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2 Opinion WEdNEsdAy, J anuary 12, 2000 ___ ^SPECIAL HUM; A universal faith J ft Altar of an Unknown God Which, speaking of audac ity, brings us back to Mars Hill, Athens, where Paul played the same game the other way by equating the nameless Theos whom the Greeks had revered in igno rance, with Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who through an executed Jew ish Peasant had redeemed mankind! Paul reached Athenians through the culture of Athens. He declared that it is God’s will that all nations “should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are His offspring.’” This was far more than an obscure bit of Semetic phi losophy trickling into Athens. This was the fundamental principle of human existence, of the very universe, being preached to all nations. Nor was it a mere switch from one thought system to another— from “the Greek way” to “Paul’s way.” It was the One Way wo ven into the fabric of the Greek way. Athenians had men like Epimenides, and even Socrates and Plato (which I shall explore in a future column) to prepare their hearts for total communion with the God of Creation. ■ The transition was by no means smooth. At the mention of bodily resurrection (a con cept repulsive to Greek thought), many hearers scoffed and dismissed the message. But some heard. And the kernel of God’s truth was scattered on the four winds, spreading throughout the world. Today it still offers its wonderful, ter rible choice: Accept or reject? Believe or deny? Light or darkness? The purpose and namesake of this column is the presenta tion of this choice. I show you a more excellent way. CHRS LUNDä^j h É ywe RE RAHTI n Ó RW« RNS-1 AU.3 OF Y0U.)l£TS »CK OFF THE NEW YEAK WITH "WHO!S WHO IN RíR.,”<WEST1í>NS? C omments ? ¿EinazM5? cool ' pfö>p woff ^ tbio ». enjoy // 't is hardly secret that this col This may have little impact on umn is foremost a platform for our 20th-century minds, but for the defense of the Christian a Jew, a “Pharisee, the son of a faith. I often feel, though, that my Pharisee” to equate a Gentile arguments are viewed as merely >et and seer with a prophet— he who speaks for God Him self— is J " 'V, audacious indeed. — a soapbox in the corner of a quite crowded intellectual market place—one view among many which could surely never be meant to meet the needs of so di verse a mass of humanity. This view I take to be fatally mistaken. The very title of this column is a tribute to my belief in the uni versality of Christian faith. I be lieve Christianity is more than a religious peculiarity derived from the platitudes of a vagabond Jew. It is the core of reality itself. It is culturally, personally, and spiri tually relevant and fulfilling to all humanity. The most shining example of cross-cultural relevance in early Christian history occurs when the Apostle Paul sets foot in Ath ens—the epitome of Christian zeal meeting the pinnacle of Pa gan wisdom in a clash of eternal proportions. . Athens by this time was glut ted with gods and their requisite shrines and idols, much to the consternation of Jewish-minded Paul. He could have responded quite simply to this polytheistic milieu'. “My God is right. Yours aren’t. Abandon your culture and be like me.” But Paul did not re spond simply. Paul responded with an elo quence and broad-minded en lightenment far surpassing his Rabbinical background. He reached out with a truth that reso nated with a Greek mind, not merely a Jewish one. “Men of Athens,” he declared, “I perceive that you are very religious, for I even found an altar with this de scription: ‘TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.” Paul was a man with a foot in both worlds. In his Pagan edu cation he was likely aware that around 600 B.C. the Cretan Epimenides had come to Athens and banished a plague by sacri ficing to a nameless god. Paul even quoted Epimenides in his Letter to Titus, saying, “One of their own prophets has said...” TI he CI ac I< amas P rînt DEATH'S ELDER SON. W1EU.IÔEHT. W1H: THE ONE AND ONIY. THE INFAM0U5 PARK ANGEL OFWg Hui$EtF. LARGELY WjWPSW) BUT PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH THE’ ARRANGEMENT, HAS AH etTRBAELY STRESSFUL JOB. DRINKS TDo MUCH. HARD TO T*LK TO- THIS 15 SO STUPID WHMVÉ. K ind Y OF