Hey there!
I know I promised a big long post about a couple weeks ago chronicling the finish to my first quarter of grad school. But I didn’t. Apologies to you who were waiting with baited breath the whole Christmas break 🙂 But I would be happy to let you know whats been going on in the past few weeks now!
All my classes ended fairly well. Overall, I think I had a really great start to my grad school career. It was a lot of hard work but I learned SO much in my classes, especially my two bible courses. I really enjoyed learning about the work of missions and missiology from a more academic perspective. I think overall I gleaned more from my Biblical Foundation of Missions class, as well as my Church in Mission class.And for my final papers, I really enjoyed writing both but I think I got more personally out of writing my Biblical Foundation of Missions class. I will post in in a separate blog, because it’s a long one.
Next quarter (which technically starts today) I am taking 3 courses again. One called Mobilizing for Ministry: Urbana. This is a class that is designed around the missions conference I just went to. We actually don’t meet much for the class, because the conference is already over. I really got a lot out of the time I spent at Urbana and I will post on here some writings that I will have to do for the class. I had the chance to go to a couple of seminars, and will write on those, as well as some networking contacts I met while I was there.
Next I will be taking Globalization, the Poor, and Christian Mission with Bryant Meyers. I am really looking forward to the subject matter of this class, but not so much the time. I have class every Tuesday from 8 am to 10:50 am. This is REALLY crappy times to be driving to school because the 210 fwy is usually packed by like 7:15. So I get to go early…which stinks. Especially because Seth and I are used to getting up around 10 every day since he gets home at 10pm every night 🙂 But the course description is as follows:
“This course examines the globalization phenomenon as a deeply rooted historical change process that has significant impact on the contemporary church and the poor. The course consists of two parts. The first part of the course examines the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of globalization with a view toward unraveling myth from reality and applying biblical lenses to this assessment. Supporters and skeptics are examined, as are the major global players who have the power to shape the nature of globalization. The second part of the course comes in two different forms, depending on the year in which the student chooses to take the course. Every other year, part two explores the role of Christianity as a globalizing force; the significance of the emerging southern church; poverty and religiosity; possible responses of the church to processes of globalization. In the intervening years, the second half will briefly examine the impact of globalization on the church and global mission, but primarily focus on the impact of globalization on the poor and a critical examination of global proposals for eradicating poverty. By planning ahead, a student can select the version that best suits his or her areas of interest and call.”
Sounds cool huh? The next course I am taking is called Non-Western Biblical Interpretation. It’s taught by Jehu Hanciles and I’ve heard he is a hard teacher, but a good teacher. I am excited about this class too. It also is a crappy time though. Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 5:50pm…which means I will have to wait at school until around 7:30 to drive home. If I tried to drive home right after class, I would get there around the same time I would should I leave at 7:30. But it will be a good time for me to sit in the library and try and get some homework done 🙂 The course description for this class is as follows:
“This course introduces the student to basic hermeneutic principles and the multiple approaches to interpreting Scripture evident in different cultural/world settings. The aim is, among other things, to examine the dynamic of translation and interpretation whereby the “Word becomes flesh” in different “neighborhoods” and explore Scripture’s inexhaustible potential to respond to the peculiar needs, questions, and spiritual quests of the world’s peoples. Effort will also be made to evaluate different hermeneutic models–primarily those reflective of non-dominant voices–from the point of view that no single approach to the Bible can do justice to its complex narrative and inexhaustible insights. Liberationist, Pluralist, and Primalist perspectives are among those that will receive attention.”
So there you go…I start tomorrow. I am excited actually. I’ve missed my friends! I am excited to make new ones in my classes. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! I might regret saying that in a few weeks though 🙂 Here we go!!