Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Can a Christian Agnostic go to seminary?

I will admit, I've toyed with the idea for some time now. I have visited the website of my dream seminary... I've read the course descriptions and pondered my path to a Master of Theological Studies, or even a Master of Divinity... I've considered the research track that would lead all the way to a Ph.D., and yes, I've considered ministry; a chance to show others that it is possible to love and worship God with questions burning in our hearts. Then I ask myself: "Do I belong in seminary? Is there really a path to ministry for me?"

The question of seminary is one that rears its head so intrusively that it interrupts my sleep from time to time. Would I find any like-minded students there? How would I handle it if my professor tried to teach something that isn't historically sound... or worse: contrary to my humanitarian beliefs? Would there be enough academic freedom there for me to cultivate my faith while staying true to the hard truths I've accepted on my liberal Christian journey?

I know that fundamentalists don't have a monopoly on truth, God, the Gospel, Christ, or seminary. I guess I worry that maybe my professors won't know it, too. The fact is, the only way to know would be to actually go. And who knows... the journey itself may be worth the experience, even if it challenges me to suppress my opinions for awhile.

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