This issue of Let’s Talk is devoted to theological education. The idea for devoting an issue to this is because of the emergence of new models for doing theological education in our seminaries and curriculum changes in response to new contexts in church and society. Certainly factored into these changes are such practical considerations as: […]

However gauche it may be in clergy circles to say it, I loved my seminary experience. From the summer intensive course on New Testament Greek before my first quarter at the University of Chicago all the way to a course on John Calvin that concluded my last, lagging Lutheran year at LSTC, I enjoyed myself […]

It is Friday morning, late in winter quarter: the last day of pastoral care course for the second-year MDiv class. Students gather around large classroom table strewn with notebooks, laptops, water bottles, coffee cups. One of them has brought freshly baked blackberry scones, her latest culinary achievement; the rest of us admire her skill and […]

“Out There” or “In Here?” When I was in seminary, a thread that ran through most of the M.Div. classrooms in which I was a student (and later a teacher) had to do with how future pastors would be expected to “translate” the fruits of their ostensibly growing theological erudition – terminology, historical themes, exegetical […]

It is easy to feel defeated by the bad news that pummels the church from every side and to panic at the release of yet another statistical survey that portends our demise.  Fewer people! Less money! A changing world!  We’re dying!!  I can’t help thinking of Jesus’ disciples, struggling to stay afloat in their boat […]