This is Nerdy
So this is nerdy...
I just started my first "real class" in Bible college. I decided to start with one I knew I needed sometime before I can apply for my district license, "The History and Polity of the Church of the Nazarene". I have four textbooks for this class, one of which is 621 pages long.
But you know what's nerdy?
I don't hate it! In fact I get oddly excited about it, like John Nash in Beautiful Mind tacking lines across a wall of magazine and newspaper clips tying together seemingly unrelated ideas. I'm not saying Our Watchword and Song necessarily keeps me awake at night wondering what happens next in the way Hunger Games did ("There is no district 12."?!!!!!?), and sometimes the laundry list of unfamiliar names and dates comes at me as fast as the chocolates on the conveyor belt in I Love Lucy. But I am someone who adores a good story, is fascinated by history and finds so much pleasure in connecting the dots across time.
In fact, I'm so nerdy that it's Thursday and I have finished this week's homework. I am that person.
Disclaimer-I have not received a grade for any of this yet and it's my first college level course in 15 years. So I may be staring at a line of F's sometime in the next few days and my next blog post might be a much less optimistic one called, "This is Why I Want to Quit". But for now, I'm just excited to share a few things I've learned.
1. I have learned that I NEVER need to worry about word count. I spent several days worrying about gleaning enough from my four chapters of reading to hit a 250-350 word count. I typed out my rough draft which came to about 500 words. So, the majority of the work ended up consisting of deciding what I could eliminate. I should have known because last Sunday I had an interpreter sit in on a planning meeting I facilitated in order to be inclusive of our Spanish-speaking team member. Never have I ever been so aware of just how many words I use! So, I'm starting to learn that sometimes less is more.
2. I have learned that its AMAZING how much homework you can accomplish when God slows you down with a case of pink eye. Who would've thought!
3. I have a new understanding of the variety and uniqueness I see between the individual churches within our denomination. Some are liturgical while others are casual. In fact, in researching for a friend moving out of state, I found a whole subculture of "Cowboy churches" that meet in homes and barns. For real. The level of political involvement varies among members too, as our Wesleyan roots call us to activism but the focus of that might be different. I love that we can have those conversations, even if it's uncomfortable sometimes. And, although the message of "holiness" binds our churches together, the implementation of that might look more like avoiding worldly things in some places or more like godly expressions of love and altruism in others.
My reading from Our Watchword and Song has helped me understand that this mesh of same and different has roots in the past. The holiness movement in the US in the late 1800's caused many, with the desire to let the doctrines they believe permeate and change their life, left and formed many smaller congregations, organizations and denomination-like groups. And holiness looked a little more liberal in the west and north than it did in the south where an emphasis on "externals" (what was worn for example) characterized the Holiness churches more. As those two eventually merged, recognizing the "essentials" they had in common, of course so did their ideas. I feel this still has an impact on us today.
4. Civil rights and equality is a topic I care deeply about. I don't know enough and I don't always get it right. But, my heart soared when I read about the forward...no...Biblical...need for humble repentance and amends for how people of color had been treated. The admonishment to do better came from the Texas Holiness Association. In the south. In 1907. Our Watchword and Song states, "For the time and place, at the height of 'Jim Crow' segregation in the American South, the affirmations of the Holiness Association of Texas were remarkably enlightened and bold" (128). It grieves my heart greatly when I see brothers and sisters in Christ taking steps backwards instead of forwards.
5. I've known for a long time that our denomination welcomes women to the pulpit and positions of leadership. I know that this may be a controversial idea for some of my fellow Christians. But what I did not realize was that this is not a new idea. This seemingly progressive way of thinking was not shaped by or an effort to catch up with the culture. Rather, it was ahead of or despite the culture. From the very beginning, the issue of women's ordination was in place. And, when some disagreement arose from those uncomfortable about it during the union of the many holiness churches, founder Phineas Bresee stood beside it as "essential" (174). I personally find it ironic that this came during a time when our church did not allow women to wear pants, makeup or jewelry. But, maybe that makes it all the more remarkable.
I never want to adopt an attitude of "churchianity" as the book mentions (141). I love the way God has used each unique denomination to further His kingdom and glorify him in many ways. But, as someone who is about to devote hundreds and hundreds of hours to learning thoroughly what it means to specifically be a Nazarene Christian, I found comfort in the beautiful stories and the surprises that resonated with me.
I hope you don't think I'm way too nerd. But if you have read all of this...you're probably pretty nerdy too.
