If a bridge was ever constructed in Southeast Michigan with the purpose of bringing together scholars and theologians, Adrian College would seem to be a fitting home for such a landmark.
Campus Chaplain Chris Momany is not only an ordained deacon and elder of the United Methodist Church, he is a history buff, social justice advocate, author, teacher and firm believer that sometimes simpler is better for the church.
And if you’ve never heard of Asa Mahan — spend five minutes in a room with Momany and you’ll quickly realize that one of the founding fathers of Adrian College in the late 1850s is alive and relevant on campus today thanks to Momany’s affection for his theoretic and principles.
Mahan was a vigorous proponent of emancipation — not surprising considering Adrian College was part of the Underground Railroad and still today is a major proponent of ending human trafficking — and Momany especially likes his writing’s about Christian perfection and holiness.
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| Not For Sale human-trafficking awareness group. |
Posters and fliers litter campus denoting a new “Intrinsic Worth” campaign that students have spearheaded and Momany believes Mahan’s interpretations of what it means to be a socially active Christian are germane for the 21st century.
The worship team seems to agree, often donning T-shirts with Mahan’s likeness on them, affirming their desire to be involved in people’s lives through Christian love.
“The real core value is that he is interpreted holiness as love, which is a Wesleyan idea,” Momany said. “Mahan did that and then you say, OK, how do you interpret love? And he basically said love is an affirmation of the intrinsic worth of people.”
Marrying his in-depth “church knowledge” with his more academic side, Momany has written a book titled Doing Good: A Grace-filled Approach to Holiness, set to come out through the Abingdon Press sometime between March and May 2011. He said it is a relatively short four-session study guide for churches and leaders to use as they explore what the true definition of holiness is and what it should look like in the church.
