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OPINION

In defense of spiritual emphasis weeks

By Arlie Martin Senior Opinion Writer
Over my years at Asbury, I have heard increasingly-negative comments on spritual emphasis weeks like Fall Revival, Holiness Emphasis week and Great Commission Congress. I wont lie, my voice has been among the dissenters before, but I have come to realize that there is merit in what is happening during these weeks. If you ask most students what their main complaints with these weeks are, most will tell you that they find them either boring or to be forcing spirituality. If you are one of those who find it boring, there isnt much that I can say to change your mind. Its your prerogative, and I will agree that sometimes the speakers arent all that great. However, dont write it off. Your attitude plays a vital role in your spiritual vitality. If you approach a service expecting nothing from God, thats probably what youll get. For those of you who claim that these chapels force spiritual movement, I think you are very wrong. I know we have all heard about the 1970s revival to the point that most of us are sick of it and would rather not talk about it, if we were being honest. This feeling has led to a general resentment and misunderstanding of the reason we set aside these times. No one planning Great Commission Congress or Fall Revival wants to force the Holy Spirit into anything. Would they like to see a huge outpouring that lasted days? Absolutely; who wouldnt want to experience the presence of God like that? But that doesnt mean thats what they expect and are trying desperately to make happen. What they do want is to provide a time where we, as students, can learn about and focus on Christ in a specific way. This week, the focus is on living without boundaries and knowing who we are and what we are called to be. God has provided you with a high calling and purpose designed exactly for the talents He has given you. Its a message we hear so often and forget even more, causing this weeks emphasis to be a necessary and beneficial reminder. The goal is to pray together and seek together as one body. If that is forcing the Holy Spirit, then we should probably disband every prayer group and revival service that ever plans to meet. Expecting God to move isnt forcing Him to do so; its having faith enough to believe in His power and love to answer prayer without having evidence that it will happen.

I appreciate that I go to a place that values the spiritual body and wants to make sure that it is healthy as a whole, not merely on an individual basis. Jesus told us to ask, seek and knock so that we can receive all that He has for us. Weeks like Great Commission Congress provide us with those reminders and opportunities to re-center and re-focus our lives around Christ so that we can serve Him and know Him more.

Letter to the Editor: Why blame men?

In response to The powerful voices of women by Arlie Martin
By Rebecca Frazer
A recent opinion in the Collegian denounced the fact that the crowd who attended the Girl Rising documentary in the student center was mainly female, declaring this to be a blatant show of apathy from the men of Asbury. The article went on to claim that often most guys at Asbury want little to do with womens issues and asked, if women are expected to care for and support men in the way we dress, where are the men standing up for our education rights? Serving the opposite sex is an honor and Christ-mandated mission, not an exchange. As a Christian, I am called to be willing to give everything even my life for those around me, including my Christian brothers. Whether or not my brothers choose to, in return, lay down their life for me should not affect my devotion to serving them. But regardless of Christian obligation, does the fact that not very many men showed up to watch a documentary about girls education struggle really prove that the men of Asbury are blatantly apathetic to womens issues? Choosing not to watch a documentary does not equate with apathy. We live in a culture where watching a movie about human rights or liking a humanitarian Facebook page is considered action and activism, when in reality, true activism requires true commitment. Over 50 people myself included showed up to watch the powerful Girl Rising documentary. But, after the film and discussion was over, did we do anything to solve the problem? Did we write letters, donate, fundraise or engage in deep prayer for our sisters around the world who are denied an education? Perhaps some

did, but I will hazard to guess that the vast majority of us woke up on Wednesday with nothing having changed in our actions. So why are we blaming our brothers? When guys hear that something is wrong, they want to fix it. This male tendency is familiar to most of us: many a girl has experienced feeling emotional or sad and telling a guy all about how she is feeling, only to have the guy immediately respond with a three-step plan to fix her problem! This should give us a clue as to why guys might not be as attracted as girls to certain events. Watching a documentary and having a discussion afterwards with no clear solution or action presented does not particularly appeal to guys, regardless of the topic. I am convinced that guys would be much more likely to sign up for a 5K fundraiser to benefit womens education in foreign countries than to join a discussion group. Perhaps the issue is the event format, not the topic. When raising awareness for social issues, we have to be creative in order to motivate both men and women to get involved. Watching a movie is not activism; not watching a movie is not apathy. I have met male classmates and staff at Asbury who truly are human rights activists, prayer warriors and ultimately world-changers. I agree that men should seek to help the worlds struggling women more and more, but I also rejoice to see all the good that the men I know are already accomplishing. And regardless of how much my brothers in Christ accomplish in the fight against the plights of women, I will continue to serve them with the love of Christ. True love is unconditional. Even more, true love is action.