Dreams of A Better World

Part 2 of our God & Nature course was nothing short of inspiring and thought provoking.  Professor Corwynn Beals (George Fox University) invited us to try on different lenses for the week as he presented theological and philosophical questions surrounding issues such as good, evil, and humans' place in separating and judging things as such.

He also led us through a bit of self-exploration to uncover some of our core beliefs that affect why we choose to live the ways that we live.  Once we uncovered these, and analyzed the deception and/or truth in them, we thought about what some of the core beliefs of our culture are, and how these may be hindering us from achieving the dreams that God has for his world.

There were several incredibly hopeful moments throughout the class.  One powerful instance was when the students all sat down together and brainstormed about dreams for how to create a better world, based on the discussion and reading they had been doing all week.  They also thought individually on the matter and presented papers with practical, first-step solutions that they could carry out back home.

A theme woven throughout the week was having class in outdoor settings, whether that was on our 2nd floor deck, walking along the Mopan River, standing in the water at Monkey Falls, or hiking to the place where the Macal & Mopan rivers meet up to form the Belize River.  True to its title, this week was certainly one that more deeply informed our relationships with both God and nature.

Hanging out at Monkey Falls after class

foot bridge over the Mopan river

Many thanks to Corwynn for leading such an influential and valuable week!