What should authentic Christian community look like in online theological education? This present... more What should authentic Christian community look like in online theological education? This presentation considers some answers to this question through a critical synthesis of Etienne Wenger-Trayner's social learning framework (communities of practice) and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's exploration of Christian community in Life Together.
What should authentic Christian community look like in online theological education? This present... more What should authentic Christian community look like in online theological education? This presentation considers some answers to this question through a critical synthesis of Etienne Wenger-Trayner's social learning framework (communities of practice) and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's exploration of Christian community in Life Together.
The Bible has always held a special, if complicated, place in America. The earliest colonists fro... more The Bible has always held a special, if complicated, place in America. The earliest colonists from Europe endeavored to form a society grounded in its teachings. Christian patriots and Americans who supported the British used it to preach both liberty and loyalty. During the Civil War, North and South read their own convictions into its pages. Civil rights activists and segregationists appealed to it. Republicans and Democrats express their admiration for it.
To commit a few years, or even one, to careful and concentrated study of the Bible and theology a... more To commit a few years, or even one, to careful and concentrated study of the Bible and theology as a Bible college student can be a great opportunity. It’s packed with all sorts of potential that can be either realized or wasted. As both a graduate of and instructor at Bible colleges, I’ve seen how easy it is to earn high grades, gain popularity among peers and professors, and even hold positions of leadership as a Bible college student, and yet waste the better part of the experience. How so? Theological students are in particular danger of missing out on special opportunities for spiritual growth through their studies.
Reflecting back on his life as a young Augustinian monk, Martin Luther wrote the now famous words... more Reflecting back on his life as a young Augustinian monk, Martin Luther wrote the now famous words, “I kept the rules of my [monastic] order so strictly that I can say: if ever a monk went to heaven on account of his monkery, I should get there too.” If we are familiar with Luther’s early life, we recall the stories of the tormented monk incessantly confessing sins, praying through the night, and fasting to the point of physical harm. Concern for Luther’s wellbeing was one of the reasons that compelled his supervisor, Johann von Staupitz, to send him off to do advanced study in theology. Four years and a doctorate later, Luther was appointed professor of biblical theology at the University of Wittenberg. What happened to the pious monk distressed about his unworthiness before a terrifyingly holy God?
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