Thoughts on D.Min class - Day 1

I have just begun my studies at San Francisco Theological Seminary - for the second time!  I graduated from SFTS in 1999 with a M.Div...and for a while now, I had been pondering about going back to school again.  Then, a couple of months ago, by the grace of God, an opportunity arose that I couldn't resist.  Taking that as a divine 'sign', I took the leap and jumped right into the pool of doctorate studies!

In any case, today was the first day for me in this new role of a Doctor of Ministry student.  The course I'm taking is "Gospel and Social Media Culture" taught by Dr. Mary Hess.  One of the foundations for this course began with the book  "The Christian Imagination" by Willie James Jennings. This book begins by exploring how the Age of Discovery/Late Medieval period had affected Western Christianity in a way that hinders the true call to Christian living and community - one that seeks to embrace, love and adapt to various diversities.  

It was interesting to see Jennings explain how although Christianity began with Jews and the heritage of accepting those who were not (i.e. Gentiles), the dynamics present during the Age of Discovery/Late Medieval period became the 'perfect storm' for Western Christianity to be altered into something that was conforming, coercive and domineering.  It is apparent that these traits still haunt us today and keep us from becoming/being the Christian community that was initially intended.

Thinking about this reality, I wondered about my classmate - a priest from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  From my limited experience with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, I know that they had taken different paths from Western Christianity.  Jennings’ book made me wonder what kind of journey the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has taken over these centuries and how it affected the Ethiopian Christians and their communities differently…

More 'food for thought' on its way over the course of this week…