Category

Seminary

• 01.15.08
  Mission Trips Suck
  Seminary, Theology, Youth Ministry (13)

  (Is it sinful to title something provocatively in hopes that people will read it?) Today in class we talked about mission trips. As tends to happen in seminary classes, we ended up quite critical of popular practice. Thankfully, we moved beyond deconstruction and towards construction of a proper mission trip-ish type experience. Something that tended to come out, based on the theological convictions espoused in the class, were mission trips that: Establish ongoing relationships by returning to a particular community rather than migrating to a different locale every year. Immerse the group in culture as opposed to making sure there ...
  
  
• 01.14.08
  Karl Barth on the Church
  Ecclesiology, Seminary, Theology (1)

  ... as explained by Andrew Root.  According to Root, in CD 4.3 Barth argues the following about the church: The world would be lost without Jesus Christ. The world would not necessarily be lost without the church. The church would be lost of it had no counterpart in the world. Humbling and thought-provoking. Since I haven't exactly started reading Church Dogmatics and expect it to be a few years after I start reading them (if I ever do) until I will find my way to 4.3, for now I'll take Root's word that this is Barth's argument.
  
  
• 01.13.08
  Two Quotes…
  Seminary, Theology, Youth Ministry (0)

  ... from class this week that have been rolling through my mind (well, they may be close paraphrases, but you get the idea): Our ministries are not ministries to the world, but to God the Father God is not a theologian, but a minister Speaking of class--I was afraid this would happen--my amazon.com wish list has grown my six more items. Crap.
  
  
• 01.12.08
  Discomfort as Normative Ecclesiology
  Ecclesiology, Seminary, Theology (0)

  In the class I am currently taking at Luther, we are studying the theology of ministry. More specifically, we are studying the "theology of the cross" as a foundation for ministry. To put it way too simplistically, the theology of the cross is essentially the understanding that the place where God breaks into the world and acts is in the midst of human suffering (the point of ex nihilo). Perhaps this theology may not be sufficient to be the only lens through which we understand God and the world, but it is certainly a lens. If this theology ...
  
  
• 01.10.08
  Adventures in Seminary
  Seminary, Theology, Youth Ministry (0)

  It has begun. I'm taking my first seminary class at Luther Seminary (where it is currently 34 degrees--fairly mild) called Ministry with Children, Youth, and Family: Theological and Strategic Frameworks (with Andrew Root). Or it could be called Theology for Ministry with Children, Youth, and Families, if that makes more sense. Two of the foundational texts for the class are: The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World by Douglas John Hall. This is a brief systematic-ish theology looking through the lens of the theology of the cross. It was pretty good and ...
  
  
• 11.10.07
  Why Seminary?
  Christianity, Personal, Seminary, Youth Ministry (1)

  Sorry it's been so long since posting anything. It's been a little more hectic the past few weeks for some reason. Anyways, I thought I'd write a little bit about why I've decided to go ahead and pursue an M.A. degree from Luther Seminary. Desire. Since my junior year in college I have planned on going to seminary someday. Timing. Since my wife Alicia is currently a medical student, she is studying constantly. No joke. If she home and awake, she is studying. Since she is busy studying, I don't want to do things that bug her, ...
  
  

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