I am officially halfway through my seminary experience and have just 2 years remaining before I master God, err, earn a Master of Divinity. One thing I really appreciate about my experience at Bethel Seminary is that as a response to all the criticism of seminaries only training the head and not the heart, they have constructed a program that never fails to connect the two. While many people ask me if I like all the seminary classes I am taking, I always answer with an enthusiastic “Yes!” Even the classes I don’t love, I always learn something that will make me a better pastor.
For instance, I just completed a class on the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. I learned all about the Old Testament law, the Israelites festivals, their offerings they gave to God, and the story of how God created the earth, built a chosen people through Abraham, and lead them out of Egypt and eventually to the promised land. Some of you might not have made it through that sentence without your eyes glazing over, but I learned about those topics not just from an academic standpoint, but also how to make that information relevant to people in the church. In fact both quizzes for the class ended with questions that began, “In light of your context of service to others, comment on the utility of this or that story.”
I hope that all seminaries continue this pattern of realizing that they are not just training scholars, but pastors who work with people. With this understanding, a professor should never teach a topic without teaching how it applies to people in the real world. And because of this teaching style, I am grateful for the experience I am gaining at Bethel.
Posted on September 1, 2011 by Ryan
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