Awakening

This afternoon, I sat at my parent's kitchen table working on notes for an upcoming paper I'm writing on Salman Rushdie, Christianity, and the Magic Real (which also may end up being the paper's title). As I was reading through Rushdie's collection of essays, released in 1991, I found myself lost in my literary thoughts.

Rushdie's essay, "In God We Trust," paints religion as a dream; first as a creation of a reality that suits us better than the reality we experience (which tends towards Plato's Cave and the Philosopher King), and ends with a discussion of the dangers of religion. As a Christian, I find Rushdie's views to be incredibly interesting, frightening, and a product of the actions of fundamentalism in a postmodern world.

Context: Salman Rusdie, for those of you who have not paid substantial amounts of attention to literary world news, is a writer who was educated in England with ethnic roots in the Muslim world. His experiences with religion have shaped his writing most profoundly. Rushdie's book, 'Satanic Verses' was read by the Muslim world as a parody of Mohammad, and thus, in 1989, a fatwa (or death sentence) was issued by the Islamic world. Rushdie was forced to go into hiding, since Islamic fatwas are recognized by the greater Muslim community, and so he took refuge in England. For the next 8 years, the UN worked to end this death warrant, and in 1997, the fatwa was finally lifted.

But Rushdie still lives in danger. For those practising radical Islam, a fatwa is a lifetime decree, and so still hold this death warrant over his head.

A religion has done this. For Rushdie, his writings are a reflection of his experiences. And that makes them even more difficult to contend with. I adhere to the Christian faith, meaning I find my identity within the greater narrative that God has written. My history has been created, and I don't belong to the socio-political ideology of 'make my own history' that drives Western consumerism and cosmology. My religion is one that leans toward the mysticism of love and goodness that modernism rendered untrue.

I do believe that my meta-narrative has given me a distinct purpose. This, I'm beginning to realize, is where I feel most awakened and inspired. I find myself thinking back to moments in elementary and high school when I would write instead of producing math equations, or grappling with the writings of John Barth at age 17, while normal teenagers played basketball, or planned weekend parties. These were the moments when I felt a profound vitality in my soul. That vitality is what causes me to interact with the philosophical implications of writings, evaluate popular culture, and critique social movements like Invisible Children's Kony 2o12 (to cite something recent). I'm an academic. I'm a writer. It's a calling that has been placed in my soul by the God I serve.

My literary thoughts love conversing with the critics, writers, and thinkers of my time. I love being a part of the academic sphere studying postmodernism as we live it. Perhaps some way, I'll be able to be of some use. And above all things, may I strive to do it all in the name of God, no matter what dangers that may lead to.

Word of the Day: Concord

Quote of the Day: "When you're shopping on Madison Avenue, you don't want to skimp on the swank." Seinfeld

Redeemer Spoof video

This video makes me laugh. As a note: the girl at the mailboxes is one of my dormmates.



Word of the Day: Virado [latin, means manly woman, and was typically used to describe women who were spiritual warriors]

Quote of the Day: "I want to make cake."

Real men

...Watch Phantom of the Opera

Word of the Day: Sunshine

Quote of the Day: "You know, when you do physical activity, you actually need to move." Amanda

That sunny Saturday

And all I did was study, research, and make myself rice. 

Word of the Day: Epistemological

Quote of the Day: "Some of the most dangerous immorality in texts today has nothing to do with sex or profanity. It lies in the acceptance of materialism, encouragement of egotism, and the glorification of violence." Roger Lundin and Susan Gallagher, Literature Through the Eyes of Faith, 141. 

The Unlikely Disciple - A review

Several weeks ago a friend suggested I read "The Unlikely Disciple." I was uncertain about adding another book to my workload/reading list, but I'm glad I took her advice.

This is the true story of the teenager who did a semester at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

Now, for a little bit of background, before I jump into my own thoughts about the text. Kevin Roose was a sophmore at Browns University. That's right, Browns. As you find out in the first chapter, instead of doing a semester abroad like many of his friends, he chose to do a semester at Liberty, for journalistic interest's sake. 

