THIRTIETH ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT THEOLOGICAL SEMINAR

Transcription

1 THIRTIETH ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT THEOLOGICAL SEMINAR THE CHURCH AND THE ACADEMY Impressions from My First Experience at the Graduate Student Theological Seminar by Rev. Don Thorsen, Ph.D. Waterfront Plaza Hotel Indianapolis, Indiana September 24-26, 1993

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue: Pre-Impressions Shooting Up a Flare Misshapen Expectations Insecurity, Paranoia and Cliques Ecclesiastical Correctness Pizza-Talk The Morning After Drinking Deeply Epilogue: Post-Impressions Postscript: Help My Unbelief ii

3 Prologue: Pre-Impressions When I began doctoral studies in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, I had little expectation of ever teaching in an institution of higher education related to the Free Methodist Church. member of the denomination. In fact, I doubted that I would remain a I had not attended a Free Methodist Church during my undergraduate years of study because no churches were conveniently located near Stanford University. It was not because of conflict over theological issues that made me think that I would never teach in a Free Methodist academy, that is, any institution of higher education related to the denomination. Perhaps if I had thought that I would someday teach in a Free Methodist academy, then I would have become more concerned about remaining a member. But by the time I began doctoral studies, no one in the denomination had demonstrated more than a passive interest (apatheia?) in my pursuit of a Doctor of Philosophy in theology. Although I had completed the preliminary requirements for ordination and had served as a pastor, neither my horne conference nor my horne Free Methodist church nor my Free Methodist family showed much interest in what I was pursuing. received the courteous support that you would expect from a Christian family member or friend, but only a small minority of people understood--much less valued--my call to minister by teaching theology in an institution of higher education. I Shooting Up a Flare While I studied for a Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary, I tried to find out how the denominational leadership of Free Methodism viewed those interested in pursuing graduate work in biblical and theological studies. So I shot up a flare by contacting Dr. Bruce Kline and the Department of Higher Education and the Ministry. I informed him of my plans to earn a Doctor of Philosophy in theology and later of my accept- 1

4 ance at Princeton. I had heard about the Graduate Student Theological Seminar {GSTS), and I craved an invitation because I was surprised and hopeful about the possibilities of attending such a gathering funded by the denomination. Perhaps--! thought --I had misjudged Free Methodism. Deep down I did not want to leave the denomination; I just could not imagine how I might fit into it. Dr. Don Joy--my most positive experience of Free Methodist scholarship--told me about the GSTS. But it was not until I had transferred from Princeton into the doctoral program in theology at Drew University that I received my first invitation. I had not attended a Free Methodist church for several years because so few are located in New Jersey, and my zeal for connection had again waned. more out of curiosity than expectancy. So in 1983 I attended my first GSTS I would finally be able to learn more about how denominational leaders in Winona Lake- the headquarters of Free Methodism at that time--viewed Christian scholarship and scholars who worked in the areas of biblical and theological studies. Misshapen Expectations I flew to the Fort Wayne Airport with Ken Collins, another Free Methodist, who was in his final year of doctoral studies at Drew University. Neither of us had attended the GSTS before, so we were unclear concerning the purpose for which the Seminar was intended. Thus my expectations were shaped (misshapen?) by those of Ken, and his expectations were shaped by his fears about not finding a teaching position. Because I had no clear introduction to the origin and purpose of the Seminar, I imagined it as being a placement instrument for Free Methodist colleges, universities, and seminaries. I further imagined it as being a place to "see and be seen" and not as a place for mutual dialogue, learning, and encouragement. 2

5 Insecurity, Paranoia and Cliques I felt insecure when I arrived in Winona Lake. Of course, it is not unusual to feel insecure and awkward in a new setting. But I felt especially insecure among such an austere group of clergy and lay leaders in the denomination and because I was generally unfamiliar with Free Methodist headquarters, especially since I had grown up far away from it in California. I had toured Free Methodist headquarters once before when denominational leaders had invited seminary students from around the country to visit. But I knew only three people at the Seminar other than Ken, and they had been fellow students at Asbury. Each one had already attended one or two Seminars even though we graduated from Asbury at the same t i me. They were alumni of Free Methodist colleges, so they had long term contacts with faculty members attending the Seminar. In fact, it seemed to Ken and me that most of the student attenders were alumni of Free Methodist colleges. Ken and I, on the other hand, had attended secular universities and had only (or at least?) the Asbury connection. Perhaps we withdrew too qui ckly from conversations between groups of friends. And perhaps we became a little paranoid beyond the normal awkwardness experienced by people finding themselves in new and unfamiliar situations. But--to Ken and to me--faculty and student attenders seemed to be cli qui sh among themselves and in conversation with denominational leaders. Ecclesiastical Correctness During the presentati on of student papers, Dave Bauer and Dave Kendall presented excellent exegetical studies. Later Ken presented a paper summari zing his dissertation work. But the discussion of the papers seemed awkward. The awkwardness arose for several reasons. First, t he procedure for presenting and discussing papers remained as unclear as the overall purpose of the Seminar. Attenders at the Seminar d i d not know how critical 3

