 3:2 says that we will be like him [Jesus]. Clearly, the state of our universe looks very different from this.

1 http://www.epm.org/resources/2011/Mar/15/hell-eternal-sovereign-jus-

to “reconciliation.” Reconciliation entails a restoration of what it means to be

3 Raymond, Robert. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Thom-

tice/

fully human. God’s original blueprint seems to be one where humans would

as Nelson, 1998), P. 479

and is a staff writer for the Ichthus.

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2:10). God must – it is argued – avenge Himself and punish

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law of moral cause and effect – like karma. Or it could

Is the Church Inherently Conservative? David Paiva

Let me start off by saying what I am not trying to answer

Afteer all, every Christian has some concern for the past.

in this article. I am not trying to decide once and for all

Furthermore, I also wish to clarify thatt what I am arguing

if the church falls on the conservative side of the American

against is not necessarily the Catholic or Orthodox or

political spectrum. The modern left-right paradigm is an

high church position. Rather, the question that I seek to

apart from one’s body. True knowledge, in the Cartesian

the core truths of Christianity, theologians implicitly took

Enlightenment project. It would be completely ahistorical

address regards the latent prioritization of tradition and

tradition of modern philosophizing, is arrived at only by

up philosophical commitments that are not inherent to the

to force a 2,000-year-old institution to ascribe to such a

the achievements of the past as above the concerns of

thinking through things from first principles. There were,

shape of Christianity.

label.1 However, what the church and the Right share is a

contemporary Christians. Is this prioritization necessary

of course, detractors to such a model of knowledge, but the

On the other hand, liberal theologians, following in the

commitment to tradition — a resistance to change. For that

for the people of God?

foundationalist legacy of truth still stood as the bedrock of

tradition established by 19th-century German theologians

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is, after all, the meaning of “conservatism”: conservation

There are at least two ways in which the conservative

the Enlightenment project. Truth was seen as a statement

Friedrich Schleiermacher and Albrecht Ritschl, posit

of the past. And thus, my question becomes: is the church

spirit is found within Christian practice: the conservation

that a person could make about the world, something that

Christianity as channeling subjective and personal truths

of doctrine and the conservation

can either be right or wrong. As philosopher Charles Taylor

of a person’s emotion and experience of God, sidelining

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does not make my position necessarily anti-tradition.

of practices. I will address each

points out, it is an inside-out theory of knowledge: one has

Christianity from metaphysical questions and focusing

of them in turn.2

to have the right representation of what is outside in the

instead only on the ethical dimensions of Christian

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s the church inherently conservative? Well, it depends.

world within one’s mind. That is the truth.

doctrines. Liberal theologians were those who more readily

conservative insofar as it resists change and upholds tradition? To

this,

answer

the

affirmative, but not in how one

So, if we are not to prize tradition and practice as Platonized truths, nor discard them altogether, what are we to do?

In our present context,

one of the primary ways that

Conservative Christian theologians are noted for their

acclimated to the modern zeitgeist. Following Kant, they

people conceive of Christianity

refusal to prioritize the rational faculties of humankind

held that Christianity does not teach you anything about

is as a certain set of beliefs, a

over the revelation of God. However, what conservative

the world or how it works — that is the work of philosophers

system of dogma. Construed in

Christian critics of modernity failed to realize is just how

and scientists. Rather, it only teaches how one should

this way, it is only rational that

much Enlightenment conceptions of truth have seeped

behave in the world.

there would exist people who

into the way the church theologizes. In talking about the

Christian theology was, for a large part of the late

fail to hold to any such religious

gospel in terms of “absolute truth,” or in placing a high

nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, caught in this

systems, annd that such a lack

value on the content of doctrines, conservative Christians

bind. On one side were conservative theologians who placed

Having side-stepped the divisive political questions, I

would be normal and natural. But this way of thinking is

have unknowingly imbibed the rationalizing elixir of

a high importance on orthodoxy — the right doctrines.

find myself in another minefield. For, after all, the church

only an extension of the Enlightenment project of detached

modernity. Placing such an emphasis on orthodoxy over

On the other, the liberals placed a higher priority on

is divided among Roman Catholics, Protestants, and

rational thinking. In this model of the human subject, the

other aspects of the Christian tradition has left Christianity

orthopraxis — the right ethics.5 These two groups affected

Eastern Orthodox, on the role tradition should play in the

self is nothing more than a brain on a stick, for knowledge

open to being criticized in the same breath as the very

development of doctrine and the Christian life. Before I

and truth are seen as something that one’s mind can hold

modernist worldviews it seeks to oppose.4 In emphasizing

might think. So, for those of you looking for a political diatribe, this is the time to jump ship. But I ask you to bear with me, as I think that by the end of this essay you will agree that this is the fruitful question to be asking.

epistemological foundation and method as his opponents. Although Olson’s critique might be considered a bit too harsh and not sufficiently nuanced, it is

unnecessarily ruffle some readers’ feathers, I should note

3 Taylor, Charles. Sources of the Self. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

still notable due to Henry’s continued influence in North American Christian-

Press, 1989.

ity, especially in evangelical expression. See “Olson, Roger E. The Journey of

reasons. First, I find that my argument in the context of doctrine and practice

4 Though this critique is found in several places throughout Christian\ writ-

Modern Theology. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013.”

1 This hermeneutical aporia aside, allow me for a brief moment to consider

should go far enough so as to encompass this critique. Second, this goes back

ings, I wish to note one of its particular occurrences. In his chapter on con-

5 These comments are by no means exhaustive. They only serve to show

this question a bit further. The Right, against its better wishes, is not unchang-

to the Protestant-Roman Catholic distinction that I am hesitant to discuss

servative theologian Charles F. Henry, contemporary theologian Roger Olson

the general outlook of these very different movements in theology. It is, of

ing: the policies and postures that it takes vary throughout history.

given the space provided.

points out that in challenging modernist claims, Henry took up the same

course, possible that liberals cared about doctrines and conservatives about

that I am Protestant and find myself in the tradition that

2 One could also add a third distinction to these categories: conservation of

comes from the Reformers of the 16th century. But that

institutions. However, in the present essay, I will refrain from doing so for two

the world beyond the academy. For example, Protestants,

been given to us. It is only through our embodied selves

when they disagreed on things, split up the churches by

that we can arrive at truth. But the importance of truth is

Even though they are not what one would normally

forming various denominations.

not as something that is arrived at but as something that

think of as conservative when one thinks of doctrine, I still

But the conservative-liberal split is not the end of the

is already immanent. The propositional statement “God is

find that the postliberals are conservative in their overall

However, it would be erroneous to take this criticism

story. In the later parts of the twentieth century there came

one” takes only secondary importance to the reality of that

aim: the practice of the Christian faith.11 So it is now that I

into account and strive for the undefiled essence of

about a new wave of theology championed by the Yale

truth in one’s life. What is important is the fact that we are

turn to the second leg of my original distinction: practice.

Christianity. Such is an illusory goal. We can never divorce

theologians Hans Frei and George Lindbeck.6 Drawing on

already living in a way that this truth is a reality. As James

Here is where I depart from the postliberals. Essential

the manifestations of the church from the world insofar as

the theological influence of Karl Barth and the philosophical

writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the

to their conception of the church is a prizing of the historical

the church is the collection of all believers and every one

influence of Ludwig Wittgenstein, these “postliberals”

demons believe — and shudder!”

complicated both conservative and liberal theologies.7

(Jas 2:19, ESV). It does not matter

One of the key moves made by the postliberals

if I pay lip service to a certain

around it and not just standing apart from it. Postliberal

Christian

liturgies,

views see the church’s tradition as a prophetic voice at the world rather than a loving dialogue with it.

practices,

of us is shaped by the socio-historical milieu in which one

and traditions. However, this

finds oneself. So if we are not to prize tradition and practice

emphasis on the established

as Platonized truths nor discard them altogether, what then

ICH 10 HUS

was a deflationary account of doctrine, which they made

doctrine or that I can define

by drawing upon Wittgenstein’s holistic view of truth. By

it with exceeding nuance if

their account, doctrine makes explicit what was already

that is not a lived reality

implicit within the Christian community of worship. This

in my life. But if I do

kind of account is very much indebted to a Wittgensteinian

live in such a manner,

contingent.

