Carrie Tignanelli

            Honors is about more then just learning in the classroom.  Throughout the year we have had several learning opportunities that go beyond classroom lectures and reading textbooks.  Several of these opportunities were lectures given by guest professors.  We also went to discussions with other faculty and students to talk about the book of the year.  Most recently we did something a little bit different.   Every year our chapel choir, Jubilate, does an Easter vespers service.  Throughout the service Jubilate preforms various styles of music.  This year they did everything from traditional chant style to an upbeat worship song complete with dancing.  I love the vespers service because it is a wonderful way to go into Holy Week with a preview of how it is going to end.  As we celebrate the joy of Easter it makes the darkness of Good Friday all the more meaningful as we remember that we can only sing and dance God's praises because our relationship to him was restored on Good Friday. 

            In honors we learn about inter disciplinarian studies.  We can learn through all mediums not just through a lecture or readings.  The arts, music included, are important to having a well-rounded education.  I find that some ideas are more easily communicated through music then through spoken words.  Last year, during my honors internship with an organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults with autism, I saw just how powerful music can be as I taught music to a group of autistic adults.  I was able to communicate ideas and emotions to people who had little or no use of spoken language. 

            I think the memory that I will personally hold from this year's Jubilate Vespers service was the dancing.  During one song the choir preformed two of the Choir members danced a duet, which beautifully illustrated the song.  I loved the addition of another art from into the program.  In another piece the entire choir danced and encouraged the congregation to dance right along with them.  It was a nice change from the stiffness that is too often associated with worship services.  I think it helped to remind us that worshiping is an active thing not a passive one.  The use of not only music but also dancing was a lovely way to communicate the ideas and emotions that go along with Holy Week and to remember the celebration of Easter.  

One of the greatest things about being in the honors program is the community that we have with other honors students.  Last weekend we had the awesome opportunity to go on an honors camping trip.  I know that sounds a little crazy, camping in Minnesota in early April but it was a great time despite the cold.  We all left campus on Friday and headed to a state park about two hours out side the Cities.  After a few wrong terns we finally found the campsite.  Of course it was dark by that point so the four of us who arrived first struggled to put up the tents in the dark and to light a fire with damp wood but in true honors fashion, we found a way to get it done.  Later, when everyone else arrived we roasted hot dogs over the fire and just spent time enjoying each others company, forgetting that the world was continuing around us, disregarding the end of term stress and momentarily pretending that our massive research paper was just a bad dream that we had awaken from into the light and warmth of the fire before us. 

Saturday dawned with the dim light of a heavy fog that sat over the campsite and still frozen lake.  For some the cold dampness when unnoticed and unquestioned, for others (those of us who struggle with the great outdoors in the best of circumstances) it necessitated a brief respite from the less than ideal spring weather.  While those unconcerned Deltas and Epsilons slept the less adapt few took a trip to Perkins for a hot breakfast and warm cup of tea.  When we arrived back at the campsite it was to find everyone rousing and preparing for the day.  After a few hours lounging about the revived fire we decided that the best way to battle the cool air was to seek out Mt. Tom.  A hiking trip ensued.  We spent most of the afternoon walking through the woods getting ever closer and closer to what Minnesotans mistakenly call a mountain.  When we reached the peek of the very large hill we took a moment to enjoy the view of the surrounding woods before returning to our temporary home by the lake. 

When we returned and had rested for a bit we once again enjoyed a dinner of hotdogs and S'mores.  After that we stood in a circle and we prayed together, taking an opportunity to have fellowship not only with each other but with God as well.  Next came our group hug and then our temporary goodbyes as some of us had to return to school and others would be staying on for another night.  Here my part in the story ends. 

Last weekend was a time of rest and relaxation but it was also a time of learning and growth.  As we put up our tents in the woods we remembered Thoreau and the time he spent living deliberately.  When we climbed trees on our hike we marveled at what it would be like to spend a summer, or even a few weeks living in a tree like The Tree Sitter.  We also took time to appreciate the beauty of creation and the importance of preservation.  We noted the sadness of all of the dead trees in the forest and the truth that spring healed no promise for them.  We used all of our ways of knowing, from the astatically pleasing fire that David obsessed over, to the vital use of reason in putting up the tents, the scientific scrutiny of the natural world around us, the emotions of joy as we spent time laughing with, and at times at, one another, and the revelation of God both through the world He created and the direct link that we have to Him through prayer. 

