Week 19
Monday—Today was the first day of the Spring semester! I had no classes though, so today was a preparation day.
Tuesday—My first class of the semester was Introduction to Theological Reflection which is basically an intro to theology course. I like my professor as she is my boss and is great to work with. The majority of my class is Quaker, and it is being taught by a Lutheran so the discussions should be very interesting. We discussed the readings and the syllabus on the first day.
The first lesson was around our reading which focused on how to read theology charitably. I can summarize it as the author did which was “How would Jesus read this?” Every time I read something I have either a knee jerk reaction, a disinterested/dismissive response, or a this is amazing reaction. I think the clickbait culture that has been grown in the last decade has cultivated in me an instant response while reading something. I should be more patient in my reading and have an actual dialogue with the text and see what the author is trying to say. Listening to my first reactions though is valuable, but if I want to learn, I need to push deeper into understanding. Sometimes, my first reaction is right, but I need to digest the information and be able to articulate why my reaction is correct. Cultivating a mindset of how would Jesus read a text would be beneficial. Of course, healthy skepticism is good, too.
Another thing I learned was that “Christianese” is used cheekily in academic discourse. I have used it throughout my life, and I am so glad others have too. From that reading, an analogy was made that learning religions is like learning a language. Like any analogy, when pushed enough, it would break, but it serves a purpose to highlight that learning other religions is alright and that “native speakers” might not be as well versed in the “language” as a “non-native speaker.” For example, when someone learns English, their grammar might be better than a native speaker.
The third lesson I took away from this first class was what is theology and the task of theology. We as a class defined theology which to no one’s surprise looked different than everyone else’s. But the task of theology we discussed, is “faith seeking understanding or fides quaerens intellectum.” This quote has been articulated by St. Anslem of Canterbury who built it off of St. Augustine’s thoughts. This motto means that faith in Jesus Christ prompts questioning and searching for deeper understanding. It is the mingling of faith and reason together to better understand God, the universe He made, and our place within it.
The final tidbit from the class was that theology should be called the “happy science.” Theology, at the end of the day for the believer, should bring joy and happiness in their life so that their relationship with God is deepened.
In the afternoon, I had my second class: Preaching, Theopoetics, and Society. It is a preaching class with a focus on theopoetics and public discourse. We looked over the syllabus and discussed the readings. One of the readings was over Acts 2 while others dealt with theopoetics, gaining inspiration from poetry, and preaching. The reading on preaching discussed what is the end/goal of preaching which the author said is prayer. This class focuses on social issues, and I will have to preach on several social issues during the semester.
Wednesday—Today was a workday where I did work-study and homework. In the afternoon, I took my statutes of the Stations of the Cross that I got from my girlfriend’s grandparents and had them blessed. So, now they are sacramentals. Here is a picture of them.
Thursday—I had my final class of the week which was Theopoetics 1. I am finally starting to learn what theopoetics is. During class, we discussed the syllabus and our reading which was Amos Wilder’s Theopoetics. This book was published in the 70’s and is one of the first texts about theopoetics. My professor also talked to us about the general overview of theopoetics. He focused on mystery, metaphor, and meaning-making. He also used the phrase “composing a text, composing a life” which to me means that theopoetics is more than creating art but creating one’s life story. Theopoetics is an ever-evolving field and everyone has their own definition. I am trying to hammer out my own, but I know right now that theopoetics is more than versifying doctrine. Hopefully, when I graduate from Bethany, I will have a working definition of theopoetics.
During the afternoon, I helped an alumni move into his house. Then I rested for the remainder of the night.
Friday—I rested and had a meeting with my boss that I do research for. After that meeting, I met with the RCIA director at the local coffee shop where we talked about theology and theopoetics and just caught up.
Saturday—I wasn’t feeling well so I rested and did a little homework.
Sunday—I had a meeting with Phi Beta’s national council. Then DND and Bible study to top off the night.
I am excited for my second semester at Bethany. I feel confident in my plan for the rest of my time here and what I want to accomplish. I am starting to learn what theopoetics is and hammering out my idea of it along with my concepts of theology.
I don’t think I mentioned what my New Year’s resolution was, but instead of a resolution, I have a theme which I use to help guide my year. Last year’s was “being more creative;” this year is “intentional relationships.” This will be my guide this year and hopefully at the end of 2022 I will be a better person and have stronger relationships!
Prayers and thoughts are always appreciated for me as I continue my journey in higher education! Thank you for reading and have a blessed day!
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