Redeeming the Time in the Shenandoah

This past Labor Day weekend… I labored away with my ISI job. But, you can hardly call this “work.” Can I reiterate how much I love my job.

I spent the weekend in the Shenandoah Mountains with two of my ISI colleagues, Brian and Maggie, and about 11 students representing 7 different colleges/universities and one other ISI Alumnus representing another conservative organization in DC (Brendan at FreedomWorks).

A few weeks earlier, I had distributed to each participant, a complimentary copy of Russell Kirk’s collection of essays, “Redeeming The Time.” The book contains essays, each based on a series of lectures Kirk gave at the Heritage Foundation in the 1980s and early 1990s. The essays contain prescriptions on how we can renew the culture and redeem the time.

Beginning with a cook-out on Friday night, we held 4 discussions, each based on one essay in the book. The students we invited were spectacular, coming from nearby Patrick Henry College, Christendom College, Shenandoah University, the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, and one visiting student from Oregon State University as well as a nursing student from the University of Pennsylvania. All of them are involved in an ISI Group on their campus. Each brought with them great ideas, a sound faith in Christ and an adequate ability to use reason to bring the intellectual discussions up to par, as we discussed the greatest strengths – and weaknesses – of Western Civilization, and how we can each do our part to renew the culture and redeem the time.

In a period of decadence, Kirk’s ideas helped us all to discuss how we can overcome the malaise in our culture and use our faith in Christ to redeem Western Civilization and further the American Mission of ordered liberty.

The Shenandoah Mountains were a prime location to help us to do this – as we were able to escape the realities of the world for a few days and enjoy the tranquility of nature (we saw a bunch of deer, even a bear, and lot of other unique creatures). It was also neat to see the vast valley below the Skyland Lodge at which we stayed and we climbed up to the 4,000-foot peak during a nature hike and held a discussion from the top of the “stony mountain trail”. We were able to experience nature, discuss grand ideas, and at night, gather round the campfire and look up to the stars, as we gazed upon the heavens. The students’ discusssions helped inspire me that we are in fact taking a venture beyond our post-modern world to help redeem the time. Through faith in Christ, all things can be redeemed.

Russell Kirk put his faith in both Providence and in the rising generation… through my experience with this job at ISI and the many people I work with, both staff and students alike, I now understand just what Kirk saw and why his faith in Providence and in the rising generation is not hard to fathom.