Our first TCU football game
This semester marks the third full semester of my PhD program, which means I have begun my second year of studies. To give you an idea, I only have two more semesters (Spring 2016 and Fall 2016) after this semester. And then I will be finished with coursework. Forever.
Some more quick facts:
I have been enrolled in post-secondary for ten years. I began college in the fall of 2005.
This is my third graduate program; combined with my undergraduate institution, Brite Divinity is the fourth school I’ve attended.
I have attended schools in Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, and now Texas.
Why tell you all of this? Because I have learned much from different places and different people.
I have been trained in various environments in various traditions. Though not quite the Pauline “all things for all people,” I am beginning to sense the variance in my background(s).
The culmination of these experiences has resulted in moments of clarity with respect to my place in academia, my hopes for teaching, and my desire for the estranged relationship between Academy and Church. This clarity has manifested in two major aspects:
The Need for Critical Distance: “Critical Distance” can refer to a number of concepts in a range of fields (audio physics, mathematics, chemistry). In this instance, I am referring to the sociological concept of critical distance: being able to detach from the situation at hand and view things with a critical mind. Though we cannot fully ever detach from our location, the practice is useful since it pushes us to carefully sift through aspects of ourselves and problems we encounter. The life of a PhD student is one in which critical distance is not only valued but demanded. It is necessary to be able to “bracket myself” (to quote Dr. Tom Boogaart) in order to see how my experiences encounter the material I study. Lately, however, I have gone a step further to recognize how my professors here at Brite have deeply impacted my ability to practice critical distance. As all of you know (or have probably assumed), I am a white man. But at Brite, the professors I interact with are quite unlike “me” - most are of different ethnic backgrounds from different geo-political spheres. I am forced into a dance of critical distance as I see previous learning and traditions come into contact with the people standing in front of me, teaching me from backgrounds, training, and experiences that embody an alterity (alterity means “otherness”) with respect to the world I have lived in for 29 years. This recognition, then, compels me to encourage others to do the same: seek out advisors, mentors, and friends who do not share in your traditions, your worldview, and your ethnicity. Bracket yourself and then see how your eyes are shaped to see life in a different way - a way that will forever impact who you are and who you are becoming.
New dimensions/implications for my trajectory in empire studies: postcolonial discourse.
I am enrolled in a course called “Postcolonial Theologies.” And for the most part, I have thoroughly enjoyed the material and have learned volumes even after a few weeks. The negative impact, though, has centered around the complicity of the Church with respect to the West’s domination of people throughout history. Many scholars have concluded that colonialism, a type of domination that dehumanizes people groups and transforms them into sources of cheap labor all while usurping land and materials for the economic gain of the ones colonizing, has ended. Neocolonialism (the “new” colonialism) is unfortunately alive and well, extending beyond national boundaries but still very much involved in the domination and subjugation of other people groups. I do not have the space in this post to say all that I want to, but I’ll end on this note: I am becoming increasingly convinced that my scholarly task is to encourage any self-professing Christian in the United States to read through postcolonial discourse in order to practice critical distance and recognize how the Church has been complicit in the dehumanization of people groups, domination of people, land, and materials, and systemic violences at home and abroad. And, most importantly, I want to be part of the movement that facilitates conversation on how Christians can best participate in restorative efforts for those who have been and continue to be oppressed by violent systems.
Please hear me say this: I am probably not indicting you, the reader, in the above list. I recognize that many of us had no part in the slave trade, were born in this country long after military forces annihilated First Nation peoples, and other egregious sins committed in the name of "God and country." But, to quote Dr. Randy Woodley, many white folk “drink downstream” and directly benefit from the past atrocities. I am one of these individuals who benefits from past atrocities. Therefore, we white folk need to move forward and work against the systems that continue to oppress and dehumanize people. Jesus has called us to look after the least of these. The book of James says that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). Orphans and widows, especially in the first couple of centuries, were incredibly vulnerable people who had no right to property or civil status. We are called to love and uphold these people.
I hope this gives you an idea of my trajectory in this program, what I have been learning, and what I want to accomplish with my studies.
As per tradition, the latest and greatest pictures of the Texan Poppens are below! :)
Some more quick facts:
I have been enrolled in post-secondary for ten years. I began college in the fall of 2005.
