CHESTERTON HOUSE:
A CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN STUDIES
"daring to discuss the important and the amusing"
NEWSLETTER #37
SUMMER 2010
The practice of living in intentional Christian community has ancient roots. The early chapters of the Book of Acts, for example, provide a vivid depiction of commitment to community. Today, in a movement sometimes referred to as the "new monasticism," young Christian men and women again are pursuing the rigors and rewards of intentional community living. From ancient to modern times, Christians have believed that relationships forged by common commitment are essential to the work of spiritual growth and service.
Not to be left behind, Cornell students are getting in the game. Along with our Director of Undergraduate Programs Justin McGeary, sixteen young men are now busy assembling bookshelves, bunk beds, and barbeque grills in our ministry's new facility!
Today's Christian communities tend to explain themselves in the language of "spiritual formation," the basic idea of which is that we are shaped or formed not just by what we know (in the narrow sense of information acquisition), but also by what we do and what we love. One impetus behind this recent turn to formation is disenchantment with the narrowness of secular education. As even secular critics such as Harvard's Harry Lewis and Yale's Anthony Kronman lament, the tendency and temptation to reduce education to vocational training has marginalized matters of meaning and morality. Kronman's book is entitled Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life (Yale, 2007).
Of course, marginalizing morality is simpler said than done. As Parker Palmer put it in To Know As We Are Known (Harper & Row, 1966), "even secular education is a covert type of spiritual formation." Physics and philosophy, he says, are "'disciplines' to which our students are asked to 'disciple' themselves. They contain the images of self and the world in which our students are formed." Our views of self and world, he adds, are also shaped by the university's system of rewards and punishments. Another reason for the resurgence of interest in spiritual formation is thus the realization that all forms of education--even secular education--are formative.
In the current issue of the Christian Scholar's Review (theme: "Christian Higher Education as Character Formation"), Perry Glanzer of Baylor University provides a helpful summary of some of the recent literature on this topic, including James Smith's Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker, 2009). Smith, like Palmer, emphasizes that everyday practices are not neutral. Embedded in everyday practices--he employs the mall and the marketplace as examples--are implicit visions of human flourishing and the good life that shape our desires and imagination, often in unhelpful ways. What we need, Glanzer and Smith believe, is a more robust vision of human flourishing in which Christian worship shapes our desires.
The implications of this insight extend beyond the curricular to the extracurricular and co-curricular aspects of university life, which brings us back to our residential initiative. "I'm worried," a student announced at one of our information sessions last year, "that my commitment to the house will compete and conflict with my commitment to my studies." As others nodded in agreement, Justin McGeary responded by articulating the mission and purpose of the house more clearly still. The goal is not to pursue spiritual growth and formation primarily by adding more activities onto already busy schedules, he said, but to create a community where spiritual growth is understood as a 24/7 affair. Everyday practices such as eating and sleeping, cooking and cleaning, are not a mere means toward the end of academic performance but the very context in which we work out our salvation with each other.
This is indeed what we are after at Chesterton House: a Christian living-learning center where young men commit to growing in grace together. To prepare, student residents read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together (Harper & Row, 1954) over the summer. And on the day before classes, guest theologian Ryan O'Dowd led a devotional on Proverbs 4. "Love her," a father says to his son of wisdom, the personification of which hints at other desires that commonly distract young men (See Proverbs 5). Indeed, wisdom is what makes university life whole, uniting the curricular, extracurricular, and co-curricular aspects of student life. Knowledge of God and of the world he has made hold together. Academic life and devotional life thus complement rather than compete with each other. Bonhoeffer's book and O'Dowd's devotional nicely reinforced McGeary's manifesto. McGeary is now living in the house to provide guidance and encouragement to the men as they follow through on the commitments they have made to each other and the Lord.
This is a new chapter in the Chesterton House ministry, and we all have a lot to learn as we set ourselves to the task of thinking Christianly not only about physics and philosophy but also about eating and sleeping--the everyday practices that make use of those bunk beds and barbeque grills we've been building. It is a great privilege to do this work amidst one of the world's finest universities, and we thank you for helping to bring us this far. As always, we covet your prayers and appreciate your ongoing financial support, both of which we depend upon as much as ever. Please read on for many exciting announcements about upcoming speakers and other ministry related business.
