Attempting to carve a Christian sentence in secular stone

Samuel Shoemaker’s life was bursting at the seams with the brand of vitality and… Samuel Shoemaker’s life was bursting at the seams with the brand of vitality and accomplishment that makes your blood burn in neon colors all the way down to your fingertips and makes you want to run outside and plant a tree. He was a Princeton grad, a Pittsburgh preacher, a humanitarian with a hand in the founding and development of Alcoholics Anonymous, a world traveler, and a brilliant writer. Of his many achievements, two notable ones are documented on a stone wall in the Frick Fine Arts building:

Our universities are places of learning which will prove to be blind guides unless they lead those insecure seeking young people, not alone to knowledge and the beginning of wisdom but to the Source of all wisdom. That which needs to be known most is how to live and how to live with others.

The achievements documented in these lines are: 1) Shoemaker capitalizes the S in Source because “Source” acts as a pronoun. He believes that God is the “Source of all wisdom” and that the University is a “blind guide” if it teaches otherwise. He conveys a controversial idea in such a way that the University of Pittsburgh inscribes it on a building. And 2) Shoemaker’s words remain a permanent fixture at Pitt. His accomplishment — my goal — is that he found a way to have his Christianity carved in the stone of the secular institution.

I’d been enrolled in a Christian college for about eight weeks when I decided I was opposed to Christian colleges. I didn’t like the idea that the faith’s young people were being herded away to isolated campuses, free to pat each other on the back and develop a sense of spiritual strength — the kind of superficial empowerment that makes bold declarations from a safe distance away. I thought we would be better off in the thick of it, hiding from nobody, making whatever impact we could. I transferred to Pitt in the fall of 2001, signing on with The Pitt News about two weeks later, shortly after earning the sling my mug shot has worn for three long years (note: not a purse).

Since then, I’ve taken my turns at succeeding and failing in this effort, always having a good time but never too good a time, interacting with readers whenever possible, making my faith evident but never rebutting an argument with “Yes, but the Bible says …” I’m a firm believer in Christianity’s practical, reasonable value, and I’ve made an effort to present its stances in terms that people can agree on. Not that people agree. Ever.

Though I probably haven’t become a Ned Flanders-type image in the community — I’m not worthy, anyway — I have at least become a sort of novelty item. When people read that you’re saving sex for marriage, it’s like they want to see you with their own eyes before they’ll believe it. It’s really not so rare a phenomenon. I could direct you to 30 guys who’ve made the same decision (www.cornerstone220.org), and most of them don’t wear taped glasses or “Babylon 5” T-shirts. Despite what you may’ve heard, conviction is for the strong.

My biggest struggle in the writing game has been presentation: how to represent a large — and often fractured — faith while also being honest about myself. How to push a hard-line stance on purity while admitting that, yeah, I kinda enjoy me some Howard Stern from time to time. How to pull for unity while also resenting guys like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, the politically-entrenched bigwigs with loose skin and old … ideas. How to keep it real while also a little bit spicy? How do I serve the Christian readership without denying that “ass” is one of my favorite words? It’s just so versatile …

I’ve heard that college is the best time of your life, and at this point I have to believe that it’s not true. Not only does it give me nothing to look forward to, it denies my ability to make things happen. I imagine your rut will only go as deep as you dig it, and a degree is not necessarily synonymous with a cubicle. Sam Shoemaker is evidence of that much; that energy, integrity, faith and enthusiasm can make your stock just keep on rising.

I can only speculate about the day when my words are carved in stone; when my life’s work points to the “Source of all wisdom.” At this point, I’m working on a more concrete resolve, the spirit shared by Charles Chapman, Mike Gallo (www.livingministry.org) and the rest of the unsung heroes of Christian social movements come and gone. I don’t believe these past three years of column writing have changed anyone’s life, but they’ve got me moving in a solid direction, and for that, I’m thankful.

And it may not be etched in stone, but my review of Antoon’s Pizza has been hanging in their front window since the day it first ran nearly two years ago, and I can only assume it will remain there for generations to come. Next up: Frick Arts.

Eric Miller shops for ideas and clothing at www.jessehicks.com. He checks his E-mail at save101@hotmail.com.