October 3, 2008
Kairos A Publication of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Community
By Brita Hansen
I came away from last week’s President’s
Colloquium on torture with a lot of statistics
swirling in my head, some excellent resources
for further education, and a great understand-
ing of what constitutes torture. Torture is de-
fined as inflicting pain on someone, causing
anguish or suffering, and/or using intimidation
or coercion. An interesting question was
brought up during the colloquium: isn’t the very
act of arresting someone, without stating why
he or she is being arrested, an act of torture?
Other ways our government has inflicted tor-
ture on people include: water boarding, using
stress positioning, subjecting people to exces-
sive heat or cold, sexual humiliation, physical
abuse and terrorizing people with vicious dogs.
As a person and as a Christian, it is very
stressful, upsetting, enraging, and disgusting
to me that this is occurring. Even worse, by
paying taxes, I am actually participating in the
torturing of other human beings. It is very
clever of our government to pay off Egypt and
Syria for “torture outsourcing” but as citizens,
our hands our dirty, and people are suffering.
The speakers were Reverend Richard Kill-
Editor’s Note
Throughout this issue of Kairos, you will find that
our writers have encountered “questions” this week.
Brita Hansen is presented with an interesting question
on the meaning of torture. Lisa Straus (p3) finds exe-
gesis of a Hebrew word becomes relevant for the finan-
cial crisis in America today. And I struggle (p6) with my
personal questions regarding doctrine. Kairos wants to
know, what are you questioning these days?
Grace and peace,
Paul Dubois, editor
Issue #160
mer, David Wofford, J.D., and Professor Jason
Brownlee. Rev. Killmer ended his presentation
with this food for thought: “We believe humans
are created in the image of God; to violate and
torture humans, tortures God.” Rev. Killmer
reminded us that our vocations as Christians
prohibit us in the breaking of humans. This
brings me to my next point, if you have not had
the opportunity to sign the petition, the petition
that will plea for our next president to eliminate
the use of torture, please stop by the library
and sign it. The petition will be in the library
through October, and it is in a binder on the
circulation desk.
As I previously mentioned, the colloquium
left me with a few resources for furthers study.
I have compiled a list, and have requested the
library to purchase these for us:
• The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How
The War on Terror Turned into a War
on American Ideals, by Jane Mayer
• Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by
Barton Gellman
• “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”, a film by Rory
Kennedy and HBO
Inside this Issue
Chapel Schedule 2 October in the Archives 5
Word of the Week 3 What I Learned in Seminary 6
Today...
Editorial Guidelines 3 Calendar of Events 7
Student Senate Meeting 4
Minutes
© 2008 Austin Presbyterian
Theological Seminary
Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html Page 2

Chapel Schedule
October 6—October 10
Monday: Service of the Word
Paul Gaedke, preacher
Tuesday: Service of the Word and
Sacrament
Rev. Tim Lincoln, preacher
Thursday: Special Lecture
“Encountering the Other:
Jewish and Reformed
Christian Relations in
Hungary in the 19th Century”
Abraham Vajk Kovacs,
Fulbright Scholar
“First Friday” Labyrinth Walk
St. David’s Episcopal Church
304 East 7th Street
The labyrinth meditation garden will be open
from 6 pm until 8:30 pm, with a short meditation
right at 6:00. There will be music and candles, and
facilitators are available to assist those who have
never walked a labyrinth. Come appreciate this
prayerful space in the midst of the city.
Parking is free in the church parking garage.
(Entrance is on Trinity Street between 7th and 8th
Streets.) Just take a ticket when you come into the
parking garage; passes will be available at the
labyrinth, or inside the church, so that you can exit
without paying.
This is another spiritual moment brought to you
by the Still Small Voice.

Friday: Service of the Word School of the Americas Watch

JJ Wicke, preacher
Apply for Outside Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office maintains a spread-
sheet of Outside Scholarship Resources to as-
sist you in seeking financial aid. Remember to
monitor this list and apply for grants within deadline
dates. If you do not have or cannot find your elec-
tronic copy of this excel spreadsheet, please re-
quest one from Glenna Balch or Sally Wright in the
Financial Aid Office.
Protest and Vigil at Fort Benning,
Georgia Nov. 21-23:
For anyone interested in attending the protest
and vigil, there will be an informational and organ-
izational meeting on Monday, October 6, over
lunch at noon in Stotts. We will talk about transpor-
tation and schedule.
This event is sponsored by Corpus Christi. If
you have any questions, please contact Megan
Dosher.

