Artifacts of a Life Once Lived

The Life Long Learner: "The habits of thoughtful reading, careful research, dialogue that is more than just talk, writing, critical thinking and analysis, reflective practice, conceptual reasoning, spiritual reflection, the ability to ground knowledge in a disciplined theory base, the ability to access and use resources, communication, social interaction, justice and reconciliation, and so on, are the habits of a lifetime." She continues... "Embracing lifelong learning as normative for theological education is actually consistent with the deepest values and commitments of Christian faith. Many academic habits and artifacts were, for the most part, created by the forces of institutionalization, rationalism, and professionalism and not the values of Christ and the gospel. Conventional curricula, educational forms, assessment processes, and credentialing are largely inadequate to serve the mission of the church in the world. If Christians, committed to what Nietzsche descri...

The world is going to hell in a hand-basket. I’m not really even sure what they are talking about when they say a “hand-basket.” I guess its just something you carry stuff in, but nonetheless, what kind of attitude is this to promote ill-will and harshness on a world of seeming hopeless futures. I guess Christians are guilty to. Guilty because we have obsessed ourselves with Raptures and Apocalypses and Millenniums and Anti-Christ’s. We are obsessed with End-Time Left-Behind marketing schemes to the degree that we get so lost in the ideas that have scarce witness in the text of the Christian Canon. We have it all figured out, we have our charts and interactive CD-ROMS, we have suspects and villains of hellish-birth, we have credit cards for marks that are implanted in our skin so that we become the devils if we drink in the modern economic market, but we have forgotten one thing. The kingdom of God is caring for the poor and the providing justice for the fatherless and widows. The king...

The Role of Theological Education: Theological Education ought , in partnership with the Church, to train leaders through holistic formation, critical instruction, and competent enhancement, and to disseminate those leaders into the church with the intent to engage the world with the truth of Christ. Being overly simplistic, three general schools of thought have existed concerning the role of theological education (theological education refers to the theological institutions separate from the body of the church), however before each is investigated it must be understood that within these three schools of thought lay very different assumptions concerning the nature of theological education. This is particularly important for it must be admitted that ones view of the nature of theological education will directly effect how that person views the role of theological education. The first school views the nature of theological education as formative to the learner both mentally and spiri...

A significant part of being human is expressing the passions of the soul as is often defined by the term spirituality. God has place an inherent appetite for matters beyond the realm of the phenomenal, yet as a fallen human race we often strive to meaningfully deal with these desires of divinity with meaningless pursuits of personal pleasure. So instead of pursuing the bond of deep love we pursue the acquaintance of casual sex. Instead of pursuing unhindered friendship we pursue manipulation with associates. Instead of thoughtful contemplation we pursue the mindlessness of entertainment. The root of these things stems from our basic fundamental flaw of self-love and self-absorption. Spirituality, a necessary pursuit, has lost its beauty in American culture. We fall prey to the latest spiritual fad, the marketing of million dollar corporations, and as a result we find ourselves empty at the end of the spiritual shopping spree, thus Spirituality is coined as an American phrase that means...

Linda Cannell on Educational Pursuits (Theological Education Matters, 304) Christians are pilgrims, learning is best imaged as a shared journey, and lifelong learning is compatible with the Christian mandate of a lifetime of obedience. The culture of learning communities, whether formal or non-formal, is such that each one helps the other to be more like Christ. The late Henri Nouwen once observed that the culture of the academy tends upward, toward pride, arrogance, and elitism, whereas the gospel points one to humility, service, and obedience. Learning, virtue, and service are lifelong endeavors, and the academy has a vital role to play in a new ecology of formal and non-formal modes of education. How should education be approached, and what role does education play in the pursuit of full-human living. I think Linda has answered this question brilliantly in the above paragraph. Holistic, Lifelong Learning at the feet of Christ is the proper approach. Education informs our minds and h...