Back in Kansas

By now, I have been back in Kansas for over a month after my semester in Oxford. As one might expect there have been little bits of culture shock. I almost made a turn into the left lane a couple times. A stranger smiled and said "Good morning" on the street one day, and I wasn't sure how to respond (since that never happens in England). But these aren't what I reflect on the most now that I'm back. The different perspectives I was made aware of cause the most contemplation, and these bring me to think about how I can implement them into my studies here.

One of the things I came to treasure while in Oxford was good conversation. Philippians 4:8 challenges me greatly whenever I consider it. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." I'm not entirely sure about the full ramifications of this verse concerning a Christian's daily decisions (not to mention entertainment choices), but I do think it certainly should challenge us on our conversation. The fact that we have "Bradjolina" as a word in English conversation says a great deal about our culture. I often ask myself what I find myself thinking about in my spare time. What do I spend my time talking about with my friends?  Do we build up? Do we edify? Are we thinking about things of excellence? Do we talk about things that matter, or do we talk about things that needn't be discussed (like the latest gossip about so and so friend or even celebrity)? I confess I must often answer no to this question.

In Oxford my friends and I would discuss subjects that really mattered to our lives. We would talk about the role of faith in our Christian walks. We would talk about how we judge between what is harmful and edifying in art. Every day we learned something new from someone else. Were all of our conversations lofty and serious? Not at all. We frequently would talk about light-hearted subjects as well, but they too were useful. They encouraged. They built up.

This is one of the grand experiences I miss from Oxford, and it is also one that I am intent sharing with my friends back home so that I shall not again grow content with discussing the mediocre things of life. It's too short is why.

Leaving my home, to travel home

Today I'm leaving Oxford. I'll be staying the night in London and then getting into Kansas City the next day at around 10:30 pm CST. This has been an incredible journey. Right now, I'm a bit overwhelmed with my thoughts and reflections on the past four months.

A while ago, I made a post with some lyrics from Regina Spector's song, The Call which sort of summed up my emotions. There's another song from Switchfoot that I'm listening to right now as I write this. I very much identify with the words in this song. Being eternal souls created in God's image, we are not made for this world. In different places, I think we can catch glimpses of what we were made for, but in this life it will never be complete.

In the U.S. I have an amazing family and steadfast friends that give me a glimpse of heaven. It's also a time of year when we are more keenly aware of our blessings: past, present and future. But here in Oxford, my mind has found learning and growth I've never known before. I've also made steadfast friends here, and it will be difficult being separated. C. S. Lewis felt that he got glimpses of joy every now and then. I think I've found a bit as well, and it resides in Oxford. As I reflect on the incomplete beauty of this world, having some good things in Kansas and having some good things here, I realize I am not made for this world, and my spirit will never be fully content until the next world.

Switchfoot's "This is Home"

I've got my memories

Always

Inside of me

But I can't go back

Back to how it was

I believe you now

I've come too far

No I can't go back

Back to how it was

Created for a place

I've never known

Chorus:

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home

And now after all

My searching

After all my questions

I'm gonna call it home

I got a brand new mindset

I can finally see

The sunset

I'm gonna call it home

(Chorus)

Now I know

Yeah, this is home

I've come too far

And I won't go back

Yeah, this is home

A spectacular day at the Kilns

Donna McDaniel, warden of the Kilns where C. S. Lewis lived for many years, invited me over for tea at the Kilns. She and I have mutual friends from Arizona, and we had already chatted a bit earlier when I came over for the tour.

So on Thursday afternoon, I took a bus over to Headington in Oxford and dropped in. Chelsea Carter, a student scholar living at the Kilns, made tea, and we had a great chat. Later, Donna showed up and we went into the lounge. We talked about all sorts of things: culture, politics, the church and (as one might have guessed) C. S. Lewis. Great conversation is something that comes readily in Oxford, as one might expect.

Donna then asked if I had plans for dinner. I told her I had none. Therefore, I got to sit in the space where Lewis sat, reading some of his essays, while dinner was prepared. I also took an unexpected nap.

For dinner, we had brussels sprouts, pot roast and salad with American ranch dressing! It was fantastic. Two instructors from Exeter college, Claire and Tyler, came over. Tyler was very helpful in giving me some input for applying for an M.Phil here at Oxford. Being an American who is now teaching here, he told me what scholarships to look for in order to get funding to come.
For a Lewis and Narnia fan to get to spend an afternoon and evening at the Kilns, I must say that it was an experience that shall remain in my memory forever. To walk through the place where Lewis lived, wrote and thought was very special. I must thank Donna (and also Chelsea) for the wonderful conversation, delicious meal and spectacular day at the Kilns.

