Saturday, February 24, 2007

Quote for the day

"What else is the goal of theological education than to bring us closer to the Lord our God so that we may be more faithful to the great commandment to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37)? Seminaries and divinity schools must lead theology students into an ever-growing communion with God, with each other, and with their fellow human beings. Theological education is meant to form our whole person toward an increasing conformity with the mind of Christ so that our way of praying and our way of believing will be one.

"But is this what takes place? Often it seems that we who study or teach theology find ourselves entangled in such a complex network of discussions, debates, and arguments about God and “God-issues” that a simple conversation with God or a simple presence to God has become practically impossible. Our heightened verbal ability, which enables us to make many distinctions, has sometimes become a poor substitute to a single-minded commitment to the Word who is life. If there is a crisis in theological education, it is first and foremost a crisis of the word. This is not to say that critical intellectual work and the subtle distinctions it requires have no place in theological training. But when our words are no longer a reflection of the divine Word in and through whom the world has been created and redeemed, they lose their grounding and become as seductive and misleading as the words used to sell Geritol."—Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, pp. 39-40.

1 comment:

Tim Bulkeley said...

This is true and profound, but does describe a frequent situation? In my experience of theological educators, now some 35 years, they are no less devout or Christ-like than most others in the churches and fellowships they participate in.

Often they are more so, as they should be, having like pastors many advantages.

So, as a reminder and challenge to those involved in theological education this is great, but if it perpetuates the myth that theological educators do not love the Lord, it may do us all a disservice - at a time when careful thinking is needed more than ever, alongside deep devotion.