“The Eye of the Mind,

the Ear of the Heart” The New ‘Voice’ of
Photographs by David W. Johnson Austin Seminary
The art exhibit now mounted on the top floor of Welcome to Katharine Sweet, Hospitality As-
the McMillan building consists of photographs sistant. Swing by the McCord Desk and say
taken by David W. Johnson. Take note of David’s hello!
statement as the artist and enjoy the scope and
variety of his interests. You will be amazed at the
perspectives he achieves.
Prints (8x10 and 11x14) can be purchased and
prices will be posted with the exhibit. The exhibit
will be up through Christmas for your viewing
pleasure. Enjoy!
Ansel Adams said, “Photography is not about
pictures; it is about light.” See if you agree.
Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html Page 3

By Lisa Straus

qv[
Since I was a little girl first learning to read
and write, words and languages have fascinated me.
Living on the Canadian border in Vermont, my
public school began teaching us French in fourth
grade. From that point on, I was hooked. The abil-
ity to read a text in its original language in order to
better discern an author’s meaning was, for me, like
finding buried treasure. The outside of the trunk
was intriguing on its own, but once I lifted the lid
and saw what was underneath, I just could not get
enough of sifting through the contents.
This semester, I have the distinct pleasure
of starting my Tuesday and Thursday mornings by
reading from the Book of Acts in Greek, from left
to right. Immediately after lunch on these same
days, I move to reading Jeremiah in Hebrew, from
right to left. The biggest complication I get from
this exercise occurs while pulling up to my chil-
dren’s school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon
and deciding whether to read the shiny red sign as
S-T-O-P or P-O-T-S.
Sometimes in one of these classes, a word
or phrase will utterly stop me cold. It happened this
week in Jeremiah. We were reading along and
Jeremiah was trying to warn the people of Jerusa-
lem that they should clean up their lives or else.
What stopped me was the word, Wqvo[]t; from the root
qv[, which very generally means ‘to oppress’.
Jeremiah was warning the people of Jerusalem not
to oppress other people. I will have to give Profes-
sor Dearman the credit for explaining that this verb
usually implies a special type of oppression that has
to do with monetary power or control. In class, we
discussed the English word ‘extortion’ as a possible
equivalent. That is when the question struck me.
Who is extorting whom in our country’s
financial crisis? I have no claim over economic ex-
pertise. I have always enjoyed working with words,
but I have avoided anything having to do with num-
bers or equations. However it seems to me that if an
industry is requiring $700 billion from our govern-
ment in order to shore up its shaky financial situa-
tion, some type of extortion must be occurring. I
don’t want to point fingers, nor do I have any idea
what the ultimate solution should be, but $700 bil-
lion? I was trying to explain to my children just
how much $700 billion dollars is and here are some
statistics we found on the internet: it is nine times
the amount spent on education in 2007; it could buy
more than 4,500 McDonald’s apple pies for every
American; it is $140 billion more than America has
spent on the Iraq war (to date); it is 7,000 times lar-
ger than the Sierra Club’s annual budget; it is more
than $100 for every person in the world1. I think
that I would prefer investing $100 in every person
in the world than $700 billion dollars in an industry
that has not convinced me it is very fiscally respon-
sible. At least I would feel less like I was participat-
ing in qv[, or oppression via extortion.
1
http://www.techpresident.com/blog/entry/30280/
how_much_is_700_billion)

Kairos Editorial Guidelines

1 Kairos is the voice of students at Austin Seminary.
2 Kairos generally carries no advertisement for sales of goods or services by individuals. An exception is the sale of
a student’s library or other study aids.
3 It is not possible to make all program announcements which are submitted by individual churches. Kairos is more
likely to be able to run announcements which apply to ecumenical or interfaith groups or groups of churches.
4 No letters which attack individuals or groups will be run in Kairos. This is to be distinguished from letters which
might criticize the actions of individuals or groups.
5 Kairos will publish letters to the editor that contribute to Christian conversation on the APTS campus. All letters
must be signed.
Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html Page 4

Thank you to all alumni and students who volunteered time during the Alumni Challenge!
There was a wonderful and dedicated group of volunteers who contacted alums all over the country,
asking for support of the Annual Fund.
Beyond contributions, wonderful connections were made – some of which may be the beginnings
of life long relationships. Please take a moment to thank those who helped:

