Note: This is the start of a new series, without the end of any others. I will expand on this in the series page. Briefly, I want to practice writing dialog, try various ways of presenting it, and also try presenting different views on various theological topics in a sympathetic way. Basically I’m practicing here, so read at your own risk. Of course, that’s not much different from anything else on this blog!
Also, all characters, places, events, and churches in this story are fictional. It is a work of fiction.
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Mark wasn’t too sure why he pulled into the roadside cafe. He rarely ate out. As a seminary student on a partial scholarship but without church support he had to be careful with his money. But tonight he needed to get working on a three page paper, and he couldn’t think how he was going to do it.
It was Saturday night, the paper was due Monday morning. He felt silly as he thought about that. He was a veteran of countless all nighters in which he had produced 10, 15, or 20 pages in a night with no problem, complete with footnotes, formatted according to the professor’s requirements. Yet he had this feeling of dread.
“You will write three pages on what it means to you personally to be a Christian. No references, no quotations, not even Bible verses. Just three pages from you.”
There was a short time of silence in the class. For many of them, half or more of a paper could be made up of summing up other people’s views and providing references for them.
“But Dr. Youngman,” said one, “References to the great teachers of the past are important! I can’t imagine talking about Christianity without referencing some of the great thinkers in Christian history.”
“Well, you’re going to learn to imagine it. Just three pages.”
“Exactly?” asked another student.
“Make it between 2.9 and 3.1 pages. Edit it until you get it to the right length.”
“What if I’m not a Christian,” asked another student.
“Good question,” said the professor. “One assumes that most students at a seminary are Christians, but one may be wrong. If you are not a Christian, then write about what it means to you to say someone else is a Christian.”
“And if we’re not sure, not committed?”
“Write about why you’re not sure then, 3 pages, all your words.”
“I don’t think I can express myself in three pages. You’ve given us a broad subject.”
“Narrow it down.”
“But how? What is the most important thing for me to talk about?”
“That’s what you should be asking yourself.”
“What if I can’t think of three full pages?”
“Consider the impact of a zero for this assignment on your grade, and feel the motivation flowing over you.”