Report from Stanford University and UC Berkeley Events Oct. 8-9
"Voices of Gentle Reason"
by Jill Carattini
from Stanford University and UC Berkeley
October 8-9, 2008
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."
—Mark Twain A young medical student at Stanford University stood before the table of RZIM books and resources beaming. “We don’t see these things very often,” he said, clarifying, “Not books; there’s no shortage of books. I mean Christianity without the hostility.” He proceeded to describe students and friends who deride the possibility of possessing both faith and intellect, medical professors who actually apologize when the language of design inadvertently slips into lectures on the body, and the isolation that comes from trying to stand in the shadows of this increasingly antagonistic majority. When I inquired as to the availability of support from campus ministries or local churches, his response was equally dismal. “There are groups that speak to the emotionality of faith, but academically, there is no one.” On October 8 and 9, Michael Ramsden and Os Guinness joined efforts to speak on the campuses of Stanford and Berkeley to students like this one and students like the ones he described. The question at hand, “Is Faith Delusional?”, was one that many found time to ask in the midst of paper deadlines and pages of reading, attesting to the need for an answer. Michael began with the philosophical ramifications of claiming truth non-existent, faith irrational, reality subjective, and God imaginary. “The Bible talks about faith being a gift,” he concluded. “But it isn’t the gift of insanity.” Os followed with four stages along a thinker’s quest for knowledge. “If Socrates is correct in his critique of the unexamined life,” he began, “then many, including many at your university, are living lives that are not worth living.” On college and university campuses nationwide, Christianity is increasingly a hope of the minority, while faith is overwhelmingly evicted from the halls of learning, accused of irrationality, irrelevance, or something worse. A sign in the center square of Berkeley’s campus stood out among the colorful landscape of apartment want-ads, sorority invitations, and advertisements for social clubs and free pizza: “Away with all Gods!” it read, an invitation to a discussion against religion. And yet, one of the student volunteers smiled excitedly as students poured into the auditorium. “I love my school!” she said. “People are so curious and open. They will always come to things like this, if we only invite them.” In fact, long after each event had begun, students continued to funnel inside the auditorium, citing class or an appointment, but wanting to hear. Many were Christians, ecstatic for the opportunity to hear an intelligent response to common hostilities at the intersections of faith and academia. Others wandered inside out of sheer curiosity or the promise of being able to challenge a Christian scholar. On both campuses, the scene was not unlike the focus of Paul, who simply reasoned with “anyone who happened to be present.” “Can I add a postscript for you?” asked Dr. Guinness at the close of a fruitful Q&A. “There is no thought that is unthinkable. But there are many thoughts that are unlivable. Your generation is now approaching the logical outworking of some of the crazy ideas that my generation set forth. There is a burden upon your generation to question, to search, to think, and to respond in turn with commitment.” Indeed, faith is not delusional, as the many vitriolic voices of our day maintain. Nor are all faiths equal, as scores of irrational voices now maintain. Though the voices of gentle reason, patient hope, and Christian thoughtfulness may exist as a quiet minority, I left California confident that the burden of asking important questions and the quest for livable answers is a challenge many now embrace.
Jill Carattini is Managing Editor of A Slice of Inifinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
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