Bethany Bible College: Chapel Survises

Today I want to take a minuet to talk about my college experience. I went as far away for school as I could without jumping over an ocean. Bethany Bible College in New Brunswick Canada.

Here I found a faculty of loving professors, and people who actually were just as weird as I was. College is a wonderful time you get exposed to all kinds of knew and different ideas and life styles. I am very glad that my college atmosphere was one that was very nurturing. the faculty and staff really cared about me and I left a healthier person then I went in.

So how did going to Bethany Bible College direct my path towards being more and more "high church"? I am sue there were lots of little things. Our chapel director David Klob was interested in trying different things in chapel. he brought in different people of to speak from all kinds of back grounds, chose topics for the chapel year that would challenge and help the student body to grow. one particular chapel always sticks out in my mind. I don't know if anyone else found this chapel service as anything major but for me one line will always stick out. it was during our Christmas series, The Rev. Dr. Mrs. Janet Stark (She and her husband are both ordained and worked on campus I always had fun trying saying their titles, though Janet wasn't a Dr. yet when I was a student there.) preached on Mary. some where in the Introduction she said, "If the Catholics make a mistake in over emphasize Mary then the Protestants make a mistake in ignoring her completely."

that line has stayed with me. Mary was important, no she is not some kind of demi goddess, no she is not the substitute for the Celtic goddess (mother maiden crown), but she was the first disciple and the first evangelist. She is the Theotokos-the God barer. and it seems that one thing we have forgotten is that our understanding of Mary is crucial for our understanding of Jesus. If we believe in the trinity then she is most defiantly the God Barer. if not then she is the women who gave birth to Jesus.

But this spreads out to the other saints who are remembered by high liturgical church. they are not worshiped, (okay in some places Veneration of the saints does get confused in the mind of the parishioner) but remembered and honored for their example. they help us to know what a holy life can and will look like.

One thing that is interesting the cult of the saints is actually tied to the early years of martyrdom in the christian church when people would pray that they would be given the same courage that the saint(who was a martyr) had to continue through to death for the sake of Christ and Christ crucified.

I am going talk more about my experiences at Bethany, at least next week maybe then next couple of weeks.