The Lenten season often serves as a time to foster religious conversations at Point Loma Nazarene University. Apologetics, especially around the time of Lent, becomes a more frequent topic as Easter approaches. The justification of Lent regarding apologetics takes place in a Christian community during these few weeks from March 5 through April 17.
Sophia Von Gierke, a second-year kinesiology major, practices Lent as a Catholic on the PLNU campus.
“A lot of Christians here don’t actually know what Lent is,” Von Gierke said. “It is surprising how unfamiliar people are with it because it is part of the Bible.”
However, she said that more people know about her version of Lent at PLNU, in comparison to a non-religious school. Von Gierke said that apologetics conversations can be difficult with her peers regarding her different opinions due to growing up in a Catholic household.
“It [Lent] can get awkward and is met with a lot of tension, but a lot of people are open to listen and learn,” Von Gierke said.
Von Gierke’s point is that all conversation boils down to whether people are willing to understand one another. At PLNU, sometimes people ask each other nearly impossible questions to answer to get their point across, or they are set in their faith, which means they do not want to hear about other possible ideas, she said.
Her greatest disappointment regarding these conversations occurs when people treat her as if she is a part of a separate religion, as she considers Catholicism another branch of Christianity. She has found a small community of other people that practice Catholicism at PLNU and said that she was grateful Kevin Portillo, adjunct professor in the School of Theology, helped lead a more traditional Ash Wednesday chapel at the Liberty Station campus on the first day of Lent, March 5.
Luke Cole, a second-year Christian studies major, emphasized the importance of talking about beliefs with peers. He thinks Lent is a time to practice one’s faith and explain one’s practices as part of the greater apologetics conversation.
Jonathan Manning, professor in the School of Theology, provided input from his nine years of studying the Bible and having conversations with students regarding various religious topics.
“Anything that is politically charged or controversial or things where people would have potentially different viewpoints – a lot of people just preach to their own choirs,” Manning said.
He also said that there are many ways to have these conversations and not be adversarial, emphasizing that all conversations about any topic have a range of intensity levels.
To have tough conversations, one should maintain an open mind and acknowledge that life is a journey of learning, Manning said.
“There is a lovely maxim from Saint Augustine that I really appreciate: faith seeking understanding,” Manning said.“If you hold to this motto – if you embrace this idea – it essentially affirms that we’re all on a journey. That we are all works of progress. And that faith is the beginning and not the ending of understanding.”
Steve Anderson