As days go on and I spend more time here at Taylor University, I discover more about myself. Over the years, I have discovered more and more of how I hate injustice. See we "follow" this thing here at Taylor University called the LTC. The way that this covenant works is that we are living in a community where we hold each other accountable and call each other out. We are supposed to follow the rules, but we are supposed to confront one another. We are supposed to call each other out in truth in love. We are supposed to go directly to the person before going to a higher authority (you know, like the Bible tells us to).
However, as I have been here, I have seen nothing but the LTC being skewed and used in improper ways. I have seen hall directors lose sight of Christ and become more legalistic in their thinking. This ruins the whole purpose of the LTC...the LTC is not some legalistic document that was created to keep rules, but it is a CHRIST CENTERED document in order for us to build a better community. A community that is focused solely on Christ.
If this is the case, then why do we keep doing what we are doing? Why are we not calling out the administrators, hall directors, and leaders of our campus? Why is it that when we do call them out, they just neglect the fact that they are not upholding this document? The truth is, we do not look at all things in the same light. We weigh things higher than others...this is real Christ-like...OH WAIT, no it's not. Oh and when rumors are going around about someone doing something, we go to authority...way to go community. Oh and when we take those rumors and don't hear what people have to say...that is real Christian. Those rumors...that's considered gossip...that's against the LTC as well, but drinking is higher than gossip, so we shouldn't call each other out.
I look through this system again and again and see the same people abusing it. My question is, why are those people in authority? Why aren't people helping them out by calling them out? Thank you Taylor University for yet again showing your incredible intentional community and love for Christ. I wonder why everyone in this town doesn't want to be a Christian after seeing how much we live for Christ...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Global Engagement, Relentless Discovery, Intentional Community
Time and time again, I am reminded by different members of the Taylor Community that, "Taylor is a business." This is true, Taylor is a business and I am okay with that, but where does Christ come in that? We as a business should not only be a business, but a Christian business. I know that you are thinking to yourself, but Annie...there is no such thing as a Christian business! However, I am going to have to disagree with you there. There can be and there is such thing as a Christian business. And if we are not it, then we need to take Christ's label off of our liberal arts school and just be a liberal arts school. If we are not set apart from the world, then we need to take the Christ stamp off of us because it is not right to our Lord and Savior to declare his name when we are not living in his way.
I am not saying that we always have to be perfect because in no way, shape, or form are we ever going to be perfect. What I am saying is that if we are going to do this, then let's do it right. We declare that we are a school of global engagement, relentless discovery, and intentional community, but let's look more into this.
Global engagement...this means the world. We are great with sending out trips to other countries, providing Bible translations, and being engaged "globally." However, since when does global disregard community in our backyards? Last time I checked, the world includes Upland, Indiana. We get involved as a community...once a year...and it's required. Great. We help out with the Red Barn, Bassycs, and youth groups. Awesome, that needs to be done. However, where is the rest of the engagement? We are tearing down houses and becoming more exclusive. We are taking away from the economics of the community and not only that, but making our community "so intentional" that we are completely ignoring the community around us. Where's Christ in that? We go all the way to Marion to get simple groceries that we could get at the local grocery store. If we go to the one that is actually in Upland, we are keeping the dollar in the community and building up the community we live in. We spend more time trash talking and making fun of the people who serve this community rather than getting to know their stories. Where's the engagement people?
Next on the list, we have relentless discovery. When looking at these two words in the dictionary, the ending definition would be going at full speed to really push yourself and to learn and understand more. This I bring back to the community of Upland and also to the housing issue of next year. First of all, with the community, how are we pushing relentless discovery? How are we learning more and pushing ourselves more if we aren't even getting out into this community? There are some sweet people in this community who will push our thinking and our "discovery" so much deeper by having conversations and interactions on a regular basis. However, we are not promoting this community interaction with all this new construction of the new apartments and dorms. We are keeping our students out of this community. We are keeping ourselves from learning from this community and understanding this community. Not only that, but by not letting our students living on their own, how are we pushing them to grow? We are stunting their growth if anything. We are keeping them sheltered all through their college career and then throwing them out into the real world. Whereas with off campus houses and letting them actually live on their own, we are encouraging them to learn more. We are helping them to understand bills, groceries, and preparing them to get out in the world. Is this not what we are supposed to be doing? Are we not saying that it is our goal to push students to learn more and to understand more on their own?
Then we come to this whole idea of intentional community. Taylor does have a community and a good one at that, but our community is not as great as we promote it to be. Let's be real, there is no such thing as a perfect community, but we should be striving for that. In striving for that, we should be pushing each other, we should be challenging each other. We should not be afraid to step on each others toes, but instead we should be pushing ourselves to push each other. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a fellow student about some students who got kicked out for drinking and driving. Yes, they were in the wrong for what they were doing, but if we are living in this "intentional" community, can we also take some of the blame for this? Think about it this way, how many times have you watched someone in Taylor's community bring danger to themselves and said nothing? How many times have you stepped in and actually been a brother or sister in Christ? So often we either stand by and say nothing or we take it straight to authority. If the person is in danger, there is nothing wrong with taking it to authority, but if it is taken to authority before actually talking to the person...then that is not intentional community. Why are we so shocked that people don't want to talk about their faults? Why are we so shocked that people get kicked out? Why are we so shocked that people continue to do stupid things? Why are we so shocked when it is just as much our problem as it is theirs? We are called to live in intentional community. Not only that, but intentional community under Christ Jesus.