It has taken me a few weeks to process this book. Roose paints a gracious and revealing picture of life at this fundamentalist baptist university, including his accounts of evangelism, creationism, 'The Liberty Way,' and much more. I was struck by the similarities - and the differences - between Liberty and Redeemer. 

I'm two months away from finishing my degree at Redeemer. Redeemer is a Christian liberal arts university located in Ancaster (Hamilton), Ontario, Canada. Redeemer, like Liberty, offers degrees in many academic spheres and teaches from a Christian worldview. Redeemer offers courses in apologetics, hermeneutics, and the academic study of scripture. It has faculty and staff who are devoted to both faith and scholarship. Its students joke about it being a safe haven, a Christian Bubble if you will, shielding its students from the scary outside world. But I'm afraid that is where the similarities end.

See, Redeemer was founded as a Reformed (prominently Calvinist) -based post secondary institution. It has never been affiliated with the mega-church movement, a 'mega-church' pastor, and its students certainly don't look to the president as the most influential man in the country. While Redeemer has a Code of Conduct, it encourages trust, and acknowledges that it cannot police the behaviour of its students. After all, part of being a Christian is being challenged to live differently, not simply doing so because the university you attend will make you pay fines if you break their laws (example, demerit points and a $25.00 fine if you are caught watching or in possession of an R rated film). 

While Redeemer does not have a student population of 25 000 (no, just a mere 900 students), or offer a weekly televised evangelical church service (I can hardly see the Reformed Protestants I know participating in this sort of phenomenon), or insist that all its faculty hold a '6-day creationist' view of how the world came to be, it does exist, and it is also developing some strong, intellectually apt leaders. 

Liberty has always been an enigma to me. Working at Muskoka Bible Centre last summer, a retreat/camping/conference centre born out of the same Christian tradition as Liberty, I have had some experiences with Liberty students - both within my work-sphere, and as guests on the grounds. One thing that I have never forgotten is as follows.

The first week of the summer season is what MBCers have affectionately dubbed "Liberty Week." It is an informal way of saying that the chapel is overrun with Liberty paraphernilia - speakers, worship band, and the booth with the bright red t-shirts. Following one of the chapel services, I decided to meander towards the Liberty booth, just to look at the University brochure and see the sorts of programs they offered, to compare it to Redeemer. 

Within about 30 seconds I had a Liberty student engaging me in conversation about my life story, my faith, my ambitions, and my education. I guess it was pretty obvious I was a college-aged person. Besides the fact that she seemed thoroughly unamused by the fact that I was a student at Redeemer (her expression actually shifted into a depressed sort of wail as she uttered, "oh, you go to Redeeeemer"), she began to inquire about the status of my faith. Explaining to her that I had been baptized as a child - as is the practise of my tradition - and done profession of faith in front of my church at age 18, she seemed agitated. 

"So, you mean you aren't a born again Christian?" she asked me. 

"Well, what do you mean by that?" I asked her.

"You know, born again, have you rededicated your life to Christ? Have you been re-baptized?"

Last time I checked, baptism only needed to happen once, so I said no.

"Oh," she said, looking downcast. "Do you think you're a Christian, then?"

Again, I asked her what she meant.

"Well, you should be born again if you're a true Christian. Do you know Jesus?"

I can't really remember what happened next, but I do remember walking away from that conversation a little confused. Since when does being a true Christian mean being a 'born again Christian'? Since when does the Sacrament of Baptism need to be performed more than once on a believer? Why did I feel a little put-off by this eager young girl (whose major I later-on found out to be religon) who clearly just thought I needed to be evangelized?

All good questions, and after reading Roose's book, I may have had a few of them answered. I also learned a lot about Liberty. It occurred to me while I read that some people must see Redeemer in this same way, and that is a sobering thought. 

Do take the time to read this book. You'll laugh, you'll be angry, but most of all, it will drive you to re-evaluate why you believe what you believe. And who knows, you might even find answers.

