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3 Comments & 0 Trackbacks of "More on 'The Mission to the Top'"

There has been some discussion of that article amongst my high school friends - particularly one sort-of-practicing Roman Catholic, and one agnostic/atheist/who-knows. Mainly picking on that quote concerning "reclaiming the Ivy League for Christ." They don't like that it sounds very power-hungry.

I tried writing a response on my own blog, about power in terms of spiritual warfare, not politically or whatnot. I don't know if it was lucid or not though, there is _so_ much jargon in the way.

It's funny though, that that is the line that they nitpicked on. It's not even the point of the article. Although I think most people I know don't click with the article because we're just not aware of the class stereotypes concerning different denominations.

By the way, what's a trackback?

Posted by Amy, May 27 2005, 10:37

No mention has been made of the fairly new journal written by undergrad christians at harvard.
Since last year a few editions of ICHTHUS have been distributed free to all undergrads...below is a statement of purpose for this journal:

About the Ichthus
The Harvard Ichthus is a journal of Christian thought. It exists for the purpose of fostering deep Christian thought among the members of the Harvard community, taking seriously the motto of Harvard University: “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae,” in English “Truth for Christ and the Church.” It adopts these words of the Rev. Prof. Peter J. Gomes, preached at the Memorial Church, as its mission statement:

"There is a rumor about, and fanned in certain quarters, that this University has long since abandoned its ancient motto and is conformable only to "Veritas." That simply is not true. The seal by which the President and Fellows of Harvard College continue to conduct their business is still the seal that says: "Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae." One cannot undo the past, and in this particular case one should not undo the past. The university-- and this University in particular-- is in the business of goodness and virtue personified, and not simply in the bottom lines of fairness and excellence. Christ and the Church were an essential part of that truth to which Harvard and the generations of its children were committed. ...Truth for Christ and the Church is not here by accident or by sufferance; it is here by design and intent. ...Indeed, as a symbol of Christian truth, we are here to remind Harvard of a dimension beyond its own self-interest and self-perception... We Christians must never forget, nor must we permit our College or our University ever to forget, that knowledge without virtue is a destructive danger that produces arrogant technocrats who are a danger to all that is holy, hopeful, lovely, and true, and who must be resisted. Our pious ancestors understood this, and thus they dedicated this small, fragile College in the wilderness to a truth that was seen in and for Christ and the Church. Veritas-- that is, true Veritas, and not simply correct information-- can never be separated from the one in whom it is most perfectly and fully seen: Jesus Christ. Not everyone may believe that, but those of us who do must not be intimidated by those who don't, and we must be emboldened to claim that truth not only as our own but as one that is essential to the definition of a University and College worthy of the name." (Strength for the Journey, pgs. 56, 60)

We believe that religion is something entirely serious, requiring the complete energy of one’s mind, and that the choice of and devotion to a religion is the most important choice any of us will ever make. Religion is nothing less than the framework by which we live our lives, whether we choose to follow Jesus, Adonai, Allah, someone or something else, or nothing at all. We at the Ichthus are Christians—we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that He died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter Sunday, and that He is the answer to the problems of our broken world. We believe this so strongly that we are not willing to put our faith upon a shelf or take it for granted—we want to think about it critically, and talk about it with whomever will listen. The Ichthus is a journal of Christian thought, written by people who endeavor to apply that faith to every aspect of their lives—to think Christianly about biology, psychology, mathematics, physics, history, philosophy, economics, political science, art, music, poetry, literature, film, relationships, marriage, careers, beauty, truth, and love. We are not interested in proselytizing; we are interested in discussing, and we hope that people of all faiths, and of none, will join with us in the discussion. We are interested in searching for Veritas—Truth—and in putting that Truth into practice in our everyday lives. We might be right, and we might be wrong, but we are searching for something that we can hold on to. We are a journal for searchers, and we invite you to join us in our search.

Posted by miller peck, May 28 2005, 01:10

I attended the recent "ivy league faith and action" conference at princeton (sponsored by Christian Union, and mentioned in the NY Times article)...it was a good beginning, with some 450 ivy league undergrads and alums there...helpful panel dicussions led by alums on what it means to be a Christian in various professsions: law, medicine, education, etc. I am a little concerned by the tendency for some in the Ivy League to forget they're part of the human race, and have the same doubts and weaknesses as those who don't have their privileges. I was thinking of two quotes while there: "seekest thou great things for thyself, seek them not"..."attempt great things for God, expect great things from God"...most Ivy League students think big, and hope to do great things...but what is their motivation?

Posted by miller peck, May 28 2005, 01:20