Sarah Allen (MDiv ’07) Trish Holland (MDiv ’68) Amber Reber
Tracey Beadle Mari Lyn Jones Jeff Saddington
Sharon Bryant (MDiv ’03) Paul Kucera Isabel Wages
Julia Chinn Melanie Lange Karen Wagner (MDiv ’07)
Laurel Dixon Heather Lee Shane Webb
Megan Dosher Pat Lee (MDiv ’05) Duane Weilnau (MATS ’07)
David Duncan (MDiv ’64) Kate Loveless Amy Wiles
Charissa Ellis Brian Merritt (MDiv ’98) Belinda Windham (MDiv ‘91)
Doug Fritzsche Fred Morgan (MDiv ’71) Sally Wright
Paul Harris Mike Murray (MDiv ’61) Frank Yates (MDiv ’75 and
Will Heimbach Kaci Porter DMin ’84)

STUDENT SENATE MINUTES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008
12-1PM
Respectfully submitted by Sarah Hegar

Present: Sarah Hegar, Jose Lopez, Matthew Thompson, Melissa Koerner, Amy Wiles, The Student Senate meets each
Chris Kriesher, Ann Fields Wednesday after Manna from
Absent: Lindsay Hatch 12-1 pm.
▪ Chris opened the meeting in prayer. All meetings are open to the
▪ Minutes approved from 9-24-08 community
▪ Manna praise! YAY!
BUSINESS ITEMS

1-Fall Fest – Reformation Theme! In February we will be getting another $2,600-$2,700

October 30, 5pm
Dunk tank – Lindsay will reserve
Bouncing Castle – Sarah will reserve from 5-8pm or 9pm
Band – Jose ask Dan Harrington
Advertising – Jose
Food – Brats, Reformation Dogs, Veggie Dogs,
Condiments, chips, drinks, ice
Melissa & Sarah will get food.
Budget – band$450, food$350,activities$250
2-Polity Bowl
Confirmed Date: December 6
Still working on t-shirts
Refs – one from each school or hire – Matthew will look
into this
Reserving field for game –
Budget – food $500, refs $50, t-shirts$200
3-Manna
Chizason to present next week
Set for rest of semester
Announcements – make sure people know the rules of
announcing and submitting announcements
4-Budget
Amy reported we have $4,181.22 in our senate budget
Each week $55 gets withdrawn for Manna
Amy will check on fundraising with Kurt Gabbard
11 Mannas from today until January = $605
Working Budget through January: $2,266.22
Coffee House x 2 $150
Polity Bowl- food $500, refs $50, t-shirts$200 = $750
Fall Fest budget - band = $450, food = $350, activities =
$250 for a total of 1100
5-Baby Shower
A student approached Melissa about offering a Baby
Shower for all the pregnant women on campus.
A senator made a suggestion to ask Community Edge.
Senate does not want to set a precedent that cannot be
kept with all pregnant women on campus.
6-Crop Walk
Nikki Stahl has volunteered to coordinate an APTS group
to do Crop Walk in the Spring.
Senate has approved this action.
7-Coffeehouse
Tuesday, October 6, 2008 – 8:30-10:30pm
AV equipment has been reserved
8-Stotts Recycling Bins
Senate is for them.
A proposal to buy them has been made if administration
has not put them in place by Fall Break.
Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html Page 5

By Kristy Sorensen
Archivist and Records Manager

October is American Archives Month, and I chures, reports, minutes, audio, video, and ar-
invite you to celebrate by exploring the re- tifacts. We have historical materials going back
sources of the Austin Seminary Archives, right to the founding of the Seminary in 1902, and
here on campus! consistently continue to add new materials to
But what is an the collection.
archive, and what do In addition to
archivists do? The documenting the
Society for American work of the Semi-
Archivists puts it this nary, the Austin
way: “In the course Seminary Archives
of daily life, individu- also strives to docu-
als, organizations, ment the history of
and governments Presbyterianism in
create and keep in- Texas and the
formation about their Southwest. We have
activities. Archivists a large collection of
are professionals Presbytery and
who assess, collect, Synod meeting min-
organize, preserve, utes, pastoral pa-
maintain control of, pers, congregation
and provide access records, and other
to the portions of this collections that paint
information that a picture of the his-
have lasting value. tory of Presbyterian-
Archivists keep re- ism in the region.
cords that have en- For more infor-
during value as reli- mation on the Austin
able memories of Seminary Archives,
the past, and they including detailed
help people find and Members of the Seminary community perform at the inventories for al-
understand the infor- annual Christmas party, ca. 1950s. most eighty of our
mation they need in From the Austin Seminary Archives. collections, visit our
those records.” website by going to
At the Austin Seminary Archives, our main “Stitt Library” then “Archives” from the main
mission is to document the history of Austin Austin Seminary web page
Presbyterian Theological Seminary by preserv- (http://www.austinseminary.edu). And watch
ing, cataloguing, and providing access to publi- this space for more information about the ar-
cations, correspondence, photographs, bro- chives during American Archives Month!