I just started my first "real class" in Bible college. I decided to start with one I knew I needed sometime before I can apply for my district license, "The History and Polity of the Church of the Nazarene". I have four textbooks for this class, one of which is 621 pages long.
But you know what's nerdy?
I don't hate it! In fact I get oddly excited about it, like John Nash in Beautiful Mind tacking lines across a wall of magazine and newspaper clips tying together seemingly unrelated ideas. I'm not saying Our Watchword and Song necessarily keeps me awake at night wondering what happens next in the way Hunger Games did ("There is no district 12."?!!!!!?), and sometimes the laundry list of unfamiliar names and dates comes at me as fast as the chocolates on the conveyor belt in I Love Lucy. But I am someone who adores a good story, is fascinated by history and finds so much pleasure in connecting the dots across time.
In fact, I'm so nerdy that it's Thursday and I have finished this week's homework. I am that person.
Disclaimer-I have not received a grade for any of this yet and it's my first college level course in 15 years. So I may be staring at a line of F's sometime in the next few days and my next blog post might be a much less optimistic one called, "This is Why I Want to Quit". But for now, I'm just excited to share a few things I've learned.
1. I have learned that I NEVER need to worry about word count. I spent several days worrying about gleaning enough from my four chapters of reading to hit a 250-350 word count. I typed out my rough draft which came to about 500 words. So, the majority of the work ended up consisting of deciding what I could eliminate. I should have known because last Sunday I had an interpreter sit in on a planning meeting I facilitated in order to be inclusive of our Spanish-speaking team member. Never have I ever been so aware of just how many words I use! So, I'm starting to learn that sometimes less is more.
2. I have learned that its AMAZING how much homework you can accomplish when God slows you down with a case of pink eye. Who would've thought!
3. I have a new understanding of the variety and uniqueness I see between the individual churches within our denomination. Some are liturgical while others are casual. In fact, in researching for a friend moving out of state, I found a whole subculture of "Cowboy churches" that meet in homes and barns. For real. The level of political involvement varies among members too, as our Wesleyan roots call us to activism but the focus of that might be different. I love that we can have those conversations, even if it's uncomfortable sometimes. And, although the message of "holiness" binds our churches together, the implementation of that might look more like avoiding worldly things in some places or more like godly expressions of love and altruism in others.
My reading from Our Watchword and Song has helped me understand that this mesh of same and different has roots in the past. The holiness movement in the US in the late 1800's caused many, with the desire to let the doctrines they believe permeate and change their life, left and formed many smaller congregations, organizations and denomination-like groups. And holiness looked a little more liberal in the west and north than it did in the south where an emphasis on "externals" (what was worn for example) characterized the Holiness churches more. As those two eventually merged, recognizing the "essentials" they had in common, of course so did their ideas. I feel this still has an impact on us today.
4. Civil rights and equality is a topic I care deeply about. I don't know enough and I don't always get it right. But, my heart soared when I read about the forward...no...Biblical...need for humble repentance and amends for how people of color had been treated. The admonishment to do better came from the Texas Holiness Association. In the south. In 1907. Our Watchword and Song states, "For the time and place, at the height of 'Jim Crow' segregation in the American South, the affirmations of the Holiness Association of Texas were remarkably enlightened and bold" (128). It grieves my heart greatly when I see brothers and sisters in Christ taking steps backwards instead of forwards.
5. I've known for a long time that our denomination welcomes women to the pulpit and positions of leadership. I know that this may be a controversial idea for some of my fellow Christians. But what I did not realize was that this is not a new idea. This seemingly progressive way of thinking was not shaped by or an effort to catch up with the culture. Rather, it was ahead of or despite the culture. From the very beginning, the issue of women's ordination was in place. And, when some disagreement arose from those uncomfortable about it during the union of the many holiness churches, founder Phineas Bresee stood beside it as "essential" (174). I personally find it ironic that this came during a time when our church did not allow women to wear pants, makeup or jewelry. But, maybe that makes it all the more remarkable.
I never want to adopt an attitude of "churchianity" as the book mentions (141). I love the way God has used each unique denomination to further His kingdom and glorify him in many ways. But, as someone who is about to devote hundreds and hundreds of hours to learning thoroughly what it means to specifically be a Nazarene Christian, I found comfort in the beautiful stories and the surprises that resonated with me.
I hope you don't think I'm way too nerd. But if you have read all of this...you're probably pretty nerdy too.
Cunningham, Floyd. Our
Watchword and Song. The Centennial History of the Church of the Nazarene. Kansas City, MO Nazarene
Publishing House, 2009. ISBN: 978083412448
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