I have two classes that I consider my refuge from the Strange Land that is seminary: MTS Colloquy, and a seminar on Augustine, Descartes, Kant, and Wittgenstein. Today I had my philosophy smorgasbord class. We are discussing Augustine's The Trinity.
Augustine's Christianity is rooted in experiential faith. That is, it is not assent to a doctrine, but more active and contemplative (and these two are not mutually exclusive); faith is understood through the way we think and live in the world. It is an attending to that which is eternal; it is a disposition of the mind. Coming into faith is the transformation of the mind.
Therefore, sin is a necessary state (deprivation) of being. It is the inability to see clearly, and as Freud will later argue, self-deception is essential to our ability to function in this world. There must be a gradual awakening in order to fully recognize, understand, and value the experience. Augustine believes we have this possibility for transformation built in at the beginning of our lives. We are born with faith. It is God's gift of Grace to us, and is ours by virtue of our humanity. But if we were born fully aware of this faith, what would be the purpose of life? Where would we go from there? And, would that faith be truly meaningful without the struggle to understand and attain it?
Coming into faith is a realignment of the way you view the world, others, and your place in it. It is an attending to the world; how we approach it, that matters. Desire can either be governed by worldly or eternal things. Worldly things keep us in sin and alienated from God's grace. They are often selfish, shallow, and gluttonous motives. When we see people or things, or even the attainment of knowledge, as the means to an end, sin (and evil) prevails. Coming into faith is an enlightenment of the mind and a maturation of the soul.
So, what of higher education? The argument could be made that college and especially grad school is evil, because the knowledge we attain there is the means to an end: a career. If we attend to it without love, without good, then it is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It is empty, shallow, and self-serving.
Here our professor showed a sentimental, romantic side I was surprised to see in him. He acknowledged that much if not most of what we learn, the hard facts and broad theories, will be lost to us over time, perhaps even before we remove our caps and gowns. It is not his hope that we leave here with heads full of information. He does wish for us the burgeoning of a life-long love of learning; that we find a few thinkers/writers who resonate with us and inspire us to continue reading, learning, thinking, sharing, and inspiring our own students or congregants well into the future. Whether it be wisdom or faith, attend to it with love and a respectful desire, and you will experience a fullness and blessedness in your life...Welcome (no, really...welcome) to Seminary.
Footnotes
"Knowledge is important. But much more so is the use toward which it is put. This depends on the heart and mind of the one who uses it."
-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama
