Meditation, July 5, 2013 – ETF Leuven (Academic towers)

First of all, let me apologize for the fact that I haven’t suited up for giving this meditation. In a short time I am moving to South Africa and my suits are already packed away. Our rector professor Nullens has however assured me that there is grace at the ETF. When we first arrived here, our librarian Marjorie assured us as well that this was the case, except for people who hurt the library in any way. Having had to ask Marjorie to unregister my personal books out of the library and thus having to face the possible wrath of Marjorie, I have come to the conclusion that even in the library there is grace; I am still alive and well.

I.

(begin) The prince looked around having faced the thorn bushes. His face and his arms were scratched. Several of his garments were torn. “I am so freaking awesome,” he thought. Not only had he seen the witch climb up the tower using the fair hair of Rapunzel, but he also knew the password for her to drop it. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair,” he shouted. There it was, meters and meters of the long blonde hair. Full of confidence the prince grabbed the hair and started climbing. Four meters in the air the prince had one single thought: “I should have gone to the gym more often.” His arms were heavy like lead and he had never been so aware of the love handles the too many French fries had left behind. When he got six meters in the air he just couldn’t take it anymore. His arm mussels became soft like butter and he had to let go. Rapunzel stuck her head out of the window and was utterly disappointed. The prince returned to his country and never came back. Rapunzel stayed in her tower. They lived … ever after.

(thesis) When we enter the academic world it sometimes seems like we are locked up in an academic tower.

(elaboration) Like Rapunzel was under the spell of a witch we can be put under the spell of academic thinking. Of course and contrary to the witch’s spell, this academic thinking is not bad necessarily, but it becomes evil when it locks us away. There is a sort of safety inside the tower. We feel content with the fact that we can have an environment in which we can meet peers and feel comfortable with what we do best.

(summary) However, it is difficult for other people to climb this tower.

II.

(thesis) Often, in our communication with people who are not locked in our tower of theology, we expect them to climb up the rope that we toss them.

(elaboration) Just like Rapunzel’s hair it looks golden and is fair. Our words and ideas look fancy and good. But people who are not adepts often find them overpowering. Like the prince struggling to get up, we often experience people who are not on our tower failing at reaching the room at the top. They fail to understand our concepts. They fail at following our reasoning and they fail to simply get what we are saying. They feel incompetent to partake in our conversation and even become suspicious of our whole discourse: we tend to question too much. At most of those occasions people let go. Maybe they have made a tremendous effort; maybe they have just let go after barely trying.

(summary) Whatever the case, often people do not succeed at reaching the chamber on top.

III.

(thesis) The result is a story that does not end happily ever after. (elaboration) It is a story where the prince returns to his own country where he knows

the concepts, the line of reasoning, and there is place for his abilities. And it is a story where Rapunzel stays locked in her tower. The two parties do not encounter each other and also cannot grow in an encounter. They each stay in their own domain.

(summary) There is no community.

IV.

(thesis) It is a story that we should not want to be part of. (elaboration) Do not get me wrong; I don’t perceive the academic spirit as an evil

witch. I love the academic spirit; she is a beautiful fairy. Unfortunately she can be a bit too enchanting. She can swallow us and lock us in. Despite the fact that it is good to study here, theology and in that matter the whole academic world, should not be a closed-off tower or an island. That holds the danger of theory that is irrelevant. Theory that misses its purpose: a theology without meaning for the church.

(summary) And that is not the story we are supposed to be part of.

V.

(thesis) We are called to be part of a story that involves community transcending gender, race, intellectual level, degree, etcetera.

(elaboration) This is a story that is also found in the Bible: the story of incarnation where the Son comes down from the tower of divinity and becomes a human being. The beautiful hymn in Philippians 2 is one of the passages where this is recounted. Paul uses it to illustrate Christ’s mind-set: the will to serve others, an orientation that is directed at others instead of at the self. Building community is illustrated by Christ’s example; Christ, who came down and adopted the human condition in order to raise up.

(summary) We are called to follow Christ’s example of serving others, also when it comes to our academic tower.

VI.

(thesis) We can play an active role in changing the story of the academic tower. (elaboration) Most of us will leave the ETF tower for at least a few weeks and months.

Some even permanently. It is a time where we are very often suddenly not surrounded by an incredible high ratio of theologians. And that sometimes is challenging. We have to think more carefully about what we word and how we word it. We face situations that we do not face while studying here, at least not in real life. For example, the practical theology case study becomes a reality and we are challenged by the realness of it. And yes, during that time we sometimes can long for the safety of our academic tower.

I however hope that you see the positive sides of these challenges. They can help us to see the meaningfulness of our studies or rediscover it. They can help us further refine our research. They can help us to communicate our studies at a popular level. They can help us to grow in our skills but also in our faith. And they can help non-theologians to do the same. We just have to grab those challenges with both hands.

I hope that you cherish the encounters you have this summer. Learn to climb out of your tower and see the world beyond the academic. But also use your encounters to help built stairs unto the chamber on top of the academic tower. Learn to adapt your concepts, lingo and reasoning so theology is made accessible for numerous types of people. They do not need to become trained theologians as well, but they should be able to understand how you as a theologian can support them in their walk but also how you as theologian need them to see the relevancy of your theoretical study.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not saying that the ETF is an unclimable tower. I am calling you all – students and staff – to not let it become unclimable. And that danger is always lurking; it is the danger all academic institutions face and several succumb to. Let us not succumb to it and become a reality of the story of the Rapunzel who stays in her tower.

(ending) Our story can become the story in which Rapunzel uses the pulley or the hook she hung her hair over so people could climb up, to let herself down. And the story where the prince and Rapunzel together build the stairs to reach to chamber on top to enjoy the view. Because it is a pretty view from the top of this academic tower. It is however only one view on reality.