As the journey comes to an end

 Our group at Blenheim Palace

Well, the time is coming for us all to get ready to leave. I have less than two weeks here. That may seem like a while, but the last three months feel like only a few days. We have one more official group meeting on Saturday where we will all have dinner together, all the students and the Bywaters. Afterwards, we are taking trips to various places before going home. We're going to Brussels and then I'm off to Köln (Cologne), Germany with Josh and Lindsey while the others are going to Paris.

Today we met at the Bird and Babe for an unofficial discussion on worldviews, literature and such. I keep asking myself how I'm going to leave this place. Not too long ago, I had dinner in Christchurch dining hall with my friends. Most people would recognize it from the Harry Potter films. But it's not just the grandeur of this place. The history of it all coupled with the atmosphere for learning makes it almost magical. I was asking a full-time student here what the best thing about Oxford was. He told me that at Oxford you're not vilified for studying hard and not partying. I certainly found that to be true here. At KU, I've been criticized for taking several hours and working hard. The discussion here has been so satisfying to my hunger for great discussion. In the Summit flats, we don't talk so much about movies, celebrities and trivial things. We talk about culture, politics, interpreting scripture, theology, philosophy, how to be a positive impact on the culture as well as our personal goals and pursuits.

I have an amazing family waiting for me at home. I also have some truly rare and steadfast friends. But when you are on an adventure with a fellowship of nine (and even ten including Kevin who's shared a lot of our journey), you live together, eat together, travel together, laugh together and at times struggle together, you form strong loyalties. Leaving each other will be very hard for all of us. Leaving the Bywater family and Oxford, this beautiful city of gleaming spires, will be hard.

Last weekend, I went to C. S. Lewis's home. I started thinking about Narnia, and I think for the first time in my life I'm beginning to understand how the Pevensie children felt returning to our world. When we get home, we'll show other people pictures. We'll tell about the trips we took and about each other. But the only ones with whom we'll be able to really identify is each other. I suppose that's part of life. You have experiences with great friends, and try as you may, you can't really explain to people what it was like.

These lyrics are from a song that played in the film, Prince Caspian, when the Pevensie children leave Narnia. Last night, Josh, Lindsey, Andrea and I stayed up till 2:30 am looking at pictures and listening to this song. It explains a lot of what we're all feeling.

The Call

It started out as a feeling

Which then grew into a hope

Which then turned into a quiet thought

Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder

'Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back

When you call me

No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing

Doesn't mean it's never been this way before

All you can do is try to know who your friends are

As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon

And follow the light

You'll come back when it's over

No need to say goodbye

You'll come back when it's over

No need to say goodbye

Now we're back to the beginning

It's just a feeling and no one knows yet

But just because they can't feel it too

Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger

'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back

When they call you

No need to say goodbye

You'll come back

When they call you

No need to say goodbye

Finished with term and visiting the Kilns

I just had my final tutorial with Dr. Rooksby today. It went very well, and he appreciated my thoughts on Dickens' Great Expectations, one in particular. I'm hoping to have him out for lunch sometime this week, possibly Friday. That evening I'm meeting with friends of some people from our church.
The whole term is winding down. Tomorrow we're beginning our concluding Summit sessions, and after that we'll have some travel before going home.

I feel like no time has passed. It will be very strange going home after all of this. Leaving Oxford as an educational environment has changed me in terms of how I try to learn and study. The whole experience here is a time of learning as opposed to the U.S. where the idea is that the class time is the learning time and not your walk down the street and looking at the buildings around you.

Summit Oxford students visiting the Kilns

It's been an amazing experience. I'll share more on my concluding thoughts later. As of right now, I'm still processing all that has transpired and what it's going to be like leaving. Perhaps the best thing right now is to share a bit about one of my more recent great experiences.
Last Saturday, five of the Summit Oxford students went to Headington (a suburb in Oxford) to visit C. S. Lewis's home, the Kilns. It was a great experience and truly amazing. We got to meet the caretaker, Donna McDaniel who gave us a wonderful tour. I also got to meet C. S. Lewis's step-son, Douglas Gresham, who dropped in briefly. Getting to meet the man who has written about his step-father and knew him so well was a privilege indeed. All of us had read Lewis to certain extents, and sitting where he wrote and walking where he walked was very thought provoking. For a fan of the Narnian Chronicles who is staffed at NarniaWeb.Com, I have to say it was a fulfilling of one of my dreams.

