Two seminarians chime in on the importance of developing a prayer life in seminary. 1. Luke Urban Luke attends Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. He graduated from TCU in 2010 and loves all things Fort Worth. He is studying...
“No Politics in Church? Not So Fast.” | Religion & Politics // As many of us have heard, Pew Research recently came out with a study highlighting the decline of Christianity and the rise of the unaffiliated and atheist. Many of these...
A while back, I attended a performance of Rebirth of a Nation, a film created by Paul Miller (aka DJ Spooky) that seeks to deconstruct and remix the 1915, W.D. Griffith film, Birth of a Nation, a highly acclaimed cinematic venture and one of the...
When my hubby said, “I think I should go to seminary,” I laughed (should my name be Sarah?) “Sure, if God provides,” I replied, fully expecting to still be barren financially, but God provided the tuition. We sold our house, almost all our...
In my first year of seminary, I was in a New Testament class with an eccentric and somewhat unorthodox professor who enjoyed challenging various long-held theological assumptions and beliefs with the goal of helping us freshly think through these...
Was Abraham called to kill Isaac? Yes. He went forward with that plan until God “called” otherwise. Would he have been disobedient to continue with the original “calling” of killing Isaac after God said “stop”? In the church today we have a very...
It’s May, which for most schools is graduation season. Men and women who have invested countless hours in classrooms and libraries are now preparing for the ceremony that will mark the end of a sometimes long and often very difficult journey...
When I was interviewing for my first associate pastor role, the senior pastor said something to my wife and me that I would soon learn was almost a mantra: “If you come to Cold Springs Church, you will experience spiritual warfare.”...
Though this title may sound a bit cheesy, any seminary student will tell you that one of the best parts of seminary is the lifelong friendships that you form. Think about it, it is most likely the one time in your life that you will be surrounded by...
So, you think God called you to seminary so you can better serve God in the world? Awesome. Your seminary time will be sure to teach you many things about God and his Word. In order to exit seminary as passionate as you are about ministry now, you...
Book Review Matthew S. Harmon and Jay E. Smith, editors, Zondervan, 2014, 320 pp. This Festschrift for Doug Moo, after a biographical appreciation of the honoree, is divided into three major segments: “Exegeting Paul,” “Paul’s Use of Scripture and...
It won’t take you long upon your arrival at seminary how much things may have changed from previous generations of seminary educations. One of the biggest differences is just how digital everything is. Most seminaries have some sort of online class...
In any school, especially graduate school—including seminary—one of its greatest costs is to one’s sleep. At least, I know that’s the case for me. I spent most of my adult schooling years with an average nightly sleep duration of 4 to 6 hours. And...
“What scares the New Atheists” | The Guardian // For the first time in history, there exist societies in which the default worldview and assumption is secular. In these places, people walk out there doors and the existence of a god is...
Benjamin B. Warfield’s famous lecture “The Religious Life of Theological Students” delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary on October 4, 1911 is still very fresh and relevant to theological students in our time. Warfield’s...
This week is Holy Week. And though we are in the final days before the highest annual joy of the Christian Calendar–Easter–these days are meant to be marked by the deepest and most difficult times of meditation on suffering and death...
Have you ever felt like the more you study the Biblical Languages, the more Greek and Hebrew you seem to forget? I felt that way, too, when I was first starting out. Today, I’ve completed my fourth semester of Greek and I’m currently in my fourth...
In your first year at seminary, you will inevitably be on either the giving or receiving end of what is probably the oldest seminary joke in existence, perhaps dating back to the time of Jesus himself. “Why do we have to buy all these textbooks? You...
Over on the Huffington Post, filmmaker Robert Orlando has posted his most recent comments related to his film A Polite Bribe: An Apostle’s Final Bid. I posted my reflections of the documentary after the 2012 showing in Chicago here. In...
There are many ways to continue to cultivate a godly and healthy marriage while in seminary. Just one of many ways to do so is to have intentional date night at least every other week (or once a week if possible)! It is true that seminary can be a...
My last post on this site, years ago, was a fiery little piece called “Realizing Seminary’s Not For You”. At the time, God had powerfully and clearly led me to a place of realizing that seminary was not the place He had for me at...
Using the Christian Church Calendar can be an incredibly meaningful way of engaging God, and the tradition of the Community of Faith. It’s also a way of sharing one’s spirituality with the global church, both past and present. Here, I...
N. T. Wright, Fortress Press, 2013, 605 pp. In the first volume of his two-volume magnum opus on Paul, Wright lays the groundwork for his interpretation of the apostle’s writings. He begins by quoting from a letter of Pliny the Younger to one of his...
Book Review Bruce W. Longenecker and Todd D. Still, Zondervan, 2014, 408 pp. This volume is an attractive new addition to the literature devoted to the life and letters of the apostle Paul. It is designed mainly as a textbook for college-level...
Today’s guest post is from Evan Duncan. He is pursuing his MDiv at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and he currently serves as media and communications director at First Baptist Church in Temple, Texas. Originally from Slippery...
Missed the screenings? In just one more week Robert Orlando’s groundbreaking documentary on Paul will be widely available to the general public: The film is being distributed by VCI Entertainment through Cinedigm.The DVD will be released on...
Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton Street SE Grand Rapids MI 49546 Tuesday October 15, 2013 This day-long conference will feature Dean Margaret Mitchell, Ph.D. as the keynote speaker. Dr. Mitchell is the Dean of the University of Chicago...
Book Review James D. Tabor, Simon & Schuster, 2012, 320 pp. Books that challenge conventional wisdom and provoke spirited dialogue can be much more valuable than books that simply reiterate popular opinion or buttress our own personal...
When I felt and answered God’s call on my life, I had no idea where he would place me. I simply acknowledged his calling, accepted it, and surrendered to him my willing spirit to walk through whatever doors he might choose to open for me. To date...
If somebody asked you to sum up your seminary experience, what would you say? Two years ago I left behind my successful career in IT to attend seminary. It was a great experience—but that’s not to say it was perfect. However, I learned a...