This is my third graduate program; combined with my undergraduate institution, Brite Divinity is the fourth school I’ve attended.
I have attended schools in Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, and now Texas.
Why tell you all of this? Because I have learned much from different places and different people.
I have been trained in various environments in various traditions. Though not quite the Pauline “all things for all people,” I am beginning to sense the variance in my background(s).
The culmination of these experiences has resulted in moments of clarity with respect to my place in academia, my hopes for teaching, and my desire for the estranged relationship between Academy and Church. This clarity has manifested in two major aspects:
- The need for critical distance
- New dimensions/implications for my interest in empire studies
The Need for Critical Distance: “Critical Distance” can refer to a number of concepts in a range of fields (audio physics, mathematics, chemistry). In this instance, I am referring to the sociological concept of critical distance: being able to detach from the situation at hand and view things with a critical mind. Though we cannot fully ever detach from our location, the practice is useful since it pushes us to carefully sift through aspects of ourselves and problems we encounter. The life of a PhD student is one in which critical distance is not only valued but demanded. It is necessary to be able to “bracket myself” (to quote Dr. Tom Boogaart) in order to see how my experiences encounter the material I study. Lately, however, I have gone a step further to recognize how my professors here at Brite have deeply impacted my ability to practice critical distance. As all of you know (or have probably assumed), I am a white man. But at Brite, the professors I interact with are quite unlike “me” - most are of different ethnic backgrounds from different geo-political spheres. I am forced into a dance of critical distance as I see previous learning and traditions come into contact with the people standing in front of me, teaching me from backgrounds, training, and experiences that embody an alterity (alterity means “otherness”) with respect to the world I have lived in for 29 years. This recognition, then, compels me to encourage others to do the same: seek out advisors, mentors, and friends who do not share in your traditions, your worldview, and your ethnicity. Bracket yourself and then see how your eyes are shaped to see life in a different way - a way that will forever impact who you are and who you are becoming.
New dimensions/implications for my trajectory in empire studies: postcolonial discourse.
I am enrolled in a course called “Postcolonial Theologies.” And for the most part, I have thoroughly enjoyed the material and have learned volumes even after a few weeks. The negative impact, though, has centered around the complicity of the Church with respect to the West’s domination of people throughout history. Many scholars have concluded that colonialism, a type of domination that dehumanizes people groups and transforms them into sources of cheap labor all while usurping land and materials for the economic gain of the ones colonizing, has ended. Neocolonialism (the “new” colonialism) is unfortunately alive and well, extending beyond national boundaries but still very much involved in the domination and subjugation of other people groups. I do not have the space in this post to say all that I want to, but I’ll end on this note: I am becoming increasingly convinced that my scholarly task is to encourage any self-professing Christian in the United States to read through postcolonial discourse in order to practice critical distance and recognize how the Church has been complicit in the dehumanization of people groups, domination of people, land, and materials, and systemic violences at home and abroad. And, most importantly, I want to be part of the movement that facilitates conversation on how Christians can best participate in restorative efforts for those who have been and continue to be oppressed by violent systems.
Please hear me say this: I am probably not indicting you, the reader, in the above list. I recognize that many of us had no part in the slave trade, were born in this country long after military forces annihilated First Nation peoples, and other egregious sins committed in the name of "God and country." But, to quote Dr. Randy Woodley, many white folk “drink downstream” and directly benefit from the past atrocities. I am one of these individuals who benefits from past atrocities. Therefore, we white folk need to move forward and work against the systems that continue to oppress and dehumanize people. Jesus has called us to look after the least of these. The book of James says that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). Orphans and widows, especially in the first couple of centuries, were incredibly vulnerable people who had no right to property or civil status. We are called to love and uphold these people.
I hope this gives you an idea of my trajectory in this program, what I have been learning, and what I want to accomplish with my studies.
As per tradition, the latest and greatest pictures of the Texan Poppens are below! :)
Zoë's "desk," complete with computer,
photo frame and drink with coaster
Such a big boy! Just turned 17 months :)
And then soccer.
This is what Isaiah does during games...
But this is what he really wants to do.
Future goalie? ;)
Go Zoë!
Victory dance after her first (and only) goal of the season :)
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