Baptism in a New Light

Due to the stormy weather in the forecast for Sunday, I was disappointed to find out that the location for Mass on the Grass was changed to the Elon Community Church. As a Catholic, I was excited to practice my faith in a different kind of worship service that was outside instead of inside the traditional church building. I went to the relocated church event nonetheless and did not regret my decision. Even though there was no outside liturgy, I was still able to experience the baptism of an Elon sophomore college student. I have been to multiple Catholic baptisms in my childhood, but I was too young to really concentrate on the details and to understand the meaning of the event. Not only could I better comprehend the significance of this baptism, but I also was able to experience a baptism of someone my own age, whereas the past baptisms I have attended were for newborn children. I was so impressed that a busy college student was courageous enough and passionate enough about the Catholic faith to convert, especially at this vulnerable and critical time in her life. Since this sacrament converted the student, this baptismal event aligns with the information we learned in class that baptism is a way to be adopted into the church as a new member and as a child of God. All of the symbols of baptism, such as the lighting of the candle, anointing of oil, renunciation of Satan, presence of white garments, the sign of the cross, baptizing with water, and many more, were present. As a child experiencing my cousins' baptisms, I was unaware of the significance of these items, but now that I am more educated about the meaning of the sacrament, I was able to watch this student's baptism with an attentive and analytical perspective. When the candle was lit, it demonstrated that there was a new light present that sin cannot overcome, which touches on baptism's themes of rebirth and renewal. The anointing of oil sealed the student being baptized with the gift of the Holy Spirit and also protects her from future sin. The white clothing symbolizes purity, new life, and innocence as a new member in the church. As the student was baptized with water, the water washed away original sin and echoed the three people in one God, the Trinity. This was definitely a worthwhile experience, and I loved being able to apply what I learned in class to an event that frequently occurs within my own religion.

Example of a Pentecostal Worship Experience

I have another video to share!

After reading the assignment for tomorrow, I was reminded of this video that shows a worship experience in the Pentecostal church.

The reading due tomorrow states that "The emphasis of [Pentecostalism] is on the free response to this encounter with God rather than on an order or a structure provided for the possibility of that encounter...This is coupled with an emphasis on experience and empowerment" (149).  The reading also talks about the presence of God's Spirit saying that it "was perceived as a liberating occurrence of freedom" (153).

It is hard to explain to any close accuracy what is going on in this video, since I assume it is something that only people who have experienced this can explain.  Some have accused this of being fake, some just laugh at it.  How do you all think that this functions as a Christian Worship Experience and what purpose does it serve?  It seems pretty "freeing" to me, but again I have never experienced or even seen anything quite like this.  How do you all think that it connects to the reading we have due tomorrow?

Also, side note: the pastor is saying "do you want it" and I believe he is referring to the Holy Spirit as it.

Cross-Cultural Learning Experiences

Recently, my church back home renamed their short-term mission trips to be called "cross-cultural learning experiences." I have participated on two mission trips during my high school career to New Orleans and Guatemala City and the emphasis placed on avoiding Christian tourism was large. It was interesting to me to see how this initiative grew throughout my high school career to the point where we were only allowed to have one camera for the entire team when we went to Guatemala and we weren't allowed to take photos without explicit permission of the people we met in Guatemala.

I found it interesting that my church renamed short-term mission trips altogether. It places an emphasis on the learning part of a mission trip and removes the idea that participants are going somewhere to "save the world" or "change a life." Often times, we embark on these trips thinking that we are going to infinitely better the lives of those we meet through the work we do for one week. I like that "cross-cultural learning experiences" places more focus on the two-way street that a mission trip truly is. On every trip that I have participated on, I have learned and grown more from the experience than I ever gave. The change in name makes the entire trip more transparent, the purpose more clear - because the truth is, there isn't much you can do during one week. You can't expect to be a superhero and it's dangerous to go on a trip with that mindset - rather, when your purpose is to go on these trips to help you step outside of your comfort zone and every day routine to serve alongside one another while growing closer to those you meet on the trip as well as your team, the trip takes on a whole new identity.

"Why Jesus' Skin Color Matters"

Hey everyone! So as we wrapped up our discussion last class, I thought I would post this article that was posted in Christianity Today, titled "Why Jesus' Skin Color Matters."  I remember Dr. Huber asking us this question in some similar form or another and as soon as I logged onto Facebook after class, I saw that my pastor had posted this on her wall-- crazy timing.

I apologize that it is kind of a lengthier article than we normally post on our blog, but I promise, it is worth the read.  It speaks more to the perspective of Jesus' skin color being closer to black than white. I find it fascinating that the author of this article is completely confident in her proclamation that Jesus is not white.  Her statement: "Not only is white Jesus inaccurate, he also can inhibit our ability to honor the image of God in people who aren’t white" is one of the main reasons why I thought to post this.  

What do you guys think of her perspective?  What do you all make of the direct quote written above? 

Again, I am sorry that the article isn't short and sweet but it's a good read and is linked HERE.  

Kiowa Nation

On Thursday I attended the Native American Religion and Belief class for the talk given by Dr. Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote about the Kiowa Nation, and specifically silverwork and Peyote jewelry. She talked about the fact that she got interested in silverwork because it was a part of her family's history. She talked about the role it played in trade, and how it was a way of expressing one's identity. The jewelry was created during the assimilation period, which is very relevant in the comparisons of social status in the Kiowa Nation to social status in the United States at that time.

Dr. Tone-Pah-Hote showed a series of picture of the same people dressed in clothes to fit the context of Kiowa social status and United States social status. I was very interesting to see the same people in traditional Kiowa attire and then in a classic black suit that most men in United States wore at that time. Through assimilation, it seemed that less prestige came along with the silverwork such as hair metal because this was not something that people valued in the United States culture outside of Native American culture.

For a while, people did not identify this silverwork as artwork. They were considered jewelry and decoration rather than artwork. However, she explained that art is not static, so through time it was recognized as artwork. She also explained that these pieces of art did have connections to the Native American Church, but it had a larger meaning. That meaning was the relationship with Native American culture as a whole. Religion seemed to be an integral part of Native American culture, but she wanted to clarify that the connection was not solely with religion and more with the overarching culture.

Escape from Enslavement

Pentecostalism is a unique religion that has taken shape due to the prevailing influence of its origins. Some of these origins consist of African slaves and camp meetings. I found it very interesting that African slaves were drawn to these camp meetings. These meetings were characterized by a spontaneous, informal, unrehearsed, fluid, and open experience rather than one that contained traditional rituals and an organized structure. With these qualities, the camp meetings seemed to emphasize the importance of freedom, expression, and independence. All of this was appealing to slaves because they were used to and irritated with the structure and predictability of their everyday lives, which consisted of forced labor and an inability to freely express themselves. These meetings provided them with an opportunity to escape the harsh realities of their lives so that they could worship and revere God freely and openly. The meetings'  lack of structure in addition to the opportunity that they provided the slaves to worship without having to follow any expected norm provided a nice contrast to the slaves’ fixed days of grueling labor and obeying their masters' commands. Slaves were controlled and confined, but the meetings enabled them to express themselves and their faith in an accepting atmosphere, which was vital for their sanity and for maintaining a relationship with God. These meetings served as a way for the slaves to escape the harsh reality of their lives and enabled them to seek liberty spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Eve's Redeemer

Our conversation in class yesterday reminded me of one of my pastor's favorite paintings. It's called Eve's Redeemer and it shows Mary counseling Eve and stomping on the head of a snake. It kind of reinforces what Dr. Huber said about how Jesus is the second Adam and Mary is the second Eve.