During those two days we explored.  We explored the landscape and we explored ourselves.  We learned about each other and we learned a little about ourselves, who we are and who we are becoming.  We grew up a little bit.  We grew up together as we each play a role in the lives of our fellow students.  Each of us are a little bit different now, there was some change as we picked up a little of one thing and left a little piece of something else behind.  The changes are imperceptible now but that is what growing and learning are all about.  That is what honors is all about.  Learning and growing together, with each other and with God, and though the process we pick up some things, and we leave some things behind, and that is what determines who we are and who we will become.  

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to a convocation given by Dr. Arand about the different Christian perspectives of nature throughout history.  This convocation was the sequel if you will, to the lecture on Monday night, which discussed a similar topic.  Convocations are one of the great things about college because they allow you to get a glimpse of other perspectives and approaches then you may be getting in your normal classes, or perhaps it just enhances your regular lectures.  Either way they can be a great learning experience. 

In this lecture Dr. Arand talked about the fact that throughout the church's history people's view of the earth has changed.  Many people have said that Christian's are only concerned about getting to heaven rather than taking care of the earth that we are living on now.  Dr. Arand pointed out that even though humans are given dominion over creation we are still a part of the creation and we have many things in common with our fellow creatures and so we should learn to be respectful of the whole creation and learn to work with it.  This perspective was discussed in detail when we read Together With All Creatures earlier in the semester.  He also discussed the idea that Christ used the elements of creation in the sacraments showing his respectful view of creation that we should emulate.  Ultimately, we should be seeking to care for the earth that we have been given and view our place with in and along side creation rather than above and before creation. 

As I sat listening to this lecture about how we as Christians need to be more mindful of creation, something quite different was laid on my heart.  I will admit that I am not great environmentalist but I came into the semester determined to keep an open mind and look at the evidence as objectively as possible.  I think I have succeeded rather well in this endeavor, I even started recycling.  This being said, I find that rather than being moved to feel passionate about the church's environmental efforts I find that in stead, I am rather disgusted by them.  The church is doing a wonderful job at proving to the world that, contrary to what Lyn White published, Christian's are not the cause of the earth's environmental issues that we do really care about the earth that we have been given.  But is that really what we should be doing?  Should we be focusing our efforts on proving that we care about the environment too, or do we have a greater work at hand?  I tried to give the environmental thing a chance (and I do believe that there is a lot a merit to taking care of the earth that we have been given) but I can not get behind a movement that puts environmental concerns at the top of the to do list.  It seems like lately the church want to be seen as being environmentally conscious so that is what takes the stage while things like caring for the poor, loving the lonely and, of all things, spreading the Gospel seem to be taking a back seat.  I know that this is probably not an accurate description of the way the church is actually functioning right now, but at the moment that's what it looks like to me.  I can not understand why it is that we are spending so much time discussing the way we use trees and how our cars effect the atmosphere, when the numbers of saved people in this country is dropping all the time.  I think that that church needs to get back in the business of spreading the news of the Gospel not the news of renewable resources.   Anyone can bring the word of environmental protection, but we are the only one's who have been given the Word of God and I feel strongly that spreading that Word should always be what we strive for first and foremost. 

On Wednesday afternoon the honors Delta and Epsilon class, along with a few other students and faculty members, had an opportunity to sit down and discuss the book of the year.  As is always the case when a group of honors students get's together, we had a very interesting and rewarding conversation.  The book that we were examining was Three Cups of Tea the same book I discussed in my blog previous to this one.  The specific topic of the day was girl's education in our country and throughout the world.  We discussed how much women's education has changed in our own nation just in the last 60 years and how in much of the world this is not the case.  It is all too common around the world that women do not have the opportunity to be educated.  This is harmful not just to the communities where that is the case but also in the world community. 

            Through out the entire honors program there is a focus on the struggles of the poor and marginalized and how we as Christians have been called to aid them in that struggle.  The in many places in the world women and girls are the marginalized.  This discrimination goes beyond the realm of the classroom; we see all too often in the lives of children.  Girls do not carry the same value as boys do in many cultures and therefore do not enjoy the same freedoms and privileges that boys do.  According to the "women's and girl's education initiative" website (http://www.worlded.org/WEIInternet/gwe/index.cfm) 60% of the children in the world who are not in school are girls.  This problem is more then girls not reading Chaucer and Shakespeare or not being taught Calculus and Advanced Biology, these girls (as well as many boys) are not even being educated on the basics hygiene and cleanliness.  This adds to other problems like the rampant spread of dieses, malnutrition, and to relate to our environmental discussion that is the focus of Honors this term, the lack of clean water.  In order for the poor and marginalized of the world to have a brighter future it is vitally important for the women and girls of the world be educated along side the men and the boys.  (If you want to learn more about this issue and what is being done the above website is a really good one to visit or go the world education facebook page).

