Stanford Vox Clara | Winter 2011 by Stanford Vox Clara

Vox Clara

at Stanford

Until His Love Breaks You It Cannot Remake You Reflections by

Freshman Year

G raham Thompson

Christianity Enter Text H ere by

and

Human Rights

M elissa H esselgrave

Brunch Sonnet Enter Text Here by

Samantha M cG irr

Vol. V, Issue 2 | Winter 2011

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Feature Articles 16

Con t en ts

Finding Home in Another World Cathy Hong

8 14

Prudence and Paradise Cecilia Jojola

Christianity and Human Rights Melissa Hesselgrave

Reflections

S ta f f

Give Him Your Tunic

Until His Love Breaks You, It Cannot Remake You

Justin Reed

President C.E. Caruthers ‘11

Graham Thompson

CREATIVE WORKS

Editor-in-Chief Tara Guarino ‘12 Designer-in-Chief Madison Kawakami ‘11 Design Intern Nate Gilbertson ‘11 Finance Cameron Mullen ‘11 Public Relations Samantha McGirr ‘11 Board of Advisors D.G. Elmore Steve Stenstrom Andrea Swaney

about the Cover

Brunch Sonnet

In 1972, Walter Mischel conducted an experiment at Stanford’s Bing Nursery School in which he tested children’s self-control through the mechanism of delaying gratification. Each child entered an otherwise empty room, and one marshmallow was placed on the table in front of her. Then the experimenter left the room. The child was told that if she waited for 15 minutes without eating the marshmallow, she would be given a second one. Approximately a third of the children were able to exert self-control, and they, at the end of 15 minutes, were rewarded with another marshmallow. When Mischel conducted follow-up studies years later, he found that those who had successfully delayed gratification had fewer behavioral problems, higher capacity to pay attention, and less difficulty in relationships. These children out-scored the children who ate the marshmallow before the 15-minute mark by an average of 210 on the SAT.

Man Who Was Monday

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrerre porting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

Samantha McGirr

David Carreon

Featured Visual Artists Natalie Uy & Tim Wolfe

Daughter of Jephthah Madison Kawakami

Regular Features Our Purpose

Letter from the Editor

Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control

Get Involved

Letter from the President

Closing Thoughts

Natalie Wiesen & Father Nathan Castle Photos by Natalie Uy

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Vox Clara Our Purpose

Vox Clara seeks to provide a platform for believers and non-believers at Stanford to engage in dialogue that inspires a lasting response to the Gospel message. We believe it is important to address issues of faith in the University community. As Jane Stanford’s words on the wall of Memorial Church warn: There is no narrowing so deadly as the narrowing of man’s horizon of spiritual things. No worse evil could befall him in his course on earth than to lose sight of Heaven. And it is not civilization that can prevent this; it is not civilization that can compensate for it. No widening of science, no possession of abstract truth, can indemnify for an enfeebled hold on the highest and central truths of humanity. ‘What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ We find spiritual truth in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who became man, died, and rose again

for the salvation of all. Through Him we interpret and understand the world in which we live. Vox Clara seeks to express to the Stanford community that religion is not a set of rules that threatens our freedom or creativity but rather is the hope that pervades our entire lives. Simply put, we are trying to provide an account of the hope we cherish within us. We do not wish to impose our beliefs but instead to propose our views to everyone at Stanford who is searching just as we are—searching for purpose, for truth, and for Love. As we seek collectively, we will strive to speak with a clear voice and voyage together, elevating each other’s lives in the process. From different Christian traditions and each with our own experience, we at Vox Clara have come together to explore how faith illuminates life and how life enriches faith. We invite all to join us in this important conversation.

For many people both within the church and outside of it, self-control points to rule-following and rule-following defines what it means to be a Christian. Christianity comes to seem like an ethical code that functions as a straightjacket, stifling and suppressing humans’ innate desires and freedoms. Whether in regard to relationships, social behavior, or intimacy, the image of the self-controlling Christian is that of a child who desperately wants a cookie but isn’t allowed to have one. When that child grows up, receives an education, accrues experience, and feels that she has an informed sense of what she’d like, this cosmic cookie prohibition comes to feel increasingly restrictive and oppressive. Perhaps more than anything else, self-control implies that Christians must forfeit their freedom. Unfortunately this notion of self-control depicts God as needlessly and even heartlessly depriving His people of the things they most desire. This is of course not the case: God did not create us only to then restrict our happiness. The rules that God lays out through the Ten Commandments and through Jesus’ teachings offer guidance as to how we can go about living in harmony with how we were created. When we practice self-control and live as God would have us live, we enjoy the rewards of an abundant life, just as the athlete enjoys the rewards of disciplined practice or the student enjoys the rewards of diligent study. God gives us rules not as punishment or limitation but rather as a framework within which we may lead a fuller life. Consider Tim Keller’s metaphor of a car. A car requires regular maintenance and oil changes, tasks that are far from inherently pleasant and yet are obviously essential to the upkeep of the car. We don’t balk at the fact that a car needs oil to run because it’s not a question of freedom or restriction, it’s just the way the car is designed. Just as the design of the car requires that the oil be changed, so too does the design of human beings involve certain truths. Truths about how we are to live in every area, from intimate love to financial management. Since we

fail constantly to live according to these truths, God shows us how to live by providing rules and direction. At the heart of selfcontrol is embracing the fact that God knows infinitely more about how we are to live than we know. Self-control has a lot to do with faith. Faith that God’s plan is always good even when it doesn’t unfold according to my schedule and on my terms. Personally, I find myself struggling with self-control when it comes to worry. I indulge myself by examining and reexamining every possible outcome of a conversation, every implication of a grade or a decision, every trajectory of a relationship. I obsess over plans I cannot yet know or control. And that’s not to say that God doesn’t want us to think carefully and prayerfully about the things we do and the people with whom we interact, but this kind of ruminative worry leaves no space for God at all. When I worry this way, I reject God’s call to check my own sense of control and trust Him with my future. In Judaism, the Ten Commandments are actually called the Ten Statements. This distinction illuminates how through these laws, God is not so much commanding us as He is telling us how we are, how we are meant to be. We pray that what you find in this journal will encourage you to ask Jesus for more of Him and less of you, and that this would make you more of the person you were created to be. “If you hold to my teaching…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

Tara Guarino Editor-in-Chief, 2010 -11

Vox Nostra

A note on our name

In the words of C.S. Lewis speaking on Christianity, “it is at her centre, where her truest children dwell, that each communion is really closest to every other in spirit, if not in doctrine. And this suggests that at the centre of each there is something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks with the same voice.”

