Freshman Book Discussion Impressions

I got to attend the book discussion held this past Friday August 21.  It was a great discussion with the new freshman.  Dr. Steven Moore and peer leaders Kevin Claypool and Kyle Smith all led us in some really interesting exploration of ideas inspired by the book.

If you missed it, be sure to check out the podcast of the discussion.

The format of the forum was that of a personal debate gradually moved to include the whole group.  Dr. Moore would begin by making a sweeping, sometimes controversial statement.  Peer leader Kevin would interrupt him with a different viewpoint, playing the role of devil’s advocate and challenging some of the statements.  From there, the rest of us would join in.  Kyle would be in the middle, summarizing and often throwing out more food for thought.  This style really prompted frank discussion.  By taking strong, sometimes extreme sides on the issues, the moderators  got us thinking and were able to jump-start the whole conversation.

One of the first topics was the need for affirmation and approval.  Dr. Moore stated that basically everything we show on the outside — our clothes, our houses, our physical appearance — is to impress other people.  It’s a drive for acceptance.

Kevin stated that it might be possible to do these things for other reasons.  For example, if we exercise we might be doing it to impress others and to look good, but it is also possible to exercise for health reasons and to take care of the bodies God gave us.

So how to do you know when you are doing things to impress others for earthly reasons or for selfish purposes?  Does trying to impress people mean we are less focused on what matters most to God?  How do we judge others?  If we change the way we present ourselves or the message of Christ to others, does that mean we are less authentic?  Ultimately, do we spend more time seeking approval from others, or do we, as Donald Miller puts it, seek our glory from God?

This was just one of the debate topics explored during that discussion.  The other major topic was about war and Christians and politics.  It was a passionate yet sensitively handled conversation.

By the way, the moderators suggested that if anyone wants to know what they really think about an issue, we should meet them after class or have coffee together!

The talk could have gone on much longer than the alotted time.  We had to end it before we were through.  If you didn’t get a chance to make your comment, or if you would like to continue the discussion here, go ahead and comment below.  We’d like to hear from you.