The story of Christianity is littered with heretics, saints, and debates concerning the two. For the most part, Christian history is a sometimes polite, sometimes violent discussion over the life, death, and miraculous resurrection of Jesus, a Galilean carpenter from Nazareth. The impression Jesus left on his disciples altered the shape of history to the […]
An interesting aspect of the SOT graduate program is its mentor programs. Students are split into groups of two and assigned to a mentor who meets with them once a month during the school year. My particular mentor is Mike Neelley who works in pastoral support and discipleship at Tierra Nueva in the Skagit Valley. […]
Interpretation and Teaching of Christian Scripture is a class that focused primarily on the theological interpretation of Scripture. The capstone of the class was an exegetical paper on an assigned passage from either First or Second Timothy. Under the tutelage of Dr. Rob Wall, I began a journey through 2 Timothy 2:20-26. The main obstacle […]
During the Abbey Intensive on Whidbey Island, Dean Doug Strong assigned the graduate students (along with one faculty member each) in to small groups. Modeled after Wesleyan-style class meetings, these small groups meet every week to discuss the things that are happening in each other’s lives. My group in particular meets on Mondays in the […]
A few days after the completion of the abbey intensive course, we newly acquainted graduate students began the second intensive course on mission. Exemplifying the apostolate tenet of the theology program, students spent the week touring local nonprofits that focus on mission to the poor of the greater Seattle area. The texts we read for […]
The deer are grazing in an open field with fawns comforted in being at their mother’s side. As I arrived at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island for a one-week intensive course, I couldn’t help but marvel at the proximity of natural beauty. The Olympic mountain range descended in tiers over the narrowest part of the […]