First in a series celebrating American Archives Month

 Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html
A Weekly Column Offering Musings, Insights, and Reflections on the Seminary Life
Gripped by a Question
by Paul Dubois
I have a question. Well, that’s not exactly true. It is
probably more accurate to say that the question has me.
It has gripped me, as if this is the time, now, that I must
struggle with this question, not to avoid it, but to let it work
me over. My question is related to some struggles I’m
experiencing. I’m having issues with doctrine. But first, let
me digress.
It is no coincidence, that questions seem to be emerg-
ing all around me. They are everywhere. On the first day
of the semester, Dr. Bodman posed a question before our
World Religions class. He didn’t really pose it, but rather
he stated that all religions have a central question. For
Christianity, the central question might be “Are you saved
from your sins?” For Buddhism, the question might be
“What is the path to enlightenment?” What is important in
the study of comparative religion, then, is not to juxtapose
the various propositions made by each religion, but in-
stead to discern the core question and the context from
which it arises and the context in which it is lived. It is the
question that reveals the interest.
A week or two later there was a similar encounter with
a question, this time in Philosophical Theology, which this
semester explores the work of Jurgen Habermas and Criti-
cal Theory. Dr. Greenway was wrestling with the notion
that this class needs a question. We sit on the tip of the
modern trajectory, which must lay claim to the egregious
human disasters and moral failures of the last two hun-
dred years. In contrast, postmodernity makes no positive
claims; it only expresses a dissatisfaction with modernity.
If this trajectory of human knowledge and interests is to
enter into a new era, a positive claim must be made,
something must be named. This name will arise from a
question, and the question is there already, hidden. It only
needs to be discovered and articulated. The study itself is
more of a search for the question than an exegesis of its
meaning or an answer.
Back to my question. I’m sorry to be anticlimactic, but
I’m not even sure I can tell you what this question is yet.
I’m still trying to get there... although I know it is there. I
really don’t want to name the question, though, because I
feel like I cannot be precise enough. But it is going to be
something like this:
What is my relationship to the doctrine of my church?
As I write that, something immediately emerges:
I am in relationship with the doctrine of my church.
Which begets:
What is the character of this relationship?
Do you have something to say to Kairos? Something to add… Something to refute?
If so, we’d like to hear. We are committed to dialogue.
Letters to the editor will be published. See page 3 of this issue for our editorial guidelines.
Page 6
As you can see, precision is lacking.
A little context. I’m wrestling, yet again, with a ques-
tion of my personal spiritual identity. I’m taking Methodist
Doctrine and Polity this semester, so I’m facing the beliefs
of my tradition. Well, actually, I’m facing what various
people say are the beliefs of my tradition, and some of
these people are influential in the greater Methodist com-
munity. This thought has been put forward: the Doctrinal
Standards of the United Methodist Church function as
both a boundary and a pattern. My discomfort is with the
former. As long as I stay within the boundary, I am told, I
will be fine. But there’s this voice telling me that faith in
Christ is emancipating, not confining. Obedience to doc-
trine is not the same as obedience to Jesus. Still, doctrine
is important, too important to be relegated to the role of
boundary or gatekeeper.
I’m not looking for license to teach or preach outside
of doctrine, especially because doctrines arise from the
faith community–from its scripture, traditions, experiences,
and reason, all founded in Christ. But we promote doc-
trine as something different: Believe this, and you may join
with us. As if belief could be reduced to something so
trite. We have given doctrine an oppressive posture that
declares our captivity to this sad notion of belief. I’m as-
piring for a different vision, and my question is pressing
me on this point. If our faith is emancipating and liberat-
ing, then our doctrines should express such a posture.
Perhaps a metaphor might be that of a “center of grav-
ity.” That is, doctrines, or, for Methodists, doctrinal stan-
dards, articulate a center of gravity of the faith. As a per-
son on the surface of the Earth, I am drawn towards–and
held captive by–the center of gravity 3,963 miles below my
feet; I am not within that center. I may be a little higher on
a mountain, even higher in orbit–yet still held by gravity to
the center. There is a point above me beyond which I am
not held captive. But that point... the point at which I am
not held by gravity is not fixed by distance alone (i.e., my
being within a boundary); it also depends on my velocity.
That is, am I moving towards or away form the center of
gravity, and how fast?
Perhaps here, then, our desire for boundaries is re-
vealed. We generally are not comfortable with the ambi-
guity. We want to know what is in and what is out. Uni-
formity. Certainty. We want that which seems to belie our
faith in faith. My certainty, however uncertain, lies not in
the standards of doctrine or their interpretation, but, rather,
to whom they point. My questions, firmly inspired by the
Holy Spirit, lead me on.
So, what question grips you?
 Issue 160 www.austinseminary.typepad.com/portal/kairos.html Page 7