Church

Called out for the sake of but not tainted by the world.

account of language and meaning that I can by no means

the

propositional

tradition did not have

As the prophet Jeremiah so aptly and inspiredly puts it,

do justice in this article,8 but suffice it to say that instead of

claim that “God is

to be this way, nor is it

“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their

accepting the Cartesian-inspired inside-outside theory of

one” is only making

part of the essence of

produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take

language (see above), the postliberals held to a pragmatic

explicit a reality that

Christianity. Christian

wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage,

and communal view of language. In such a view, one

is already at work.

practice

not

that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and

originate as some kind

do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I

recognizes that one knows things always from a certain

Therefore,

institutions of the high church

are we to do?

turns a blind eye to how

I find that a return to Scripture will be helpful here.

the very church tradition

The model for the church should be the imagery of exiles

itself was at one point

presented in Jeremiah 29. We are among but not of.

did

place in time, history, and community. To use philosophical

the

of undefiled, Platonic

have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf,

terminology, one is always already “thrown”9 and caught

doctrine is secondary

truth that is totally

for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer 29:5-7).

up in a language-game.10

to the confessional

distinct

its

The church is always in a dialogue with the world and

claim

environs. Christianity

a dialogue with its own past. I refuse to accept the neo-

In simpler language, truth is found within a community.

importance

and

practice

from

We see truth always through the lens of our culture and

of the church. But

has

been

Platonic claim that there is an essence to the Church or to

society. This is not to deny the existence of truth, but rather

practice

found in the world,

Christianity which we can arrive at if we strip it of its cultural

to index truth to one’s condition as a contingent, embodied,

not something that

and its doctrines and

and historical baggage. Rather, individual believers are

and ultimately created knower. God has given us bodies

is defined in only

liturgies have been

the inheritors of our forerunners in the faith. We channel

that are bound up in space and time and made our brains

ethical terms. On the

shaped by people who

their paths in tradition and faith expressions. But also we

to work through language that (to some extent) has already

contrary, it determines

lived within particular

recognize that tradition itself was once contingent and that

worlds of practice. It

the past does not exhaust the possibilities for the present.

comes as no surprise that

We live as actors living out the latter chapters of the biblical

these historically contingent

drama, taking our cues from those who have gone before

ways of doing things found their

us, learning under them, imitating them but knowing that

way into Christian practice.12 In

it is now time for us to play our part and improvise our own

ethics, but the emphasis here is on what is held to be most important. 6 A noted theologian influenced by this school is famed Duke ethicist Stanley Hauerwas.

here

the whole lifeworld of the Christian community. Postliberals do not necessarily adhere to the liberal isolation of

always

7 In a sense, they are both post-conservative and postliberal.

church teaching into the realm

8 James K.A. Smith has a wonderful book that takes the reader step-by-step

of ethics. The church is allowed to

from Wittgenstein through to Richard Rorty then Robert Brandom to then ar-

define itself on its own terms; it does not have to accept

postliberals are blind to the fact that these traditions

ethics as a technical term indebted to certain philosophical

themselves came out of the church engaging with the world

rive at postliberal theology. I would highly recommend his book to the reader more interested in the deep philosophical work. Smith, James K. A. Who’s Afraid of Relativism? Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2014. 9 Heidegger, Martin, and John Macquarrie. Being and Time. New York, NY: Harper Perennial/Modern Thought, 2008. 10 Wittgenstein, Ludwig, and Gertrude E. M. Anscombe. Philosophical Investigations. Rev. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

emphasizing the church’s traditions,

commitments, but can define its engagement with the

David Paiva ’16 is a joint Social Studies and Religion concentrator

world from its own tradition. Arriving at this point, one

11 There is often the claim of pre-modern motifs in postliberal thought.

notices the restructuring of the conservative influence on

12 A more contemporary example would be how evangelical worship music

the church. It is not “conservative” in the secular sense but

uses concepts first arrived at through rock music. But this has been going on

rather committed to the historical working of the Spirit

dialogue with the ever-changing world around us.

for much longer, too, another example being the Roman Catholic Church’s separation of Latin as the official church language.

in Pforzheimer House and is an editor for the Ichthus.

ICH 11 HUS

through the Body of Christ.

in themselves”/ “a bit of seeming extravagance is okay if

The Vatican Billions Justin Sanchez

are not even Hers to sell.

at each of these approaches in turn and put forth my

Having made these points, I don’t believe that we can

own position, drawing a little bit from each of these and

adequately answer the problem by rejecting the premise

ultimately recognizing that the Church, just like each of us

that the Church is wealthy. The Vatican is not as rich as

individually, can and should be doing more.

some of Her harsher critics would like us to believe, but She

The Catholic Church is the largest charitable

is not exactly hurting for cash, either. The museum alone

organization in the world. Throughout its history, the

generates over $100 million each year in revenue for the

Church has done great things to combat physical and

Church, not to mention what She makes in donations from

spiritual poverty. I will not spend much time on this matter

mass-goers and in investments. So while the Church tends

because: 1. the information is either apparent or readily

to be opaque about Her finances, it is clear that there is no

available, and 2. even the most thorough enumeration

shortage of money to go around in the Vatican.

of all the charitable acts the Church has ever done would

Others have attempted to solve the problem of the

ultimately be no more than a red herring in answering the

Vatican’s wealth by rejecting its second implicit premise,

problem at hand. No good deed goes unpunished or fails to

namely, that Jesus would have actually been troubled by

lead to additional requests for good deeds. The question is

the amount of wealth in the Church. They point to the

not whether the Church is doing anything to help the poor,

story, present in three of the four gospels, where a woman

but whether She should be doing more. As I have alluded

anoints Jesus with expensive oil, and some of His disciples

to, and will discuss more presently, I believe the answer is

protest, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold

yes. We cannot solve the problem by diversion alone.

for a large sum and given to the poor” (Mt 26:8-9). Jesus

It is difficult to accurately assess the wealth of the

responds, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has

ICH 12 HUS

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him,

Dot-Com Antitheists. Comedian Sarah Silverman made

Catholic Church. Attempts to do so tend either to err too

done a beautiful thing to me” (v. 10). In my reading of

“You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to

a YouTube video in her idiosyncratic (read: extremely

much on the conservative side or to devolve into conspiracy

this passage, Jesus’ words seem to be intended primarily

the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,

profane/postmodern) style, now viewed over 1.4 million

theory (neither the fun nor the useful kind). I will not

as a reprimand to his disciples for their subtle hypocrisy,

follow me.” — Mark 10:21 (RSV)

times, called “Sell the Vatican, Feed the World,” in which

make such an attempt here, but I will say confidently that

rather than as a free pass for excessive spending.

she unveils her ambitious, yet elegant, plan to end world

it is unlikely that the Vatican is worth anywhere close to

In fact, in John’s version of this story, he names

have never been, but I hear that Vatican City is an

hunger: “What is the Vatican worth, like 500 billion

Silverman’s estimate of $500 billion. Much of the perceived

the protesting disciple as Judas, who would later

impressive place. From the outside, the buildings

dollars? This is great — sell the Vatican … feed the whole

wealth of the Church comes from the magnificent buildings

betray Jesus, and says that Judas protested “not

comprise an awe-inspiring architectural exhibit; on the

f**king world.”

and the artistic treasures they hold. In practice, these are

because he cared for the poor, but because he

inside, a paragon of grandeur and opulence. Italian-made

It is bad practice to judge a movement by its jokes and

not the most liquid of assets—there is not a huge market for

was a thief, and as he had the money box

cars drive by bearing license plates with the letters “S.C.V.”:

memes, and there have certainly been more sophisticated

secondhand basilicas or the priceless frescos therein, for

he used to take what was put into it” (Jn

Stato della Citta del Vaticano. However, many visitors to

formulations of the problem than that of Silverman et al.

example. It is also worth pointing out that The Vatican was

12:7). The anointing of Jesus was also a

the holy enclave, upon witnessing the lavishness of the

(including several from devout Catholics), but I think the

made an independent state in 1929 as a result of the Lateran

special case in that it happened during

place, experience a feeling in line with a slightly different

sentiment here is clear. How can the Church justify sitting

Treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See, and

His earthly life, so I don’t think it’s

interpretation of these letters, “Se Cristo Vedesse”: If only

on piles of cash while people around the world are living in

Article 18 of this treaty states: “The artistic and scientific

perfectly analogous to the situation

Christ could see this.

poverty? When Her own founder said, “Go, sell what you

treasures existing within the Vatican City and the Lateran

have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in

Palace shall remain open to scholars and visitors, although

addresses this issue directly

heaven” (Mk 10:21)?

the Holy See shall be free to regulate the admission of the

a few verses later,

public thereto.”

saying,“The

The wealth of the Vatican is a problem. Not a “Houstonwe-have-a” problem, but an ethical, philosophical, perhaps

the

hermeneutical one. It is right up there with the Pedophile

In my brief assessment of the literature on this subject,

Priests Polemic as the one of the most popular criticisms

I have found that people have attempted to solve this

poor you

of the Catholic Church today. Pope Francis’ @ replies on

problem in three ways: by diversion (“look how much the

always

Twitter are loaded with (profane/postmodern) exhortations

Church is doing already!”), by rejection (“the Church is not

h a v e

of “sell your stuff and help people, you hypocrite.” Memes

really that rich”/“Jesus didn’t really mean that”), and by

w i t h

criticizing the extravagance of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

justification (“the Church needs money to carry out Her

in his trademark sumptuous getup are popular among the

operations”/“artwork and artifacts have spiritual value

Church

today.

