The other day I was sitting with my friend Jeff Brady in the Christian Ministries building on the IWU campus, and he was reading the Chronicle-Tribune, the premier newspaper of Marion, IN. He read aloud a letter to the editor, and afterwards I decided to write my own letter to the editor in response. Below I have posted both the original letter and my response.
No 'Merry Christmas?' Humbug!
An old issue is about to raise its ugly head again. The un-willingness of many stores to even acknowledge the coming holiday with a "Merry Christmas" displayed on their private business.
Someone somewhere might be offended.
Let me state now: I am a Christian, and I am offended. I am offended, of course, by the term "Merry Xmas" as anyone of intelligence should be.
I am nearly equally offended by silly attempts to avoid the seemingly harmless word "Christmas" and replace it with the generic "Happy holidays" or the confusing "Season's greetings."
I have a simple proposal for all people tired of the annoying and confusing word games. This year, if you believe in Christmas, do your Christmas gift shopping only at stores that have the words "Merry Christmas" displayed unashamedly on their store fronts.
Why spend your Christmas money in a place that does not support the holiday you are celebrating? And have a Merry Christmas.
[I have removed the author’s name from the end of the letter. He resides in Marion, IN.]
Originally published November 18, 2005
This is the letter I have written in response:
Dear Chronicle-Tribune and Grant County readership,
In response to the previous letter to the editor “No ‘Merry Christmas?’ Humbug!” published Nov. 18, 2005:
While we ought not to judge the motives of businesses who post signs using the allegedly blasphemous “Xmas,” we may become a little more tolerant of such practices with the help of some history.
In Greek, the letter X (chi), is the first letter of the word christos (anointed), from which we get the appropriate title of the Lord Jesus—‘Christ.’ This was the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. When Jesus asked his disciples about his identity, we are told in the Gospel of Matthew that Simon Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16, NRSV).
For Jesus’ first followers and also for the earliest Christians, who gave Jesus of Nazareth the title Christ, they were calling him anointed, Messiah, king; declaring him to be the savior of God’s people.
The two Greek letters XP (chi-rho) were the first two letters of christos, and became a monogram of Christ. It was one of the earliest Christian symbols for the faithful under persecution.
Later on in the church’s history, many writers, for the sake of saving space in manuscripts, would abbreviate the Lord’s name with many different monograms, including: XP, XC, X, IC, IX, and IXC.
So X has been a symbol of ‘Christ’ for a very long time. Abbreviations other than Xmas (for Christmas) include Xian and Xianity (for Christian and Christianity). As a good example of orthodox modern usage by Christians, Duke Divinity School lists its Christian theology courses under the abbreviation XTIANTHE.
Thus regardless of business motives, Xmas is not a debasing of Christ by replacing his name with an X, but rather an historical abbreviation of his name fully acceptable by orthodoxy.
And is there really anything that terrible about “Season’s Greetings,” or “Happy Holidays?” Have we not become more sensitive to people of other faiths, as we should, recognizing that not all celebrate Christmas? By all means, let us use “Merry Christmas” as we please, but let us not scorn those who do not.
Besides, albeit sad to some, we can no longer presume that when most people think of Christmas, they think of the coming of God’s Son in the flesh for our salvation.
Peace to you this Christmas and Holiday Season,
Scott David Hendricks
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Emily Dickinson Writing Assignment
This is a writing assignment I did for my World Literature class. We had to choose an Emily Dickinson poem and write a reflection on it:
1768.
Lad of Athens, faithful be
To Thyself,
And Mystery—
All the rest is Perjury—
Part 1
As I was browsing the online database of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, I saw only the first line to this poem, and clicked on the link to it—because I consider myself a student; not just someone who goes to school, but someone who is eager to learn (the meaning of the Latin root of the word student, studere, means “to be eager for”). I took “Lad of Athens . . .” to refer to the student, as historically Athens was known as a center of learning and philosophy. Indeed it is the place whence “Western civilization” has its origin. It is probably also worth mention that the name Athens (Gk Athenai, Lat. Athenae) was named after Athena, goddess of war and, especially pertinent here, wisdom. We also recall the famous quote of the church father Tertullian, “What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?” He was emphasizing the irrelevance of the pagan Academy (which had its origins in Athens) to the Church.
I chose this poem not only because I am a student, but also because it speaks of the virtue of honesty, which is a large issue for any who studies—to set aside one’s bias for the sake of truth. This is especially a crucial issue for the Christian academic, as we must avoid the compartmentalization of truth into separate cubicles of “our faith” and “general truth.”