Monday, October 6th

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Worship: Service of the Word: Shelton Chapel
Led by Paul Gaedke, preacher
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Methodist Student Group—Paul Dubois McCord 203

Tuesday, October 7th

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Worship Service: Service of the Word and Sacrament Shelton Chapel
Rev. Tim Lincoln, preacher
Chapel Team: Caitlin Thomas & Jeff Saddington
WEEKLY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

4:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Reading, Writing, & Study Skills – Light German Knox Dining Room
OCTOBER 6-OCTOBER 12, 2008

Wednesday, October 8th

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Foedus Pietas – Alison Riemersma Trull Boardroom
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Spiritual Direction – Joe Barry McCord 202
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Grace Presbytery COPM – Sharon Pawlik McCord 203
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Midweek Manna – Student Senate Stotts Dining Hall
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction Groups – Jean Springer McCord 202
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Student Group – Gail Dalrymple McMillan 105
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 12-Step Program – Doug Fritzsche McMillan 209
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Corpus Christi – Scott Spence McCord 204
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Student Senate – Melissa Koerner McMillan 205
12:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Korean Bible Study – In Hye Park McMillan 204
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction – Barbara Schutz McMillan 105
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Student Life/ Student Standing Committee – Ellen Babinsky McMillan 105
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. APTS Choir Rehearsal – Kevin McClure Shelton Chapel
3:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Grace Presbytery COPM – Sharon Pawlik McCord 201
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Worship Committee – Jennifer Lord McMillan 105
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Program of Study Committee – Ismael Garcia Trull Boardroom
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Balcones Community Orchestra – Outside Group McMillan 211

Thursday, October 9th

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Grace Presbytery COPM – Sharon Pawlik McCord 201
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Grace Presbytery COPM – Sharon Pawlik McCord 203
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction – Barbara Schutz McCord 202
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lecture “Encountering the Other: Jewish and Reformed Shelton Chapel
Christian Relations in Hungary in the 19th Century”
Guest Lecturer: Abraham Vajk Kovacs, Fulbright Scholar
11:00 a.m. –1:00 p.m. Seminary Experience – Timothy Lincoln McMillan 210
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. World Religion Class Lunch – Whit Bodman McCord 204

Friday, October 10th

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Worship: Service of the Word: Shelton Chapel
Led by J.J. Wicke, preacher
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Still Small Voice – Margaret Talbot Knox Dining Hall

Sunday, October 12th

12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. SCRAPCE – Georgia Smith McCord 201
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. SCRAPCE – Georgia Smith Knox Dining Hall
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Austin Girl’s Choir – Sara McClure Shelton Chapel
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Veterans for Peace – Jack Prince McCord 203

Submissions to Kairos: Email submissions to the editor, Paul Dubois, at Kairos@austinseminary.edu. Calendar
events and room reservation requests should be sent to Jackie McCully at jmccully@austinseminary.edu or made in
person at the McCord desk. Editorial decisions are based on urgency, availability of space, and editorial guidelines.
Deadline is Wednesday at 5:00 P.M. Submissions made after deadline must be accompanied by a dunkel.