Week 31: Dick Keyes kicked off the week with a talk on sentimentality, its hampering effects on evangelism, apologetics, and discipleship. In the afternoon, Dick followed up with “Cynicism and Honesty,” arguing that cynicism isn’t honest, but claims to know more than it can know. He suggested that love is the antidote: “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The next day,
Mardi Keyes spoke on Gender and Vocation, arguing that while great pressure comes on people in the modern age, especially from the Industrial Revolution’s wrenching labor away from the home and family, still the Bible calls men and women to essentially the same fruits and freedoms. In the afternoon she spoke on “From ‘Love, Marriage and a Baby Carriage’ to Whatever We Have Today,” reviewing the social history of the 1950’s ideal of marriage, assaults in the ‘70’s, present disintegration, and biblical norms. The Keyes wrapped up their time at Osprey Point with Dick speaking to the Fellows on Thankfulness, a Basic Christian Virtue. While sentimentalism filters out the ruin in man’s glorious ruin, and cynicism filters out the glory, gratitude acknowledges that glory is the last word.
On Wednesday afternoon, John Mathis brought former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh to the classroom to share with the Fellows a bit about his life story and principles he learned that helped him succeed in the Indiana Legistlatue and the U.S. Senate. Despite being the youngest person in the Senate, the first thing Birch, a Democrat, did upon going to Washington in 1962 was to make friends with Republicans who cared about the same issues he did. This principle of building and maintaining relationships, even with those who disagree with you, was the driving force behind Birch's success in the Senate.