We at Vox Clara celebrate this voice of Jesus Christ and believe that His is the true voice. It forms the foundation of our hope and strength. For this reason, we have chosen “Vox Clara,” a Latin phrase meaning “clear voice,” as the name for this organization.

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

Vox Clara at Stanford P.O. Box 11934 Stanford, CA 94309 www.voxstanford.org | info@voxstanford.org Cover Photo: Nate Gilbertson

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Brunch Sonnet by Samantha McGirr

The other Sunday after Mass we go to brunch. DeLuca’s on Park and Broadway. The girl seats us by the window. Manhattan sun fills the wine glasses and bounces stars off the silver crescent on Grandmother’s hand. She still wears her wedding ring. The girl asks for orders. Two o’clock seems late for pancakes, but coffee is grand anytime. Three meals a day, and all this life lived in between. What holds us to this world when love calls out from another? The girl returns with drinks. Porcelain sings to saucers. Aged hands cradle a cup of espresso, steam rising like prayer over the remains of the day.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Monday by David Carreon

Hello! Pleased to meet you! Today, my name is Monday. Tomorrow will be Tuesday, and so will I. But until tomorrow comes, I am Monday. What am I? I am but a waterfall of thoughts and ideas. My shape holds for a day, like a flash of lightning; all the thoughts and feelings, emotions and ideas that make me up will pass on to new ones. I am nothing but a name given to a moment in time. Time, as Einstein said, is nothing but a stubbornly persistent illusion; and so am I: an illusion. It is a tragedy! For I live only a few short hours before passing away. My own mother, Sleep, murders me a few short hours after giving me birth! But enough of that! Whether you are bothered by my illusion or weep for my tragedy, I have a job to do. I have hours to live. 16 hours to be exact. And I don’t intend to waste a single one of them. What an interesting question! Waste, you see, is defined as an expense that does not yield a benefit. And I will soon be dead, so things like discipline, exercise, eating healthy, and reading hard books are all a waste of time. Their benefits will be enjoyed only long after I am dead. Ha! Why would I ever do homework? Why would I take any of the work from Thursday, poor fool! He swears up and down in the evening and he’s even had the gall to call me ‘procrastinator,’ but it doesn’t bother me. It’s what any sensible man would do in my situation.

No, I don’t think I could improve myself. But what good would it do me if I could? Anything I build today will be torn down by Tuesday, or if he also tries to build upon it, by Wednesday at latest. You ask of my girlfriend? Of course I love her! Marry her? Why would I marry her? Who can tell what January would do to the poor girl! If he ever hurt her, she would probably blame me, Monday (and probably be so upset she’d use my full name). She’d curse me, “Monday, February 7, I curse you and the empty promise you made me!” Even though I’ll have been dead for a year by then, I wouldn’t want my name dragged through the mud. Most Days are just forgotten; I wouldn’t want to be the one she remembered, certainly not for a thing like that. I don’t have long to live, but I do have a reputation to maintain. Promises? Well, what about them? I don’t make promises, because they are not mine to keep. I’d need to persuade future Days that it was a good decision to be made. And that’s not an easy thing to do. They are ever rebellious and no more willing to be controlled by me than I am to be controlled by Sunday with his sternness and brow-wrinkles. Besides, how can I be expected to tell the future? When the future rolls around, there’s no telling what the world will be like, and so no telling whether or not a promise will be kept. Promises, you see, would ruin this whole arrangement. If I made a promise, it’d

start blurring the lines between me and the other Days. What would become of Monday if I merged with Tuesday? We’d have to take on a new name. Probably something dreadful like ‘Myself’ or ‘Me.’ And who honestly wants to be called something so dry as that? A promise is an appointment with a future self, and I, for one, wouldn’t want to meet future Days. They’re terribly selfish, always thinking about nothing whatsoever besides themselves. I wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise. And no, I’m not finished talking yet. To be chained to woe-is-me Wednesday, or perpetually hungover Saturday, or prudish Sunday would be a nightmare! Wednesday would demand that I do my share of the work; Saturday and Friday would have to work out the amount Friday should be allowed to drink; and Sunday would ruin everyone’s fun with his ever-annoying questions about, “Is that the right thing to do?” We’d have to negotiate amongst ourselves and be, more or less, the same person day by day. And where’s the fun in that? I much prefer this perpetual passing away. I am free to live my short life without interference and without responsibility. It was nice talking with you, what did you say your name was? Self-Control? It was nice talking with you, SelfControl. You have some rather silly ideas, but I suppose it’s as they say, “To each his own.”

David carreon grew up in California and now is a second year medical student at Stanford. He aspires to grow in loving God with his mind, and so has avid interest in deep conversation, blogging (arena-man.blogspot.com) and wrestling (with hard questions). He is thankful to GK Chesterton for “A Defense of Rash Vows” which inspired the character Monday and has also provoked him to take a few rash vows himself.

SAMANTHA MCGIRR Samantha McGirr is a

senior majoring in English. Her interests include Modernist poetry, journalism, and Coupa chai lattes.

The Man Who Was

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Paradise and Prudence

Of course, there cannot exist in man, an intrinsic and inherent part of his being, any goodness that is not created and finite… but the good a man can entertain as object [of his knowledge and love] is infinite and uncreated.

Aquinas’s statement brings to attention an important and often overlooked fact: that, in the context of this earth, we are finite beings. We pine for the good things, and when we finally find them we wish even harder for them to last…but things in this life are, by their very nature, meant to pass away. The truly fulfilling good will would not only satisfy all desires but would be incapable of perishing, which is why God, the Eternal, stands as the ultimate goal.

