"unconformity" Non-conformity

Recent chapels have reflected on the theme “unconformed.” Students were introduced to the concept of non-conformity and the idea of living a transformed life as described in Romans 12:1-2. Students were asked to think about the values of today’s society and to compare them to the fruits of the spirit described in Galations. Kindness, gentleness, self-control, humility and peacemaking are not often the characteristics celebrated by our contemporary culture.

The theme of “unconformed” fit well with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Monday students watched Invictus, which tells the story of Nelson Mandella’s use of rugby to reach across racial lines and bring some healing to the nation of South Africa. Though he had been imprisoned for years by the apartheid government, Mandella did not seek revenge when he was elected President. Rather he sought to find ways to bring his country together.

Susan See, shared in chapel about Martin Luther King Jr. and focused on the role children played in overturning the racist structures of Birmingham, Alabama. Susan talked about the preparation and work which went into maintaining the nonviolent calls for change. The nonviolent witness was maintained in spite of mass arrests, beatings, and persecution. King called for the United States to live up to the best of its ideals arguing that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

King’s words have the ability to provoke us today. His observation that “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom,” is certainly relevant to our discussions about the country’s future. When we reflect on our recent past we would do well to remember “that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” As an educator I am challenged by his thought that “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” If that was true in the early 1960’s it is certainly more true now.
It is our hope that students will leave IMS knowing how to think. In refusing to accept “easy answers and half-baked solutions,” we also hope students will show evidence of the fruits of the spirit, sharing their transformed lives as they go into the world. As translated in The Message Romans says, “Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.” King adds to the challenge of personal change by asking us to work to better our society. In doing so may we all by “unconformed” to this world.