In an area covered by a dense layer of smog, the coast might be one's best bet for a whiff of fresh air.  Every few days, I have the privilege of escaping to such a place.  Above is the campus of UC Santa Barbara, where I get to share some time with skater-surfer "party-ers" who can't get enough of the terms "like" and "you know".  

By fortuitous (or perhaps providential) favor, we have made our way to such a fine place.  At the tip of the 'left' coast, it is not uncommon at many upper level institutions that the 'left-ism' seems most apparent.  Though it is in so-called 'ignorant yahoos' (read: Palin) that I am starting to trust, and to my great joy am starting to find even here.  If ignorant yahoos are the only ones left trying to overturn Roe-v-Wade, then I stand with the ignorant yahoos (though it is hard to label Hugh Hewitt an ignorant yahoo... and mostly because he seems to rise intellectually above many of those who scorn us yahoos).  But, victory shall not come in power, but rather it will be achieved in the self-effacing, self-abandoning act that follows from love.  The free act of submission to He who stands at the highest and to all who stand at the lowest, even to the least of these.

Many engage in academics, at worst, for power and prestige, and at best, in hopes that rigorous apologetics and argumentation may eventually overturn the culture in favor of Christendom.  Though Christendom has maintained itself within the upper echelon of academia and intellectualism, their real force is in their quiet humility.  And dwelling on the ave maria has been instrumental in my own learning of what it means to be humble.  May I, like Galadriel, pass my test and diminish into the west.

Christians must engage the culture.  And we can win.  Not by brute force or sheer strength of the will.  Nay, it shall come when we all learn to bend the knee to the Almighty and to each other... even to bend the knee to the skater-dude who cannot stop saying "like".  Love him, and I shall pass my test...  

Eric