Encourages students to engage with learning
Brenton Stacey/Kirsten Bolinger
Public relations officer/Public relations editorial assistant
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
The first academic conference for undergraduates at Avondale College will encourage students to engage more with research and to share findings and opinions with others.
Critical Issues in the 21st Century, held November 15, featured the presentation of 20-minute papers from more than 30 students. Topics ranged from the role of women in ministry to virtual communities and the use of Facebook.
The students presented papers under three themes: education; philosophy, literature, society; and religion and spirituality.
Education
Christopher Watson (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching) examined from a non-religious perspective the distrust of fantasy by Christians. He noted how Jesus performed miracles “that made the impossible possible” and referred to C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien, authors of fantasy novels with heavily Christian subtexts. His argument: fantasy can support rather than inhibit Christian values and can broaden a child’s worldview.
Philosophy, literature, society
Reuben Tierney (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching) and Wade Coster’s (Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Teaching) paper addressed the concern of the two students with Avondale attaining university status. “How much of its history and early ethos is Avondale willing to lose to become just another cog in the higher education wheel?” they asked. The conclusion: Avondale can be both a university and a spiritual community and thus a step above the rest. The two spoke passionately, saying, “Avondale’s a special place, and we’d like it to stay that way.”
Joseph Mapuor’s (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business) experience of growing up in an impoverished country—which included walking a long distance to and from school each day—added fervour to his critique of the Millennium Development Goals. The goals are important, he said, particularly the education component, because they directly affect those living in impoverished countries.
Religion and spirituality
Bethany Turner (Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Ministry) discussed the law of the captive bride (see Deuteronomy 21:10-14) in addressing concerns the Torah did not protect the sexual rights of women. Does it legitimise: rape on the battlefield (unlikely, as law and context of the passage emphasise desire to marry); abduction or forced marriage (unavoidable, undesirable and unlikely), degrading rituals (probably transition rituals performed by the woman herself); and unfair divorce (maybe, but protects woman from alienation and mistreatment)? Bethany’s literary, linguistic and cultural study concluded the law protects a Gentile woman from an enemy nation, which portrays the “heart of the Lawgiver who seeks to care for and protect even those who are His enemies.”
Ben Reynolds (Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Ministry) examined the gender and the position of Junia or Junias in Romans 16:7. His findings: the linguistic and historical evidence overwhelmingly supports a feminine rather than a masculine name and an understanding of Junia as outstanding among the apostles. One of the foundation apostles of Christianity is a woman, said Ben. “If this is so in the first century church, why is it not so in the 21st century?”
Lyndelle Peterson (Bachelor of Theology (Honours)) developed a five-point model of Jewish masculinity that she compared with the portrayal of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. The model included characteristics and values such as self-restraint, courage and strength in adversity, Torah study and protection, physical reality and legacy, and absence of luxury. She noted how the application of the model shows how the “typical Christian emphasis on the feminine aspects of Jesus’ character is skewed. . . . Jesus epitomised true masculinity and even went so far as to extend its meaning.”
Dale Hokin (Graduate Diploma in Ministry/Graduate Diploma in Theology) developed a theory of judgement to better understand the process and motivation of God’s judgements in the Old Testament. He noted how God: uses judgement as a response to suffering; develops trust and gives hope by communicating the reasons for his actions; experiences our pain in determining the best action; and offers grace and other options for mercy and rehabilitation. A summary: God is motivated to save not to destroy.
Benefits
Vice-president (administration and research) Dr Vivienne Watts describes the conference as a raising of the bar, particularly in the development of a student’s academic potential. Organiser Dr Jane Fernandez-Goldborough sees it as an opportunity for Avondale to promote its best resource, its students. The senior lecturer in English wanted to challenge students “to become active participants of learning. I hope each realises they don’t have to wait until they have a degree to begin engaging with learning and with teaching.”