A Modest Response.

Powers' proposal caused flashbacks of a young girl going through a Christian private school and the weight that the fundamental voices present had on her life and worldview. That young girl would be me and the teachers and administration that ascribed to a similar perspective towards literature and Christian faith.
The first question I had, surrounds the idea of "Christian Imagination". What is the Christian Imagination exactly? The first principle states that this imagination is revealed through Christian writers and texts. This imagination, from what I can glean from the text, is defined by its separation and its "rightness" with God. I believe in a universal imagination that is potentially shaped by environment and beliefs....wouldn't it be impossible for anyone to have a Christian imagination? If belief in a fallen humanity does not include this, then that seems silly. If similar to our bodies we were to make it a slave to what is "right", wouldn't that be minimal if no imagination at all? The reason I say this is when we view our bodies in this way (Biblical) our imagination is seen as an enemy and something to be shunned or persevered through. With the imagination, it is a good thing. Used for much enjoyment and creation. It can be used for horrible deeds such as murder or oppression, but these cases are extreme and few compared to the good and progresion made through the imagination. Much like starving our creativity. As Christians, becoming eclusive to a certain types of literature we are "short changing" ourselves as writers. As writers we must know people and the characters and roles they play. With Christian litarature comes the escape from reality that many books present and present well.
The concept of "in the world, but not of it" is not a new concept to me, because I have heard that growing up. However, this confuses me somewhat due to this mantra's absence from the Scriptural texts. If Messiah College implemented these principles onto the English students, they would be encouraging a separation that excludes whole people groups and whole ideologies. As Christians if we were to do such a thing would make our interaction with others strained or simply opportunities to witness. Spending time on a "service learning" trip would not create a "better way to understand the ways in which the imagination must always work in service of others" make sus unapproachable because we are there to teach, not learn. We become even more distant because we understand what is right and beneficial...everyone else should follow our lead and ascribe to these beliefs of literature.