Word of the Day: Noise

Quote of the Day: "Maybe our stars are unanimously tired..." Jon Foreman, Switchfoot

Post-modern

From what I can glean of the usage of the term, 'postmodernism' would

seem to designate art forms that are fundamentally self-reflexive --in

other words, art that is self-consciously art (or artifice), literature that is

openly aware of the fact that it is written and read as part of a particular

culture, having as much to do with the literary past as with the social 

present... What postmodernism has done is show how the 'natural' is in fact

the 'constructed', the made, the social.

-Linda Hutcheon, The Canadian Postmodern

"This is not a pipe." Rene Magritte

This is a constructed image of a pipe. 

Word of the Day: listless

Quote of the Day: "Turns out it was Mrs. Peacock in the Library with the Kitchen."

Null.

February has flown by. I feel bad for not posting.

The last few weeks have simply been homework filled, including getting out the February issue of The Crown. Last week, applications went out for Editor-in-Chief. Since I will be leaving at the end of the year, someone needs to take my place. It's hard to give up something that you've poured your heart and soul into for 3 years, but I know that God will bring someone in to continue what The Crown has managed to accomplish in the last several years.

It's bittersweet really.

I've also been reading my brain out. I've nearly finished some Michael Ondaatje, which I began reading yesterday evening (I have about 60 pages left), and I need to get my game on, and finish some LOTR today.

Reading break was needed.

Word of the Day: Lego

Quote of the Day: "Recomputing.." Tim Hawkins on GPS for Marriage

And February feels like Spring

Watching the sun set tonight reminds me of summer.

It's a curious thing, feeling the warmth of a sunset in winter. I've been curled up in my golden armchair all afternoon, making my way through The Fellowship of the Ring, and listening to various soundtracks on my computer.

And now, as the last lights of the day are beginning to sink beyond the horizon, I wonder if winter will ever come. I'm fearful it won't, only because I see the trees budding presumptuously.

Word of the Day: Numenor

Quote of the Day: "University isn't designed so that you can do all the work." Well, isn't that the truth.

That Patchwork Quilt

I wish I had discovered earlier in my life that I enjoy sewing.

The quilt is coming along, though it doesn't often feel like I've even cracked the surface of that pile of squares... I spent a good chunk of last night putting more rows on the face.

Those pictures are basically the extent of what I did with the rest of my day. The fun part is going to come later when I actually need to do the quilting part of the quilt... since that will all be done by hand too.

I wish I had discovered earlier in life that I enjoyed sewing. I have already started looking at patterns for the next quilt I want to make. I think it is going to be an Irish Chain quilt. Specifically, I like the look of this patchwork Irish Chain quilt.

From: Crazycreekquilts.com

I think I will, however attempt this with bigger squares (I may have learned my lesson), and I'm sure my Mom will make sure I buy my own rotary cutter and rulers so that she doesn't have to spend afternoons cutting fabric again (not that it wasn't one of the most enjoyable days of my Christmas break). The trick is going to be amending a pattern for the Irish Chain that I'm happy with. Investing in graph paper might be a good idea. I'm also, very probably, going to need to buy more pins. 

It's silly, but I maintain that after 4 years of university, Redeemer finally domesticated me. I'm sure its proud. 

Word of the Day: linearity

Quote of the Day: "Love and truth, that's the vital connection, love and truth." Julian Barnes, The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters

New Friends.

Thems my new dorm. Well, some of them are mine... actually, only two of these people actually are part of the dorm. The rest are honourary members. And the one frowning perfusely... that's Jordan Bokma. He's my digital editor for The Crown.

Word of the Day: Sing

Quote of the Day: "Do a face that's like, what the crap!" Courtney

Dusk

The sun is beginning to sink in the afternoon sky, and it will soon be evening. The skeleton trees out my window seem to want spring to come, and given the chance, they would bud presumptuously. But I fear winter will come with a vengence.

But none of this matters because, snow, rain, sunshine, daylight and nighttime are going to be consumed by words, and these words are not my own.

