Chapel and Convocation, Spring 2009 Summary
Chapel is an opportunity for the Gordon community to gather in worship; Convocation is a time to engage important—and sometimes difficult—issues of the day within the framework of Christian faith. Communication Arts major Danielle Zorn '09 wrote reviews of this semester's presentations, a selection of which are listed here. Each review links to an audio version available of Gordon's iTunesU site.
The Word of God
Dean of Chapel Greg Carmer addressed themes in the book of Jeremiah, describing the prophet Jeremiah's hopeful obedience (Jeremiah 32); King Jehoakim's arrogant rejection (Jeremiah 36); and King Zedekiah's anxious neglect (Jeremiah 37) as examples of various reactions to God's word. Carmer challenged students, faculty and staff to consider how they will respond to God's word. "Know there is a word of God that has the same goodness and hospitality that called us into existence," he concluded. Listen to Carmer's full address…
Orthodoxy and Evangelical Renewal
Speaking more than 400 times at various colleges and cathedrals, Frederica Mathewes-Green has added Gordon College to her list. Mathewes-Green, author of eight books, shared impediments that affect Christians when they talk about God. She stressed the importance of both the head and the heart, which cannot be separated. Listen to Mathewes-Green's full address…
Making Jesus Translatable
Paul Borthwick, adjunct professor of missions, works to open windows and doors to the Church across the globe. "Our God communicates, and wants to speak to you and me," Borthwick says. The starting point of loving God's Word is loving the living Word—Jesus—who takes you back to the written Word. "If we understand the Word that came down—so as to be understood," Borthwick says, "then Jesus makes God translatable." Listen to Borthwick's full address…
Addition + Subtraction = Lessons from Scripture
Dr. David Mathewson, assistant professor of biblical and theological studies at Gordon, spoke on the warning at the end of the book of Revelation never to add to or subtract from Scripture. He posed the question for his listeners: Are you guilty? Mathewson reminded us to watch out for "something else [being] at the center of our focus—we think we can divide our allegiance." Divided loyalty can diminish the authority of Scripture in our lives—effectively "adding" and "subtracting" from the Word. Listen to Mathewson's full address…
Orphans, Pharisees and Children of God
Laurie Truschel, director of student ministries at Gordon, said that one of her favorite quotes is from Jack Miller, the founding pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in the Philadelphia area: "Cheer up. You are worse off than you think you are. But cheer up, God's grace is a lot bigger than you think it is." Christ takes our burdens willingly, then we forget that we're free. "We then take up more burdens," Truschel said. "But as we grow in Christ the cross is bigger, and we grow smaller." Listen to Truschel's full address...
Heaven in a Nightclub
Who knew a white professor of apologetics from a suburban seminary could pound the keys to create great jazz? But Dr. William Edgar of Westminster Theological Seminary provided a compelling history of jazz, alternating between lecture and piano examples to explain the development of the uniquely American musical form. Exploring each of what he called the "rivers that fed into the creation of jazz"—spirituals, minstrel, ragtime, marching bands and blues—Edgar noted the theology and biblical images evident in each. "Jazz is a music of swing; it's a call and response," Edgar said. "But it has to tell a story. It's the narrative that moves from deep misery to inexplicable joy." Listen to his talk and performance...
Welcoming the Alien, Alienating the Resident
John Skillen, professor of English and director of the Gordon in Orvieto program, opened the semester's convocation series: Resident Aliens: Public Life and Personal Faith. Skillen held up his official identification card, which notes his legal status as a resident alien in Italy, yet said he still relates to the alien part of it. "Even though I get calls from the mayor asking my help with his English," Skillen said, "I still feel like a stranger there as I feel the kindness and hospitality shown to strangers." Listen to the full address…
A Proposal for Health Care Reform
Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor at ABC News, has been seen on 20/20, Good Morning America, Nightline, and, recently, at Gordon College. "One third of what we [Americans] spend on health care is unwise and unproductive," Johnson said. "America spends $2.6 trillion on health care, and there are still 100,000 people dying due to medical errors." Johnson proposes improving primary care, providing comparative data, and more. Listen to Johnson's talk "Health Care Reform" on iTunes....
Islam, Christianity and the War on Terror
Public intellectual and acclaimed author Dinesh D'Souza, former Reagan White House public policy analyst, shared his thoughts on how our popular culture is wrongly perceived in other countries and we need to "show them the other America . . . hard working, family values, and church on Sunday." Listen to D'Souza's full address…
Jesus' Humanity in Context
What was the cultural setting in which Jesus and his apostles learned the Jewish teachings and scriptures? Dr. David M. Gordis, President Emeritus of Hebrew College, founding Director of the National Center on Jewish Policy Studies and founder of the Interreligious Center on public Life, spoke on this subject during Convocation on Feb. 13. Studying the context of Jesus' time allows us to see "the humanity of Jesus, his community, and culture," said Gordis. Gordis focused on answering three questions: What was the informing climate in Palestine? What was the content being studied? And what was the mode of study? Listen to Rabbi Gordis' full address…