So, “It’s all Theology” was actually a quip I used to end a conversation/discussion with a professor. At the time, I have to admit, it was more for effect than intentionally substantive. However, I think I shocked myself with the statement much more than I did my professor (who thinks of me as a religious eccentric at best). The thought that everything (and I mean everything) was related to theology made the world go right again. Let me explain.

Starting my doctoral work at BGSU was one of the more disorienting experiences of my life. It was like walking into a world where all the rules were changed and none of the words meant quite the same thing. It took a three semesters to find a footing in the mess. (And it is a mess. The world post poststructuralism, post postmodernism, and now into what? We aren’t sure, but it looks like the rise of posthumanism, whether of the cyborg or animal variety.) Frankly, I’m ashamed it took so long. However, the Lord used the months of uncertainty to teach me a great deal (of which you shall doubtless hear more).

I’m a Christian school kid. I’m a super-Christian school kid — I even grew up on the campus of a Christian school! And I went to a wonderful Christian university (Bob Jones University) were the professor really did do their best to try to teach me how to think. However, there seems to be a natural delay when switching from training mode to solo-flight. This lag time can be disconcerting. I’m afraid too many people interpret this natural process as something inherently bad – a weakness, a flaw, a setback. I’m not convinced it is.

My Christian teachers and my alma mater did everything possible to give me, and my classmates, a taste of the best possible Christian experience — the wonder of true Christian fellowship, the ability to listen quietly to the Spirit, a feast of Bible meat. The goal was to get our souls addicted to this type of living — a healthy addiction — I hope you agree! But it is the transition period, the time when the enriching environment is first gone, that demands you learn to provide these things for yourself which is some of the hardest work in the world. (Although, really you can’t do it yourself — it takes a church and a very patient God. More on this another time.)

For me the first few months away from my support structure felt like a cross between starving and dehydrating — not a fun experience. But I learned to appreciate the Psalms. (O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.) I learned to trust that God is good even when I can’t feel it. (Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!) I learned to trust that God can protect me from myself. (Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.) Of all of these I should more accurately say, “I am learning . . .”

Anyway, the solid ground, the only solid ground, is the Bible. I know our teachers always told us this and we always nodded and “amen-ed” our agreement, but it won’t really be true for you, it wasn’t for me, until you’ve had your spiritual legs swept out from under you. Until you’ve had to fight to find your footing. Of course, at that point you may also realize, as I am realizing more and more each day, that I didn’t need to fight. I needed to rest. (Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!)

It is out of this moment of discovery — that the Bible really is the answer to ALL of life’s questions whether they be social, spiritual, cultural, or academic — that this blog is born. And the Bible isn’t just the answer, it’s the explanation. The Bible makes sense of the world (even when the world seems pretty senseless).

Well, this post has been slightly less than completely coherent. I apologize. Still . . .

Thanks for listening,

Sarah