Jesus

ICH 13 HUS

it’s for glorifying God” etc. ad inf.). Here I intend to look

In other words, many of these “assets” of the Church

Growing Towards the Light

A great deal rests on how we interpret this passage. When Jesus gave this command to the rich young man, did

whether the Church is

he mean for him to live in such extreme poverty as to starve

doing anything to help

where he was no longer functioning or useful in any way?

the poor, but whether She

everything, it would no longer be a functioning institution.

should be doing more.

a good thing, namely, to lead people to Jesus Christ and

himself, or to deprive himself of material things to the point

Brionna Atkins

Surely not. Similarly, if the Church were to actually sell

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, darkness lurks behind, yanking my hand, tracing my steps

The money in the Vatican is, by and large, being used for His Church. Her artistic treasures, when seen through

I look left: parodies of holiness, parades of extremity, targeted malice marching with faithful contempt, bombs exploding, bodies breaking, stereotypes flourishing, terror soaring, worn spirits leaning on weary hearts

fallen human eyes, induce an experience of beauty that is you, but you do not always have me” (Jn 12:8). Having touched upon diversion from and rejection of the problem, we are now led to the most complex method of solving it: justification. The task here is to show that while the Church does possess a considerable amount of wealth and valuable artifacts, it is not (in principle) wrong or contradictory to the teachings of Jesus that She does.

As for the actual wealth (as opposed to potential

wealth in valuable artifacts) of the Vatican, I should reiterate (at the risk of sounding patronizing) that the ICH 14 HUS

Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world. It costs money to run a charitable organization. In this sense, and unless it can be shown (and I do not think it can) that some other combination of smaller charitable organizations would use this money more efficiently to help the poor, the Church needs to have money in order to be an effective institution. But surely the Church is much more than a charitable organization, and here is where the crux of the problem really sets in. The Vatican spends money on living expenses for clergy, radio and television broadcasts, newspapers, and innumerable other things. She keeps Her valuable works of art and other treasures within the 110 acres of Her city without making any noticeable attempt to do something charitable with them. These assets are not being used directly to help the poor, at least in the material sense. If you are worried about where your next meal is coming from, you probably do not care too much about beautiful or historic works of art, much less the logistical concerns keeping them from being sold to potentially provide you with necessities. Given all this, how can we say that the Church is living up to Jesus’ exhortation in Mark 10:21 to sell everything we have and give to the poor?

an experience of the infinite, an experience of God. These experiences, if they have led to even one conversion and a lifetime of eternal bliss, are more valuable than any sum of money that a private collector could offer, and they are

I look right: clips of murdered souls and mangled black bodies, accounts of slain innocents and stolen lives, daggers of legacy and systems, shackles from hierarchies and history, death assaulting my vision, doom dancing in my eyes

available to anybody who can get themselves to Rome. This, I think, is sufficient justification for the Church having a lot of the “wealth” that it does. Still, the Church ultimately can and should be doing more, just as each of us individually can and should be

I run forward, yearning for escape, but despair grips my ankles, anguish quickens my breath, unknowns paralyze my thoughts

doing more. No matter how much excess spending is cut, no matter how many more charitable programs the Church

initiates, we may still say that She should be doing more, if we recognize in turn that each of us individually ought to

be making more sacrifices as well. To say that the people serving as leaders of the Church are not doing enough is a tautology; all of these people during their earthly lives are finite and fallen. We should expect more from our Church leaders to the extent that we expect more from ourselves. To expect more is hypocrisy, and to expect less

ion

Atk i

’16

is complacency. Not every Church leader has done a great job of making sacrifices to help the poor. I do not do a very good job of it, either. To my fellow Catholics, remember that you don’t have to explain away everything that the Church has ever

done (I would not hope to explain away everything I have ever done, either). To people of all flavors of religious or nonreligious background, I urge you to, as much as humanly possible, look upon the Church the way Jesus looked upon the rich young man, with love. Love involves praising good deeds, criticizing shortcomings, and taking the time to be able to recognize the difference. Justin Sanchez ’17 is a Neurobiology concentrator in Winthrop

Wind whispers tickle my ear: “don’t look down Brionna, don’t seek answers in that deep darkness below, don’t look around Brionna, don’t seek solace in those dark swirling shadows, look up towards the light Brionna, the safety and life you seek are in that distant glow”

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, drifting like an alien in a strange land, I float because I am carried I am comforted I am restored I am not afraid there may be no church in the wild but to be carried in the arms of the Lord through every vine, past every predator, is worth more than any choir robe or pew As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I know there must be life beyond this valley

House. Brionna Atkins ’16 is a Sociology concentrator in Pforzheimer House and is Design Editor for the Ichthus.

ICH 15 HUS

The question is not

Naming the Good:

I Went to the Holy of Holies and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

Biology and Faith on the Origin of Violence

Greg Scalise

Hailey Reneau

s a Christian who studies evolutionary biology, I am often asked whether I feel fundamentally torn

It was long thought that one of the defining features of

in my intellectual pursuits. How do I occupy such

humanity was its incredible capacity for brutality and the

vastly different mental spaces and perspectives without

willful committal of gross atrocities against other members

feeling torn? For me, the key element has always been a

of its own kind. In thinking that humans were alone in this,

recognition of the many ways in which each of these two

many sought to place the blame for our violent natures

separate worldviews complement and inform the other.

squarely on the shoulders of society and human culture at

Through the study of human evolution, I am privileged with

large. Rousseau’s “noble savage,” at peace only when cut

a glimpse into God’s blueprint. To know where we have

off from the corrupting influence of modern civilization,

come from is to predict where we are going. Similarly, it is

exemplifies this thinking. Conversely, when images of Jane

only through my Christian beliefs that any of these insights

Goodall’s first few research expeditions into the forests of

into human nature are given meaning and purpose. In

Gombe to study chimpanzees were released, the public

other words, science is eternally concerned with the “is”

was overcome with delight over our seemingly gentle

whereas religion’s orientation points far more doggedly

and lovable relatives, the very images of what humanity

towards the “ought.”

had once been and might still become. Yet it is becoming

No more so is this the case than when it comes to the

increasingly clear that we are far from being the only

study of the human capacity for violence. Through biology

species of animal capable of engaging in proactive violence,

one may glimpse the hellish depths to which the human

that is, the type of violence requiring careful planning

proclivity may sink. Yet it is through Christianity that one

rather than mere reactive outburst. This is demonstrated

finds the ability to speak in terms of right and wrong and

by chimpanzees’ lethal raiding behavior, in which they

to call out injustice. The Christian worldview enables us to

systematically murder members of their own species. For

envision something better, to know that all is not as it was

just as humans undeniably possess a penchant for violence,

meant to be. Existing in isolation, both perspectives are

our closest relatives, chimpanzees, seem certainly to share

woefully incomplete. But together, they just might grant us

in this inglorious attribute.

a path forward. Greg Scalise ’18 is a joint Philosophy and Classics concentrator in Pforzheimer House and is a staff writer for the Ichthus.