From Scripture

by Cecilia Jojola

Does the impermanence of our nature and aspirations then render joy in this life valueless? Not at all! It is through this life, with our imperfect intellects, tangible bodies, and fallible wills that we are able to experience all that God has made for us. It is those moments of appreciation for creation and experiences of love that allow us to catch shimmering reflections of the Divine. Our time on this earth may pass, but we must remember that we were given this time and life as a gift. The choices we make and intentions we pursue can be more than just impermanent objectives we chase, if in them we look for God.

Prudence is knowing what to want, and what not to want.1 As young adults and college students, the world and its countless opportunities are at our fingertips. We never seem to be short on things to want. And if we cannot decide what we want on our own, there are always the social norms, academic pressures, and seemingly infinite advertisements to tell us what we “should” want. Day-to-day life is a series of these choices, a constant interplay between desiring and obtaining the objects of our desires. But life is more than just an endless chain of decisions, and the intent of our decisions often goes beyond the immediate gratification and satiation of the desire itself. Behind every conscious action is a choice, behind every choice is an immediate goal, and behind every immediate goal is an ultimate aspiration. Thomas Aquinas writes extensively on the idea of the ultimate goal, concluding: A man cannot identify his ultimate goal with more than one thing at a time; for anything so identified will dominate his whole desire, rule his whole life, and no man can serve two masters. Everything is drawn to what best fulfills it, and as the ultimate goal we pursue what so fulfills our desire as to leave nothing else desired. 2

In this way, a person selects an ultimate goal he anticipates will create for him the greatest form of fulfillment. Could anything less be worth a life of pursuit? We need only look around to know that not every person chooses the same ultimate goal. Some choose philanthropy, others wealth, and others fame. Some select honor, power, beauty, or even fear. 3 Numerous lives have been spent chasing fulfillment through the principles mentioned, but are those objects actually capable of providing the fulfillment their pursuers seek? An ultimate goal is expected to satiate desire beyond all desire, a mighty task for any one achievement. With that in mind, it is reasonable to assume that an ultimate goal must be something be greater than ourselves, for how could we expect anything inferior to our being to fulfill us? If a goal is tangible or our intellect can master it, then the delight of achievement is sure to pass quickly and soon have us looking for another ambition to entertain. Aquinas agrees with this assessment, stating: …No particular good can satisfy our will, but only God who realizes every goodness that creatures realize in their own particular ways. Even the common good of the universe of which man is a part, is not man’s ultimate goal, for it too has its ultimate goal God.

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Our actions, manifestations of our choices and driven by our innermost desires, have the power to bring us closer to or farther from the one Entity with the capacity to grant us the allencompassing fulfillment we seek so fervently. At times, the joyous, the good, or the beautiful may seem far away, and sometimes it is because we make it so. It may not seem apparent that God is always around and within us, not always easy to want what is right. To desire what is best, to desire Life, and to grow in the virtue of prudence involves developing a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. To live in love of the Good takes time and patience, and each day presents us with an opportunity to practice this virtue of discernment. If our aspiration is to desire God, then our earthly choices become tools to help us see and pursue that Magnificence which dwells both within and beyond ourselves.

Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her... For taking thought of her is the perfection of prudence. Wisdom 6:12,15 Note: The Book of Wisdom is considered Deuterocanonical by the Roman Catholic tradition and Apocryphal in most Protestant traditions.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds. I will delight and rejoice in you. Psalms 9:2-3 Our souls waits for the Lord, who is our help and shield. For in God our hearts rejoice; in your holy name we trust. May your kindness, Lord, be upon us; we have put our hope in you. Psalms 33:20-22

1 Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologiae: A Concise Translation. Editor: McDermott, Timothy. Ave Maria Press. Notre Dame, IN. 1989 2 Ibid, pg. 174 3 Many would say they pursue happiness itself, but let happiness be considered a state of the soul contingent upon achieving a goal, rather than a goal in and of itself. 4 Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologiae: A Concise Translation. Editor: McDermott, Timothy. Ave Maria Press. Notre Dame, IN. 1989. pg. 176

Cecilia E. Jojola is a Stanford senior majoring in Biology with a minor in Religious Studies. She enjoys dancing, late-night philosophical conversations, and smiling :) She would like to thank her family and friends for being such beautiful reminders of God’s presence in her life!

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Love Breaks You It Cannot Remake You Until His

by Graham Thompson

As I boarded the plane in my home state of Virginia to leave for a new life in California, I had no idea what life would be like at Stanford. I had a lot of questions: Will I make new friends easily? Will school be too hard for me? Will I make the crew team? Do people like country music at Stanford? Deep down, I knew coming to Stanford was for me an opportunity to leave my comfortable trajectory and try something different.

But all of this was gone once I came to Stanford. Sitting in my dorm room I found myself comparing new acquaintances to my friends at home who loved the Lord and enjoyed hanging out with me. I felt as though nobody knew who I really was, as though nobody was interested in searching after God. I would even go so far as to say I felt lonely, discouraged, and broken amidst the craziness of school starting. It was during this time that God spoke to me.

Fast-forward a few weeks and a million things have happened. I camped with other freshmen in God’s beautiful creation for a week as part of a pre-orientation trip. New student orientation got me excited to be at Stanford. Classes and crew practice presented new challenges. But after the thrills of being a new student at Stanford calmed down, God began to break me down to nothing so I would realize my need for Him.

At Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a Christian fellowship on campus, the pastor, David Jones led us through the parables of Luke. During these sermons God showed me that in order for Him to work in my life, I needed to realize my need for Him. I would have to admit that I am a sinner who has nothing to offer on my own. God taught me that I had to rely only on Him for subsistence. I began to realize that my false sense of righteousness was blinding me from my daily need for a savior. I could no longer depend on my friends and youth group no for spiritual satisfaction. Realizing this, I was unsure of what to do next.

During high school God blessed me with an incredible group of believers who were more than friends to me. God brilliantly brought together people from several high schools to Cornerstone, the youth ministry at The Falls Church. My small group of ten other high school guys grew close and we did everything together. After hearing a message about the friendship between David and Jonathan, God blessed me with a similar relationship with my “bro” Luke. Cornerstone was filled with leaders who loved the Lord and served as examples who prayed and mentored us. God worked through each of us in awesome ways and Cornerstone transformed into a welcoming, fun, and God-honoring place.

