Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the “Academic” Curtain…

Shame. We’ve all felt it.

It’s that uneasy feeling that we’re (at our core) somehow deficient – not good enough. That our best falls short. It’s different than guilt. Guilt generally relates to actions. We feel guilt for what we do. We feel shame for who we are. Shame relates to our identity.

When we feel shame, we tend to cover up. We mask our weakness and put our “best foot” forward. We hide those parts of ourselves that we think are deficient. We tell ourselves, “You couldn’t possibly be accepted by Group X if Group X knew _________ about you.”

I’ve seen this “cover-hide” phenomena play out over and over again in the funniest places. It manifests in the workplace when people don’t want to admit ignorance of company procedures for fear of public embarrassment. It happens in the church (perhaps too often!) when brothers and sisters in Christ prefer to highlight the positive experiences of their week for fear that telling about their crappy stuff will land them in the “pastor’s office.” However, I think the strangest place I’ve found this occurring is somewhere I would never have expected: the Academy.

Yes, the Academy. The very place designed to pursue and preserve “truth” is actually mired in the same façade and pretense prevalent everywhere else. Sure, the academy trades with “knowledge” instead of Christian morality or company procedures, but the same fear of judgment from others prevails. Publishing choices, conference presentations, professorship acceptances (and everything else) often turns on the desire to build a CV that tells everyone that you “know something”; that you’re the expert.

Now, I’m not blaming the folks currently in the Academy for this. It’s an ethos that’s been around for a long time. There are implicit “understandings” going something like: If you’re not sharp enough, then you’re not good enough. If you’re not intellectual enough, then you’re not worth listening to. You need to meet certain academic heights before you’re taken seriously.

And the list could go on.

I just wonder when everyone will realize that this ethos encourages a recapitulation of the “cover-hide” phenomena. The reality is that no one (not even top scholars in a field) knows everything. The journey of knowledge acquisition is always an on-going journey. There is always something else to discover. Perpetuating the myth that you need to “know something” before you matter, forces people (academics in this case) into living a life of covering and hiding. For, if they let on that they might not know _________, they might expose themselves to ridicule from peers, lose the respect of students, etc. No one wants this, so they cover themselves where they “lack” and peacock their strengths.

BUT…..

What if incoming academics decide to facilitate a change? What if a few brave souls “drew back the curtain” and honestly pursued knowledge, with all the confusion, toil, and courage that goes along with it? What if they refused to believe that their worth in the Academy comes from their accomplishments?

Maybe the Academy could change.

Maybe the Real Man behind the Machine of Rigorous Knowledge could be exposed.

Top Ten Things a Graduate Student of Theology Should Do (Pt. 2)

Time for the second installment of the Top Ten Things a Graduate Student of Theology Should Do. If you missed the first part, you can find it here.

(Pt. 2)

6) Learn to write well.
I broach this topic with great humility knowing that I am early on in my own compositional journey. Suffice it to say, you need to learn how to communicate clearly and concisely through written word. If you’re good at this, you could take that last sentence of mine and say the same thing with 40% less words. Try writing your sentences 2-3 times with different words. Find the single, perfect adjective for a noun. Use strong verbs. Read this book everyday: http://www.amazon.com/The-Elements-Style-Fourth-Edition/dp/020530902X. After you finish reading it, read it again. The truth is that everyone is on a journey with their writing. Get the basic rules down and then keep experimenting with your style. You have a unique voice that deserves to be heard clearly. Don’t stifle yourself with bad prose! If you need any help editing your work, then head over to my friends at Ivy League Editor. They offer great feedback for a great price! You can find them here: http://ivyleagueeditor.com/

7) Talk to people.
Professors. Friends. Pastors. Your Spouse. People you like. People you don’t like. People further along in their degree. People early on in their degree. Conversations need to become your best friend. Why? Because good theology doesn’t happen individualistically. Good theology grows out of a community of people. The reality is, you’ll never really know if you’re ideas are any good unless you share them with other people. Intellectual virtues such as epistemic humility and openness play an important role here (For a great read on the relationship between intellectual virtues and epistemology see: The Inquiring Mind: On Intellectual Virtues and Virtue Epistemology by Jason Baehr. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Inquiring-Mind-Intellectual-Epistemology/dp/019965929X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390330126&sr=8-2&keywords=intellectual+virtues). Also, don’t let fear of “not having anything intelligent to say” keep you from conversing. Sometimes conversation is the best way to work out your ideas!