This poem’s major theme is the student’s constant duty to be honest—with himself and with mystery. This faithfulness to mystery could mean many things. It may refer to the learner’s responsibility to seek knowledge of the unknown. On the other hand, it may refer to the necessity of humility—the student’s duty to recognize the limitations of his human capacity; that there will always be more to know; that we can never stop learning. The reader may also interpret ‘Mystery’ to refer to God, but to me that seems a desperate attempt for the poem to be spiritual, forsaking the immediate context of ‘Athens.’
Here is my reading: Student, be honest with yourself. Earnestly seek to understand that which you do not, while simultaneously realizing that there is no pinnacle to be attained; be humbled by the notion that much will remain unknown to you. Outside of these you lie to yourself. Do not turn a blind eye to truth that hurts, or that you do not understand. Examine everything to receive what is true, but never let your knowledge be frozen, for what is to be known is infinite and you are not.
Part 2
Lately I have been in discussion with friends and professors, and am also considering writing a book on the place of truth in the Christian’s faith. I have come to a realization over the past year that the world is not as black and white as I thought it was, and as for those “moral relativists,” well—I have become one of them (with good scriptural defense; Paul was one, see discussions on eating meat sacrificed to idols in Romans or 1 Corinthians). After my first year of college there remains not so much that is universal.
And so, for the Christian scholar, it can be frightful to study the origins of one’s faith, examining outside influences and inconsistencies, while still trying to remain faithful to what we think to be our religion. For example, my friend Dusty is taking Religions of the World right now, and is very interested in the development of the doctrine of hell. If it was not a part of Jewish thought until after the exile, when it was integrated by the Jews from a foreign religion, then how do we still believe in its legitimacy? These are the kinds of things that make this faith of ours into a frayed rope, Dusty says, and we have many loose ends. It seems that people either hang on to that frayed rope so tightly that it cuts their hands, or they coat it with rubber so that it’s easier to hold onto, ignoring the frayed ends. We have a problem. If we really believe that our faith is true, then we must believe it is so. We cannot divide truth into boxes of “Christian truth” and “secular truth” if the facts found in both boxes happen to be so.
From the wisdom of many professors who have dealt with this very issue, I have gleaned the one thing that I can be sure of even if the Scriptures were proved to be false—the creeds. I can say, if all else fails, that Christ was born, Christ was crucified, dead, buried; Christ is risen, Christ will come again. These are the main tenets of my faith, and to them I can cling no matter what.
So the academic virtue of honesty, and thus avoidance of denial, has become very real to me over the past few months. I may come across things in my studies that do not fit well with all I have been brought up to believe. However, if I deny these things, or even worse ignore them all together and choose not to deal with them at all, I become a liar to those outside my faith; one who is not willing to be honest, one who commits perjury.
1768.
Lad of Athens, faithful be
To Thyself,
And Mystery—
All the rest is Perjury—
Part 1
As I was browsing the online database of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, I saw only the first line to this poem, and clicked on the link to it—because I consider myself a student; not just someone who goes to school, but someone who is eager to learn (the meaning of the Latin root of the word student, studere, means “to be eager for”). I took “Lad of Athens . . .” to refer to the student, as historically Athens was known as a center of learning and philosophy. Indeed it is the place whence “Western civilization” has its origin. It is probably also worth mention that the name Athens (Gk Athenai, Lat. Athenae) was named after Athena, goddess of war and, especially pertinent here, wisdom. We also recall the famous quote of the church father Tertullian, “What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?” He was emphasizing the irrelevance of the pagan Academy (which had its origins in Athens) to the Church.
I chose this poem not only because I am a student, but also because it speaks of the virtue of honesty, which is a large issue for any who studies—to set aside one’s bias for the sake of truth. This is especially a crucial issue for the Christian academic, as we must avoid the compartmentalization of truth into separate cubicles of “our faith” and “general truth.”
This poem’s major theme is the student’s constant duty to be honest—with himself and with mystery. This faithfulness to mystery could mean many things. It may refer to the learner’s responsibility to seek knowledge of the unknown. On the other hand, it may refer to the necessity of humility—the student’s duty to recognize the limitations of his human capacity; that there will always be more to know; that we can never stop learning. The reader may also interpret ‘Mystery’ to refer to God, but to me that seems a desperate attempt for the poem to be spiritual, forsaking the immediate context of ‘Athens.’
Here is my reading: Student, be honest with yourself. Earnestly seek to understand that which you do not, while simultaneously realizing that there is no pinnacle to be attained; be humbled by the notion that much will remain unknown to you. Outside of these you lie to yourself. Do not turn a blind eye to truth that hurts, or that you do not understand. Examine everything to receive what is true, but never let your knowledge be frozen, for what is to be known is infinite and you are not.
Part 2
Lately I have been in discussion with friends and professors, and am also considering writing a book on the place of truth in the Christian’s faith. I have come to a realization over the past year that the world is not as black and white as I thought it was, and as for those “moral relativists,” well—I have become one of them (with good scriptural defense; Paul was one, see discussions on eating meat sacrificed to idols in Romans or 1 Corinthians). After my first year of college there remains not so much that is universal.
