BEST OF THE BLOG
OCTOBER 27, 2016 WHY SEMINARY STILL MATTERS
BY EMILY HEATH, MDIV AND THM ’05
Different mainline denominations have long allowed for functioning pastors to not attend seminary. Licensed ministers, local church pastors, lay ministers and more ably fill pulpits and celebrate sacraments on Sunday mornings, often in churches that could not otherwise call a pastor. This is especially true for small churches and those in geographically remote areas. Now some of those same denominations, which have seen seminary as a norm for ordination, are debating whether or not ordained clergy need to graduate from seminary. The United Church of Christ, for example, already allows for “alternate paths” towards ordination, though acceptance of this idea varies greatly across the denomination. Proponents of the idea point to the good ministry that lay ministers have been able to do without seminary educations. They also argue that seminary is expensive, and that candidates for ministry should not be expected to leave behind well-paying careers in order to go to seminary. Others call seminary education “elitist” and claim that by requiring it we are keeping some potential ministers from being ordained.
FEBRUARY 9, 2017 ON HAMILTON AND THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE!
BY ANN LAIRD JONES, ILLUMINATING THE TEXT COURSE LEADER
—The Broadway musical Hamilton (which I have only heard but never seen) catches you at every turn. LinManuel Miranda’s lyrics, music, and choreography of space bring the story of Alexander Hamilton alive—a person whose face we have seen for years and years on every $10 bill we happen to come across, yet whose 38
/ CTSNET.EDU
details have remained largely unknown— and in the process completely captures our imaginations. I have listened to the brilliant lyrics for twelve hours at a stretch, as I drive from state to state. Hamilton is a clear example of “how the arts allow us to see text anew—an old text, an old story— brought to life as if for the first time. The Saint John’s Bible does the very same thing: taking an old text that we know well, live by and refer to, but to which we all too often pay little attention, and using the arts to bring it alive so that we feel we are engaging with biblical texts as if for the first time. At the dawn of this 500th anniversary of the Reformation, what better way to reconsider the role we have assigned to visual arts and theology when it comes to biblical exegesis and theological reflection, than to have this beautiful work before us—a Bible for our time!
FEBRUARY 14, 2017 WEAVING ADINKRA SYMBOLS INTO CHRISTIAN TAPESTRY
BY GRISELDA LARTEY, SERIALS AND INTERLIBRARY LOAN ASSISTANT, JOHN BULOW CAMPBELL LIBRARY. Adinkra is a collection of African traditional symbols used by the Akan peoples of Ghana and the Cote d’Ivoire of West Africa. These symbols which are regarded as messages from the elders, are printed on fabrics, originally worn exclusively by royalty and spiritual leaders. The elders of the Akans used this form of printing as a means of expressing their thoughts, attitudes, world view and beliefs. Each motif, mainly abstract, has a name and meaning derived from a proverb, historical event, and observations of life forms or objects. Each is meant to be a source of inspiration and a teaching tool. Today, the use of the symbols extends beyond fabrics. They are found on pottery, furniture, logos and any material that would lend itself to they