8) Helpfully engage with your local church.
You know the old stereotype: a person goes off to Seminary and gets so caught up in studying theology that they forget how to participate graciously in their local church. Don’t forget – your study of theology is not for self-aggrandizement. It’s inherently an act of service to the body of Christ. Ideally, therefore, your time spent studying should result in tangible acts of love in your local church. This is your unique form of neighbor love. Maybe your church needs someone to help with small groups or a book club. Great! See if God is calling you to help with that. Maybe your church doesn’t need anything like that. Maybe your studies have indirect influences on your church body by their impact on your character. Perhaps you become a more loving or kind person because of what you learn in your theology classes and that empowers you to love and serve others at church.

9) If you’re married, put your books up.
This may be an idiosyncratic point, but I’ve found it to be so helpful. If you’re married, remember that your most important responsibility (after your faith) is not to your books, but to your best friend. Do your best to put your books up by 5 or 6pm so you can have evenings together. Remember to take your spouse out for dinner and on meaningful dates (do a quick Google search for “Date Ideas” if you’re having difficulty coming up with good ideas). Your spouse is your biggest cheerleader, so make sure you remind them that you are also theirs. Remember, publishing multiple books, speaking at prestigious conferences, making an “academic” name for yourself means nothing if you forgo devoted love to your spouse. The homefront is always your first arena for success!

10) Examine yourself regularly. 

Knowing yourself is the most important goal to strive for. Our hearts are ever so cunning. We can deceive ourselves regarding our motives. We can deceive ourselves regarding our goals. We can deceive ourselves regarding our present state. Not surprisingly, these misguided realities can directly affect what our theological conclusions are. Scripture reminds us that the “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). We cannot drift from that position of submission to God and his ways and still hope to produce good theology. I’ve found the Ignatian Daily Examen to be helpful as I’ve attempted to keep my heart focused in this way. It’s a strikingly simple way to “…keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). If you’re interested in learning more go here: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/

Top Ten Things a Graduate Student of Theology Should Do (Pt. 1)

I hope the following reflections are helpful and instructive to anyone interested in pursuing graduate theological studies. I suppose they could apply to any graduate studies, but I’ve found them to be true specifically in my time as a seminarian.

1) Proceed prayerfully.

In his Treatise on Prayer, Evagrius Ponticus says, “If you are a theologian, you will pray truly. And if you pray truly, you are a theologian.” Evagrius isn’t suggesting here that there isn’t a place for full-time, vocational theologians. Instead, he’s drawing our attention to the fact that good theology blossoms out of a life of prayer. Why is that? Well, I think it’s because he knew that good theology isn’t done as a dry exercise of rationality. It’s ideally done in the context of a dynamic relationship with the Divine; a dance of discovering theological truth with the Holy Spirit as our partner. So, guard yourself from letting second order theological conclusions replace this first order essential relationship.

2) Don’t be afraid to explore new ideas.

This might not apply to everyone (I know some of you probably already have the explorative spirit), but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Sometimes new ideas are intimidating; it seems like (even if you try really hard) you’ll never quite understand a new bit of metaphysics or epistemology or how some intricate theological doctrine coheres within a particular system. Let me encourage you: ideas don’t bite (at least not at first). Pick the new idea up. Examine it. Play with it. If you see value in it, then keep it. If it lacks appeal (for one reason or another), then set it aside. You are the one in control of your academic explorations so don’t shortchange yourself.

3) Read. Read. Read.

As Erasmus said, “When I get a little money, I buy books. If any is left, I buy food and clothes.” As best you can, this should be your mentality. Read consistently. Read voraciously. Additionally, learn to read effectively. Believe it or not you don’t actually have to read every word of a book to profit from time spent with it. If you don’t believe me check out Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book (Here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Intelligent-Touchstone/dp/0671212095). Trust me, you’ll thank me later if you can habituate some of his suggestions.

4) Cultivate more than just your intellect.

When you're in graduate theological studies, there exists a certain seduction to direct all attention towards acquisition of theological knowledge. Assuredly, there is always another book to read. There is always another scholar to listen to. There is always another argument or “novel” idea to muse about. But there is also only one life that you live. And your life consists of more than merely intellect. Your life is composed of many parts in fact: experiences of beauty, celebration of love, devotion to religion, etc. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that it’s suitable to put pursuit of these other elements of life on hold while you “learn about God.” It is a better person indeed who emerges from Seminary having devoted himself to fullness of life than who squanders time on intellectual pursuits alone.

5) Learn to be quiet.
Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are. Intentionally choose to keep your mouth closed at times in order to open your heart to future charitable exchange. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should refrain from exciting conversations (even those that get “heated”). What I am saying is maybe, once you’ve attempted to make your point, you should be quiet and actually listen to what the other person is trying to say. If you’re both committed to the discovery of theological truth, then you should be open to being wrong. Your idea is not the plumb line of all reality. Truth is something of a third thing that you both are striving for. Strive for that truth and not each other’s throats.

(Pt. 2 coming soon)