Our Violent Inheritance

Before continuing, I ought pause to speak briefly about the ways in which evolutionary biologists seek to

ICH 17 HUS

ICH 16 HUS

I am a tourist in the house of God; My ephod is a lobster bib with white And scarlet threads that shimmer, growing bright With butter, while I crack the claws with rods Of onyx, cram the clams of old Cape Cod Upon the four-horned altar, and delight In His almighty presence, where a spite Fence hides and t-shirt shrouds all pious fraud. A God in fifteen minutes flat, or less, A drive across a bridge, a weekend trip Away, is not “authentic” holiness, For that’s a secret locals keep, their lips Are sealed or closed in prayer, in winter they Must go I know not where (for I don’t stay).

make claims about the adaptive nature of certain human

understandably appalled and sought in vain for some

traits. Within the field of human evolutionary biology,

circumstance that might explain away what could only be

much of the methodology relies strongly on a comparative

conceived of as an awful aberration from the norm. Yet over

behavioral biology approach. This strategy studies our

the years, more and more accounts have poured in to the

closest living primate relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos,

point where the primatology community is largely agreed

as excellent representatives of the form and behavior our

that coalitional conflict is a hugely prevalent and influential

last common ancestors with these modern-day cousins

aspect of chimpanzee social behavior.2 The significance

may have exhibited. Those traits that are found to be

of this is quite remarkable. No other animal strategically

both heritable, that is, relying on mechanisms that can be

uses an imbalance of power to brutally murder an enemy,

genetically inherited, as well as beneficial to the individual’s

not for any immediate advantage, but merely because the

reproductive success (more babies!) are argued to be

opportunity presented itself. Evolutionarily, the behavior

adaptations that provided evolutionary advantages within

seems to be highly adaptive. Those individuals that

the ancestral environment. On the flip side, behavioral

demonstrate high levels of aggression are more likely to

biologists also look to cross-cultural analyses of traditional

survive and pass on that genetic material to their offspring,

societies, such as hunter-gatherers and pastoralists, to

ensuring that the trait is preserved and amplified across

provide further insights into how humans living in ecological

generations. Furthermore, such an unprecedented level

settings similar to those of our far-distant ancestors may

of aggression is remarkably telling in terms of our human

exhibit some of those same adaptations. Using these two

evolutionary inheritance and makes us stop for a second

trails of evidence, evolutionary biologists are able to piece

look at a specter we thought of as a solely human moral

together a fascinating picture of how humans in their

aberration.

present form may have ultimately come to be. aggression

between

groups

primate

Knowing the Good … and Forsaking It

species is fairly universal and explainable via traditional

Back when we thought of our species as uniquely

interpretations such as resource and mate scarcity,

capable of willful acts of violence against our own kind,

chimpanzees stand out markedly among non-human

it was easy for those within Christian communities to

primates in that they often engage in what is termed

attribute this seeming idiosyncrasy to the Fall of Man and

“lethal raiding.”1 These lethal raids involve large groups

our spiritual inheritance of Adam’s original sin. While

of males (and occasionally females) excitedly forming

opinions diverge today as to the specifics of this spiritual

raiding parties for the express purpose of venturing deep

inheritance, the basic tenets remain relatively constant.

into the territory of neighboring chimpanzee bands. Once

Due to the sin of Adam and Eve in breaking God’s command

in foreign land, the raiding party will go silent and creep

and eating from the tree of the knowledge of good evil, sin

along the jungle floor in search of lone members of the

came into the world to affect every human being. According

rival band. If they are successful, they will launch a brutal

to Romans 5:12, “… sin came into the world through one

surprise attack on the unsuspecting individual. If it is a

man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men

male, then the raiding party will proceed to literally rip

because all sinned” (ESV). It is perhaps easy to interpret

their hapless victim apart and brutally mutilate its corpse.

this as espousing a monumental shift in humans’ inherent

If it is a female, then a violent gang rape will ensue with the

capacity to commit evil. But with the recognition that our

female often being forced to return back with the raiders to

pre-human ancestors were likely equally as capable of

their home territory. All this is done with the perpetrators

violence as modern humans, it is arguably necessary to

exhibiting a sense of excitement and delight in the violence

further nuance our understanding of what the original sin

that is frankly both gut-wrenching and oddly familiar.

actually entailed.

ICH 19 HUS

ICH 18 HUS

While

spiritual turning point in human nature that had far more

letter to the Romans: “… sin indeed was in the world before

to do with the recognition of our own moral failings than

the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no

with a monumental shift in our behavior itself. Recall that

law” (Rom 5:12-13). In reference to the Genesis story, it was

it was the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” that

not that disobedience to God out of prideful ambition was

Adam chose to eat from (Gen 3:6), rather than the “tree of

the first act of evil. Rather it was the original act that might

the tendency towards evil deeds.” It is possible that from

rightly be called “sin,” for it was done in spite of knowing

Adam humans derived not the capacity for sin and evil, but

right action to be the contrary.

rather the naming of it, the ability to differentiate between the good and the evil. This would seem to align quite well

The Function of Humanity

with the statement in Genesis, “Then the Lord God said,

Well, if that is the case, one might ask, then why did

‘Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing

God forbid Adam and Eve from eating of the tree in the first

good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand

place? Does God not want us to discern right and wrong,

and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever’”

justice from injustice? Biblical scholar Peter Enns and

(Gen 3:22). In this light, the term “original sin” refers to

philosopher Jared Byas argue in their guide to the book of

that first sin (disobedience to a command explicitly uttered

Genesis that Adam and Eve are better understood not as

by God) as could rightly be called such. For before that

once-flawless superhumans whose very natures became

point, humans, having no sense of the nature of good and

grossly corrupted by their disobedience, but rather as naïve

evil, would have been unable to sin in the truest sense of

children who were intended to “grow into obedience” but

2 Wrangham, Richard W., and Luke Glowacki. “Intergroup Aggression in

the word absent an actual understanding of what right

were tricked into following the path of disobedience.3 In

1 Wrangham, Richard W., and Dale Peterson. Demonic Males: Apes and the

Chimpanzees and War in Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers.” Human Nature 23.1

behavior entailed. Paul speaks somewhat to this idea in his

Origins of Human Violence. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. Print.

(2012): 5-29. Web.

When

scientists

first

observed

such

horrific

A careful reading of the book of Genesis points to a

behavior from our seemingly gentle relatives, they were

3 Enns, Peter, and Jared Byas. Genesis for Normal People: A Guide to the Most

this line of thinking, God commanded Adam and Eve not

towards violence from pre-human ancestors can still

to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because

be said to bear the image of God in that they are able to

doing so would be a sort of shortcut, a way of avoiding the

functionally serve as God-like stewards over a similarly

long path one must follow to grow into obedience. In an

morally flawed but functionally perfect creation.

act of pride, Adam and Eve sought to carve their own way

As we seek to reconcile the scientific with the

towards truth rather than pursue it in the obedient fashion

religious, they seem to come together most clearly in their

God intended. As Proverbs 1:7 puts it, “The fear of the

demonstration of humans’ inherently flawed nature. While

Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom

biological knowledge gives us insight into the mechanism

and instruction.” To truly attain the knowledge of good

by which violence and aggression are selected for within

and evil requires far more than an intuition, a maxim, or

the human lineage, the Christian faith points us to another

even a magical fruit. It all starts with obedience and the

equally powerful and also uniquely human trait: our moral

relationship one develops over time with God himself.

reasoning. Being a human created for a purpose by God

Why Viewing Pornography Perpetuates Injustice Brandon Wright

enables us to name the good and the evil. We are empowered to call out the just and the unjust and consciously choose paths of righteousness while shunning the immoral. A chimpanzee acts in accordance with the nature it has developed without knowing of an alternative. Yet humans are empowered to rise above our inheritance and choose to do better, to be better. We are not the products of blind determinism but rather of rational agency. We were made in the functional image of God, but it is in our naming and pursuing of the good that we move beyond our function to

ICH 21 HUS

ICH 20 HUS

To truly attain the knowledge of good and evil requires far more than an intuition, a maxim, or even a magical fruit. It all starts with obedience and the relationship one develops over time with God himself.

Porn is Not Private:

embrace the wisdom that God has in store for us as moral agents in an otherwise flawed world. For someone like me, forever straddling the line of

Yet the question still remains as to how we interpret

religious faith and scientific fact, there is true comfort

the biblical description of the first human beings, Adam

in this. In so many ways, the scientific worldview is one

and Eve, as “made in the image of God” (Gen 1:27). How

of strict material mechanisms. It answers the “how” of

can something made in God’s image have been capable of

existence to considerable satisfaction while leaving much

evil from the outset? Biblical scholar John H. Walton, in his

to be desired in its wrestling with the question of “why.”

book The Lost World of Genesis One, argues that much of

As I have grappled with the various sources I might turn

Genesis 1 can be understood as the story of God bestowing

to in pursuit of a “why,” a reason for my own existence,

function and purpose on creation rather than as a literal

my faith is the one thing that has given me any inkling of

cosmology.4 In that vein, the creation of man in God’s

true satisfaction. Through God I am given function and

image had less to do with man’s literal state of existence

purpose as his steward and image-bearer, a small but

than with man’s function and purpose as “stewards over

far from insignificant light in the day-to-day morass of

creation.” Similarly, God’s repeated statement throughout

injustices I can not help but see around me. In reflecting

Genesis 1 of “it was good” is less a statement of creation’s

my stewardship, I choose to love others as well and as

nobody gets hurt. It is just between

moral perfection at the outset of its existence than that it

deeply as I am able while naming the good and the just

is “functioning properly” as intended by God. Therefore,

with every capacity that I have been given. That is our true

morally flawed humans that inherited their tendency

inheritance, and our ultimate purpose.