Currently, there is over 18 hours of LOTR soundtrack music quened on my Grooveshark playlist. My hope is to make literary criticism read with an epic air.

The skeletons' skin darken with the sky, and the Willow Tree Angels guarding my window sing the soft songs of the quiet, deep, clear, night.

Word of the Day: Overwhelmed

Quote of the Day: (Context: Wolverine is walking down the stairs in XMen 2). "Everyone is trying to seduce him. Rogue's trying to seduce him, Storm's trying to seduce him, the wooden floor is trying to seduce him." Kudzai

1000 Gratitudes, January who?

I'm beginning to doubt the absolute arrival of winter. He seems to be denying us the grace of his presence this season. And since we all know how I feel about snow, you can understand my disappointment with the weather situation. I am sure, however, that drivers are loving it.

New year, new gratitudes.

27. Fallons who assist my move into a new dorm.
28. Vanilla flavoured coffee.
29. Room to keep all my shoes.
30. Professors who share my faith, and the gift of learning in an institution which teaches in a Christian context.
31. New words to learn and understand.
32. The gift of sponsorship.
33. Amazing dorm devotions.
34. My bed, which is really, very comfortable and warm.
35. Midnight walks in the fog.
36. Agendas - I don't know what I would do without these.
37. Classes that are interesting and will be challenging. My schedule is shaping up to being quite the doozy.
38. The gift of journalism God has given me, and my desire to cultivate that gift further.
39. Professors who care, and make hilarious Green Day references in class.
40. Chicken-broccoli Casserole.
41. Spending a wonderful Christmas break with my family.
42. Knowing that God loves me. No matter what.

Word of the Day: Cacophony

Quote of the Day: Kristen and Erica: "We'll pray for you." Me: "Oh, no need for that. Coffee first. We'll call on God if the coffee doesn't work. No need to trouble Him with something that can be solved with a little caffiene."

Freud and Milton

They should never again be used in the same sentence. I can now completely understand why no one has ever bothered to put these two together in an academic paper before.

So, thought I, no secondary research means I get to have some creative liberties.

However, no secondary research means that I have been reading Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" today, and NOT loving every minute of it. I'm not a psych student, so I don't entirely know what he is talking about some of the time.

Oh well, Academia, I love thee.

Word of the Day: Dreams...

Quote of the Day: "Desdemona was too sexy and too virtuous for her own good; better to be an alto and be both sexy and promiscuous, so that there is no question of the matter because everyone (read: men) wants an alto - soproanos are only ever good when they're on top; altos are more flexible." - Emily, Joel, and Maria.

So many good things...

So many good things happen when it snows.

- My first (real) kiss.
- Christmas
- A sparkling world.
- Entering Narnia
- Snow-ball fights
- Hot Chocolate with friends.
- Pretty walks.
- Icicles.
- It snowed on my first birthday.

I came out of my Classical History class and the ground was covered. And I stood there in the snow and let it fall on my face. Just stood there for about ten minutes in the middle of Redeemer's academic building parkinglot, face to the sky, letting the flakes fall on my face. In fact, I'm fairly sure I looked a little something like this:

In my imagination, I'm fairly sure that is what the night looked like. 

The night ended with a parking-lot wide snowball fight sometime around midnight, pelting our friend from Zimbabwe (who had never seen snow), with the wettest, most amazing first-snow snowballs. 

Now, we are entering into our weeks of exams. I am 3 exams, one issue of The Crown, and 2 final papers away from Christmas break. Then I have an unreasonable amount of novels to read for my second semester courses. 

Word of the Day: Coffee

Quote of the Day: "Tonight's the night the world begins again." Googoo Dolls, Better Days

1000 Gratitudes, Late November Days.

It is essay season for me.
I have (had) 9 papers due before next Friday.
Then exams.

So, 1000 Gratitudes. I need to remember to be thankful.