6 --positive and negative--they should be of the scholarship in papers presented. This was especially true because of the presence of denominational leaders who attended sessions. Faculty and student attenders seemed inhibited due to the possibility of appearing ecclesiastically incorrect. On the one hand, a person might appear ecclesiastically incorrect because of the zeal with which they debated an issue. At one point Charles White became embroiled in a debate with Ken Collins, which seemed out of place given the overall torpor of dialogue at the Seminar. On the other hand, a person might be fearful of raising questions or making comments that were on the fringe (radical opposite?) of Free Methodist doctrine and polity. Second, the irregular attendance of people at the Seminar, especially denominational leaders but also faculty and students, exacerbated the awkwardness of the sessions. Both the denominational leaders and the regular attenders were frustrated. For example, the denominational leaders were frustrated because they could not a l ways follow the flow of discussion from one paper to the next and because they never completely felt a part of the group. The attenders at the Seminar were frustrated because the discussion group lacked continuity and because they could never be sure about possible reactions to what they said. There seemed to be a general lack of confidence on the part of students (if not also faculty) with regard to whether questions and comments about sensitive issues might not result in ecclesiastical recrimination or in lost job opportunities within the church or academies. Thus it seemed to Ken and to me that the tone of the Seminar resembled that of ecclesiastica l correctness more than academic freedom. And the opportunity passed for discussing issues that would have been of help or possibly encouragement to me as a relatively conservativ e student of theology in a relatively liberal institution of higher education. The opportunity also passed for the denomination t o benefit from a forum of open and honest discussion among bibl ical and theological schol ars who possess a great deal of loyalty t o Free Method i sm. 4

7 Pizza-Talk When the group went out for pizza on saturday night, all of the official meetings were over except for the Wesley Covenant. Service on Sunday morning. The casual atmosphere provided the first opportunity where I felt confident about raising some theological issues that were of critical and passionate concern to me--issues that impacted my relationship to the church as well as the academy. In particular, I lamented to Frank Thompson that there seemed to be little freedom to share such issues publicly at the Seminar. Others at the pizza restaurant agreed, but Frank was aghast. He began to tell us about the genesis of the Seminar and how it had been initiated as an opportunity for graduate students and faculty to share openly and honestly about their academic as well as ecclesiastical concerns. Several of us who were students told Frank that we wished we had known about that intent from the outset. It might have helped to free us up in a way that Frank--which he admitted--was disappointed for not having occurred at the Seminar that year. We encouraged Frank to tell the story of the Seminar t o everyone so that its raison d'etre might continue. The Morning After On Sunday morning Frank Thompson spoke to the entire group about the history and purpose of the GSTS. His reminiscences impressed us all, and we encouraged him to present a paper the following year concerni ng the founding of the Seminar. It was hoped that the presentati on woul d hel p to facilitate the kind of open, honest and non-threatening environment originally intended. We could then become more intentional about discussing critical issues in biblical and theological studies as well as the relationship of those issues to our involvement in the Free Methodist Church. The Seminar could again become an environment where one would not have to be concerned about ecclesiastical correctness 5

8 in order to speak one's heart and mind. Drinking Deeply The Wesley Covenant Service represented a high point in my first visit to the Seminar. Faculty and students alike shared about their personal and professional struggles related to the life of a scholar or nascent scholar. Hearing others share helped me to remember that the trials and tribulations of doctoral studies were not unique to me. Almost everyone could relate surprisingly well to the kind of spiritual, emotional, relational, and financial struggles that I experienced. It was also nice to end the Seminar with a spiritual emphasis because graduate programs in biblical and theological studies do not generally provide an environment conducive to one's spiritual well being. I drank deeply of the wellspring of God's presence and the presence of other~ pilgrimage. who shared much of my calling and Consequently, when I left the Seminar, I felt encouraged and better informed about the fact that--at least on one level of the Free Methodist Church--scholars were recognized, valued, and embraced. I still did not expect that I would ever teach in a Free Methodist academy, but I did not feel that my ongoing loyalty to the denomination was as irrational as I had sometimes thought. A remnant remained within the denomination- people like Bruce Kline--who were concerned and compassionate toward those who had chosen a path of ministry less traveled. Epilogue: Post-Impressions To my surprise, two of the three institutions where I have taught are related to the Free Methodist Church: Asbury Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University. Moreover, I know that contacts I made at the GSTS played a role in helping me be hired at Azusa. (Ken Collins, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. ) Because of my work at Asbury and Azusa, I have had 6

9 several opportunities to attend the GSTS. My experiences have improved every year. The concern for ecclesiastical correctness eased when the Seminar no longer met in Winona Lake. Denominational leaders who did attend t he Seminar stayed the entire time. Other attenders also became more regular, no longer taking off time to visit with friends or shop for books at Eisenbrauns Bookstore. The GSTS leadership became more intentional about communicating the purpose of providing a forum for open, honest, and critical dialogue. People who attended the Seminar responded to the perestroika, sharing more freely about personal as well as professional concerns. Finally, the time set aside for sharing before the Wesley Covenant Service on Sunday mornings became longer and richer in quality. Postscript: Help My Unbelief It is my hope and prayer that the GSTS will again receive funding--even partial funding--from the denomination. It is my belief that the church and academies can grow in mutual relationship and ministry; Lord, he l p my unbeli ef. 1 The cultivation of Free Methodists called to minister by teachi ng in institutions of higher education represents a crucial i nvestment in the future ministry of the denominati on. This is especially true for those called to teach in areas rel ated to biblical and theological studies. The failure to mai ntai n contact with young scholars will deplete the intellectual t rust of the denomination. That trust includes men and women who--li ke Wesley--seek to "Unite the pair so long disjoined, Knowledge and vital piety: Learning and holiness combined."2 Finally, the failure to provide a forum 1 Cf. Mark 9:24. 2 These words of Charles Wesley aptly sum up the attitude of John Wesley who sought t o unite both heart and mind in matters of 11 Christian faith and pract ice. See Char l es Wesley, A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, 1780," Hymn 461, 1.5, The Works of J ohn Wesley (Oxford ed.), 7:644. 7

10 for denominational scholars to gather regularly will divide and inhibit the contributions of that trust, thus exacerbating the inherent tensions that seem t o exist between the church and academy. 8