Other (Academic) Things I Learned in Seminary

• That if you know something about the geography, the Hebrew Bible comes to life in a new way ~
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• That our task is to make the confessional bridge from ancient words to contemporary life ~ 
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• A few of those words in Greek and Hebrew ~ 
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• And quite a bit about how to explore the texts originally written in those languages ~ 
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• And to be grateful for commentaries written in English ~ 
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• That we should have all started with at least a basic philosophy course ~
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• That the memorization of sermons is not one of my things ~ 
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• A little about how to engage with theology ~
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• And a little about how to write a theological paper, thanks to a handout provided three weeks before graduation after three years of blundering around ~ 
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• That John Calvin and Ignatius of Loyola had both more and less in common than I had imagined ~ 
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• That both Roman Catholic and Reformation writing on sin, grace, and freedom are far beyond my capacity to comprehend ~
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• That Miroslav Volf might offer me a way back after intolerable loss ~ 
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• That, as I suspected, I am a pre-beginner wading in the shallow end.

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