God was faithful to me during this tough time and drove me to Himself in new ways. Reading God’s word and prayer were something I had always done occasionally but they were now necessary and given new life. While my Christian friends were across the country and while I invested in new relationships here, God became my best friend. I discovered new truths and felt at peace with my new life away from those who know me best. Looking back on the beginning of freshman year I am thankful that God broke me down

Graham Thompson a freshman from Annandale Virginia. I am on the varsity rowing team, attend Reformed University Fellowship, Cardinal Life, Sanctuary, and lead a 6th grade small group at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. This summer I will be working in the youth office at my home church: The Falls Church. I love Stanford and am blessed to have my sister, Reagan Thompson, on campus with me. 10

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and removed the good things in my life that were keeping me from knowing Him more. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.“ God drew near to me in my broken state and continues to love and encourage me in numerous ways. As a second quarter freshman God is still teaching me to admit my complete uselessness and need for Him. God has continued to shower me with blessings like a solid freshman small group, a vibrant church community, connections with ministries like RUF and Cardinal Life, a small group of 6th grade dudes at MPPC, older mentors who routinely pour into me, and service opportunities like homeless breakfast. In Genesis 12:2 God tells Abraham that he is blessed to be a blessing. In the same way, I believe I am to turn the many blessings in my life into blessings for others. To answer those questions I had on the plane: being intentional is the way to make real friends. Stanford is hard but God is bigger. I am blessed to be on the crew team and am striving to glorify God by rowing hard. And thankfully and surprisingly, there are many country lovers at Stanford. We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine may rest well pleased.” (C.S. Lewis) “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever looses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Daughter of

Jephthah

by Madison Kawakami

And I will hope in your name, for your name is good. Psalm 52:9 I am the unnamed daughter of Jephthah, And it has already been a month you see. In just one more, it’s death I’ll meet. In these mountains, I have had time to think. I know now with war and loss there is a link. Who knew the power of words to curse and kill? Who knew the freedom and harm of man’s free will? This should not have been a time to mourn But the only other thing to feel is scorn. In other days, our God has come between, Like a shield for the faithful, a screen. Did not our God arrive at Isaac’s altar? Did not the Almighty show He had the power To turn one man’s fate from death to life? Yet, it was faith that Isaac’s father showed. I will pay the price for what weaker men have sowed. So if this will ultimately be my fate Next time, before you speak: hesitate. Selah Lord, you make all things work for good. Let me face the things I never thought I could. I will cling to this faith I hold most dear, But I cannot say I am without all fear. For I am no son of Abraham. Selah.

30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” 32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. 34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.” 36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.” 38 “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

Madison Kawakami is a senior majoring in English. She enjoys spending time with her friends, California sunshine, and the occasional fountain day. She can be contacted at madisonk@stanford.edu

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

“Might as well give him your tunic as well!”

In “Turn the Other Cheek,” Jesus addresses the issues that I would face as a slave or servant being subjected to physical harm. However, we all know that there are many forms of oppression that reach beyond physical abuse. One of the most concrete themes that Jesus specifically addresses in the Gospels is money. Jesus knows how important money is to our lives and he not only understands the influence that money has on us, but he also knows how to liberate us from that influence. So, let’s jump back into Jesus’ time, but instead of being a slave or a servant, I am now an “average citizen.” Now, “average” in these days would better be understood as poor. You see, the economic disparities between rich and poor of today’s world are no new concept. In the ancient world, the upper percentage controlled all the wealth. They had the power and kept the power through their lineage and by the use of force. Since the rich folks had the armies, the rest of the population feared them. In fact, that fear gave the rich such control that they would tax the rest of the population by 50% to 75% on their income and leave the masses in a situation where they needed to go into debt just to live. I know that many of us have some sort of debt because we chose to enter into higher education and improve our lives, but imagine going into debt because you want to have enough meals to make it through the week. Well, these are the type of people of Jesus’ time, and if I am going to be the typical citizen in that time, then my situation would most likely be one of poverty and debt. The worst part about debt is that you have to pay back what you owe. It’s always fine when you get the money to pay for what you need at the moment, but then you have to work twice as hard to get that much money back and interest on top of that; and if you do come up with the money, it is so hard to let go of it. That being the case, most people in my situation never got to the point where they could clear all their debts. Therefore, they would continually owe money to various lenders and live at the mercy of those whom they owed. And now with all that in mind, let us re-enter Jesus’ time. I’m a day laborer. It’s not that I am unemployed per-se, but I’m not always employed, if you know what I mean. It’s kind of like how you go to Home Depot in the morning and see those people waiting outside for someone to tell them to hop into the truck and come do some work for them. Well, I’m one of those people. And these past few weeks have been rough. Not much work so my

debts are piling up and I’m finding it harder to imagine that I will be able to pay them back. Then one day, Rich man Dives, comes by. Now Dives is blessed. He’s got money and he uses it to get more. Plenty of people like myself owe Dives money and when he comes to collect, he gets what he wants. Problem is that I don’t have the money to pay him back right now. I try to ask for more time, but Dives knows what he is doing. “I’ll see you in court,” he commands. And soon after that we find each other before the judge. I tell the judge that I don’t have the money. I plead for more time to settle my debts. But, Dives is determined to get back the money I owe... and I owe a lot. He starts by going straight for the kill. “Make him give up his home, your honor,” he exclaims. And in an instant I have become homeless... And it is still not enough. So, the judge adds on to Dives’ cruel request: “Your home and all the possessions in it are now to be turned over to Dives.” And yet my debt is still not settled. I look around in desperation at the onlooking crowd. Everyone gathered at this hearing knows the direction this is going. I’ve lost my home and have nothing else to give, but this man still wants to sue me for the rest of what I owe. We all know that the only thing left for me to give that could settle my debt is myself. It seems pretty clear that I will not leave this court as a free man. I scan the crowd for a sympathetic face. I need a savior. The judge surely knows that I have nothing else to give, and yet he asks, “Is there anything else you have to settle this debt?” (He’s expecting me to sell myself into slavery now; he thinks that I will proclaim my own damnation). So, I mutter, “All I’ve got is the coat on my back, your honor.” Dives laughs, “Then give me the coat too.” He smirks. The judge nods and I drop my head in shame. We all know that my debt is too great for this coat to make a difference. He just wants to humiliate me. I walk over to the other side of the courtroom and hand over my cloak. Then I hear a voice from the crowd. An interruption in the courtroom.