Reading through again, it seems as though I have only trashed our school. However, this is not me trashing Taylor University. It is my home and it is my school. I do take pride in it and I do love it and that is why I am calling it out. I am calling everyone (including myself) out to really look into what we are standing for. We need to recheck ourselves and see what we are really living for. We call ourselves Christians, we are called out and we are set apart from this world, well let's prove it. Let's prove it to the world, to Upland, in our thinking and learning, and then to our actual Taylor community. Quit being so freaking comfortable and step out.
As we think about this and ponder think about this quote about servant leaders (which we so often as a Taylor community declare to be):
"True servant leaders are those who are prepared to take the initiative. But before embarking on a course of action, they listen to God and to the voices around them in order to determine what God requires of them."
Roger Greenleaf
So what does God have planned for us at Taylor University?
I am not saying that we always have to be perfect because in no way, shape, or form are we ever going to be perfect. What I am saying is that if we are going to do this, then let's do it right. We declare that we are a school of global engagement, relentless discovery, and intentional community, but let's look more into this.
Global engagement...this means the world. We are great with sending out trips to other countries, providing Bible translations, and being engaged "globally." However, since when does global disregard community in our backyards? Last time I checked, the world includes Upland, Indiana. We get involved as a community...once a year...and it's required. Great. We help out with the Red Barn, Bassycs, and youth groups. Awesome, that needs to be done. However, where is the rest of the engagement? We are tearing down houses and becoming more exclusive. We are taking away from the economics of the community and not only that, but making our community "so intentional" that we are completely ignoring the community around us. Where's Christ in that? We go all the way to Marion to get simple groceries that we could get at the local grocery store. If we go to the one that is actually in Upland, we are keeping the dollar in the community and building up the community we live in. We spend more time trash talking and making fun of the people who serve this community rather than getting to know their stories. Where's the engagement people?
Next on the list, we have relentless discovery. When looking at these two words in the dictionary, the ending definition would be going at full speed to really push yourself and to learn and understand more. This I bring back to the community of Upland and also to the housing issue of next year. First of all, with the community, how are we pushing relentless discovery? How are we learning more and pushing ourselves more if we aren't even getting out into this community? There are some sweet people in this community who will push our thinking and our "discovery" so much deeper by having conversations and interactions on a regular basis. However, we are not promoting this community interaction with all this new construction of the new apartments and dorms. We are keeping our students out of this community. We are keeping ourselves from learning from this community and understanding this community. Not only that, but by not letting our students living on their own, how are we pushing them to grow? We are stunting their growth if anything. We are keeping them sheltered all through their college career and then throwing them out into the real world. Whereas with off campus houses and letting them actually live on their own, we are encouraging them to learn more. We are helping them to understand bills, groceries, and preparing them to get out in the world. Is this not what we are supposed to be doing? Are we not saying that it is our goal to push students to learn more and to understand more on their own?
Then we come to this whole idea of intentional community. Taylor does have a community and a good one at that, but our community is not as great as we promote it to be. Let's be real, there is no such thing as a perfect community, but we should be striving for that. In striving for that, we should be pushing each other, we should be challenging each other. We should not be afraid to step on each others toes, but instead we should be pushing ourselves to push each other. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a fellow student about some students who got kicked out for drinking and driving. Yes, they were in the wrong for what they were doing, but if we are living in this "intentional" community, can we also take some of the blame for this? Think about it this way, how many times have you watched someone in Taylor's community bring danger to themselves and said nothing? How many times have you stepped in and actually been a brother or sister in Christ? So often we either stand by and say nothing or we take it straight to authority. If the person is in danger, there is nothing wrong with taking it to authority, but if it is taken to authority before actually talking to the person...then that is not intentional community. Why are we so shocked that people don't want to talk about their faults? Why are we so shocked that people get kicked out? Why are we so shocked that people continue to do stupid things? Why are we so shocked when it is just as much our problem as it is theirs? We are called to live in intentional community. Not only that, but intentional community under Christ Jesus.
Reading through again, it seems as though I have only trashed our school. However, this is not me trashing Taylor University. It is my home and it is my school. I do take pride in it and I do love it and that is why I am calling it out. I am calling everyone (including myself) out to really look into what we are standing for. We need to recheck ourselves and see what we are really living for. We call ourselves Christians, we are called out and we are set apart from this world, well let's prove it. Let's prove it to the world, to Upland, in our thinking and learning, and then to our actual Taylor community. Quit being so freaking comfortable and step out.
As we think about this and ponder think about this quote about servant leaders (which we so often as a Taylor community declare to be):
"True servant leaders are those who are prepared to take the initiative. But before embarking on a course of action, they listen to God and to the voices around them in order to determine what God requires of them."
Roger Greenleaf
So what does God have planned for us at Taylor University?
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