It is a strange thing being a full time college student again. I grieve the loss of my professional status, my structured work week, and my own bathroom. However, I am enjoying a return to green campus lawns, going to class without makeup, and bellyaching laughter with housemates. I miss the stories that came with teaching, though: mice falling out of ceilings, teachers throwing rodents from windows, and homecoming floats dismantling mid-parade. Teaching is external chaos in pursuit of internal order. There is a lot of external order here at seminary; though I have to admit, speaking for my own self, internal chaos is raging.
Back in December, a friend challenged me not to go to a conservative seminary but rather go to a place like University of Chicago where I would encounter views radically different from my own. I countered that though I would love to go to the University of Chicago, I was not looking for a place where I could just study religion, but rather a place where I could also learn from those who had experience in ministry and who could give me insight into practicing vocational ministry myself. Though the University of Chicago would give me access to great education through religious studies, I doubted that they could help me much in training for Christian ministry. That entire conversation seems ironic now, for I am realizing that challenges in perspective do not come only from those who hold polar opposite views, but also from those who look at things just a little differently than I do. I didn’t have to go to a liberal university to be challenged. I’m at an evangelical Christian seminary, and my assumptions and even educated conclusions are being challenged at times to the point of pain. Predestination, believers’ baptism, women in ministry, etc. Debatable issues among brothers and sisters in Christ. I have my opinions on all of them. I believe that my conclusions come from Scripture. My brothers and sisters in Christ who differ in opinion from me believe that their conclusions come from Scripture. What is it that Scripture really says? And if tradition says something different from Scripture, what am I to do as an individual in the church, and later, as a leader in the church?
For instance, at this point, I really can’t see how infant baptism fits in Scripture. I know it’s an old, old tradition, perhaps having its roots in the early church, but I just don’t see how Scripture supports it. I’m at a PCA seminary. The PCA supports infant baptism. While I consider those who love the Lord and practice infant baptism my brothers and sisters in Christ, I cannot in good conscience support it. If I can’t support it, I obviously can’t work at a church that supports it. Also, I can’t marry anyone who is a leader in a church that supports it. So, here’s my question: do I let this be an issue? Is it a sign of a lack of maturity to let this be an issue? Anyone have any insight or wisdom?
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3 comments:
Hello Jessie,
I think I've told you this, but I came from a Presbyterian church before Campus House. I didn't really know until then that infant baptism wasn't correct. I probably should have told you the goings on in the church.
I don't think it is a sign of immaturity. You have found something that is not backed by Scripture. Maybe this will make you more aware of their teachings and challenge you in your studies to find what is the right answer.
It sounds like you are having a great time. I'm glad you like it down there. I love you!
Linsay,
Oh, I knew about the doctrinal differences in the PCA before I came here - infant baptism, predestination - all of it. I gladly accepted that and looked forward to learning from a tradition that is known for its rigorous study and reverent opinion of the Word. Now that I'm here, I just wonder what I'm going to do with all of this in the future. Suddenly I'm confronted with how vast the body of Christ really is, and I wonder how much I should limit where I work in ministry in the future.
I know that this is an old post but I doubt that the issue is completely resolved so...
If you really believe in what the denomination is doing, you might take Ken's view - he calls himself a missionary to the ______ Church even though he is a minister in their denomination. They're doing some good things, in his view, but they've just run off course a bit. Someone needs to offer correction - and who better to offer that than someone from the inside. Would they really listen to an outsider?
Isn't that what many of Paul's letters are really about? "You guys are doing great, but..." Even Christ worked on offering change to those who almost had "it" (they knew the scripture but just couldn't really understand).
Anyway, good, thoughtful post.
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