And so, for the Christian scholar, it can be frightful to study the origins of one’s faith, examining outside influences and inconsistencies, while still trying to remain faithful to what we think to be our religion. For example, my friend Dusty is taking Religions of the World right now, and is very interested in the development of the doctrine of hell. If it was not a part of Jewish thought until after the exile, when it was integrated by the Jews from a foreign religion, then how do we still believe in its legitimacy? These are the kinds of things that make this faith of ours into a frayed rope, Dusty says, and we have many loose ends. It seems that people either hang on to that frayed rope so tightly that it cuts their hands, or they coat it with rubber so that it’s easier to hold onto, ignoring the frayed ends. We have a problem. If we really believe that our faith is true, then we must believe it is so. We cannot divide truth into boxes of “Christian truth” and “secular truth” if the facts found in both boxes happen to be so.
From the wisdom of many professors who have dealt with this very issue, I have gleaned the one thing that I can be sure of even if the Scriptures were proved to be false—the creeds. I can say, if all else fails, that Christ was born, Christ was crucified, dead, buried; Christ is risen, Christ will come again. These are the main tenets of my faith, and to them I can cling no matter what.
So the academic virtue of honesty, and thus avoidance of denial, has become very real to me over the past few months. I may come across things in my studies that do not fit well with all I have been brought up to believe. However, if I deny these things, or even worse ignore them all together and choose not to deal with them at all, I become a liar to those outside my faith; one who is not willing to be honest, one who commits perjury.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Emily Dickinson, 193
Today in World Literature class were reading Emily Dickinson, and this is one of the poems we read. I really appreciated it, so I thought I would post it here:
193
I shall know why—when Time is over—
And I have ceased to wonder why—
Christ will explain each separate anguish
In the fair schoolroom of the sky—
He will tell me what "Peter" promised—
And I—for wonder at his woe—
I shall forget the drop of Anguish
That scalds me now—that scalds me now!
193
I shall know why—when Time is over—
And I have ceased to wonder why—
Christ will explain each separate anguish
In the fair schoolroom of the sky—
He will tell me what "Peter" promised—
And I—for wonder at his woe—
I shall forget the drop of Anguish
That scalds me now—that scalds me now!
Like Children
Today I did some catching up with my good friend Bob Stewart from Kalamazoo, and after our conversation I read his blog. I came across this journal entry, and I liked it so much that I asked him if I could post it here. With his permission, here it is:
So, today I was riding the bus home from school, and I saw this little kid he was just kind of dancing around while his dad was taking out the garbage. Looking at the kid I thought wouldn’t be neat if we were all like children. Just free to dance around as we pleased, and then I looked and the kid had picked up a rock and thrown it at a moving car, and i thought to myself, wow maybe we are like children after all.
So, today I was riding the bus home from school, and I saw this little kid he was just kind of dancing around while his dad was taking out the garbage. Looking at the kid I thought wouldn’t be neat if we were all like children. Just free to dance around as we pleased, and then I looked and the kid had picked up a rock and thrown it at a moving car, and i thought to myself, wow maybe we are like children after all.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Why I Love IWU
As a response to those who, after reading my last post, may be wondering if I am enjoying IWU, if I want to be here, or if I have become cynical, I thought I would blog about why I love this school.
Indiana Wesleyan University is first of all wonderful because of its Christian atmosphere. I mean this: one is constantly surrounded by Christians, which can foster a great amount of spiritual edification if one is willing to open him/herself up to others. I am also constantly reminded of my Christian responsibility.
Another reason I love IWU is for its size. It is a small school, with only 2900 students living on campus this year. Although there are plans to grow, the sheer ratio of students to faculty allows opportunity for students to get to know their professors personally. For me this has been one of the best benefits of my college career thus far; I am so very thankful for how much time Dr. Bounds and Dr. Schenck have been willing to invest in me already. I look forward to 2.75 wonderful years to come.
Not only am I privileged to often chat with Dr. Schenck and be mentored by Dr. Bounds, but I have also been given the great privilege of beginning some translation of Latin patristic text for Dr. David Riggs in the History Dept. What I will be helping him translate will likely be published! I am looking forward to this very much. Had I not come to IWU, I perhaps may have never had this great opportunity.
I cherish the close friendships that have more recently been developing in my life, especially with Jacob Hogan and Dusty Fecht, not forgetting my sister Sharon and Burke Sullivan (whom I intend to spend more time with). I have really grown to love these people, and to me they are like family.
I love the classes I am taking, and am going to take. Knowing all the classes I will be taking in the future, I am excited about each one of them, especially those in Theology and Ancient Languages.
