During our first week we started talking about Spiritual Warfare and the story of Jesus when tempted by Satan while on a 40 day fast. The interesting aspect about our discussion is how Satan uses Bible passages to tempt Jesus and promises to give him all the "kingdoms of the world and their splendor" (Matthew 4:8). Jesus does not fall into the temptation and by the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus has resurrected and is given "all authority...in heaven and on earth" through God (Matthew18). I just found the connection so amusing and rewarding for Jesus. (This is just one example of the many topics we covered in Spiritual warfare.) Later that week we moved into Ephesians and dissected the meaning and understanding of the Armor of God written in Paul's letter in Ephesians 6. If I have learned anything from this semester is that "Context is King," so when looking at the full armor of God, it is just a concluding reinforcement of what he is talking about from Ephesians 1-5. At the tail end of the week we talked a little bit more about the book, Idols for Destruction by Robert Schlossberg in the chapter written about humanity and history. If you have not heard or read this book I would strongly advise it. It is not an easy read but holds a lot of facts about history and the Bible in relation to the current US culture. The book was written a while ago but all of Schlossberg's information still pertains to today.
During week two Diana and Callie departed for the US. Our weekend trip to Ireland was great. There were some minor hick-ups along the way but overall, it was quite enjoyable! By the time they left, our unit of Islam was in full swing as we started learning more about the Islamic culture, the history of Islam, and Shuria Law and what that really entails if we continue to allow parts of the Shuria law creep into US and UK law. We also read the book The War Against Jihadism by George Weigel and have had some discussions with people in Oxford who have been studying Islam and with an Imam, a high priest if Islam. Our interview with Sheik Ramzy (the Imam) was not what I expected. I was hoping that he would be open to our questions about what we had read in the Qur'an and the Hadith (holy texts about the life of Muhammad and is as important in their religion as the Qur'an, this is where the Shuria laws come from), but all the answers we received were very surface level and contradictory. He later gave us some content about Islam and the reasons why they have certain practices. It was not until we read in one of the booklets he gave us about eating pork that I realized how tainted Muslims see Christians/ Western Culture. We are the "infidels" to them and they, according to Qur'an and Hadith writings, will kill us. That sounds harsh, but it is their word from Allah. Since western culture is considered "Christian" their view of Christians is that we are hypocrites and only want to party and "swap wives." (According to their reasoning for not eating pork, people who eat pork will act like pigs. Pigs after a dinner parties will swap wives. According to them Christians do the same. Have you heard of anything so stupid?) It makes me very frustrated to hear that people think that way about Christians, but they are no farther from the truth when they talk about western culture. To them Western culture = Christianity. Not to add anymore about this topic, but what I find even more boggling is why they want to come to the western culture. In Muslim countries, Shuria law and Islam make up the country, yet they want to run away from it? Something does not make sense. Last thing about this topic, after our interview with the Imam, we had a couple days to write our papers and I chose the topic of the role and treatment of women in Islam and Christianity. There are so many examples of this in the Bible, and their Qur'an and Hadtih that I feel like I did not do enough justice for faiths, but the theme throughout the Qur'an and the Hadith is that women are under men and can never be their equal because they do not spend enough time is the mosque because of their monthly periods. In the Bible, however, this is clearly not the case. I will post my paper when I receive feedback from Kevin.
During the third week we started off with Romans 1 and learned about Kevin's dissertation for his PhD. His view of the first chapter of Romans is a little different than how I have interrpeted the chapter but has been a guide for my own discoveries of what is said in the chapter. What I like about Kevin's teaching is he first has us read the chapter and then show us all the connections there are from the Old Testament in what Paul says. The connection with the Old Testament is quite impressive. That week we were also able to have a phone interview with Theodore Dalrymple who wrote Life at the Bottom. We read a couple other essays from him before the interview and had a great time talking to him. Dalrymple (a pen name) is a doctor who writes about his experience with patients of the lower class. What is amazing about his writing is how strongly he holds to keeping morals as a basis to our government system and how important it is to lower the delinquency from society. Dalrymple is an atheist. From all of his experience (20 plus years) he has noticed that the welfare system of the UK has been a stronger culprit of maintaining a lower class than anything. Women will buy into the welfare system because they will get paid to have children. But what do you think the children grow up to becoming? Their parents to love from government welfare. From his experience, it seems like the majorityof his cases end up being a summation of this family cycle. People wanting a better life but not really striving for it because they have free income from the government that defeats their purpose for looking for a job and doing hard work. I could go on and on about this problem, but I think you should read his book or at least look at one of the essays below.
"What the New Atheists Don't See."
"The Frivolity of Evil"
http://www.city-journal.org/During our forth week we started with discussing global warming and all the implications that have to do with what the earth is really doing, what energy is left for people to use and if the price of energy will increase. It was quite a discussion and it did make me think twice about what we hear about how we are going to run out of energy in the near future and the global climate change. Later that week we talked about Matthew 24, and had several interviews with Nick Breiner (alumni to program), Robert Spencer (PIG: Islam and the Crusades), Michael Licona (Apologetic Coordinator at the North American Missions Board), Paul Copan (Christian Theologian in Old Testament Laws), and James Kim (Pioneers Missions). Along with interviews we covered the reliance of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 8-10, a little on the New Age movement, and the debate about Calvinism and Armenianism.
It has been a long journey but well marked. I am going to miss this chapter of my education so very much. But it is not over, nor will it ever be! I have been so equipped with new ways on analyzing the Bible, books to read to furthur my knowledge on the topics we covered, learning about Islam and having such a strong bond with the people on this course with me.
To all who have supported me on my trip, I thank you from the heart. These past four months have gone by too fast and yet the journey of knowledge seems very long. I cannot tell you how much I have changed because I am not the outsider looking in, but what I can say is that I do feel more equipped with my faith and understanding the world that surrounds each one of us. All wonderful things must come to an end until we are in heaven.
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