Thoughts Regarding Cambridge Study Center by Mrs. Elizabeth Allen I was asked to briefly share with you this evening about my experience as an adult student at Cambridge Study Center and why I support Cambridge so enthusiastically. I am in my fourth or “senior” year as an adult Thoughts Captive student and hope to continue to study with my class indefinitely if Bruce will find the time for us. What a wonderful and enjoyable experience it has been. Thursday afternoons are

the highlight of my week as I eagerly await the discussions and insights that will be gained as we discuss our reading and other assignments. The parabolic method of teaching allows us to really question and address the ultimate questions of life and to struggle with applying our Christian beliefs to all of life consistently. It is amazing how I can think I know something but when asked, “ what do you think?” by Bruce or classmates, I often find myself tongue-tied and humbled realizing I don’t fully understand the matter or what I think about it and I am unable to express my thoughts with confidence. But gradually my classmates and I are becoming more discerning and consistent and are better able to articulate our beliefs.

Some of the concepts that have become so familiar are “worldview or presuppositions”,  “ ideas have consequences”, “constructive dualities” as opposed to “dichotomies”, “developing a consistent Christian mind”, “know Christ, show Christ, speak Christ”, “man being created in the image of God means he is rational, creative with a conscience and free”, “sphere sovereignty” and “the cultural mandate” to name a few.

We are challenged to exercise our minds in all areas of our life with humility and to show Christ and speak Christ to a fallen world. We have come to understand that to be effective salt and light in our culture we must understand our culture, not separate ourselves from it.

It has been said that to gain insight into the thoughts and beliefs of the culture you must read its literature and study its art forms in the native language. As we study our own postmodern culture in its cultural language, especially the arts, we see that it is in need of the Truth of God’s revelation. The arts provide us with the windows of insight necessary to help us see ourselves and our culture with more clarity and understanding.

An example – at last night’s class we watched a previous episode of Desperate Housewives – I commented that it was hard to believe that Lynnette’s neighbor had deliberately run over Lynnette’s child’s bicycle and that Lynnette in response had then thrown an egg at her neighbor’s car. Do people really behave like that I asked? Then I realized that just that day, I had been in my heart just about that angry with a coworker. Just because I had a little more self-control than Lynnette didn’t mean I wasn’t just as guilty inside where it really matters. What a wonderful opportunity to see the difference between my external behavior and my internal thoughts.

While at Cambridge it has been liberating to me to realize that exposing myself to the secular culture – like watching Desperate Housewives, which a few years ago I would have avoided without knowing anything about it – will not taint me; that it is what is on the inside that taints us and on that basis we have a lot in common with those that we are trying to reach with the Gospel.

Cal Thomas expressed similar thoughts so well last week in his column, suggesting that we go forth to participate in our culture and show a better way rather than separating from it and criticizing or wondering what happened. This is the work that Cambridge is equipping us to do.

Cambridge has been a transforming experience for me and for others, both the adults and the wonderful young people that are studying there with such exciting development. Please consider joining us yourself for a class, seminar, film night or just a visit if you aren’t currently involved. And thank you so much for your support tonight and through the year. I think Cambridge Study Center in one of the most important works going on in Lakeland, and I think that it will produce Kingdom fruit for years to come.

Elizabeth is a wife, mother and grandmother. She is the Nurse Recruiter at Lakeland Regional Medical Center where she has been employed for the last twenty years. Her remarks were made at a recent fundraiser for the study center.