Controversial, Misunderstood, and Abused Book of the Bible. Englewood, CO: Patheos, 2012. Print. 4 Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009. Print.

Hailey Reneau ’17 is a Human Evolutionary Biology concentrator in Pforzheimer House and is a staff writer for the Ichthus.

orn

not

the human trafficking

h a r m i n g

industry, and porn is no

anyone else, right?

innocent bystander. Porn

As long as I keep it to myself, me and … myself.

distorts

our

understanding

of sexuality and our perception of other human beings, warps our expectations

Right?

for sex, and drags us into its addicting pull, while we remain

That is what we might think at first. As it turns out,

convinced that “nobody will know” and “nobody gets hurt.”

pornography is incredibly harmful, to ourselves and others.

The lies, pain, loneliness, and oppression of porn must be

It poisons our relationships, normalizes sexual violence, and

brought out into the open. Porn is not a private vice. It is a

contributes to the oppression and rape of human trafficking

global injustice.

victims around the world. Millions of girls are enticed out

Porn reduces human beings to sexual objects who meet

of poverty, sold by their families, or abducted outright in

the pleasure demands of others. And since the demand

role of serving the sexual demands of men who visit the right websites and participate in the market. It runs much deeper, however. Porn teaches us that sex can be separated from intimacy, that sex is all about you, that committed relationships are disposable obstacles to our craving for on-demand pleasure, that you don’t need a real person to get sex, that the actors on the other side of the screen are not real people. But these ideas are not private. They shape not only our own values but also those of society at large. The toxic ideas of pornography are the dominant sexual education of our culture, and it is changing the world.

The toxic ideas of pornography are the dominant education of our culture, and it is changing the world. Porn Harms Individuals First and foremost, porn damages the individual who watches it. Porn’s lie that sex is intended only to serve one’s own immediate desires is grounded in a severe brand of selfishness that our culture relentlessly promotes. Society tells us that love is about getting what I want, and that it is my business and nobody else’s. You are the king of your own sexuality, it whispers. Do what you want. This selfcentered attitude is deeply destructive and, as a Christian,

ICH 22 HUS

I believe it is wholly antithetical to God’s definition of love and Christ’s demonstration of love on the cross. First of all, our bodies are not our own; they were bought at a price and belong to God as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20, NIV). And we know what love is, not from the sum total of our preferences and desires, but from this: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us (1 Jn 3:16). This kind of love is not self-oriented in any way; it is selfless and sacrificial. God’s design for sexuality and marriage flows out of the very same principle. Paul instructed the Ephesians, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:23). The kind of unconditional, sacrificial love that God calls us to is radical yet beautiful. It is the same love through which Christ selflessly gave himself up as a ransom for many. This is what healthy sexuality looks like. Porn enslaves us to our desires. Porn pollutes our minds, as the repeated conjuring of sexual images floods our brains with dopamine and creates new neural “reward” pathways that mimic the effects of other addictive substances like cocaine. Porn also wreaks havoc

on our hearts, ripping them away from God’s perfect design

full dignity of a human being. The hookup culture tells us

for sexuality and enslaving us to our own sexual desires

that sex can be separated from the emotional intimacy of a

and cravings. As philosopher James K. A. Smith argues,

relationship. Sound familiar? Musician John Mayer, when

humans are not primarily thinking beings, as has long been

asked about his relationship with porn, commented in a

assumed, but are fundamentally desiring beings.1 Thus a

2010 interview with Playboy: “Rather than meet somebody

society is defined not by the philosophies it embraces but

new, I would rather go home and replay the amazing

by what it loves. If we are to live our lives as truly human

experiences I’ve already had.”2 Assuredly, Mayer is not the

and love the way Christ loved, our desires must be free, our

only one for whom sex can be separated from the context of

hearts untainted, and our hands washed clean.

a human being, never mind a loving relationship. This kind of mentality has permeated our culture.

Porn Harms Others

The same goes for the sexual assault epidemic on college

It might be no surprise that porn influences its

campuses. In Harvard’s recent sexual assault survey, 31%

consumers, but its impact does not stop there. In light

of surveyed senior women reported they had experienced

of both our selfishness and enslaving sexual desires, the object of our desires ceases to be an image-bearer of God and becomes exactly that: an object. By buying into the worldview of porn, by believing its lies and absorbing its ideas, we feed into a whole host of societal problems that harm our fellow image-bearers of God. Flashy advertisements plaster images of scantily-clad, photoshopped women for the sole purpose of drawing more glances and sustained viewings of a product. Magazine covers and pictureperfect celebrities teach teenage girls that physical appearance is of ultimate importance; that some bodies are better than

If we are to live our lives as truly human and love the way Christ loved, our desires must be free, our hearts untainted, and our hands washed clean.

some sort of “nonconsensual sexual

contact”

undergraduate

during years.

their

Rapists

and sexual assault perpetrators have been trained over time to see women as objects, not human beings. In the moment of assault, all they care about is getting their sexual pleasure, with no regard for the other person’s consent or human dignity. Furthermore, porn is filled with an abundance of sexual violence that only adds to this prevalent “rape culture.” A recent study reported that 88% of scenes in popular porn films contained physical violence, almost always against women who either responded neutrally or with pleasure.3 And not surprisingly, the more violent the porn, the more likely the

others; that some people are worth more than others. Pornography trains our minds and

viewer is to support or act out in violence.4 Not only is porn

hearts to believe the same lie: a person is a sexual object,

encouraging violence in the bedroom, but it also teaches

not a human being. This ideology has no place in a healthy society, and it is an injustice that our selfish desires result in such a cheapening of human dignity. You are on Tinder: Will you swipe left, or swipe right? Our generation’s hookup culture is frighteningly quick to objectify and dismiss people without affording them the

2 Mayer, John. “Playboy Interview: John Mayer.” Interview. Playboy. 01 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. 3 Bridges, A. J., Wosnitzer, R., Scharrer, E., Chyng, S., and Liberman, R. (2010). Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis Update. Violence Against Women 16, 10: 1065–1085. 4 Hald, G. M., Malamuth, N. M., and Yuen, C. (2010). Pornography and Atti-

1 Smith, James K. A. Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural

tudes Supporting Violence Against Women: Revisiting the Relationship in

Formation. Baker Academic, 2009. Print.

Nonexperimental Studies. Aggression and Behavior 36, 1: 14–20

ICH 23 HUS

curve is largely male-dominated, porn casts women in the

20.9 million of whom are forced into some form of sexual

porn mentality is truly toxic.

slavery.6 Women and girls comprise 98% of the slaves

Now, in all of these examples, I am not claiming

trapped in the $150 billion global industry, many of whom,

that porn is the direct cause of any or all of these social

like Suhana, are forced to have sex with 30, 40, or 50 male

phenomena. I hope only to highlight that the harmful ideas

customers a day. In the red-light districts of large cities like

embedded within these social structures are the same lies

Mumbai or Calcutta, tens of thousands of prostitutes wait

told by pornography, and that this is an injustice. If we

in the street for roaming males to choose them. For many

have the social conscience to denounce the lies of sexual

girls, there is no way out.

objectification or normalizing violence, we cannot let pornography get away with the same ideas. Porn Harms the World Ideas have consequences, and sometimes even global ones. The idea, fueled by porn, that women are sex objects for men is deeply embedded in the sex trafficking industry. Take, for example, Suhana (pseudonym), a young thirteenyear-old girl in Calcutta, India, who was forced into sex slavery and regularly given away to tens of customers a day.5 She recalls, “I was treated like some kind of thing, an object.” This went on for months, as Suhana was forced to

Pornography is one of the most powerful ways in which pimps work on the internet, and the sex industry and the sex trafficking industry are closely linked.

prostitute herself while those in power over her reaped the

“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you did not know.” - William Wilberforce the United States, pimps do not even have to put their

of sex trafficking and exploitation of women must work to

girls on the streets for sale — they get plenty of business

deflate the demand.

online through advertising websites, webcams, and porn.