The Kilns

Wrapping up the Oxford term

It's currently Friday of 8th week, and I've been saying goodbye both to the friends I've made here and to Oxford. It's likely been the hardest and most demanding term I've ever had, but it's also been the best, and I would not trade it for anything. The Summit term has helped me to consider my interests (which are extremely varied) and allow me to consider how I might best combine those for a career. Meanwhile, the Oxford term has helped me in developing my skills in writing (and reading) as well as my German. I feel that I have benefited immensely from these studies.

I also have been saying goodbye to my friends here in the U.K. I had lunch yesterday with a fellow New College student who I met within my first week of tutorials here named Matt. He's a brilliant student currently studying Science of Humanities here. When I told him I was studying worldviews like Christianity, Islam, Marxism and Secular Humanism, he said, "Wonderful! Every time I tell someone I'm a secular humanist I have to explain what I am." That lead to many great discussions over lunch and dinner in the college dining hall. Today we had what will likely be our last lunch together. I commented on how I have found that in Britain, people are much more willing to have discussion over contentious issues and have arguments that are really exciting and intense. Afterwards, they don't take the disagreements personally. We just shake hands and ask when we'll get together next. In the U.S. I've had times (one in particular comes to mind) when I was arguing with a fellow over what I considered to be an essential of the Christian faith, and a pastor came over and tried to break up the argument, getting angry with me when I tried to renew it. But with people like Matt, we can have all sorts of great discussions, and I personally found his questions about my faith to be very probing and helpful to me in my growth. I gave him a copy of Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity as a parting gift, and we went our separate ways.

Last night I went to a Christmas party with some of the other American students here in Oxford. I'm had a great time. I've gotten to have some great discussions with many of them. One in particular, Chris, is a really great guy. We come from very different perspectives both religiously and politically, but I feel I've gained a friend and we both have mutual respect for each other as men who try to think critically about the world.

I'm going to miss this place so much.

An English Thanksgiving

Well, a week has gone by since Thanksgiving, and I thought I'd share a brief recap. On Thursday, the American students studying here went to the office for the Oxford Study Abroad Programme and had turkey sandwiches. One of the tutors here asked me what Thanksgiving was about. "Is it thanksgiving for arrival [to the new world]?" I told him that it could be, but that it was more a day to give thanks in principle for what you have, for family, friends, the ability to throw a feast—that it was a day of thanksgiving to remember what you have and be thankful. He found this a very interesting and worthy holiday.

Then on Saturday we had the real feast. I actually went over on Friday afternoon to watch over the Bywater children and keep them out of their mum's hair so she and some of the other students could prepare the food for tomorrow. My roommate, Josh and I, then spent the night there. The next morning, Lindsey came over to help prepare food, and the rest of the students came at around 11:00 am. Then we ate at around 1:00 or so. It was amazing. Mrs. Bywater cooked a delicious turkey, Andrea made stuffing, Jessica made apple pies, and we had mashed potatoes, pickles, vegetables, and scrumptious home made cranberry sauce to boot. It was one of the best thanksgivings I've ever had. I have to say that after all the time I've spent with the Bywater family and my friends here, that we really are a family (or pseudo-family as Josh calls it). Kevin and I have spoken on the loyalties this group has, and it's extraordinary.

The end of 7th week

Some of the Summit Oxford students at Stonehenge

It's been a while since I've last posted, but I've been busy. We got to see Warwick castle a while ago, and last Saturday we went to see Stonehenge as well as the city of Bath. But for now, here's a recount of yesterday, Friday the 21st.
At 10:30 am I met with my English Literature tutor, Dr. Rooksby. We discussed the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Thomas Hardy. It was a great session as always. We discussed the differences in styles between the two writers as well as the differences in their worldviews, one being a Jesuit priest and the other being a secularist. I'm loving the studies we do on the writing and how these brilliant authors communicate. I'm reading "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens for next Friday, so I'll be busy.

Kevin and I met for lunch. We talked about a variety of issues, many of them relating to my future and career goals. After speaking with him, I feel like I've got a much better idea of what I should do for my undergraduate and perhaps even in consideration of a post-graduate degree. The trick for me is that I have so many interests ranging from philosophy, theology, history, film, theatre, literature, economics, politics, culture and so on that I struggle in finding what fields to focus in. But I felt today was really helpful.

At 4:00 I went to the Lamb and Flag which is one of the pubs that C.S. 'Jack' Lewis and J.R.R. 'Tollers' Tolkien used to meet at. Emilie Noteboom, Kevin Bywater, Josh Hynie and a friend of his, Tim Brahm, all came to discuss various issues. We discussed art and to what extent an author's intentions make his art virtuous or perhaps even immoral. It was a great discussion.
Today we're off to Lane House at 2, so I've got some work to get done by then.