I don’t really have much time to go on, and on, and on. I love college. Don’t be deceived by my previous post, which was meant to be more humorous, but perhaps came out cynical.
Indiana Wesleyan University is first of all wonderful because of its Christian atmosphere. I mean this: one is constantly surrounded by Christians, which can foster a great amount of spiritual edification if one is willing to open him/herself up to others. I am also constantly reminded of my Christian responsibility.
Another reason I love IWU is for its size. It is a small school, with only 2900 students living on campus this year. Although there are plans to grow, the sheer ratio of students to faculty allows opportunity for students to get to know their professors personally. For me this has been one of the best benefits of my college career thus far; I am so very thankful for how much time Dr. Bounds and Dr. Schenck have been willing to invest in me already. I look forward to 2.75 wonderful years to come.
Not only am I privileged to often chat with Dr. Schenck and be mentored by Dr. Bounds, but I have also been given the great privilege of beginning some translation of Latin patristic text for Dr. David Riggs in the History Dept. What I will be helping him translate will likely be published! I am looking forward to this very much. Had I not come to IWU, I perhaps may have never had this great opportunity.
I cherish the close friendships that have more recently been developing in my life, especially with Jacob Hogan and Dusty Fecht, not forgetting my sister Sharon and Burke Sullivan (whom I intend to spend more time with). I have really grown to love these people, and to me they are like family.
I love the classes I am taking, and am going to take. Knowing all the classes I will be taking in the future, I am excited about each one of them, especially those in Theology and Ancient Languages.
I don’t really have much time to go on, and on, and on. I love college. Don’t be deceived by my previous post, which was meant to be more humorous, but perhaps came out cynical.
Monday, October 03, 2005
My Sister Is Amazing
A few weeks ago my sister had her audition for the IWU orchestra. At the end of the audition she was offered a four-year $1500 scholarship, with the stipulation that she take private lessons, play in the string quartet, and be the principal cellist in the orchestra. This is a blessing as Sharon was not planning on taking private lessons, because we could not afford it.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
A Belated Update
First of all I must apologize to anyone who may choose to read this for not posting for about three weeks straight. School has been busier than expected, and work more copious. I should be lucky to have even two or three people ever return to this blog.
In one sense, all of my classes are as I expected, for I do enjoy all of them, and the one about which I was slightly skeptical has turned out to be quite thought-provoking and one of my favorite topics of discussion.
In another sense my schoolwork is different than I expected. Although I knew this semester would involve a lot of work, I did not anticipate the huge chunk of time it would use of my schedule. I want to work really hard at my classes, especially at Latin and Hebrew, since the faculty of these languages is something I desire to maintain for the rest of my life. This last week I came to the realization that I will not be able to spend equal time with my studies and friends; I will have to spend more time studying than socializing. Instead of a 50/50 balance, it will have to be something like 70/30 or 80/20. For me this was a harsh understanding to come to.
If I need your prayers for anything, it is for diligence in study and increased ability in time management. These are my biggest hurdles right now. However I thank God for these challenges, because I know they will bring me into maturity.
Before the beginning of the semester I asked Dr. Chris Bounds, Professor of Theology, if he would be willing to mentor me this Fall Semester. I have met with him three or four times so far, and words cannot express the value of his willingness to invest in me. He has been such a good listener and advisor, and has not been afraid to truly keep me accountable. He seems to know the best way to respond to people where they are. Each time I have met with him I have learned something new.
There is much more to be related, but for the sake of proper and proportionate thought, I will include any other updates in the next few entries.
In one sense, all of my classes are as I expected, for I do enjoy all of them, and the one about which I was slightly skeptical has turned out to be quite thought-provoking and one of my favorite topics of discussion.
In another sense my schoolwork is different than I expected. Although I knew this semester would involve a lot of work, I did not anticipate the huge chunk of time it would use of my schedule. I want to work really hard at my classes, especially at Latin and Hebrew, since the faculty of these languages is something I desire to maintain for the rest of my life. This last week I came to the realization that I will not be able to spend equal time with my studies and friends; I will have to spend more time studying than socializing. Instead of a 50/50 balance, it will have to be something like 70/30 or 80/20. For me this was a harsh understanding to come to.
If I need your prayers for anything, it is for diligence in study and increased ability in time management. These are my biggest hurdles right now. However I thank God for these challenges, because I know they will bring me into maturity.
Before the beginning of the semester I asked Dr. Chris Bounds, Professor of Theology, if he would be willing to mentor me this Fall Semester. I have met with him three or four times so far, and words cannot express the value of his willingness to invest in me. He has been such a good listener and advisor, and has not been afraid to truly keep me accountable. He seems to know the best way to respond to people where they are. Each time I have met with him I have learned something new.
There is much more to be related, but for the sake of proper and proportionate thought, I will include any other updates in the next few entries.
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