Wisdom

    Wisdom is an abstract idea that few people can articulate. While many, like Caroline Bassett, have tried to define wisdom, it remains abstract and illusive. Yes, enough ideas are formed that a person striving to obtain wisdom knows in which direction they should be moving, but the true application of wisdom is much harder to define and is often subjective and based on belief. It is for this reason that many colleges decide not to teach their students to recognize and practice wisdom. Doing so would invite students to stand out on issues and do things that the university does not agree with. This is especially true in many secular colleges; they do not want Christians to have a loud voice, and encouraging them to practice wisdom would be encouraging them to take action on issues that the university may want kept quiet. In their mind, it is more effective for the college to simply teach the students knowledge and ignore the deep application of it.

    At John Brown University, the desire to suppress Christian wisdom from being practiced does not exist. Instead the challenge keeping it from being taught consistently is possibly that the professors do not feel that they truly understand wisdom enough to teach it. This should not be the case, however, because students and teachers should work together to pursue wisdom. I believe that this is how the Honors program can most effectively teach students to recognize and practice wisdom. There must be openness between students and professors as they share knowledge and discuss its application on the world. Ideas presented should be thoughtfully considered and never simply dismissed. Teachers should act as guides, sharing their own journey in seeking wisdom; personal testimony is powerful and having an example to follow often inspires students to try harder. Peers should also be encouraged to work together in obtaining wisdom and to share their breakthrough moments when they believe that they did gain another piece of wisdom. It is through a secure community in which knowledgeable individuals are working together pursuing wisdom that the Honors Program of JBU will truly create students who appreciate and apply wisdom in order to change the world.

Of course, there is one other method: Prayer meetings. We could just go to class and pray, asking God for wisdom. J