As Paul said, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15) This speaks to our theme for this issue of the journal, “The Seductiveness of the Familiar.” We are indebted to Professor Erskine Clarke for this succinct description of our desire to live a faithful life often coming into conflict with the family structures and culture in which we live.
In this issue you will find Professor Clarke’s convocation address of the same title in print form. What sets this issue apart is its use of technology—something we can’t do with a print journal. You will find media clips that introduce the address and that respond to it. Unlike our previous issues the responses are organized by question rather than by the person responding.
For classes choosing to use this journal, there are several ways your time might be organized. You could use the lesson plans provided in the response section that are paired with particular speakers or you could simply address each of the questions in a discussion format using the edited and merged clips for each question to provoke responses from your class. Either way, we believe that you will be able to have some rich discussion around this topic and ascertaining what might be the familiar for your context and how you might work to support each other in resisting it when it conflicts with your Christian beliefs.
