Rev. Matthew Yoder, pastor of Grace Mennonite Church in Pandora, will share “Failure and Spiritual Growth in Myth, Marvel and the Age of Social Media,” during Bluffton University’s Spiritual Life Week Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The lecture begins at 11 a.m. in Bluffton’s Yoder Recital Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

During Forum, Yoder will explore the Hero Journey in Biblical and other ancient literature and discuss its recent resurgence in popular entertainment. The Hero Journey is a universal spiritual growth myth that taps into the deepest longings of humanity to grow and evolve beyond limited versions of ourselves into the fullness of what we were created to be. Every hero journey involves a tragic loss or wholesale failure. The true hero is the one who survives this fundamental experience of loss or failure to grow toward new fullness. 

Yoder will discuss how current social media technologies can both aid and hinder our own journeys through failure toward growth. The presentation will conclude with a cultural analysis of the potential for failure-based growth in our society today.

At Bluffton, one week each semester is signified as Spiritual Life Week, a special time for focusing on Christian life. Students play a major role in planning activities during the week that help strengthen growth and faithfulness in their relationship with God. The week includes guest speakers and special times of worship.