            All this being said, I think it is always important to look at both sides of an issue.  One thing that was brought up in our discussion was the issue of revers discrimination in this country as the pendulum of equality is perhaps swinging too far in the other direction. 

A fellow Concordia student that was at the discussion runs an afterschool program for girls teaching them how to prepare for a successful career in high school and how to prepare for college.  The organization that she works for wanted to put together a similar program for boys but was unable to because funding was only available for girls programs.  More women are accepted into universities then men in the United States today.  We are told that this is not discriminatory because women preform better in high school.  There is also, as a faculty member brought up in discussion, research that says the fact that boys play video games and girls do not is why girls to better in school.   I would argue however, that it seems much more likely that it is because as we rushes to push women's education forward, boys get left behind.  I do believe that it is extremely important for girls to be educated but I also believe that if we bring one group down in order to bring another up we only perpetuate the problem and we are fooling ourselves if we do not see it.  

            The K2 Mountain is the second highest mountain in the Himalayas and it is one of the most technically challenging mountains in the world.  In the early 1990's Greg Mortenson, an American ER nurse turned climber, attempted to climb it.  K2 has the second highest death rate for climbers of any mountain.  At least 77 people have died in the attempt to summit K2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2#Success_and_repeats).  Although Greg was unsuccessful in his climb he was able to make it off the mountain alive thanks to the people of a small village of Korphe, in Pakistan.  The people of Korphe found Greg after he had lost his way in the glacial area at the base of the mountain and took him in until he regained his health.  Because of their kindness Greg vowed that he would return to Korphe and build a school for their children.  When he returned to the States, Greg raised the money he needed to build the school in Korphe.  This was not the end of Greg's work in Asia though.  Throughout his life Greg continued to build schools for children, as well as for porters who assisted in climbing expeditions, all over Pakistan and eventually Afghanistan.  In his book Thee Cups of Tea, Greg told his amazing story about the people of Central Asia and his work in building schools.  In his speeches and in his writings Greg stressed the importance of educating girls.  He also emphasized the idea that it is only through education that peace can be reached.   

            Last semester in honors we discussed the ways of knowing.  The five ways of knowing are reason, revelation, art, emotion and science.  When I read this book it made me think about the five ways of knowing that we had discussed, particularly art.  In our art unit we discussed the fact that art is intrinsically tied to our emotions.  Every good work of art should evoke an emotion in the person who is experiencing the art.  By recognizing the emotional power of art we are able to connect with not only the artist but also the subjects of the art and with the people around us.  As we look at artistic forms we learn more about human nature and the basic truths of life that affect all people.  Literature is a form of art and this particular work of art defiantly evoked an emotional response in me. It caused me to look inside of myself, as almost everything does in honors, and examine why it is I believe what I do and how does this particular work of art affect the things that I believe.

            I was particularly struck by this book because it directly addresses one of my great passions, that being education.  Three Cups of Tea tells the story of illiterate children and one man's struggle to help them.  Literacy is a great gift and it is one that many of us take for granted in the Western World but it is something that I can fully appreciate.  The ability to read is something that I had to work very hard for; I am dyslexic and did not learn to read until I was 13.  When I was a kid I never thought that I would go to college, much less be a part of an honors program at a university.  The gift of education is a marvelous one, one that every child should have the opportunity to have.  I have to admit that there were times when reading this book that I got a little misty eyed as a read about the chief of the village who talked about his inability to read the Holy Book of Islam and described that as the worst possible feeling, a feeling that I can relate to well.  I also wanted to laugh with excitement as I read the story of the children who were discovering a whole new world through there education, something that I also remember well.            

            Although I was pleased to read about Greg's work in this book I continually found something lacking in his efforts.  With every turn of the page I was looking for the Gospel message, but page after page, I found it missing.  Greg did great work in the mountains of Pakistan but in the name of what.  I find that Greg was a great humanitarian but that is all and as a Christian I seek to be more than just a great humanitarian.  Lately I have been thinking about what lies in store for me after graduation and I have been imagining that I could do something big and important but this book taught me that you don't have to do something that is grand in order to do something of great significance.  I realized that although it is a wonderful thing to be able to give the gift of education to hundreds of children, and though it is an important thing that Greg does in the hope that he will bring more peace to our world, there are greater things still.  As a Christian I believe that we must look at people as the eternal souls that they are and recognize that there is something beyond this world.  If I had the choice between bringing literacy to 500 girls in Pakistan and bringing the message of Christ to just 5 of them, I would choose the 5. 