Loving the experience

Well, it's currently 3rd week here in Oxford. I'm fencing in the Oxford University Fencing Club, and there's some very good fencers there to be sure. I also attended the Oxford Inter Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU) meeting tonight. It was a real blessing to sing, pray and fellowship with believers in Britain. I see the U.K. as being several years ahead of the U.S. in terms of the increased hold that secularism has on the U.K. There's actually hope in the U.S. of overturning abortion. It's difficult to see that here in the U.K., and yet these believers press on. We may not hear much about it in the U.S., but God is doing great things here in Oxford with the believers. There are believers who are high ranked in the University and the OICCU is a very strong group similar to Campus Crusade or Navigators. 

I spend much of my time in the Bodleian library. The Bod is actually several buildings. Nik and I who are studying Philosophy and Literature are usually in the Radcliffe Camera. If I'm not there, then I'm usually spending time in my college library.I'm also having a great time in my college. I've made some new friends here. Matthew Ball is a fresher studying science of humanities at New College. He and I enjoy talking worldviews over lunch. I also have a friend from St. Ebbe's named Claire Greig who's vice-president of OICCU and is studying classics at Magdalen College (the same college where C. S. Lewis taught classics). And I'm making other friends at fencing.

The Summit Oxford group (finally pictured) is still meeting together on Fridays usually. We will have dinner at the Bywaters, perhaps have a conference call with an author, share recent discoveries and discuss hard issues. Last Friday we tackled the question of what God asks for us in our faith as far as certainty and living it out.

Kevin takes us out individually for lunch/coffee once every two weeks. I told him then, and I'll say it here. Aside from deciding to pursue higher education in the first place, Summit Oxford is the most important educational decision I've ever made.

Summit Oxford - Michaelmas Term 2008

Update after the end of 0 week.

Well, what we call 0 week in Oxford is wrapping up, so I've met with both tutors (and actually had a full tutorial) and am now getting ready to dive into the 1st of 8 weeks of study in the Michaelmas term.

Yesterday I had my first official tutorial with a paper to turn in. It was for the study of the 19th century novel with Dr. Rooksby. We'll be reading several books this term as well as some poetry. Likely authors will be Robert Louis Stevenson, Wilde, Keats, Byron, Dickens and Austen (who I just finished with Mansfield Park). We discussed the themes of Austen and how she was writing during the Romantic period but was not necessarily a romantic novelist herself. It was a terrific discussion on the themes of self-restraint and responsibility that Austen wrote about, even on the sentence level of her works. A great deal of our study will be of the English language and what people do in order to communicate their thoughts with clarity and/or nuance. We will meet once a week for eight weeks discussing novels and poetry.

My second tutorial covers the German language on a conversational and somewhat cultural platform. I meet a couple times a week and Mrs. Prodhan and it is very intense. Easily 90% of our conversation is in German, but that is what makes it a better learning experience. I'm currently in the Bodleian Library (which includes but does not contain approximately 12 million books) and am working on a German news article (oder Deutsch Zeitung Artikel).

Unfortunately, my tutorial with Mr. LeMay (Whinston Churchill's speech writer) did not come through as planned due to some miscommunication on the study matter. It's unfortunate to be sure, but I'm still sure this will be a great term, and I am looking forward to the increased time with Dr. Rooksby.
And of course, the Summit portion of the term is still going on. We spent yesterday afternoon (and some of us the evening) with the Bywaters. We spoke to John Christy, the state climatologist for Alabama and a scientist on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He told us about the actual science that is rarely reported. He gave an example. Last year the surrounding ice of the arctic was at the lowest in recorded history. The media reported it. In the same month, the antarctic was at its all time greatest in surrounding ice. That was not reported. He also mentioned the dangers in global warming extremists and the socialist tendencies of governments now who are using climate change to push agendas through.

Finally we spoke with Bruce Thornton, an author who is writing on the cultural climate in Europe with the great secularization and the problems with Muslim immigrants. He told us about the current situation with how Islam will soon dominate many countries because of the population growth in Muslim communities compared with native Europeans. Unfortunately, there's already been some backlash among radical groups which could lead to greater conflicts in the future.

New college dining hall

It is a truly fascinating time being here. I'm loving every minute of it. From spending time in an old library to eating in a dining hall cafeteria that's hundreds of years old. The more I am getting used to the idea of researching on my own and writing up essays and such, I feel that something I want to do for my undergraduate degree is write a thesis. That would be very helpful I think.

Well, till next time!

