Greetings fellow bloggers! I really don't consider myself a blogger. I mean I've had this thing for over two years and I just don't keep up with it. I enjoy typing and letting you all know what's happening in my life, but I just don't do it very often. I'm not going to make any grandiose promises about anything in this post as I have in posts past. I'm just here to tell you I'm here.
Life is good at the moment. School is going well, I'm really enjoying my classes, even the one I thought I wasn't going to like so much has turned out to be a great class with a wonderful professor. And the best part about that class is that it only meets once a week, so we get all three hours of class over and done with in one fell swoop!
Systematic Theology this year is, well Systematic Theology! Who would have guessed? We have great professors this year (Charry and Hunsinger) and we're actually learning not just orthodox theology, but how to do theology! I wrote my first paper for precept last week and just ripped Paul Tillich a "new one" and my preceptor loved my paper! This semester is so much more gratifying than last spring, and I am so much happier with the results.
My other classes are great too. The Doctrine of Election is a beautiful class. It is a lot, and I do mean a lot, of reading, but that is good, because it is all really good reading, that I am happy to be doing. We've read Augustine the last two weeks and this week we read Zwingli, next week is Calvin then Turretin and on to Barth!!! At the first precept we discussed Augustine and the preceptor asked the class how many considered themselves to be a "Reformed (i.e. Presbyterian)" Christian. About 3/4 of the class so self-identified. He then told the other fourth of the class that if they disagreed with Predestination that they needed to start disagreeing substantively with Augustine now, rather than later because the Reformers used much of what Augustine wrote to base their writings on Presdestination, and thus making it much more difficult to disagree with them.
My field ed placement is also going well so far. I have enjoyed the time spent with the fine people of Ringoes. I really think that it is a good church and that I will have learnt a lot by the end of the year. The pastor is also wonderful, now that I have gotten to know him better. He's really very helpful and supportive. This week I'm in charge of both services, except the sermon and communion, as the pastor is on vacation and a PhD student from the seminary is filling the pulpit. I'm excited that I'll be the one kind of in charge, but this isn't really anything terribly new for me. I'm used to running two full services when I supply pulpits at Warsaw and Fresno, and that includes writing the sermon! (of course I'm not also taking a full semester load of courses at the same time!)
I've been having issues with someone on the campus lately. In a discussion group this person sharply criticized a text which I have never read, thus I did not respond. Subsequently I have discovered that said person has never admittedly read the book which was criticized either. I called this person on this fact and received a rather negative reply that I was lacking civility and forcing the issue. I was very confused. I made no value judgments about the book, I did not defend its message or content (it is a rather well known Christian book of sorts) I merely pointed out the fact that one cannot rightly criticize a book which one has not read based solely on conjecture and hearsay. This is simply unacceptable. Anyhow things are still playing out in this ongoing drama so I will try to keep you updated.
My parents are coming in three weeks! I'm excited! We're going to spend three days in NYC while I am pseudo-off for reading week. Which basically means I'm going to have to front load reading week to get everything done which I need to. Oh well! It should be fun to spend time in the city with my parents and see the sites. I especially want to go to the Strand Bookstore and the Met. Maybe I can even convince them to go up to the Cloisters too! I do know we are going to see a Broadway play and eat at a swanky restaraunt, but other than that I haven't a clue!
Wow this has gotten really long, and I had no intention of making it so. It was more just a general update, but then since I haven't updated for a month I don't know what I would have expected!!!
Thought o' the day: In life and in death we belong to God.