If you are interested in learning more about the K2 climb it's self here is a link to a video about climbing one of the most dangerous mountains in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_nEl_Y4KUM&feature=related

Postmodernism, postmodernism, it is an interesting term is it not?  The term postmodernism implies that we have, or at least, something has, moved beyond the modern times to create something new, something unique, something different.  This is a word that we throw around all the time in day-to-day conversation.  You hear comments like, 'well in these postmodern times in which we live' or 'isn't that art piece a wonderful representation of postmodern principles?' to which the listener usually responds by smiling and nodding in agreement, perhaps they even add some ohhs and ahhs.  We act as if the ideas of postmodernism are known to all and known by all, but is that really true? Do we really know what the postmodern worldview is all about?  Do we know where it came from or where it is taking us?  Do we even attempt to deal with this sometimes-incomprehensible word that we toss around so casually?  I would argue that we do not, but it is definitely time that we start. 

            So what is postmodernism?  Well it is a worldview.  So, what is a worldview you might ask, I would love to tell you.  According to David A. Noebel, "A world view is the way we view our world and our place in it"(15).  This is important to know so that we recognize that postmodernism does not just dabble in philosophy or some other relatively small area of our culture but it penetrates everything.  We must understand this as we seek to understand postmodernism because we must seek to understand it as it relates to every area of the human experience, if we are going to do that we must first recognize that it can be related to every part of the human experience. 

            Now that we are on the same page with worldview we can start looking at the specifics of postmodernism.  At the heart of postmodernism there are questions.  Postmodernism was born out of a time where people were questioning everything.  That meant government, religion, science, reason, art, everything (this is why it is a worldview and not a philosophy, because it effected the way people viewed every part of their world).  Postmodernism pulls the ground out from everything that people previously believed, but unlike other movements that questioned the established order, postmodernism did not set down a new carpet.  This leaves us with a worldview that is in essence floating about; its primary foundation is the fact that it has no foundation. 

            So what does this mean, how do postmodernists see the world and the nature of mankind?  Well first of all they would not have liked my last question.  Postmodernism rejects the idea that there is an overarching story of the world or mankind.  Postmodernism does not want to create groups and describe them as a whole.  In otherwords postmodernism rejects the idea of a metanarrative.  This leads to a focus on the self.  Postmodernism wants to look at individual beliefs, values, moral standard etc rather than looking at what is socially acceptable or universally agreed upon.  This way of looking at things definitely has its down falls, for example it is really difficult to form a postmodern judicial system because postmodernism believes in relativism.  There are however some positive ways that this principal can be applied.  Glen Stanton points out one of these positive applications when he discusses individual learning.  During the modern era there was a tendency to just absorb knowledge because it was coming from an authority.  As postmodernism questions authority it must also question gaining information from an authority.  Postmodernism makes a big push toward learning on your own.  Each individual should question information and understand it for him or herself.  Stanton argues that this is a good thing especially in the church because it pushes people to become active learners and really focus on the relationship with Christ rather than the ritual and tradition of religion that we so often do (Stanton 1-2). 

            As we discussed earlier, postmodernism is a foundationless worldview, this means that postmodernism wants everything to be relatively purposeless.    Postmodernism doesn't believe in metanarrative, it doesn't believe in absolutes, it doesn't believe in any greater power.  The rejection of metanarrative can be blamed for the view of a purposeless world because to give purpose to the world is to say that the world has an overarching story, which is a metanarrative.  To say that life has purpose is to make a metanarrative out of life.  To say that an individual has purpose is to draw a connection between individuals grouping them together and once again forming metanarrative.

 At this point I would like to discuss a senates that embodies the above idea.  Here it is, "This sentence has no logical purpose."  This follows the principal of purposelessness that postmodernism is so fond of.  But there is a snare in the theory, and this snare will cause a run through the entire worldview of postmodernism.  The sentence does have a logical purpose.  The purpose is to communicate an ideal of postmodernism.  This sentence perfectly illustrates the constant conflict in the postmodern worldview.  The conflict between what postmodernism wants to be and what the constraints of reality will allow.  You see as much as postmodernism fights the idea of foundations; reality demands that every building has to have a foundation.  As much as postmodernism wants to say 'there can be no absolute statements,' they must make an absolute statement in order to say there can be none.  This is why postmodernism is such a difficult thing to understand because it does not even understood it's self. 

Postmodernism is a complex thing.  It cannot be easily explained nor can a short definition hope to give any form of understanding of the topic.  I hope that my explanation above has at least started to give some incite to this crazy postmodern world in which we are living.  With any luck the next time you encounter this odd word in casual conversation you will have a better understanding of what it means and how it effects the world in which we live.