Referring to the slave trade in the British Empire,

Pornography is one of the most powerful ways through

William Wilberforce, a leader in the abolition of the slave

which pimps work on the internet, and the sex industry and

trade, remarked, “You may choose to look the other way,

the sex trafficking industry are closely linked.

but you can never say again that you did not know.” With

As long as I keep it to myself, nobody gets hurt. Right?

regards to porn, our hands are not clean; we are all now

Even within the porn industry, behind the façade of the

responsible. This is not an issue limited to the Christian

glamorous visuals and smiling actors, there exists a reality

church or even religion in general; it is a human problem.

of violence, drug-abuse, and human trafficking. Films

The deception that pornography does not affect anyone but

are highly edited. Producers can crop out the off-screen

the viewer is dangerous and must be confronted.

pain and abuse that would otherwise make the films less

The worldview of porn promotes a myriad of

desirable. Women are often beaten until they comply with

harmful behaviors that wreak havoc on our spiritual and

ICH 24 HUS

profits. In many countries, Suhana’s story of oppression

The unbelievable abuse and exploitation taking place in

a director’s orders and commonly resort to using drugs to

psychological selves, all the while whispering the lie that

and injustice is common. Suhana was rescued by people

the world of sex trafficking has only been augmented by the

curb the pain and find relief. The anti-porn organization

the whole experience is private. Here is the truth: porn is

from International Justice Mission, an organization that

porn industry. The Polaris Project, a nonprofit dedicated to

Fight the New Drug reports, “Part of the lie porn producers

not private. It warps our sexual expectations, inflates our

works to free girls like Suhana from sexual violence and

the abolition of human slavery, reports that “The internet

want customers to buy into is that porn is legitimate

selfish desires, and normalizes the objectification of other

trafficking around the globe, but there are over 27

has been identified as the number one platform that pimps,

entertainment made by glamorous people who are doing it

human beings. Pornography fuels our hyper-sexualized

million human slaves around the globe,

traffickers and johns currently use for buying and selling

because it is what they want; it is OK for the user to enjoy it

society, isolates sex from a committed relationship, and

women and children for sex in the United States. Victims

because the people they are watching seem to be enjoying

offers a powerful platform for the sex trafficking industry to

trafficked through pimp-controlled sex trafficking … chat

it. What they do not say is that some of those people look

exploit women around the globe. But how do we fight back?

rooms, pornography, and brothels disguised as massage

like they are having a good time because behind the scenes

We must choose to not watch pornography. We should

businesses are commonly marketed on websites such

they have a gun pointed at their head. And if they stop

resist our culture’s tendency to normalize porn, since there

as Backpage.com, Eros.com, and others.”7 In places like

smiling, it will go off.” By participating in an industry

is nothing normal about its consequences. And finally, we

6 International Labour Organization, ILO global estimate of forced labour:

that regularly exploits and abuses women and aids the

need to spread the word. When an injustice like porn is this

diffusion of sex trafficking, a porn viewer becomes part of

harmful, we cannot choose to ignore it. We cannot choose

the problem. Every day there are 68 million searches for

to look the other way.

5 Ray of Hope. International Justice Mission. International Justice Mission, 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

results and methodology (2012) P. 13. 7 “Internet Based.” Polaris: Combat-

pornography in the United States, a staggering 25% of all internet searches. Anyone who wants to fight the injustice

Brandon Wright ’18 is a Chemistry concentrator in Adams House and is Webmaster for the Ichthus.

ing Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery. Polaris, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. 8 “Porn’s Dirty Little Secret.” Fight the New Drug. Fight the New Drug. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

ICH 25 HUS

women to stay silent about the pain it causes them. The

Martha and Mary Retold

Brianna Millet

case

mission and call. As

centuries later, we see

disciples,

that similar cultural

various

they

have

modes

serving

the

norms

that

twenty

continue

mission

exist? Gender roles still

of Jesus. Martha, the

apply, hierarchy seems

elder

to be just as strong of a

keeps

framework as it was in

her close to the home.

the first century, and

The

unfortunately, ministry

sister,

ministry

has

that

story

tells

he story of Martha and Mary has been told a

asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to

that she is doing her

roles (as we think of

million times over. Martha busied herself with

do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the

ministry

but

them) are frequently

meaningless household tasks, while her younger

Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and

that she is worried and

filled by those who

sister Mary took the posture of a traditional Jewish

distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.

distracted. What distracts her? What is the source of her

look the best, talk the best, and have the best collection of

disciple (a scandalous thing to do as a woman, let the

Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken

worry? Traditional interpretations suggest that Martha

academic achievements.

reader understand) and sat quietly at the feet of their rabbi

away from her’ (Luke 10:38-42, NRSV).”

is distracted by the tasks of her ministry, but is that the

But what would it look like if we were to allow Hanson’s

tasks,

ICH 26 HUS

guest, Jesus. Mary chose better. Mary did the right thing.

The story, like any story, is best understood through

case? Upon close reading we find that it is not her tasks

interpretation of Luke to challenge our norms? What if we

And poor Martha gets tossed under the bus. Her tasks of

the context in which it was written. Here we must put on

that are the source of her distraction, but the ministry of

were to support and celebrate the ministry roles of our

hospitality were apparently not good enough. Yeah, yeah,

our first-century lens. When we do so, we see the many

her younger sister.

brothers and sisters rather than criticize the ways in which

we get it. We know the take-away: sitting at the feet of

layers of cultural norms and the radical ways in which

As you might see, the story is often understood that

they might fail to adhere to our societal expectations? If a

Jesus and listening to his teaching is more important than

Jesus breaks through those norms to usher in the kingdom.

Mary is physically present in the home, sitting at the feet

woman has the gift of preaching, who are we to keep her

Traditionally, only men were allowed to study the

of Jesus. But the question is often asked, why does Mary

from using her gift to build the church? Let her preach! If

But what if we are missing something? What if we

Torah. While there were no binding legal injunctions

remain silent? Why is she not given any speech? And why

a man has a gift for teaching children, who are we to keep

have become so familiar with the story that our bored

against women engaging in theological studies, it was never

does not Martha just ask Mary for help? The conclusion,

that role for women only? Let him teach! Spiritual gifts

ears can no longer hear the strong pulse of the narrative?

an encouraged endeavor. Instead, women were encouraged

says Hanson, is because Mary is not even there! Her role of

are generously given for the equipping and unity of the

Recent exegetes have instinctively felt that something is

to stay close to the home, learning the duties of domestic

ministry has taken her away from the home.

church. What a disservice we do to one another when we

wrong with the conclusion that Mary’s activity is worth

life. As life was governed by the struggle for a portion of

And so Martha pleads with Jesus to speak to Mary.

confine ministry roles to one gender over the other. The

more and Martha’s activity is worthless. In her work, The

the limited amount of honor available, a man’s honor

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all

kingdom is large and diverse and it takes all kinds of people

New Perspective on Mary and Martha, Mary Stromer

depended on his ability to protect the sexual exclusivity of

the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Martha is

to participate in Jesus’ mission. Jesus’ behavior eliminates

Hanson provides a unique invitation for the reader of Luke

women in his family. To remain faithful to the strict honor/

anxious about her sister’s ministry and fails to focus on her

the divisions we have created between people groups. In

to hear the story with fresh ears. She asserts that maybe,

shame system of first-century Judaism, women were not

own. And it is this distraction that Jesus rebukes, not the

the kingdom, “there is no longer Jew or Gentile, there is no

just maybe, the story is not about proper hospitality, but

to appear in public places without the company of male

ministry or tasks of Martha. In sum, Jesus is telling Martha;

longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for

about the issue of women’s leadership. In a culture that

relatives. If ever they did so, shame was brought upon their

be faithful to your ministry role. Do not be distracted by the

all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

expected women to remain close to the home and under the

household.

role of your sister. She has chosen what is better. She has

May the behavior of Jesus encourage us to take on the

chosen to be faithful to her ministry role and I will not take

codes of the kingdom rather than the codes of our twenty-

that from her.

first century American culture. May we bear witness to

the endless to-do lists we carry. Subject closed.

authority of men, Hanson suggests that the story radiantly

With this brief insight into the cultural context of

displays the expansion of the kingdom by demonstrating

Luke’s narrative, we are liberated to see, a little more fully,

the different ministry roles of Martha and Mary. It is to her

the radical nature of Jesus’ behavior. Jesus appears to

With this interpretation of the story, the ministry roles

the radical nature of the kingdom by learning to celebrate

credit that I extend this invitation.

disregard social codes typical of the culture of elite males.

of Martha and Mary are no longer pitted against each

the various ministry roles of our brothers and sisters. And

Jesus breaks an item of protocol when he, and unmarried

other in such a way that one has correct priorities and the

may we boldly choose the roles that each of us are called to

rabbi, has apparently left his disciples to meet Martha and

other is misdirected. With this interpretation we see Jesus

fulfill, even when the role may go against cultural norms.

“Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain

Mary unaccompanied. His time in the home of Martha and

forming a new code of honor. This new code is the code of

May we choose “that which is better.”

village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into

Mary teaches us not the code of first-century Judaism, but

the kingdom, one in which gender roles are eased, mutual

her home. She has a sister named Mary, who sat at the

the code of the kingdom.

submission replace hierarchy, and ministry callings are

Brianna Millet is a recent graduate of Bethel Seminary in St.

determined by giftedness, not appearance.

Paul, Minnesota, and is a guest contributor to the Ichthus. She

Let us start with the story as described by Luke, and from there we will move into Hanson’s thoughts.

Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha

When Martha greets Jesus, it is more than a hospitable

was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and

welcome. Her greeting suggests Jesus has entered a home

With this, I propose another challenge. Is it not the

blogs at walkingcontemplative.com.

ICH 27 HUS

Preacher-Woman:

that has accepted his

“I don’t know,” she replied. Alona turned over and tried

* * *

to fall asleep. She imagined herself rolling her ankles — a subconscious evening ritual. She listened to his humming

Then in about June one of us brothers did what he

until her ears drifted away from her amputated body along

claimed was bound to happen when you let a woman, even

with the rest of her consciousness into a dreamland all her

a cripple, wonder through the Priory tempting everyone.

own.

I’m sorry to say it was me. * * *

When word got out, no one knew what to say. Brothers Lucas, Tom, and Otto had considered it — that much

ICH 28 HUS

f she hadn’t pawned her shoes earlier that day, Alona

Grudgingly, her eyelids opened to the whipping chill and

might not have mangled her feet in the broken glass

saw a man’s face under a black hood. He wasn’t tired. If I

of the monastery window, and all her pain and ecstasy

had to guess, for all those hours of recovery that were to

would have been an outlandish daydream. But she had

follow, what exactly gave her the push to make it through,

needed the money to rent a room, and her dead sister’s

I’d bet it was seeing Father Dave. He just has a look of hope

boyfriend was offering a good deal on waterproofed boots.

that the world can’t beat out of him.

(He’d been a cop only three years ago, back in the world

No, you can’t meet Father Dave today. He passed along

we’d all chosen to forget.) Someone had stolen the money

with the others at the end of August. We had a militant

in a basement pub a few hours later, but you can see how it

group rush our block as they were falling back from Porter

sounded like a good idea at the time.

Square. Sometimes that’s just the way.

Alona’s feet had been numb from the cold until shards * * *

a warm pain similar to the burn of stepping into the shower in December. (This all happened to Alona in late March,

Blankets everywhere, and all of them piled on her.

but it was one of those cloudless, windy nights that might

Alona woke to the scent of burning incense and an old man

as well be in December.)

anointing her face. He was a different fellow from the last,

At first she tried to pick it away, but the fractured glass confused her. She managed to remove the large orange

but they wore the same black clothes. “Come back to the land of the living, have we?”

shard that had lodged itself into her left heel. After that the

The man’s hands had no calluses. His smile was soft

wet shimmer of blues and golds mesmerized her so that she

and kind. (This would be Brother Tom, by the way. You

couldn’t distinguish glass from foot.

met him when we walked through the kitchen.) Like the

She was getting tired, so she scooted away from the

blankets he was, and just as comfortable. His voice rose and

glass and leaned into a black pile of melting snow. The burn

fell with the raindrops falling on the stained glass windows.

in her feet crept upwards till it reached the moist space

She reached to scratch her left calf and realized she no

behind her eyes. Two strong, cloaked arms lifted her out of the mush.

legs, Alona soon came to regard her stay in the monastery

of unbuttoning her dress, lifting her up and pushing her

as a blessing greater than her wildest imaginings. When she

against the closet doors, each brimming over with manly

was still very sick (she had also come in with pneumonia),

expressions of admiration as they kissed her wanton

Father Dave came to sit by her bedside and read the Book

breasts. Their shared closet became the site of many a

of Judges to her. Alona would later say that was when God

secret fantasy, with its oaken door closing out the watchful

became a living category in her mind. He was a real person

eye of man.

wading through all the same mess we do.

Veronica Wickline

of stained glass made them bleed. Her feet came alive with

was true. As they lay in bed at night, they would think

longer had one. “Pity to see your legs go,” Brother Tom said. “Frostbite, gangrene … how long had you been out there?”

Alona had not liked the way I wrestled her underwear

But it wasn’t just the Book of Judges, as I remember.

off in the middle of the night. She had tried to kick me, but,

The bathrooms are clean. The food is hot. When the

having no legs, this proved quite difficult. In my memory

brothers go to sleep, their souls are at peace. You can feel

of all this, I was quite suave, but she later told me that she

the peace sort of glowing from the walls here.

just let her soul float away for a while as I fumbled with her

When she could wheel herself around, she began

body.

attending Vespers. After three weeks, her industrious

Sex for her had long ago become something detached

nature had her staining glass in the workshop to repair the

and mechanical. I think for all of us at one point, sex was

large window that I had shattered the night she came to

giddy and dangerous and wild. But long before entering the

us. (I had found our gun safe in the back of the refectory. I

monastery, her meetings with men had become a chore she

promised the brothers I didn’t mean to hurt a fly, but God

undertook for no greater reason than that it was expected. It

has a way of making it obvious when someone decides they

felt all right mostly, especially with a gentle man who knew

don’t want to play by the rules anymore.)

what he was doing, which I very much wasn’t in those days,

By the time she was preparing our meals, there was no

and certainly could not have been under the circumstances.

doubt as to whether she would stay on with us long-term,

Anyway, when I was heading out, I tripped in

except for Father Prior. “We are a House of God, not a

the doorway and caused some of the brothers in the

house of flesh,” he told the brothers. After an embarrassing

neighboring dormitory to wake up. Alona turned over so

struggle, Father Dave ultimately won him over with the

the men wouldn’t see her exposed. It wasn’t a story that

simple observation that we didn’t know of any extant

needed much explaining.

nunneries where we could put in for a transfer. (Nowadays we exchange letters with our sisters in Lexington, but I’m

* * *

not sure that order had already been established two years ago.) “Feel free to take your time in deciding,” Father Prior stressed when they offered her a permanent cot. Alona couldn’t voice her yes quickly enough. “Who

I hate to jump right to the end, but I’ve never been very good at mapping how we got from there to here. Alona always told it so well. Sometimes I still can’t believe how unscathed she walked away from this world.

needs time?” She did not know so many things, but she

If Alona hadn’t died in the militant raid a few weeks

said yes. Father Prior continued to make inquiries after

ago, she would have been ordained with the religious

nearby convents, but no one had much hope of finding her

name Sister Carmen, and I think that’s so fitting given that

a different home.

beautiful voice she always had.

ICH 29 HUS

After August

Even taking into account the misfortune of her lost

Created to Creator

You just can’t hold onto that anger when nothing’s propelling you forward. Definitely Father Dave. He did a lot for me. I’d probably

God, if you didn’t want me to mess around you shouldn’t

be dead if he hadn’t stepped in. Father Prior was making a

have left this friggin’ corpse lying here. You think I like

big fuss about what was to be done. I think he tried to send

porking between these giggling stubs? Gimme a break.

Alona packing. He wanted an all-male monastery, and if

I’ve seen bald dogs that looked prettier. Set me up with a

what I’d done was proof of what could happen, it was good

real lady, some nice long legs, black dress ... just see what a

enough for him.

gentleman I’d be.”

Oh, Brother Thomas tried to send me packing all right,

But slowly that thinking wears away. You wake up in

which was closer to what should have happened. He and

a nice, warm room every day, and a brother brings up the

a few others were just about to toss me out of the newly

grits that you know she made especially for you. You just

finished window when someone — it might have been

can’t hold onto that anger when nothing’s propelling you

Brother Larry — pointed out that it was all Alona’s glass

forward.

and they’d better not ruin it.

I really do think that’s why boys rush the streets the

That’s when Father Dave stepped in and set me up in

way they do nowadays. You need something to keep your

the attic. He’d bring me food everyday and read Scripture

mind off of the things you’ve let yourself do and off of not

with me. I had my rosary beads and a Bible all to myself —

being the king you always thought you’d be.

ICH 30 HUS

that was it. Maybe a few blankets because that’s where we kept some spare linens.

Have we kept up with any of the militants? No, but we and the others, they’re where they want to be right now.