Karl E. Johnson
Director
DISTINGUISHED CHEMIST SCHAEFER TO SPEAK
On Wednesday, September 8th, we will be privileged to host distinguished chemist Henry F. Schaefer III. Schaefer is the Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at the University of Georgia. With over 1250 scientific publications, he is one of the most cited chemists in the world. In addition to his public lecture (details here and below), Schaefer's itinerary includes time for meetings with faculty, students, and campus ministers and pastors. (Please note RSVPs are requested for the small group discussions.)
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
People often comment that we manage to do a lot of programming with our fairly modest budget. That is certainly a tribute to our many wonderful volunteers. Now, with the expansion of the ministry, our need for volunteer assistance is greater than ever. Needs include assistance with publicity, hospitality, database management, and library management. If you or anyone you know has the skills to make a large wooden sign for Chesterton House, that is also on our list. And yes, we have already received some help with interior decorating, but thanks to all of you who offered help in this area:)
REMEMBERING FATHER BOB
We are sad to the report the loss of Fr. Robert Smith, a priest and former director with the Cornell Catholic Community. Father Bob was a tremendous intellectual and spiritual (and comic) presence on campus. Bob served on multiple panel discussions for us, and was also a guest during our Friday Conversation series. More importantly, he was a friend and kindred spirit to us at Chesterton House (he once called Chesterton House "the Platonic Form of campus ministry"). We will miss him greatly. A young alumnus has written a nice piece for the Daily Sun, Remembering "Father Bob."
JIM KELLER '84 JOINS BOARD
We are pleased to announce the addition of Jim Keller, Arts & Sciences '84, to the Chesterton House board. Jim is a Senior Managing Director at Cantor, Fitzgerald. A 1988 graduate of Columbia Business School, Keller previously worked for eight years at UBS and 12 years at Citibank. He is a board member of Sinergia, a micro-finance organization in Trujillo, Peru, and the Christian Missionary Society, also in Peru. He lives in Rye, NY with his wife and two children. Jim will be speaking to students during our Friday Conversation on September 10th.
CURW VIDEO
You may recall from a previous newsletter that we had a small part in inviting Cornell President David Skorton and Provost Kent Fuchs to address the role of religion in higher education during an event that also included a number of other panelists. This Religion and Public Life panel, part of Cornell United Religious Work's 80th anniversary celebration, is now posted on the CornellCast website.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION
The literature on Spiritual Formation is vast. Chapter two of Parker Palmer's classic book is entitled "Education as Spiritual Formation," and is worth the price of the book. Biola University now offers a Masters Degree in Spiritual Formation, and publishes a journal entitled Spiritual Formation & Soul Care. The contents and abstracts from the abovementioned issue of the Christian Scholar's Review are available here (we have ordered several additional copies ourselves). Perry Glanzer singles out two institutions he believes are doing a very good job in integrating curricular and extracurricular life with a broad vision toward the formation of students: Calvin College and Messiah College. Those interested in Calvin College's impressive manifesto of Christian education should see "An Engagement with God’s World." Messiah's program, including a link to their Spiritual Formation booklet, can be found here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 7:30 pm
The Worldviews of Great Scientists
Dr. Henry Fritz Schaefer, University of Georgia
Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall
Thursday, October 28, 2010, 7:00 pm
A Way Forward for Dialogue Between Religious and Scientific Communities
Robert & Mabel Beggs Lecture on Science, Spirituality and Society
Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund, Rice University
Sage Chapel
Sponsored by Cornell United Religious Work (CURW)
Saturday, November 13, 2010, 7:00 pm
Title: TBA
Dr. Ryan O'Dowd, Cornell University
Graduate Christian Fellowship Roundtable
Big Red Barn
Friday-Sunday, February 4-6, 2011
Title: TBA
Rev. Dr. Cornelius Plantinga, Calvin Seminary
Institute of Biblical Studies
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Title: TBA
Dr. Ted Davis, Messiah College
Upstate NY Christian Grad/ Faculty Conference
“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so the beginning of love for our brothers and sisters is learning to listen to them.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
http://www.chestertonhouse.org