A HEO’WPPtE. DOESN'T APPROVE OFTHE FAMILY BUSINESS. ALWAYS SPORTS A PAIR OF S ä UARISW SHADES. A NAMELW5 STUDENT AT c<z. never LOOKS R* TROUBLE) TROUBLE ALWAYS F inds hi U. orbn m a BAD MOOD- N0&Y. EASILY IRRITATED. AC ä UAINTED W*TW MORT ANÖGR/M- MOKP DEATH'S OTHER SON. VERY INTROVERTED ANO&ulET. rarely SPEAKS, BUT ALWAYS THINKING- MOSTLY JUST HANGS ©«T WITH GRIM- WISHES TO FOLLOW IN Ht$ FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS, W »NDOF A KLUTZ, ENJOYS GARDENING. alwaysaround , rut RARELY NOTICED. L ong HMR, tied i * a pony - tail . M âONNA AM TH? NÄVf So I CAN 5TMFF A SUPER-INTÉLU&BHT HALF-SAPANE'SE.VÖfY cute . $n®Yi»trHuas\R P hysics * urinal « ruler of the far . faraway . THE NAMELESS ÇWétf NAMEtESS GIRLFRIEND, »w H the ; WORLD. h * wa w » xa m I ALWAYS St> UPyFT. Speak up if you're offended by instructors or material at school Now, I know I am not the only student who believes this, but what -Mirative freedom or lack of re I am asking is: do we draw a line in offensive sub- ject matter and or com ments in class. If so, where? I think there are some sub- Salena De La Cruz jects, races, Opinion Editor sexual prefer- ences and sponsibility to student success? ideas that touch on sensitive subject I believe we all have an interest matter. There are some instructors in an instructor’s agenda and atti who feel they are politically incor tude. I myself am guilty of taking rect. Now, I would be the last per classes from instructors who are son to question an individual's opin known for their offensiveness or ions and freedoms because I value shock effect. Sometimes that is the my own. best way for them to get their point I am not suggesting we go back across. If I’m bored with the in to the boring, monotone, already structor and/or the lessons, I find verified by the school board sub myself less apt to pay attention. jects. I do think that instructors need f an instructor says something I offensive in class, is it adminis Make a statement, beheard.». Business Manager: Editor-in-Chief: John Thorbum (x2447) Managing Editor: Karl Katzke (x2578) Photo Editor: Megan Oldenstadt Sarah Welch Cartoonist: Design Editor: Timothy A. Bell Joel Gunderson Chris Lundgren Feature Editor: Shelbi Wescott Staff: A & E Editor: Toni McMichael Jason Lingel Maggie Jirasek Joel P. S hem pert Matt Shempert Angie Daschel News Editor: Sandy Lupo Associate News Editor: Diana Scrivner Secretary: Sports Editor: JoAnne Gale Mandy Good Opinion Editor: Advisor: Linda Vogt(x2310) Salena De La Cruz to take into consideration that there are some students who have a low tolerance level for bias. It takes a lot to offend me, but not everyone is like that. We need to decide whether there should be positive de corum for offense. It is just a question of tact. I am asking students to look out for ma terial or subject matter that offends you personally or you find to be less than appropriate. Don’t just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh, that’s just the way they are.” If the instructor doesn’t take your feelings into consideration, go higher, or write a letter to The Clackamas Print addressing the matter. You don’t under any cir cumstances have to just take it. Remember, we are paying to go to school, so we have the right to feel comfortable in our road to success. The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an hon est, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions ex pressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily re flect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print advertisers. Prod ucts and services advertised in The Clackamas Print are not neccesarily endorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print The advertising rate is $4.75 per column inch. All signed letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be considered for publica tion if submitted by 1 pm the Friday prior to publica tion. All signed letters submitted for A Student's Voice/ Another Voice should be 500 words or less and will be considered for publication if submitted by 1 pm the Fri day prior to publication. Both Letters to the Editor and A Studen's Voice/Another Voice are subject to editing.The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during Fi nals week. The Clackamas Print Copyright 1999.