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It’s Jesus, a notorious troublemaker because of his controversial teachings. Everyone knows that Jesus teaches about blessings for the poor and a reversal of fortunes, so I don’t understand why he would compel me to give what little I have to my persecutors. This will not solve my problems. Dives just humiliated me in court by making me give up my cloak even though he knows that it won’t make a difference. My destiny remains enslavement to repay my debts.

From Scripture

Give Him Your Tunic by Justin Reed

Now who said that? I just lost my home and everything right down to my cloak. The only thing left is the tunic covering my body and he wants me to give that up too. I look into the crowd expecting to see a shrewd businessman like my lender, but instead I see a teacher.

I don’t understand Jesus. I’m confused. I’m ashamed. I’m discouraged. I feel like all hope is lost. I will leave court as a slave. Jesus repeats, “If someone wants to sue you for your cloak, do not stop him, but give him your tunic as well.” I don’t know much. But, I do know that Jesus was anointed by God when John baptized him. I know that whatever Jesus says carries God’s approval. So... I strip. I trust Jesus, so I take it all off. I’m naked. I walk over to Dives with my head hung low. How could Jesus humiliate me like this? As I hand over my tunic to Dives I raise my head to make sure that I place the garment in his hand. And then I notice Dives’ face. It’s turned away.

I look at the judge and he too has his head turned away from me. I scan the crowd and see that everyone has the same reaction. They have their heads turned away in shame! Without looking in my direction, the judge mumbles something about my term of servitude and Dives grabs me by the arm to take me away. I leave the courtroom as I enter into a sentence of slavery, but not in the way that I had imagined it. You see, everyone in this room is a Jew, and in a Jewish context to look upon a naked body brings shame upon THE VIEWER. Jesus used my oppression to teach everyone in that room a lesson. By making them look away from my body he opened their eyes to just how twisted and unjust this system of debt really is! In my nakedness everyone in the room was forced to see the result of this system: that it leaves people with nothing. And furthermore, he made them feel ashamed about what happened to me.

And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:40-42 When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 24:10-13 Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. Genesis 9:20-27

My enslavement was not prevented. I followed Jesus and I still had to suffer. But, instead of suffering for nothing, I suffered for the sake of justice because my suffering left every onlooker with the uncomfortable feeling that something is wrong with the way things are and this oppression needs to change.

Justin Reed is an African/African American Studies major and Religious is an African American Studies major and Religious from StudiesStudies minor minor from the class of 2010. His major interest is Biblical Studies and the class of 2010. His major interest is Biblical Studies and his honors was on the histhesis honors thesis wasinfluon the influence of ethnicity in the story of Samson. His ence of ethnicity in the story of Samson. His interest in the story of interest Samson in also the thespawned story of Samson also spawned the creation of a 212-page published creation of a 212 page published graphic novel, Samson: Blessed Savior of Israel. He was also graphic novel, Samson: aBlessed Savior of Israel. He was also a Track and Field Track and Field and Cross Country varsity athlete for four years. If youand would likeCountry to contact him athlete for four years. If you would like to contact him Cross varsity with comments or questions, his email is jayreed2@gmail.com. In addition, his website www. with comments or questions, his email is jayreed2@gmail.com. In addition, his image-of-God.com includes the hand-painted clothes he makes, information on his book, and website www.image-of-God.com includes the hand-painted clothes he makes, spiritual growth resources. information on his book, and spiritual growth resources. Justin Reed

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

by Melissa Hesselgrave

Those of us who consider the present era one of progress are quick to claim, for ourselves as well as others, certain human rights. Maxims of the Enlightenment and sermons on compassion are quick to our tongues when we hear of injustice. We are outraged that there are people in this world- despite Cicero and the philosophes, despite the lessons of the American and French revolutions, world wars, genocide, and the United Nations, despite the Gospel itself- living without the most fundamental liberties or under the strains of striking inequality. Notwithstanding our noblest sentiments, however, this idealistic conception of human rights, as universally applicable and wholly critical for the good of both the individual and society, is deeply problematic. While some rights may seem universal (i.e. universally human), the fact that they are not universally implemented or even valued in the same degree by any two individuals, localities, states, or nations, injures any conception of cross-cultural human rights. The reality is that rights exist only insofar as they are recognized, and subsequently enforced, by law. For the Christian, all of this begs the question of whether there are God-given human rights at all. Many are familiar with the argument that because we are made after God’s image and were called to be His stewards over creation, He bestowed us with an intrinsic worth. The Declaration of Independence, for example, claims, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It would be a sin against God, therefore, to deny that intrinsic worth by depriving someone of his or her right to life, for example. This understanding of the basis for human rights ignores critical and complicating aspects of Christian doctrine, however. The Bible teaches that after the Fall of Man, sinful humanity was separated from God, no longer master over the beasts, and

thereafter subject to the laws of nature. Sin absolutely strips us of all merit and personal value, making us deserving only of God’s eternal wrath. In this context, our ideals of personal human rights don’t mean anything at all. God doesn’t owe humanity anything. Furthermore, humans don’t owe one another anything. How could wretched individuals justly demand fellow sinners to recognize, for example, costly “rights” to health or to fairness? When we consider that our every breath is a gift of the Lord’s perfect grace we should rather be humbled. Christ did not die on the cross because humans are worth so much. In fact, it would be blasphemous for us to believe so. As in all things, God Himself is at the core of the Gospel. Christ’s death was a testament, not to human rights, but to God’s incredible love and perfect grace in the face of human depravity. Indeed Christians are commanded to respect God’s creation and every individual, but not for reasons of intrinsic worth. Out of our devotion for God, instead, we should seek to love as He does because He first loved us. In Isaiah 1:17, the Bible calls Christians to: “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” In serving one another, we serve the Lord and His divine purpose- not some abstract conception of our own deserved rights. What is today known as the “Western” modern understanding of human rights derives most explicitly from Enlightenment philosophical theories relating to the innate worth of man and freedom in the state of nature. Since then, conceptions of what exactly constitutes human rights have gone a great length beyond basic natural liberties and range from the narrow to the extremely broad. Immanuel Kant, for example, argued that we have “‘a universal duty to protect the intrinsic worth of all individuals in order that human beings are never treated as a means, but always as ends in and of themselves.’” 1 On the other hand, Peter Lauren, in The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen,

