Irrational Loyalty to Jesus & Over-the-Top Concern for Others

I came across an article from the Christianity Today email newsletter titled, The Cost of Christian Education. Since Camp is about Christian education what really caught my eye was the tag line, “Getting schooled in the faith is more unnerving than I care to admit.”

When I read this paragraph I thought, this is what Camp is supposed to be like.

The educational system of Jesus was rooted in an utterly different approach: living in and with a community, so that theology was not only taught but also lived in the context of community prayer. Jesus' educational system is not objective in the least—it is decidedly not interested in knowledge that helps us remain unbiased and neutral about life. Instead, it is profoundly subjective, that is, concerned with creating an irrational loyalty to Jesus and over-the-top concern for others. It is not the mind that is the center of attention but the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—and the whole person in community.

This approach depends not on teaching technique but on people like you and me who strive to live our lives in Jesus' name. While it's nice to have saints to emulate and great teachers to learn from, most of us on most days simply need fellow believers to help us walk the walk.

Then the author goes on to acknowledge that this is the type of Christian education experienced in Christian summer camps!

So, when we are thinking about the ministry of Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp and the possibilities it holds for developing faith in Christ refer to this article. Follow the link and read the whole thing. If you are on a camp staff, share some ideas about how this looks in your camp setting. If you are thinking about sending some kids to Camp, ask yourself about the value of this kind of experience.

I think I am going to try to work some of these phrases – “irrational loyalty to Jesus” and “over-the-top concern for others” into my conversations and plans for Wi-Ne-Ma.