How do you calculate the area of a semicircle?  I was looking at a map of a particular area of town, a circle with about a 3 mile radius that’s bisected by the interstate.  I wanted to figure out how many acres were on one side of that circle.  I remembered the formula for the area of a circle (see left) and used the calculator on my phone to figure it out (my math showed that it contained 10,000 acres; hopefully I was right).  He started talking about calculus (he has a degree in math) and how calculus can be used to figure the area of irregularly-shaped objects, etc. through regression and other big words.  Apparently I looked dumbfounded because he asked if I remembered that was the kind of thing that calculus was used for.

I responded that the “what is calculus used for” wasn’t on my high school calculus exam and therefore the purpose of calculus for me was to get a good grade, to look good on my college applications, and (in his estimation) to meet smart girls in class.  He’s not far off.

The actual purpose of studying calculus wasn’t on my radar, which reminds me of how we study the Bible.  We get so caught up in the mechanics of studying the Bible that we never step back and really ask, “Why do we care?  What’s it for?  What’s the purpose?”  So we end up studying the Bible because we should study the Bible, and we end up reading the Bible like we read a calculus textbook - just to get the answers for the test.  We overlook the most important part, which is the meaning of it all.