14. Blaring Jesus Culture music as I write papers.
15. Luther: he's such a good fish.
16. Dorm dinners with boys who cook fancy(ish) meals.
17. Knowing that I love writing papers.
18. Jordan Bokma, the brownie man (and also our digital editor).
19. Post-its. I actually legitimately love these things.
20. Puddles and warmth in November.
21. Advent Sunday number one. LOVE having 30 days to prepare for the coming of my Saviour.
22. Christmas tree lights, and the coziness they bring to a dorm.
23. Green headphones.
24. The smell of fresh baking.
25. Amanda's laugh. I think I'm always thankful for this.
26. Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Word of the Day: Protrudant(ent?)

Quote of the Day: Sean: So, which of my two boys would you like to see mud-wrestle?
Abigail: Can I choose you?
Ha, Awesome.

Miniver Sail: A new sound

These guys are a new and very talented group of musicians coming out Redeemer's halls. They call themselves Miniver Sail.

I know them as Chrisy Hurn, Simon Fallon and Cory Hoogsteen. You should know them too.



Word of the Day: Rejoice

Quote of the Day: "Leeks and Rubbing Alcohol excite me!" Abigail

1000 Gratitudes

A blogging friend of mine has, for as long as we've been blog friends (and that's quite a while, since I'm working on my fourth year of blogging), keeping a list of 1000 gratitudes. I think that it derived from a book, and it's a great idea. Write down 1000 things, over the course of a long while, that you are thankful for.

Another friend of mine posted a quick thought to her Facebook account. It read, "What if you were left with tomorrow the things you thanked God for today?" I guess I wouldn't be left with much.

Here it goes, I suppose.

1. Toilet paper (it seems weird, but really, I am very, very thankful for toilet paper).
2. Cool fall days.
3. My beautiful roommate, Amanda.
4. Laughing at jokes with friends.
5. The Crown and its staff.
6. Being able to read books, and own them, and enjoy them. It's such a wonderful blessing to experience share in the conversation of literature.
7. On the topic of books, curling up in my old, delapitated gold chair reading Charles Dickens or Douglas Adams.
8. The smell of coffee.
9. Waking up and finding sunlight streaming through the windows.
10. Driving lessons and beer conversations with Nick.
11. Starbucks and Chapters
12. The aroma of simmering bacon to start my day.
13. Strangely, I'm thankful for Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Vlogs, Youtube and all this other nonsensical social media we have today.

Now, a few photos to add. Most of them apply to the 77 Things list.

30 Items of Clothing to Donate.

Quilt!

Word of the Day: Gratitude

Quote of the Day: "If you have an accent, by definition, you're supposed to be interesting!"

Bird Watching: Tweet Tweet

Last night, somehow, I decided that joining Twitter was worth my time.

Interested?

@BrittanyKnapper

You can also follow The Crown @Crown_RUC

Feeling a bit like a bird.
Which, really, is a great analogy for social networking.

Also, I want this.

Word of the Day: Chaos

Quote(s) of the Day: Faber on Paradise Lost: "They play music to distract themselves from the Lake of Fire." Aaron: "Yeah, except they'd be playing Lady Gaga all day."

My greatest weakness is landscaping!

Sunday Youtube video for everyone. This is Tim Hawkins, Christian Comedian.



Funny story: when we were in RA/HA training for this year, we took a night and did a Hamilton service trip with Houston Street, and we wrapped up the night with a prayer for all the RAs and HAs. The pastor prayed for a 'hedge of protection' over Redeemer, and I definitely started laughing in the middle of the prayer. Thank you, Tim Hawkins.

Word of the Day: Tudor

Quote of the Day: "Use your road rage if you have to!" Tim Hawkins

Why I love Redeemer

That right there is why I love Redeemer. What other university gives you encouragements on your coffee lids? See, I knew I had an addiction for a reason.

In other news, here is the first installment of my nail-polish challenge. Coincidently, none of the colours on my nails are my own. All of them belong to my dormmate, Jess.

The colours of the polka dots are orange, light green, and purple. The base is black, two coats (because it looked bad with just one).

Word of the Day: Drive

Quote of the Day: "Seriously."