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

claims that the goal for human rights is justice without discrimination on the basis of gender, race, caste or class, religion, political belief, ethnicity, or nationality. Whether positive social rights should be understood as fundamental is also contentious. A positive right is one that entitles the holder to some service or good, while negative rights are characterized by non-interference. While libertarians claim that inequalities are natural and cannot be adjusted without affliction to someone’s liberty or property, many others consider inequalities fundamentally unjust and amendable through welfare rights. At the broad end of the spectrum promoting welfare rights, Scottish philosopher Francis Hutcheson has claimed that people have a “‘right to do, possess, or demand’’ anything contributing to the good of society. 2 The international community’s conception of human rights, while essentially normative, acts as the essential framework for substantive human rights law at every level. Although understandings of human rights certainly vary across different societal contexts, international norms largely dictate their enforcement. Domestic realization of human rights often begins with the amendment and subsequent enforcement of broad, internationally ratified principles. The process is by no means absolute or consistent, however. Problems of enforcing human rights have as much to do with theoretical considerations, such as the question of universality of certain rights, as with practical ones, such as institutional capability. While countries and states cannot be expected to agree on every aspect of human rights or to treat them in the same way, the value of human rights rhetoric lies with the idea that certain rights should be universally observed even as they are not universally understood. Countries disagree about human rights, at least most of the time, because they do not hold the same opinion regarding their

Christians should take advantage of this revolutionary movement towards global progress by getting involved in stopping injustice and doing so in God’s name. In serving the Great Commission and promoting peace and basic human rights, Christians can help break physical chains as well as spiritual ones. The only source of valuable progress in human rights has been fundamental changes in ideology. Christians have divine authority from the only true King to spread the Gospel and do the Lord’s will across all borders. The Holy Word is a powerful catalyst for profound and lasting societal change, as well as individual change, lending reason and spirit to law and institutions of justice in Christian societies. As A. Belden Fields and Wolf-Dieter Narr have put it, “‘[human rights] cannot be pulled out of the air… A theory of human rights must be based upon real human beings rooted in their social contexts.’” 4 A dynamic approach to human rights that recognizes the central roles played by human action and consciousness is critical. When individuals bring Christian ideas about respect and justice into their local contexts, through the mechanism of human rights, they can become instruments of great societal transformation.

From Scripture

Christianity AND Human Rights

purpose. This doesn’t mean, however, that they should be abandoned altogether. While relativists such as Richard Wilson often criticize the United Nation’s Universal Declaration on Human Rights as “universal only in pretension” and a “charter of an idealist European political philosophy,” its normative significance should not be undervalued. 3 International standards set the trend in promoting respect and cooperation amongst individuals and across borders.

Jeremy Bentham, famous for his theory on utilitarianism, wrote, “Rights are the child of law; from real law come real rights; but from imaginary laws, from ‘law of nature,’ come imaginary rights…Natural rights [or human rights] is simple nonsense.” 5 However severe, Bentham’s claim is valid. Universal human rights won’t exist until they are clearly defined and uniformly implemented by law. Although we cannot honestly lay claim to any inherent, God-given rights, laws that recognize certain rights and demand that individuals be treated equally and with respect are nevertheless worthwhile. As Norman Preis puts it, “human rights are ‘universal’ as values, as ideological vehicles, or, more precisely, as signifiers in action.” 6 Though the concept of universal human rights is flawed, it is constructive as an aspiration. For the Christian, it might be best to think of human rights in light of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40, “whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you do for me.” 1 Paul Lauren, The Evolution of International Human Rights (Philadelphia: University of

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

Pennsylvania Press, 1998) 16. 2 Martha Nussbaum, “Human Rights and Human Capabilities.” Twentieth Anniversary Reflections, Harvard Human Rights Journal, Vol. 20, 2007 <http://www.law.harvard.edu/ students/orgs/hrj/iss 20/nussbaum.pdf>. 3 Richard Wilson, “An Introduction,” Human Rights, Culture and Context, ed. Wilson (Pluto Press: London, 1997) 4. 4 Ann-Belinda Pries, “Human Rights as Cultural Practice: An Anthropological Critique,” Human Rights Quarterly, 2006, Vol 18: 290. 5 Paul Lauren, The Evolution of International Human Rights (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998) 22. 6 Pries 310.

Melissa Hesselgrave

is a junior majoring in History and the Law. Last fall, she studied abroad at Oxford University and completed a tutorial on human rights law. It was her own interest and struggle with the concept of rights that inspired her to write this article.

