Third-Year Student Reflects on Christian Union’s Influence
By Jason Muehloff, Harvard Law School ’21
“No Christian and, indeed, no historian could accept the epigram which defines religion as ‘what a man does with his solitude.’ It was one of the Wesleys, I think, who said that the New Testament knows nothing of solitary religion.”
This statement from C.S. Lewis’ sermon on membership has been an important concept for me during my time as co-president of CU Gloria Law for a few reasons.
First, it comes from the book (The Weight of Glory) that the Gloria Law Men’s group has been reading together this semester. This group has been a blessing; a source of community and constancy in a semester that, because of COVID-19, has otherwise felt very isolating and unnatural.
Every week, we are able to get together and engage with an author who has thought deeply about what it means to live a life in the fullness of Christ. So much of the Christian faith is remembering who God made us to be and what God has done for us, but the demands and stresses of law school can all too easily lead to me forgetting these important truths. This is why having the regular practice of getting together to discuss these matters has been so important for me.
Second, the community I found at Gloria Law has deeply impacted my faith while at Harvard Law School. Some of the challenges of my first year were compounded by a sense of isolation. But I quickly came to develop meaningful friendships with other members in the group, which radically changed my experience in law school. These were the people with whom I went to church, shared exciting or discouraging news, and spent my free time.
Justin Yim, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School, has also been a blessing for me during law school. Justin quickly came to be a mentor and friend, and someone with whom I could always share my thoughts and struggles. Justin also helped me develop my leadership and teaching skills, which I hope to carry with me as I graduate and move on to new challenges.
My time with Gloria Law also broadened my conception of vocation as I graduate from law school and enter into this next season of my career. The opportunities to lead the C.S. Lewis Men’s group and Bible studies, as well as many conversations with Justin Yim about my giftings and interests, has shown me the passion for helping the Church to think deeply and love the Lord with their mind.
Ephesians 4, a passage we studied in depth at a Gloria Law Bible study, really impacted me. There, Paul explains that Christ has given the Church “teachers” (v. 11) to “equip his people for works of service” (v. 12). This is to ensure that believers “will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (v. 14).
In a time where society advances many ideologies incompatible with the Christian faith, understanding the Christian worldview is paramount. I hope to have opportunities to teach on issues like Christian ethics and apologetics to the Church, and see this as just as much a part of my vocation as practicing law.
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