A trip up to Scotland

This is a bit late, and I'll try to write more on my tutorial status soon, but weekend before last (the weekend of the 28th), seven of us went up to Scotland. It was terrific.

We arrived Saturday morning in the capital city of Edinburgh. We all did various things like visiting the galleries, walking the royal mile, visit the tartan weaving mill and enjoy the Princes Gardens.

Andrea on the walls of Stirling castle

Day 2 (Sunday) we took a train up to Stirling. Josh and I had been there before, but the others had not and were very impressed. The beauty of the lowlands is indeed a thing to behold. We went to the castle and enjoyed the tour very much. I even met my tour guide from two years ago when I was here with Grandma and Grandpa: Michael Korr.

Day 3 was incredible. Josh enjoys a good hike. I suppose he would have to in order to be an effective wildland firefighter. Yes, there's a bit of comradery between us. Anyway, while Andrea and Tommy stayed in Edinburgh to shop and see Edinburgh castle, Josh lead Daniel, Lindsey and myself on a 12 mile hike from Milngavie (pronounced mul-geye) up to Dryman using the old highland road. It rained. It shined. It was a terrific hike and something for which I will always be grateful.
Go to my gallery where I have a great deal more photos of Scotland available.

From left, Daniel, myself and Joshua

Wrapping up the Summit portion

Well, I'm almost finished with the Summit portion of my studies here. We've discussed Biblical prophecy, spiritual warfare, global warming, Islam, atheism, new spirituality, cults (a.k.a. pseudo-Christian religions) and the historical reliability of the Bible. I can't believe it's going by so quickly. I'll really miss seeing the Bywaters every day or so. I may make my class notes available online, though some I'll be retaining. There's probably some stuff that would be very confusing or misleading without the understanding of context. As we've been learning about scriptural interpretation, context is King.
We have one more day of Summit Worldviews, and after that we'll meet once a week to discuss worldviews, etc, so the Summit aspect isn't really ending. It's going to be a drawn out part of the program where we engage the culture and then discuss it in weekly meetings. I'm getting my tutorials coordinated soon. I'll be taking tutorials in British Literature (19th century fiction to be exact) which I'm excited about. I'll be studying Dickens and other authors. I will also have a tutorial in German to continue my education in my second language. I'm interested to see how well I learn in a tutorial setting there. I will also be taking rhetoric from Mr. Le May, who worked for Whinston Churchill as a speech writer during WWII. I'm truly blessed to be studying here.

Tomorrow we'll be reviewing what we've learned. We'll also be discussing a film we watched, V for Vendetta,which is a film oozing with worldview ideas and philosophies. I'll enjoy nitpicking that.
This weekend before term starts, some of us will be going up to Scotland. It should be terrific!

What I am loving about Summit Oxford

I thought it suitable to write a brief entry enumerating, so to speak, my loves of this new programme.

This picture is a picture of Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born. While it was one day's outing, it gave me time to reflect on the three things I love about Oxford. First off, the culture. There is so much history here and is truly moving to one's soul. I am speaking of experiences ranging from eating at the pub where Lewis and Tolkien often met to standing in the same street where three bishops were martyred for their faith. I have friends in the U.K. who find it amusing when Americans go ga-ga over the cathedrals and such. Perhaps it is to them, but I find it amusing that many (but not all) Brits take these amazing things for granted.


There are also the people. My roommate, Josh Hynie, is a great guy. We often talk about our thoughts of the day and what we learned. We both have a love for Scotland and for the history here. He's got a great love for art and architecture, so this place is heaven for him. There's also three other men living in our flat: Daniel, Nik and Tommy. Tommy is quite the business man. He has his own company and is extremely knowledgeable on issues of economics. It's really fascinating to me. Nik is a humanities and philosophy student and gets so much out of JP Moreland than I ever will. I feel like I'm able to tag along in the rudimentary philosophical discussions and if I'm quick on my feet, I can remember to throw in the word epistemological or ontological at just the right moment to give the illusion I understand him. Daniel also has a lot of great theological and philosophical insight. He has a great knowledge of scripture as well as his history. One thing I love about this group is that all of us guys have different skills and strengths. When I hear one of them talking outside my field, it encourages me to want to study more of that subject, and it also humbles me, reminding me that we all have our gifts and abilities and we all compliment the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12).

Perhaps the greatest thing about these guys I live with is the household discussion. Maybe once in twenty we'll be discussing a movie or an activity. The rest of the conversations revolve around our readings, philosophy, cultural criticism (sometimes ours and sometimes Britain's), and our own thoughts and insights to arguments and discussions. This leads into the next topic, and that is the programme itself.

