I could take this from a number of angles. Theology is interesting but to the non-religious, it may be the wrong way to approach and evangelise. I could go all calvinistic. Give you some predestination banter stating there is no such thing as free will and everything we choose has been set in stone. But honestly, it leaves me with more questions than it does answers.
The problem I have is that I can never stop. I never want to stop learning, pondering, and anything that requires me to stretch my mind into a gaping hole. Pour anything in it, modus ponens, german dialect, the ability to name any one of the 6,000 islands in Greece. Then you give me a Bible and some theological commentary and I’ll go down a rabbit hole. I’ve never been the smartest either and that is what keeps me going. I want to be but I know there will always be someone bigger, greater, or wiser. I use everyone I meet as a mentor. And it’s only then that I can possibly mentor them back.
Expose me to anything, I might partake, I might not but that isn’t the point. I’ve always been a soaker rather than a presenter. That is where I am and what my boss wants me to write. Some people call it Faith versus Fun, I don’t call it anything. Christians at a party aye? Or for slang, the Chrissos. It can be an offensive title, to others a title of liberation. It’s not all ‘I’ll go to the kitchen and make you a sandwich’ or ‘going to parties will send you to hell’ because I simply disagree with both. But when these stereotypes cloud the core of Christianity it becomes unfortunate.
Choosing not to drink can offend people. But to be quite honest if I wasn’t Chrisitan I think I would be the same; saying no to that fourth-drink offered to me not because it’s alcohol but because of how it makes me feel. I’ve always been sensitive to my environment, like I said I’m a soaker. And any substance when it reaches that threshold numbs me out. Some people drink to feel something while I feel everything around me every day.
That’s usually why I’m quiet, not because I don’t like speaking up but because there is too much to listen to. Not all Christians are like me though. In fact, if they were, that would be boring. Some indulge in everything, others are too conservative and belong in a Gloriavale catalogue. Some follow this religion out of fear instead of reverence and sit on the outskirts of a party- longing to feel something fun instead of faith. Call it what you want, call it anything.
I see what I believe is the objective truth while to others it remains subjective through and through. A Chrisso at a party can be a good laugh as well as a good time. Proverbs and Revelations are not always present. There is no offensive street preacher hiding between these lines to jump out and convict you. Don’t let a Chrisitan character disrupt your routine. But do know that the next time you run into a member of Student Life, invite them along to your piss-up. Learning theology while intoxicated is a journey leaving you with more questions the morning after.
