If you came here hoping for a blog post about International Holocaust Remembrance Day, feel free to migrate to last year's blog post--it even has a poem!
This morning, I want to write about the last week of seminary, a series of snapshots so that I have some impressions recorded.
--Last night, Church History II covered Martin Luther. We ended the class by talking a bit about his theology, which I find a bit baffling. His view of God is so different than mine; his view of God embraces the destructive, angry aspect of a vengeful God, and he claims that this behavior makes way for God's love. Hmmm. It's not hard to see how he comes to have these beliefs, but it disturbs me how many of us continue to embrace this view. Luther's sense of unworthiness pervades so much of his theology. It's not a surprise to me, but some voice in my head does whisper that maybe it dooms me as a future Lutheran pastor.
--But then I reflect on how many people I'll meet (including Lutheran clergy) won't have any understanding of Luther's core theology, and I think I'll be O.K. Like much theology of past centuries (and I include Paul here), it just doesn't mesh well with 21st century life. We don't have to stick with theology that isn't informed by more recent discoveries and ideas.
--For my Women and the Preaching Life class, we had to make an introductory video that talked about times we had either felt our voice was affirmed or silenced, ignored and otherwise disrespected. I talked about how the ELCA has an abundance of female bishops, but when it comes to being a senior pastor, we don't have nearly as much parity. If there's a church with a staff, it's a safe bet that the senior pastor will be male. Here, too, we don't have to stick with theology that isn't informed by recent discoveries and ideas. In my lifetime, we've gone from lifting the prohibition against women's ordination to our current situation--both a reason for hope and sadness.
--In my Chapel Visuals class yesterday, we walked to two worship spaces on campus: the main chapel in the administration building, and the smaller prayer chapel in the basement of the oldest dorm. It was interesting to hear people talk about our senses and the ways we experience worship spaces.
--After class, we walked to the gallery, where the current exhibit, where I have a piece displayed, is leaving. I took my piece back with me, and I also harvested some of the lettuce that has been growing hydroponically. It was so delicious. I had a great salad last night.
--I found out that our Queer Theology class is being taught for only the second time. Wow. There's a pastoral care for LGBTQIA+ people, but that's very different from Queer Theology. I had worried that as the oldest member of the class (and clearly, I am at least 20 years older than my classmates, 17 years older than the professor), that I would be the fuddy-duddy. So far, I think that fear is unfounded, even though I did read a lot of the important Queer Theory texts, like Judith Butler, when they first came out, and I saw some of the taboo-breaking TV, like first same-sex kisses on network shows, in real time. In fact, because I've been thinking about these issues, both from a sociological approach and a theological approach for more years than my classmates have been alive, I may be arriving at a different destination, for both better and worse. In class the other day, as our teacher read a text about desire and the will to create a different life, I raised my hand to ask, "When we say 'desire' here, are we talking about more than just sexual desire?" Ah, to be young and not realize that we might have a fierce yearning for something that doesn't involve other humans at all.
--I am feeling a bit sad because I am finally feeling more like I belong on this campus (people wave to me, for example), and this campus is about to undergo major change, if construction begins this summer. It's not change I'll benefit from, since I'll likely be graduated by the time that construction is complete.
--I have had some nostalgic memories as this semester gets underway, memories of the early days of Fall 2022 semester, getting my apartment set up, learning my way around. Is my nostalgia kicking into high gear because of the possibility of impending demolition? Or is it because the start of one semester reminds me of the beginning of a different one?
--It has been a warmer than usual winter in D.C. That's not to say that it's toasty outside. But we are about to have one of our years with the latest snowfall on record. When there was a steady rain on Wednesday, I kept an eye out--it was almost cold enough to snow, but at 39 degrees, not quite. I have thought that if we had a seriously cold winter, my apartment would be uncomfortably chilly. There are other places on campus where we prop the door open because it's so hot inside. This is no way to keep a campus warm, at least not an energy efficient way.
Let me close now and get a walk in before the winds pick up. Today is likely to be quite chilly, but temps will rise into the 50's this week-end.
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