Christian sensibility
I’m teaching British Literature to 1650 for the first time. I have looked forward to teaching this course for years, and it is as fun and daunting as I thought it would be! We begin with Beowulf. Many of you are familiar with the first Old English epic poem, written in the eighth century about a culture in the fifth century. Beowulf is fictional, but some of the figures in the epic are historical.
What is fascinating about this epic, other than the monsters and the heroism of Beowulf, is its Christian sensibility. What do I mean by that? The poem is about a pagan culture, but it is written by a monk. In a sense, he imposes his Christian beliefs, values, and biblical teachings onto a story of a hero fighting monsters. It is an unlikely pairing, and sometimes seems rather jarring. The anonymous poet appears to have a grudging admiration for the values of the pagan culture, which is a stark contrast to Christian values. The poet’s Christian sensibility, his ability to respond emotionally and aesthetically to Christian values and beliefs, guides his writing of this epic poem.
What does that have to do with us, you may be wondering. We are in a culture where Christian values are not highly regarded, and many of us are in professions where being a Christian is looked down upon, questioned, scorned, or pitied. How do we bring our “Christian sensibility” to bear in our everyday life — at work, in our neighborhoods, in our families, in our churches? In other words, what does it mean to live like a Christian in this culture? Or as Francis Schaeffer put it in his brilliant book, How Should We Then Live?
I am not going to attempt to answer that question in a short devotional post, but I do believe we should consistently be pondering what it means to live as a Christian in our culture. How are we influencing others? How are we promoting Christian values and a Christian world view? How are we making a difference?
Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. MSG 1 Peter 2:12But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. NIV 1 Peter 3:15-16
Please share your ideas about living with a Christian sensibility in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you.
I have also taught this course. It was dessert to my other meat and potatoes courses. I always felt that being the most consistent, compassionate, dependable employee was my best testimony to my supervisors and students. Of course, the subject matter in literature also gives a chance to share as you ask students about character development, and conflict in a work. The very nature of good and evil in many works was a springboard for discussion. Enjoy the course.
Yes – teaching British Lit does feel like dessert! I love teaching literature because we discuss heart issues and themes like loyalty, love, betrayal, compassion, generosity and talk about what motivates characters (and us). In British Lit there is an enormous biblical influence and infusion in the literature, and we can teach the bible as we teach the literature. This past week we did discuss good and evil, and what the difference is between a monster and a hero – we had a very lively discussion!
Wonderful thought provoking questions. I think one of the greatest effects of demonstrating Christianity at the workplace is to be genuine and consistent. People can spot a phony a mile away, we must do more than tell people about Christianity, we must show them.
I agree, Laurie. Our actions, our love, our promise-keeping are all critical in our workplaces. You are so right – we need to be genuine and consistent.