Thursday, December 21, 2006

A question for my generation in purpose and intent

I feel so disillusioned by my generation and appreciative at the same time.

Before I went to college I lived in a defined world.
Dr. Dobson defined right and wrong for me through my parent's instruction. PG-13 and R movies were bad, G and PG were good. Drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex were bad, church youth group, mission trips, and church social functions were good. I always kept my room spit spot, and obeyed my parents all of the time (I really did). I had a job to pay for my expenses, and I dressed over-modestly almost prudish. I exercised, tried not to be sedate and lazy, and I read my bible and listened to worship music only. I bought a Backstreet boy's CD once and returned it because I thought it was bad because it sang about girls and not God.
I loved the bubble or definition. I loved the bar of right and wrong; it was comfortable, secure, sure, and backed by the books I read by AW Tozer, John Eldridge, Beth Moore, and what I heard my parents talk with me about.

I went to college, Biola, a christian college, and I heard the word "postmodern" which is a breakdown of all defined truth so the furthest application of this definition is that there is no truth?!

I was a shocked little freshman and I could not understand the supposed hypocritical practices around me, excessive flirts in miniskirts making out all night long, people who flung Jesus' name around with the word love and best friend without a concept of the Holy I AM. I was appalled and more and more I let this loose cynicism into my heart to begin breaking all of my definitions.

As an English major that is what I spent 99% of my time doing, redefining what was established and true in each text. Nothing was as it appeared.

I met Patrick, I read Blue like Jazz, I think and think and re-think and have spiritual discussions, I go to a progressive church, I went to more English classes, I read, I thought, I studied and now...I am a convert. There seems to be nothing left of the definitions that once governed me and it seems there is a question to be posed for everything. A shift has occurred in modern religion that will begin only with those in their low 20's and the teens. Donald Miller, Rob Bell, and a few other writers of the older generation were ahead of their time breaking ground for this new era of faith.

I promise I'm not a crazy and ambitious philosopher, but look around. I spend time with the high school...I hear the questions that they ask and the conventions that they question, that they cannot even conceive of defined truth in some respects, they question every "universal biblical truth" presented in a Sunday feel good sermon yearning for more that is God inspired and applicable to genuine, deep, authentic and effective faith in a Holy God.

I am a product of this. It is my generation, and I am feeling lost without the rules of defined right and wrong to hold me up. I know that faith is believing, but can we put faith in old definitions which to us often seem a contradiction and accept them just because they are taught? I cannot do this, but I am on a forever pursuit to learn more about an undefinable and unfathomable God, I AM who in giving his name allowed not even that to be understood.

I'm struggling though. I used to feel so close because I defined my god based on my understanding of Him and there he stayed in a close little package according to my belief and I never allowed myself to be blown away by His unfathomability. Now, how do I reunite and maintain closeness with an undefined Almighty?

2 comments:

Megs said...

ooh noel! oh my gosh! this! THIS is amazing. It's a blessing to know you. That doesn't even say it good enough. Your words. Your heart. My heart. I neeeed conversation. My heart needs a person like you right now to talk with. I haven't have a conversation about anything like this in 5 months.

Patrick said...

It is kind of funny to me when I hear churches and other christians talk about how postmodernity is the abscence of truth-- actually, that would be nihilism. I just imagine that most people like that are afraid to aknowledge that someone might find truth in queer theory, or post-structuralism (finding truth in the blank spaces of texts), or in texts outside of the bible. I know, I know, it is a scary situation.
See you in 7 days