I love the intense studies. Just today at a pub, I made a comment about being born again. Kevin asked me to explain, to flesh out the idea. I had actually never done that. He would ask me "Is that really what Jesus meant? Can you show me? What about this?" He wanted to draw out the ideas that we often package up to the point of becomign cliché but rarely expand upon. While we go through powerpoints on various worldviews, we often will go deep into the situations of scripture. We went in depth into Matthew 24 where Jesus prophecies all these things like earthquakes, stars falling, the Son coming into his kingdom, trumpets sounding and then Jesus says that all these things will come about before "this generation" passes away. We spent a great deal of time studying just that chapter and resolving the seeming problems therein. It's difficult, and it's fun. Another amazing part of this programme is that we get to have phone and video conferences with various authors like Hugh Hewitt, J. P. Moreland, Gary DeMar, Richard Abanes and Francis Beckwith.  I wish that we could go at least twice as long. We already have just one more week of the Summit session before the term starts up.

Briefly, a word about the Bywater family since I have oft mentioned them. Kevin and Angela Bywater live in Eynsham, north of Oxford with their four children: Elizabeth 9, Katherine 6, Emaline 4, and Roderick who's about 18 months. Kevin is currently pursuing a PhD at Durham University. They truly are an amazing family. They are so comfortable opening up their home to us students. They're even opening up their home to us during term time so that we can have it as a sort of getaway place to go and study. I can't imagine how different the Oxford experience would be without them.

An update on studies: Islam

Well, week before last, we studies cosmic humanism and the new age movement, but perhaps my limited time would best be used giving you an update on our studies that greatly fascinated me for this week: Islam (which means "submission").

We read the Qur'an over the weekend (it's roughly the size of the new testament), and studied more about the Islamic worldview, current activities in the Muslim world and spoke with a Sheik from the middle east.

Reading the Qur'an answered many of my questions. I learned how they affirm the virgin birth but not the sonship for instance. And in some ways, Allah is very similar to Jehovah but he never, ever takes the role of a father figure (nor the role of a forgiving husband to his idolatrous Israel). I had always wondered for myself what the Qur'an said about living with non-Muslims and the nature of God. It was very fascinating. The Qur'an has some verses that teach to live in harmony with the Jews and Christians, and there are some saying to "slay them" wherever they are found. This confused some of us until we learned more and discovered that the Qur'an was written over a period of over 20 years. The Qur'an itself teaches abrogation, where if there are two contradicting verses, the one that was revealed more recently is the one given priority. For instance, before A.D. 622 Muhammed and his followers were living in Mecca and were a bit of a minority. The Surahs (or chapters) written during that time instruct the Muslims (which means "one in submission") to live peaceably with their non-believing neighbors since they are "people of the book" and that if they desire peace, then you should live in peace with them. Later, Muhammed had to flee to Medina, he gained much more power (both politically and militarily) and it was at that time that the later and more violent Surahs were written.
The meeting with the Sheik was very interesting. He gave us an introduction to the religion of Islam and stressed very much their respect for Jesus. It was somewhat frustrating listening to him and asking questions. Many times he would emphasize our need work together and live in peace, Jews, Muslims and Christians together, like they are doing in "Saudi Arabia and Iraq." That was an eye opener for sure. When we asked him about certain practices being right or wrong, he took a quasi-moral relativist point-of-view. He wouldn't criticize our practices because "Who am I to judge?", and he also wouldn't criticize the situations of honor killings. At one point, he mentioned the situation with the Danish cartoons and how horrible the situation was that the prophet was mocked and people died. What stunned us was that he placed the blame for the deaths on the cartoonists, not on the enraged Muslims and that he was relieved that after learning the lesson that they are shown respect. When asked if it was alright to killings, he said "For the health of the society, we have to sacrifice some, I’m not saying killing, we say eliminate some, for the health."

It was very fascinating. It has given me new insight into the Muslim world and into the feasibility of establishing a free society in Iraq. People often draw parallels between the peace loving Christians and the peace loving Muslims and how there were also war-crusading Christians and war-Jihadist Muslims. I enough history to see that members of Christian and Muslim society have been involved in liberty and unjust war. But here's the rub: The crusaders in the Middle ages were not following through with the Christian message; the radical-Jihadists are following the Islamic teachings and tradition.

Fun quotes from Winston Churchill and others

Today, we studied Winston Churchill, learning how a Christian world view influenced a man who was not (as far as we know) a Christian himself. Here are some powerful quotes from him and others that I wrote down from our session today.

