Spiritual Life Week Forum Recap
10/30/2025
Shanaman reminded the audience that “there is a time to be content and a time to not be content,” urging Bluffton students to embody both peace and purpose as they live out their faith.
Shanaman encourages contentment and action
Bluffton University’s Spiritual Life Week Forum welcomed Adam Shanaman ’22, campus ministries intern, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to share a message exploring faith, contentment and action. Shanaman presented on a combination of two themes, a time for everything and consider the lilies.
Introduced by Melissa Friesen, professor of theatre, Shanaman was recognized for his “positivity and curious engagement” as a student and leader in the theatre program, traits that now extend into his ministry and studies at Chicago Theological Seminary.
Shanaman began by connecting the forum’s theme to two biblical passages—Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and Luke 12:27-28—explaining that both “complement each other so well” and “are still relevant and applicable to our lives today.” He noted, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,” urging listeners to find balance between moments of peace and times for speaking up.
Drawing from his love of science fiction, Shanaman reflected on lessons of contentment through “Star Trek” characters Spock and Data, who, he said, “were never content with who they were, and were always trying to become something they were not.” Noting their struggles to human tendencies toward comparison, he added, “We compare ourselves to other people around us and deprive ourselves of joy and contentment.”
Shanaman also challenged the audience to move beyond complacency, quoting Ecclesiastes and modern headlines alike. “We cannot sit idly by while families are being torn apart and destroyed by violence,” he said. “This is not the time to stay silent. This is the time to speak up.”
Recalling his experience as a delegate at the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, Shanaman described a moment of “holy disruption” where thousands raised their voices together in unity. “Real change isn’t brought about by a group of people who sit together and agree about absolutely everything,” he said. “Real change comes about by a group of people who find a common ground and use that as a building block to work towards actual change.”
Shanaman closed by reminding the audience that “there is a time to be content and a time to not be content,” urging Bluffton students to embody both peace and purpose as they live out their faith.
One week each semester is set aside for a special time of focusing on the Christian life. Students play a major role in planning activities that help strengthen growth and faithfulness in our relationship with God. The week includes guest speakers and special times of worship.