Problems with Comments?

I am sorry, but I have heard that some people are having trouble leaving comments on my blog. I have two quick favors to ask anyone who is willing.

One, if you have tried to comment on my blog and it has not worked, then will you e-mail me at marcjscott@hotmail.com? Tell me what happened. Did you get a confirmation? Did it say it was awaiting moderation? Anything?

Two, if you have never tried to comment on my blog, then will you take a moment to try commenting in response to this post? It can be anything, even just saying "hi".

I would like to get these kinks worked out, and I apologize for the glitches.

Thanks so much,
Marc

Why the Golden Rule is Key to Freedom

I could pretend to be really smart and try to write about the topics to which I am going to refer here, but it is much better and easier to just defer to people who can articulate it better. That being said, for those interested, check out these two articles.

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/9-three-rules-of-human-conduct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harm_principle

In short, the Iron Rule is about might. Bigger and stronger rules over smaller and weaker. The Silver Rule is a negative principle. It says, "Do not do unto others what you would not want them to do to you." It operates on the principle of reciprocity, and is the basis for much of the law in our society.

The Iron Rule can keep people in bondage. The Silver Rule is a step up because it at least says that we should not enslave others. However, neither of these rules prompt us to "set the captives free" if there is no harm to us.

The Golden Rule is set apart as a positively stated directive. It tells each of us to do to/for others what we would want done to/for us. Jesus issues the Golden Rule to dictate how we live because it is the rule of Love, not the rule of law. Ultimately, it requires His divine love to set people free, spiritually and physically. 

This concept of the "three rules" ties in directly with the issues related to modern day slavery because it is hard to see that we are in any way complicit in the problem. We are distanced from the anguish of human trafficking and forced labor by supply chains, business practices, policies, underground activities (even in our own backyard), and other factors. 

I know I am. 

Sometimes, it makes doing the right thing even more challenging. 

It is so uncomfortable. It is so inconvenient.

It is so Jesus. 

So, I pray that it will become so me.

Baptizing (Core Practice #3)

Intro Note: I have already written about our Plan on a Page, which lays out the four core practices that we consider the marks of discipleship according to the New Testament. In that document, we try to capture the "irreducible minimum standards" of our mission. 

Basically, I contend that there are many things you could not do and still be a Christian, or follower of Jesus. For example, you could not "go to church" or participate in a youth group or listen to Christian radio stations or become a missionary in a foreign land or tithe or...okay, you get it...and yet still be an authentic, sincere, passionate follower of Jesus. These examples may all be good things, but they are not the marks of true discipleship that Jesus gives us in the Bible. They are not the "make-or-break", non-negotiables of the Christian faith used to identify people as real believers.

Then, what are the non-negotiables?

The third one is BAPTIZING.

Let me start this one with what we teach children. We are baptized as a way of showing we understand that Jesus died and rose back to life to wash away our sins and give us power to live a new way of following Him. I respect that this is a topic about which parents can have strong feelings.

Baptism is one of the topics that has challenged me as I read through the New Testament objectively. It is possible to defend just about any position concerning baptism, depending on which verse people quote and what context they use it in. I am not going to dive into that debate here. Simply, we define this practice as uniting with Jesus in a new life.

Regardless of what you believe about baptism, there is no way to dismiss the significance of this act in the New Testament. The early church's immediate and automatic response to the gospel was baptism. 

Anyone who encountered Jesus could be baptized and baptize others.

I want to be clear that I am not saying that going into water is what "saves" a person, but I also can't dismiss the obvious importance of baptism as evidenced by the repeated emphasis on it throughout the New Testament. I just have to re-state it again: The early church's immediate and automatic response to the gospel was baptism. It was the Bible's equivalent to what the "sinner's prayer" or "altar call" has become in our part of the world over the past two centuries.

The guiding question for a disciple or church could be, Are we bringing people to salvation in Christ?

My wife baptizing me

(You can read my baptism story here.)

Project-based Learning - The Challenge to Getting There

I have become interested in the concepts behind project-based learning, or problem-based learning. Some people use the terms interchangeably, while others object to doing so. I don't want to get into that semantic debate. For me, the simple point is that anything that gets us away from the traditional model of dumping a bunch of information on kids to have them later regurgitate that information back to us on a test is a good thing.

It might be messy and imperfect. There even may be some pedagogical flaws along the way, but the need to approach instruction from a more learner-centered, discovery-oriented, critical, questioning manner is so apparent in our present day. Having kids memorize a bunch of content for their brains to recall in the short-term and then dump so it can move on to the next load of content just won't cut it anymore. (And btw, make no mistake, that is what our brains do.) Students can access that kind of information at the click of a mouse.

But what they can't do in an instant is reflect, problem-solve, manipulate data, and struggle with concepts. These things take time and interaction, and should be the focus of schooling.

The problem is that we know these things have to change, but teachers often feel trapped in an outdated system with outdated metrics. Many teachers would like to transform their classroom practices, but they don't feel they have the freedom to do something new. At least, this is my perception.

I wonder if most teachers feel this way. I would love to better understand the dilemma that teachers face as they attempt to do what is best for kids.

Teachers are left disillusioned and frustrated. 

How can we change the system to encourage, not discourage, risk-taking, innovation, and learner engagement?

What is More Romantic Than Freedom in February?

I am sorry that I really don't have a blog post about Valentine's Day at this time of year.

Truthfully, my title for this post is intentionally deceptive because I really don't have anything to say about romance at all. However, there is quite a bit to say about FREEDOM this month in the city of Austin!

And who knows? Maybe helping survivors of human trafficking can bring a sense of closeness and bonding like you've never had before with your loved one. Okay, enough of that mushy gobbley-gook. 

This month is the perfect time to check out the activities of an organization called Allies Against Slavery right here in Austin.

There is something for everyone, whether you like riding bikes, watching a movie, or learning things on a college campus. (See, these could all be romantic things. Just sayin'.)

Go to this page to find out about all the cool stuff going on in February and how you can be a part of it.

If you are interested in going to the next Allies meeting on Tuesday, February 25th, 6-7:30 pm at Space12, then let me know by commenting on this blog or sending me an e-mail at marcjscott@hotmail.com.