“The Dark Ages may return. The Stone age may return on the gleaming wigs of science…Beware I say.” ~ Churchill


“Two worlds are in conflict, two philosophies of life, one of these two worlds must break asunder!” ~ Adolf Hitler, 1936


“Barbarism to civilization requires a century. Civilization to barbarism needs but a day.” ~ Will Durant
“It has come to us to stand alone…I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears, and sweat…” ~ Churchill


“…fight on the beaches. We will never surrender! (with hand over the mic) And if that doesn’t work, we’ll hit them over the head with bottles.” ~ Winston Churchill

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” ~ Churchill after the battle of Britain “Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization…If we fail, then the whole world will sink into the abyss of a new dark age…Let us therefore brace ourselves for our duties” ~ Churchill


“The sleep of democracies can only be awaked by the gong of self-preservation.” ~ Churchill
“Real leaders of men do not come forth offering to lead. They show the way. And when it has been found to lead to victory, they accept as a matter of course the allegiance of those who have followed.” ~ Lord Randolph Churchill (Winston’s father)

“What through the radiance which was once so bright—Be now forever taken from sight.
Though nothing can bring back the hour—of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.” ~ William Wordsworth

“What would seem to you as a heritage must now become a quest.” ~ Michael Bauman


Tomorrow, we'll be visiting Blenheim Palace with the Bywaters. This is the location of where Churchill was born and close to where he's burried.

Advancement of Britain

This is going to be a brief blog post. It's just a reflection I've had after living here a week or so and learning more about the culture. After learning more about Great Britain and reading one of the required texts, Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple (an atheist by the way), I'm beginning to see Britain as a forerunner to the United States of America. Maybe not dead set, but very similar. It seems to me that many of the advancements that America goes through, Britain had already experienced a generation or two earlier. Here are some examples.

• Revolution (the Great Revolution of 1688-89 and the American Revolution of 1775-83).
• Spiritual Revival
• Abolition of Slavery
• Industrial Revolution
• Decline as a World Power
• Strengthening grip of Socialism with increased secularisation

I would be interested to hear thoughts on this. Perhaps this could be a good topic for an in-depth essay, but when I look at Britain today, I see America 20 years from now. Possibly less. It may be that if we want to see where we are headed as a nation, we should take a look into this other English speaking nation with which we share much of our history and culture.

A reflection on my first week

Well, it's not really my first week, but it's my day off. I've been reading up for this week on Winston Churchill since we will be doing a conference call with the authoress of a book about him. We're studying how a Christian worldview influenced a man who did many great things but was not, as far as we know, a Christian.

At the top of St. Mary's

Yesterday Josh and I climbed to the top of the St. Mary's cathedral. Afterward, we spent the afternoon and evening at the Bywater house. It was our first class time. We had a good conversation over the phone with Dr. David Noebel. He's going to try to come up here if he can. We also had a bit of a review session on worldviews. The highlights were the discussions that we might have in reponse to comments or questions from the group. This was an aspect very much lacking from the Summit in Colorado. While there were open forums, they were more Q & A rather than discussion.

After class, we spent the evening together and had dinner. Kevin and his wife, Angela, and their four children, Elizabeth, Catherine, Emaline and Roderick were all very glad to have us there. It was a delicious meal with pasta, pizza, Italian bread, wine, squash (a fruit juice here in the U.K.) and fudge. They were so very hospitable. It was incredible. They have a beautiful house. I'll post pictures later. The children are absolutely delightful and love to climb things.

Emaline climbing

We visited St. Ebbe's church. It was a decent service, but for me the real highlight came afterwards. Joshua's best friend Tim is also studying here at Oxford at Wycliffe College for this Michaelmas term. So Tim, Josh, myself and one of the college interns named John had a very good discussion afterwards on the theoligies of Armenianism and Calvinism. I believe we're going to meet at a pub later this week to continue the discussion.

After day 4 in Oxford

I believe that the fact I'm in Oxford has finally sunk in. When I first arrived, I knew I was in England. I had been here before, and I didn't feel too out of place or anything. Then the information began to sink in. I learned more about the university and the various colleges. I'm going to be in New College by the way. You might be wondering why it's called New College. It's because it's the second one. So there. Nevermind it was founded in 1379.

We took a walking tour yesterday and learned about the various architectural styles of the different colleges. Today, Mr. Andrew Atherstone gave us a tour of the religious history of Oxford. We saw the site where three remormed bishops were burnt at the stake, where John Wesley lived and two of C. S. Lewis's favorite pubs. The natural history museum is something I plan to visit. I was surprised to hear that there is quite a bit of tension at Oxford in terms of the creation/intelligent design/macro-evolution debate between various head professors. Apparently Kansas isn't the only place with an educational system being given this as a subject of discussion. We also visited a couple of the local churches that we could visit during our stay here. After that, I began to finally realize the full ramifications of my stay. How I will learn not just new material but also new study methods and ways of thinking.

