That Sound You Hear is a Paradigm Shifting…

Two weeks ago now, together with a friend and staff partner, I had the privilege of leading 14 college students through a week-long seminar entitled “Women in the Bible.”

Our main goal was to help students explore the Scriptures in order to understand God’s intent for the relationship between the genders. Along the way we hoped to see students experience healing, equipping and, of course, a shift in their preconceived paradigms.

By and large, mission(s) accomplished.

In particular, for many of the men in the room the week was an opportunity to have their theology challenged. Like Tertullian, these men have been breathing the air of male privilege long enough to have their worldviews firmly pegged with patriarchy as their default setting. So praise God with me that after last week they are on a different journey.

Two of the men are poets, and with their permission I’m going to share their pieces. Read and enjoy the sound, the sound of a paradigm shifting.

Here’s Darren’s piece:

Disconnect

A chasm? A Valley? A Wall?
Yes a Wall
Firm and smooth
Cold and calculated
Strong…

Perfected by years of patient building
Piece By Piece
Formed to fit me tight and close.
Familiar…

But there are cracks
They are small now
Reminders of past failures in design
Weakness…

Spider-webbed like glass struck with a blunt object
But these walls are not natural

I didn’t start out this way
I was taught to build
Taught to be strong
Strong for my family
Strong for my friends
Strong for my job
Strong to provide
I was taught by the men around me

But these walls muffle the world around me
I hear it
It is faint
An echo of the true sound
The sound of waves that crash against my walls
The waves of injustice, of women’s plight, of passing of family members,
The cries of shame
The echo’s of the true sound
Rich and vibrant
But the walls whisper of calm and peace
These walls are strong.
I should know I built them

But my heart is stirred by the echo’s
They vibrate at the same frequency
So my heart flutters
But no matter how much it is magnified it is still small
Dampened by the walls themselves

Why did I build these walls?
To support others?…
Sounds good
To protect myself?…
Sadly more likely
But my heart’s flutters hint at a design flaw.
These walls are permanent …
Built to withstand brute force and slow erosion
What now?

Darren Roan
One mans attempt to describe
the emotional barriers
he feels sometimes

And you’ll find Jason’s here.