Week 15 Post

This weeks post is a reflection on the video essay projects we have just completed. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making and narrating a video about how this course has changed my views. I have always been interested in video production and this project allowed me to excel at something I like to do. The best part about this project was having the final edition finished. After scrambling to take pictures and countless times of trying to record my essay narration, without any errors, it was very satisfying see the final product. The hardest part about this project was finding pictures that matched up with my essay, and portrayed, visually, what I was trying to say in my essay. I think, however, I was successful in doing so and that is what has made me so proud about this assignment.

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing my classmate's productions. It was very interesting seeing how this course has changed their views, and I was able to find similarities with a lot of students. I think the video essay project was an excellent way to close the semester and I urge for the class to continue to do this particular assignment. This course opened my eyes and I am glad that I got to share that with my video essay. It is also a great way to see how views of your students have changed throughout the semester. Overall, the video essay project was a success and I hope that it will be carried on in this course for future classes to come.

Week 14 Post

This weeks readings come from The First Paul, written by Marcus Borg and John Crossan. The chapter I read was called "Life Together: In Christ." Initially, before I began reading, I wondered what life together in Christ means. As I read on, I grasped Borg and Crossan's meaning of a life in christ.

For Paul, life "in Christ" was not about a new personal identity for individuals. Instead, Paul's understanding was very different from the understanding of the role of religion and the purpose of spirituality in Western culture. For Paul, life "in Christ" was always a communal matter because his purpose and passion was to create a community in which peoples lives embodied an alternative to the normalcy of the "wisdom of the world" (Borg 186). This then leads me to think about the communal meaning of life "in Christ" and probes me to ask if I agree with the idea that to be "in Christ" is also to be "in the Spirit." I agree with this idea because so much of believing in Christ is believing in his spirit. Because he is not here on earth with us, we have to look at something more powerful in order to understand Christianity and continue to practice it how it should be practiced. I like Borg and Crossan's chapter here about life in Christ. So much of religion is based on belief and they strengthen how important that belief is, with looking at Paul's messages in this chapter.