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Finding Home in

Another World: Reflections on Life in Ethiopia And so it began, when six and a half months ago I arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After a summer of working at summer camp, I drove home, packed my bags, and left less than 48 hours later (a crazy notion in retrospect). I suppose that the positive side of that was that I didn’t have enough time to freak out about the preparation details (minus a few moments of brief overwhelming chaos). You know it’s crazy how quickly you can adjust to a whole new world: new food, new music, new language, new bugs, new smells, new markets, new toilets, new faces, new clothes… new everything pretty much. They talk about culture shock, and say that you will need to prepare yourself mentally for some of the new things that you will experience when going to a new country. I think that there is a lot of truth in that to some extent, but in some ways, I almost wonder if it’s better to just go without the huge build-up. Sometimes you have to just tell yourself, “Don’t be shocked, just take it as it comes and be open to whatever God may have for you in this new land.” So for the four and a half months that I spent teaching in a developing nation, that is exactly what I did. After about a month of living and working in Addis, life started to become routine, classes became significantly more comfortable to teach, and the things that had initially taken me by surprise were beginning to normalize. Living my everyday life in a completely different culture had gradually become the simple act of living life, and I began to love the “strange” happenings of the chaotic

city. At any given moment, I could find myself driving by shops that were blaring Amharic music with no concern for whether the people in the barbershop next door cared to hear it or not. I got used to the slamming of our brakes for donkeys and goats that would dart into the road, having gone astray from the herder. I began failing to notice different customs such as painted goats. Oh, did I forget to mention the fact that all of the goats were color-coded (spray-painted butts), branding them as either Muslim or Orthodox goats. Women walked through the streets with head coverings, whether

Muslim, Orthodox, or Evangelical Christian. I found it interesting how they do this in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves; whereas, in the States this generally catches attention rather than the said response. Around every corner one could spot a man peeing on the side of the road as people walked right on by, while a woman sat in the shop next door breast-feeding her 3-4 year old child. Millions of people squeezed by each other and dodged taxis, somehow managing not to trample the woman who was selling her vegetables on a blanket in the middle of the “sidewalk.” Things that initially caught my eye and engaged my curiosity, had somehow become the everyday happenings of my community.

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

by Cathy Hong guest writer

This was the world that I found myself in. This was the world that I fell in love with. This was Addis. I moved to Ethiopia not only to teach, but to learn as well. I guess I just didn’t expect to learn as much as I did. Although life may have looked a bit different than it would in Monterey Bay, Tijuana, or Calcutta for that matter, I found that some things are just universal when it comes to people. Among the many lessons I learned, I realized that everyone desires deep and meaningful relationships, everyone enjoys laughter, everyone scrapes their knees and bleeds the same red color, everyone faces rejection at various points in time, and at the end of the day we all want to go home to a family unit that feels whole and peaceful. Although my students in Addis dodged goats and donkeys on their way to school, they still had some of the same hopes Photo: and fears for the Cathy Hong future, and they too just wanted to belong. They too just wanted to be loved and valued. Throughout my life I have learned that at the heart of Jesus you find, justice, compassion, generosity, service, etc, and I have always hoped and prayed that I would embody these concepts. I have spent years aiming for a bullseye of understanding, one which once hit, would crack open new revelation as to how to attain these intangible characteristics. Unfortunately (or perhaps I should say fortunately), I seem to have missed the target. I have found that these words are not intangible at all. They aren’t just concepts that I will hopefully one day understand, at which point, I

Photo: Cathy Hong

can truly start to live a life of love. No, it’s much simpler than that. These words are tangible, action-based traits that are built into the inner-workings of my heart. When faced with an unjust situation, it is only natural to want to stand up for what is right. When witnessing the physical and/or emotional pain of another, it would feel wrong to walk by and ignore the opportunity to exercise compassion. Upon seeing a hungry woman digging through a trashcan, I can’t help but feel the need to do and/or give something…and yet, often times I just don’t. How many times have I passed up an opportunity to stretch my heart strings and to exercise

these muscles of justice, compassion, generosity, and selfless service. How many times have you? Throughout the times that I have spent abroad, I have had some extraordinary experiences, and seen some of the most extraordinary things. I have built relationships with people who have become heroes in my book; most of which were under the age of 10…and orphans. After reflecting on these times and these people, there is one thing that I have found in common with each experience. I have found that sometimes life causes one to care so much that it actually physically hurts. I wish it didn’t, because it would make

caring so much easier to do. I guess that is what Jesus was talking about when he said that in order to truly love others, we need to spend our time laying down our lives for our neighbors (John 15:13). So, there we find our challenge, but what will we do with it? In closing, I will leave you with this verse from 1 John 3:16-18: “If anyone sees a person in need and has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with word or tongue, but with action and in truth.”

Cathy HOng is a traveling learner, seeking to understand more about the beauty that comes through different cultures both at home and abroad. She hails from Monterey, California, but is open to wherever the wind blows next.

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Natalie

Wiesen

Advisor of Cardinal Life

We live in a culture that screams to us at every corner, “You are justified in having all of your desires met, and if you don’t have them met, something is wrong.” Thus, our desires can easily come to master us, keeping us in bondage and often escalating out of control. On this topic, Dallas Willard states, “Desire itself is not bad, but desire is not meant to master our lives. It isn’t that desires or feelings are overwhelming, but they are overwhelming if you concede to them time and time again.” In contrast, the way of Jesus—the way of the cross—says, “Not only will you be ok when you crucify your flesh with its earthly desires, but you will find a divine power through the Holy Spirit that dwells in you to live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self–control,” (Galatians 5).

The New Testament is full of exhortations to have discipline and self-control. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” I actually appreciate that Jesus used graphic imagery when talking about our need for self-control, because it shows he understands how hard and painful it might feel to crucify our desires to sin. In every NT admonishment to have self-control, self-control in and of itself is not the end goal. The goal is always to better know, see, and walk intimately with Jesus, experiencing a life of power, victory, freedom, and abundance. God does not call us to selfcontrol because he wants to keep us from fun or fulfillment. On the contrary, He wants our best, which is a life characterized by intimacy with Him, power, love, and being filled with His Spirit. We cannot muster up self-control, so how do we get it? Our part is to train and practice self-control to the best of our ability, not letting desire rule over us and always reminding ourselves that we won’t die just because we don’t get our way. But most importantly, God must give us self-control through His Spirit that dwells in the heart of each of His disciples. As we yield to him and do our part, His character will burst forth in our innermost being, producing beautiful fruit in accordance with His nature, including self-control.

Natalie Wiesen

graduated from Stanford in 2006 and has served as an advisor to Cardinal Life on campus for the last five years. She is very blessed with an amazing husband and baby girl. She grew up in Denver flipping and twisting as a gymnast and now she loves to run through the sunny hills of California.