Now, for prayer requests since I know many of you are interested in knowing. Please pray that God will open doors for various opportunities we are planning here and that finances will not be a barrier. God has already brought about amazing circumstances in opening doors for us. Kevin Bywater (who is our director) asked us to pray for a house months ago. The house they found was the most inexpensive and also the largest (at 4,500 square feet). So there's nothing God can't do. I have to read up for tomorrow's class in worldviews and critical thinking. Starting tomorrow, my semester begins in earnest.

Before I go. Here are the names of our group for your prayers. Andrea, Nik, Emilie, Joshua (my roommate), Daniel, Jessica, Tommy, Lindsey, and Kevin (our director). I'll hopefully write a bit more about my amazing team later. They truly are great and we all are learning so much from each other already. Thanks for your prayers!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Studying in Oxford for Fall Semester 2008.

As many of you have probably heard by now, last May I was accepted to attend the Summit-Oxford program this Autumn for my study abroad experience. http://summit.org/institutes/oxford/ The Summit is a program based in Manitou Springs, CO that trains young Christian leaders in apologetics so that they know how to Biblically defend the scriptures in debates with Islam, Secular Humanism, Cosmic Humanism, Marxism and the like. Last Summer, while I was there in Colorado, Dr. David Noebel told us that Oxford wants Summit graduates to attend Oxford for study abroad. Naturally I soon applied for the first semester of the program.
My studies at Oxford will be tutorial based and very different from any institution in the United States. The majority of my time will be meeting with tutors, writing essays and doing research. My extracurricular activities will include spending time with the ten or so other Summit students that will be with me. Kevin James Bywater, who is working on a PhD with Durham University, will be leading our group.

Needless to say, I am very humbled by this chance to go and study at one of the finest universities in the world. Not only that, but it is through a Christian program, and I will be spending a lot of time with other Christians from across the U.S. with different backgrounds and experiences. During my phone interview for the program, Judson told me, "Isaac, it sounds to me that at this point in your life you are very eager to learn." That is exactly where I am, and I am thrilled with this opportunity. I will fly out on Sept. 1st and return, Lord willing, on Dec. 22nd.

My first day in Oxford

Well, I just finished my first day in Oxford, September 3rd. I'll try and post pictures tomorrow. I'm still getting into the idea of carrying a camera around again.

We went to Orientation in the morning, but Mr. Robert Shudinger gave us the introduction to Oxford. It was very informative and helped me realize why Oxford is one of the leading institutions in the world next to Harvard and Yale. For instance, if you are a Brit who's trying to attend Oxford, you are interviewed by the people who will be teaching you (as opposed to here where you're considered maybe by a bunch of bureaucrats). Also, the tutors will intentionally disagree with you so as to draw you out and make you defend the argument in your essays. They will never give you a study guide; they will require you to do all the work yourself. I am getting more and more excited for this new challenge, and I am getting ready to rise to meet it. Afterward, Kevin Bywater got up and spoke about his background. Lots I'd heard but lots I had not. We're meeting his family on Saturday, and I'm very excited.

The way the term will work out is that we'll be doing the Summit work for the month of September. We'll be reading the Qur'an, Life at the Bottom, A Guide to Christian Ambition, the Victory of Reason, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, Faith, Reason, and the War Against Jihadism, Understanding the Times, and What's so Great About Christianity? After that, we'll be starting up our Oxford term come October. After that, Kevin won't be involved with us quite so much due to our busy study schedules. We will be meeting with him one on one every two weeks, and we'll be going over to his house a few times a week for dinners.

My living situations are as follows. I live in a flat with four other men who attended Summit at various points. Their names are Josh (my roommate), Tommy, Nick and Daniel. There are also four women who are here: Lindsey, Andrea, Emilie and Jessica who live in a flat about a block away. Almost everyone has their own room. We have our own kitchen where we plan to make our dinners and lunches. There's a store close by where we can buy our food stuffs.

Today was my birthday, and I had a couple beers at the Red Cross. One was a Bass, and I forget the other. Neither were very good at least for my taste. I think I'm going to be a wine person. It was a good birthday.

I'll write more about my flat mates later, and more about Kevin Bywater. For now, though, there's his website in case any of you would like to know more about him.
http://www.kevinbywater.com/weblog/