I feel I am always saying those four words. "I should be reading."
Here's the deal. I'm a graduate student working towards my Master of Arts in Religion. Yay! for me right? Whatever. Not Really. The fact is I am still a graduate student in this era. My advisor informed me that my thesis needed to have some novel premise that was worth writing about. And that's were things go south. I am a part of the most jaded generation that has come about, and I'm only 25. What novelty is left in the world? I'm not saying there is nothing worth seeing or learning, but I am saying there are no true discoveries left to be made.
As a student of religion, I am keenly aware that we are currently in a Reformation Era. Every 500 years the church goes through a reformation that ultimately changes the world. Okay the Western world. Around 500 CE(I am using very approximate dates to make a point. If you want true dates, just ask.) the Council of Nicea met to answer questions that regarded Jesus's birth and the trinity. Around 1000 CE the Eastern Orthodox Church split from the Roman Catholic Church. Shortly after that split the crusades began. Around 1500 CE Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to a door of a church and sparked the split between protestants and catholics. And now around 2000 CE, we are primed for another reformation. The big question is what?
In our society we are arguing over the inclusion of religion in politics, and moving towards a Marxist ideal(much to some chagrin). But is that the reformation that will be remembered? Some say it will be the Emerging Church. "The emerging church is a response to the perceived influence of modernism in Western Christianity. As some sociologists commented on a cultural shift that they believed to correspond to postmodern ways of perceiving reality in the late 20th century, some Christians began to advocate changes within the church in response. These Christians saw the contemporary church as being culturally bound to modernism. They changed their practices to relate to the new cultural situation. Emerging Christians began to challenge the modern church on issues such as: institutional structures, systematic theology, propositional teaching methods, a perceived preoccupation with buildings, an attractional understanding of mission, professional clergy, and a perceived preoccupation with the political process and unhelpful jargon ("Christian-ese")." This is definitely a movement that cannot be ignored.
But is this the novelty that I use for my thesis? While I am a part of this jaded generation, I am also part of the generation that is able to change how the Western world functions for the next 500 years. That's pretty daunting. So for now I trudge on, looking for inspiration, to join the ranks of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and the many others before them.
Is this my calling?