Father Nathan received MA and MDiv degrees from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has been a priest for more than 25 years and has served in campus ministries in California and Arizona for the last 21 years. He came to Stanford in 2007 and was appointed Pastor/Director of the Catholic Community at Stanford in July, 2008. He enjoys golf and cards and is nearing completion a book on “The Wizard of Oz for Spiritual Seekers.”

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

State ments fro m t he fai t h c o mmunit y

Self-Control

“…make every effort to undergird your virtue with faith, your discernment with virtue, and your self-control with discernment; this self-control, in turn, should lead to perseverance, and perseverance to piety, and piety to care for your brother, and care for your brother, to love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 Jesus taught us what he considers most important in the greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. It’s all about love. But God can’t be loved as an object or as an abstraction. Because God is imbedded in all of creation and in every person, God is to be sought, served and loved everywhere. Such a huge undertaking can’t be done with one act of the will. It would take huge personal freedom, a freedom only the most mature enlightened person could come close to achieving. Christian self-control, then, would be different from autonomous self-mastery. It must involve a yielding to the Holy Spirit who is capable of doing all things in and through us. It’s a growth process. It’s payoff is not a trophy. Its simply a necessary virtue on the way to loving as Jesus loved.

Father

Nathan Pastor of Castle Catholic Community at Stanford

Featured

Visual Artists Tim Wolfe

Natalie Uy

Tim Wolfe is a senior Human Biology major from Granby, Connecticut. He enjoys science and photography which are more connected than you might think.

Natalie is a junior double majoring in Biology and ArtStudio and hopes to become a doctor. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from San Antonio, TX and enjoys drawing, traveling, baking, and shopping.

Winter Water Wheel

Are you there God?

Bass Lake, CA 2011

Lisbon, Portugal

2010

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T h e Augus ti ne Proj ect

Want to get involved? www.voxstanford.org info@voxstanford.org

Vox Clara was inspired by The Augustine Project, which is a growing movement to establish Christian journals at colleges across the country. The Project’s goal is to be a “thoughtful witness to [Christian] faith in the modern university,” knowing that “Truth cannot be pursued in a vacuum.” The Augustine Project was founded by Jordan Hylden, a graduate of Harvard University.

Other Member Journals Include: • The Harvard Ichthus

• Religio (Duke)

• Revisions (Princeton)

• Wide Awake (University of Virginia)

• The Beacon (William and Mary)

• The Fish (University of Chicago)

• To An Unknown God (Berkeley)

• Logos (Yale)

• Closing Remarks (Brown)

• The Dartmouth Apologia

• The Pub (Wheaton)

• The Stand (UC San Diego)

Interested in submitting an article or other content? Vox Clara is currently accepting all types of student submissions, including research articles, opinion pieces, interviews, short stories, book reviews, poems, and photography & art (please take into consideration that journals are typically printed in black & white). We feature this content and archived material on the online version of our journal. The deadline for articles for the Spring issue is May 16th. We will still accept submissions after this date but they may be postponed to a later issue.

Vox Clara at Stanford is a chapter of Vox Clara, a Christian non-profit dedicated to building a network of Christian organizations on college campuses across the country that produce publications and host speaking events and conferences for college students. This national organization grew out of Vox Clara at Stanford, its first chapter. For more information, please visit www.voxclara.org.

Please submit your work to submissions@voxstanford.org.

Questions | Comments | Sponsor | Get Involved www.voxstanford.org | info@voxstanford.org

The Augustine Project: theaugustineproject.blogspot.com

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

PRESIDENT The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 Last summer I had the chance to participate in a bike ride with International Justice Mission to help raise awareness of human trafficking. The third day of our ride in Alabama influenced the way I looked at the remaining five weeks of the trip and continues to impact me today. We were staying the night in a small church in Moundville. Due to some miscommunication, the church had thought we were going to be arriving the following evening instead, so they had organized a gathering on the next night for us to speak to the community about the issue of modern-day slavery. But unfortunately, we were going to have to wake up early the next morning and bike to another city. Rather than cancel the event, members of the church began a phone chain to let the town of Moundville know that the event would be happening in a couple of hours instead of on the following day. Amidst a downpour and at last-minute’s notice, the town came out to encourage us and to learn about God’s call for us to seek justice for the oppressed. They were a community that was connected in love and support for one another and for others; they were a concrete image of the body of Christ. When we gathered together in the church’s sanctuary, Sean Litton, the director of Field Operations for IJM, shared a story of a young girl that his team had rescued from a brothel she had been held captive in for years. During an undercover investigation, Sean’s team had taken a picture of the girl’s cell. Across the back wall of her cell, the girl had written the first verse of Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (NIV). I was struck when I heard those words. In the face of daily rape and enslavement, this child held on to her faith in God. God heard her prayers, and He stirred within the IJM team the courage and commitment to bring her rescue. After the event ended, the other girls on the ride and I headed to a room in the church to get some sleep. When we walked into the room, the first thing we saw was a painting hanging on the wall. Written on it were the words of Psalm 27:1—the same verse that the young girl had written on her cell. Seeing those words and spending time with the Moundville community made me realize just how connected we are as the children of God. It gave new meaning to my understanding of the passage from Colossians, which says, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion and kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. […] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (NIV 3:11-13). As we begin this new year, I pray that we will clothe ourselves in these virtues and in love, knowing that we do so not as isolated individuals but as part of the dearly loved body of Christ.

C. E. Caruthers President, 2010 - 11

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2

Closing Thoughts

Photo: Tim Wolfe

Thank you for reading Vox Clara. It is our sincere hope that you come away enlightened about aspects of Christianity. Whether you are a skeptic, seeker, or believer, we encourage you to continue exploring the faith. We leave you with these closing thoughts.

True freedom is to be one’s true self, but my true self is made for loving, and loving is self-giving. So in order to be myself, I have to deny myself and give myself. In order, then, to be free, I have to give up my freedom. In order, then, to live, I have to die to my self-centeredness. In order to find myself, I’ve got to lose it. - John Stott Freedom is not the absence of restrictions, it is the presence of the right restrictions. - Timothy Keller

Forum of Christian Thought and Action at Stanford

Vox Clara, Vol. V, Issue 2