My theological education

My attitude toward academia has always been odd and somewhat counter productive to outward success. Nouwen talks about the competitive atmosphere at the seminaries he knew. People saw their theological training as mastery of the material for good grades and preparation for some future ministry. Those things have never motivated me, much to the chagrin of my academic advisors.

I learned best when I could integrate the material into my daily life, my spirituality. If I could make the connection, my mind soared with thoughts and ideas too lofty to put into a paper. When I couldn’t make the connection (like PE), I was frustrated and did poorly. Then, I also one or two correspondence courses where my lofty, creative thought wasn’t appreciated and I spent hours listening to Bing Crosby sing Don’t Fence Me In.

Also I was in active ministry throughout my undergrad. As much as I curse the stupidity of working full time at a church while studying, it did much to form the practical side of my philosophy of ministry. It also saved me from, what Nouwen warned, seeing theology a merely preparation for ministry. I saw the immediate connections and the frustrations of moving theory to praxis.