Him. What else could it be? But as far as what triggered my

Though I was really looking forward to finally calling her

change of heart on it all, I don’t know. I mean, I knew it was

sister.

wrong in some technical sense before I sinned. And not to make this story about me, but for background I joined the

Veronica Wickline ’16 is an Ancient History concentrator in

monastery in much the same way Alona did, and that was

Kirkland House and is a staff writer for the Ichthus. The images

by accident. So yes, I knew the rules, but I didn’t have an

in the piece are her original illustrations.

way a lot of the other brothers did.

“Pied Beauty” Glory be to God for dappled things — For skies of couple-colour as a brindled cow; For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings Landscape plotted and pieced — fold, fallow, and plough;

I encountered “Pied Beauty” last fall, clasped in the pages of a green and white anthology. I immediately recognized its beauty; it is a playful thing, quick-witted and high-spirited. As a well-trained student of wordsmithing, I circled the details I liked with a pencil, found the components I might analyze if writing an essay. There is the obvious alliteration: “glory/God,” “couple-colour,”

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

“fresh-firecoal/falls, finches”: you get the idea. There is the element of list, a building delight in Manley Hopkins’

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

cleverness; he notes so many things with spots and

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

dots! There are the variously indented lines, the copious

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

punctuation. Why a comma there, a semicolon here? I took

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: Praise him.

forgive them. It’s all in God’s hands. Alona, Father Dave,

I don’t know why I changed. Or I do know, sure, it was

especially strong relationship with Capital G “God” in the

Kate Massinger

I remember thinking while it was happening, “Hey

joy in my analysis, and I took it for what it was: a quick exercise in noticing beauty, nothing more.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)

Yet lines of “Pied Beauty” have stayed in my head,

affixed themselves in a manner that mere trinkets do not.

“

Now in a new autumn, I return to the text once more, What are you majoring in?”

searching for the source of its stickiness. Perhaps I love

“English: and I’m almost fluent!”

the sonnet so much because it is a praise poem; its natural

I make this joke with frequency; my questioner

images exist to exalt God’s handiwork. As a Christian, I

usually laughs. Its ridiculousness smacks of truth. The

love conceptualizing the world how Manley Hopkins does:

study of literature, merely appreciating language instead of

as God’s infinite canvas, a blank reel of spooling film. But

mastering its grammar or strategically implementing it, can

as an aspiring writer, grappling with vocation, my respect

feel purposeless. It is inherently impractical, an exercise

for this poem (and for all poems in general) goes beyond

in academia that gets society nowhere fast. Studying

matter and turns itself towards Maker. Manley Hopkins’

poems means squinting at sheaves of paper and ink, trying to find a line that’s pretty, funny, or perhaps even “interesting,” text to tidily underline with a nice pen. It is to guess at imagined authorial intent, longdead thoughts of people you did not know. To study poetry is to obsess with metaphor, to smoke lots of cigarettes, and to sigh over clever rhymes. All of this is good fun, a longstanding source of pleasure for the human race, but all in all (let’s be serious) rather frivolous.

wit, his invention, his play, all tell us something about

ICH 31 HUS

Is there anything else you need for your article?

Manley Hopkins’ fanning, a gift turned to good purposes (2

about the Image in which we are made.

Tim 1:6). I am encouraged; doing work with words, writing

God’s glory lives in nature’s excess. A salt wave

to convey beautiful or frightening truths, does not make me

ribboned with foam, a sapped forest turning red, are not

silly. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do

“practical” as we see practicality. Beauty is not necessary to

all to the glory of God,” says Paul (1 Cor 10:31). With this

sustenance, to longevity. Yet in God’s calculus, loveliness

mandate in mind, how can any task be frivolous?

has a purpose. “The Heavens declare the glory of God; the

Alliteration will not turn a profit; delicate punctuation

skies proclaim the work of his hands,” the Psalmist cries

has nothing to do with disease healing or war ending. God’s

(Ps 19:1, NIV).

purposes involve so much more than making pretty things;

God did not need to create spectrum skies, horizons

He grants us each unique giftings and vocations, and some

of streaky orange and scattered jewels. He did not need to

political or medical or financial. But recognizing the beauty

mesmerize with fire, charm with neatly tapered feathers,

lying in the landscapes, streaming from the fingertips of

or surprise with rose petal fish. And these catalogued

our fellow man, matters so much. It is “past change.” In

treasures are only a small subset of all beautiful things.

seeing beautiful things, in delighting in poetry or music

Manley Hopkins knows that he covers only a portion of

or paint, we approach adoration; we come to give credit

nature’s praise, quickly glossing each “swift” squirrel

to God. In making beautiful things ourselves, we become

and “slow” whale, “sweet”

reverent kings and queens,

nectarine and “sour” apple,

the worshipful creators we

city

lights

all

and

lamplight

“adazzle” soft

and

“dim.” The psalmist, too, is ICH 32 HUS

overwhelmed: “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Ps 104:24-25). All beauty, immutable and unchangeable, comes from

Beauty is not necessary to sustenance, to longevity. Yet in God’s calculus, loveliness has a purpose.

were made to be. I a

recently

service

attended a

nearby

Episcopalian monastery. As we entered the sanctuary, the brothers handed each worshipper a ball of russet clay. In the clouds of incense, between

the

stone

walls,

I played with the lump,

God; he “fathers-forth” the

rolling it between my hands,

world, a loving patron. The

stretching it, starting over

details of nature bring praise to God; this is the conceit of

again to make a new shape. The homily was a message on

“Pied Beauty,” and it is a lovely one. But it is not all I see.

the soul of creativity. “Mold it between your hands,” said

At the beginning of an end, a senior preparing to

the brother softly, evening sunlight streaming through

graduate, I come to this poem with an uneasy mind. Filled

the stained glass. I stretched the clay into strands, carved

with countless questions and one overwhelming conviction

patterns with my fingernail. The brother paused. “Have you

(I must write) I detect in “Pied Beauty” something more

ever considered that this may be your prayer?” he asked

than lovely landscapes made by a good Father; now,

gently. I began to cry.

I notice the lovely language of his apprentice son. In

Lord, give me the courage to pray my prayer.

Manley Hopkins’ careful marks of punctuation and gentle his neologisms, bridged with hyphens (“fresh-firecoal,”

Kate Massinger ’16 is an English concentrator in Kirkland House

“fathers-forth”) I see God’s creative energy, a wellspring of

and is a staff writer for the Ichthus.

of language. “Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you,” Paul encourages the young Timothy; this sonnet is

Obasi Shaw It is a true privilege to live in a time and a place where justice

In our faith, we are no longer afraid that we will die in vain,

is so deeply considered and actively sought. Whether it is

our struggle eventually lost to the ether and our names

through after-school programs for underprivileged youth,

truly forgotten. We can trust that, though our fight against

waging war against rape culture, or playing our part in

injustice on earth continues, Christ has already guaranteed

reminding the nation that black lives really do matter,

our victory, by “reconciling to himself all things, whether

Harvard students show time and again a passion for

on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his

righting the wrongs of our broken world. And those wrongs

cross” (Col. 1:20). As Paul said in his first letter to the

are many. At times it becomes overwhelming to recognize

Corinthians, when all else fails, three things remain: faith,

just how much evil is in the world, and the effects of our

hope, and love. The last things.

loving efforts often seem to be too slow or too small to really matter. It can admittedly be very difficult to fight for

I thank God for giving us the opportunity to carry them to

true justice without becoming jaded and disillusioned with

the finish.

the hope of ever actually attaining it. But some of us have found a way. Obasi Shaw ’17 is an English concentrator in Pforzheimer House Some of us have found ourselves incontrovertibly moved by the idea of a just, honest, and radically empathetic God, whose enduring love for his wayward and defiant creation could drive Him to become human and die on our behalf, so that we could see the value of sacrificial forgiveness over vengeance. Some of us are gripped by the tale of the perfect man, Jesus, whose resurrection proved his status as our forerunner, and whose message of reconciliatory justice declared victory over every form of evil, even for those of us who have lost all hope. In our faith, we have found hope. And our hope in Christ is no ordinary hope. It empowers us to love our neighbors, even when they are racist or sexist

indents, I see God’s fastidious painting of the trout. In

imagination barely dammed behind the stony conventions

Last Things

or proud. It empowers us to love ourselves, even when we are too weak and too flawed and too tired. And it empowers us to seek a justice that reconciles broken hearts and heals wounds too deep for words, rather than a justice that relies on enmity and does nothing to resolve our bitterness.

and is a staff writer for the Ichthus.

ICH 33 HUS

God—what He made us to imagine, and what that says

Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae