This may not seem purely intellectual, as it is also a very practical reflection. It is on fame, fortune, and success. How do we define it? As Christians, what role, if any, should these play in our lives? What do they mean to me?

Honestly, to be very direct, I believe fame has no role in the life of a Christian. Christians ought not to strive for fame--it simply does not fit into the Gospel message. I came to terms with this as I was considering grad schools, and as they were considering me. Long before I got the decision letters, I had already chosen not to apply to certain schools. More specifically, there were several top-quality, very selective schools that I sought not to pursue. Why? Because the only motivating factor in applying to those schools was the notoriety that could come from it. Then, I realized some things. I do not need to teach at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Emory, or the University of Chicago. I do not need everyone to know my name. While there is something inherently thrilling and edifying about people knowing who I am and being a top scholar in my field, ultimately, it means nothing. My hope, as a scholar, is that my ideas will be taken seriously by those who read them and that somehow the work I do is liberating--helping to free people from oppression and to free people from being oppressive. Nothing more. Nothing less.

There is an old hymn that says, "Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth and fame. There's a crown, and you can win it. When you go in Jesus' name." Although I am not sure about this crown-thing we are trying to win, it does resonate the point that we are not called to work toward wealth and fame. We are called to take up our cross. We are called to give everything we have to the poor. We are called to deny ourselves. We are called to be servants of Christ, the Gospel, and the world. Considering this paradigm into which we are called, there is simply no room for wealth and fame within the lives of Christians. To seek fame is to seek to promote one's self above promoting the Gospel and Christ. If you think about it, Christ was kind of an incognito kind of guy. He tried to hide the fact, in some sense, that he was the Messiah. He lived among the poor and the outcasts. He was ultimately recognized through death on the cross, not a celebratory banquet.

Of course, this makes me think about our lives and our careers. I am not saying that we should have no money whatsoever. Yet, recently Brad and I have been talking about what life will be like when we are a two-income home. We are committed to not raising our level of spending to match our earnings. We are committed to still being faitful stewards of our money, saving where we can, and not being frivilous. We also talk about the ways in which our careers could play into the notion of oppression. My husband's father works for the military divison of a major aircraft manufacturer. By virtue of this, his work supports the acts of the military and the injustice of war. Don't get me wrong--I love my father-in-law. I am not being condemning toward him. Largely, the difference lies in the values we hold dear. I am not calling my father-in-law a war monger or lover of injustice. Rather, he likely would not identify himself as a pacifist or anti-war. Therefore, his job does not negate his values. Yet, we have to ask ourselves what is the bigger picture of which I am a part? (This is NOT about my father-in-law...he just came up in the course of conversation.) How do my jobs, my hobbies, my interests, and my lifestyle fit into the chain of injustice and oppression of those around the world?

In a capitalistic society, it is so easy to see something merely as a job--something to pay the bills and to make money. Yet, nothing is ever that simple. Brad and I talked about what if the firm he works for in the future asks him to work on a project directly supporting a cause that he is against? As we talked about explaining that you cannot go against your convictions, he said, "What if I get fired?" My response was, "Well, then you find another job, but know that you did the right thing." Often, to move up in certain companies, you have to do things that might not jive with your ethical system. While some people think you have to play the game to get the money, I disagree. We aren't called to be the CEO. We aren't called to be a millionare. In fact, if you are have power or wealth that you aren't using for others, then you are violating the covenant and life into which God has called us.

Recently, in class, we were talking about the concept of Ivory Towers--the positions of power in the world. Someone said, "It's not that you find yourself at the desk. Rather, it's what you do and for whom you do it that matters." This isn't some lame copout to say, "Well, I can push my way to the top and I'll do nice things for people so that makes it okay." Instead, it's recognizing that often we find ourselves in positions of power, by virtue of corporate position, gender, race, nationality, or geographical location. Sometimes we are called to abandon it all completely. Other times, we are called to use that condition to go against certain systems and communal values.