Starting this new season of my life studying at a Seminary has been one of the most exciting Faith Adventures that I have experience this last couple of months! Decided to spent some time in this term break to do a short reflection to share about my journey thus far to my friends, leaders and pastors of whom have been supporting and praying for me in someway or another since I started seminary life.
Stepping into Trinity Theological College on 1 July 2013, have definitely been a dream come true for me, ever since 5 years ago when I got the call to one day study full time in a seminary to prepare for my calling into ministry as a young 19 year old youth leader.
Although I came in with a steeped learning curve, have learnt much insights from the daily lectures, the weekly church visits, the dialogues with different pastors/priest, the many interaction with my classmates, seniors and lecturers just this past couple of months have been so rewarding.
Even my personal presuppositions of the fear of losing my passion (heart), if I focus so much on the academia (mind) alone was actually changed as the week progress. This have been personal to me, but I actually saw my spiritual life and intimacy with Christ even deeper than before, and I owe it to advices from the conversations with my seniors who have shared with me the importance of Spiritual formation in this 3 years. For example, as simple as starting the spiritual discipline to go for evening chapels, waking up earlier by starting a morning prayer culture both in personal devotion and with classmates have actually allowed me to see God working and speaking to me a lot more than before. Having said that, I hope and pray that I can still sustain this daily spiritual discipline and devotional life and hope you can pray along side me still.
Besides that, the TTC community life has what made this 2 months so exciting too, with frequent exercises with my classmates to keep our physical fitness like crossfit and runs, sports like soccer, captain ball, ping pong. And food fellowship like durian fellowships, random suppers and of course besides all the fun a whole lot of the time writing papers & studying together for tests and having good theological discussion occasionally has definitely been holistically fulfilling.
I also want to take this time to thank God for such wonderful friends that He has provided me. We may come from different countries, different denomination, but somehow God has His divine plans of bringing us all together in this same seminary. Some even went to the extent to hear my struggles, to pray with me and i’m truly very appreciative of friends like this which I will treasure for life.
"To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find Him, the greatest human achievement."- St Augustine
At most the reflection paper I wrote of Helmut Thielicke’s, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. Will probably summed up what i've been going through and I hope my church mates can understand some of the struggles a young theologian like me will probably go through. So pardoned me if I fall into those pitfalls as stated below. :)
God plans life in such a way that the greatest treasures are concealed, waiting for you to discover them. And there is no thrill like the thrill of making a great discovery. - Selwyn Hughes
Like what Selwyn Hughes said in that quote, it’s the great joy of discovering such mysteries of God that played a huge factor in my decision to start studying theology today. Re-reading this book again and actually having begun seminary life. I can actually see Thielicke’s words coming alive in my own journey here.
Thielicke shared about this picture of this active young leader who was so passionate about Jesus, who enthusiastically shared his faith with his youths. He was later called into ministry by following his heart desire to study theology, so that he can deepen his understanding of the bible. As I read that chapter, it resonated deeply in me, as it was almost the exact depiction of my own journey before I was led into studying at a seminary. [1]
Thielicke than shared that theological change of voice of this young leader who begun his first semester of Seminary. With the exposure to all those theological concepts, one may suddenly become overly analytical to a normal bible study led by a fellow lay friend. He may either categorize his lay friend theological views or in some way patronize what his friend has shared. [2] This is an issue, which I’m very careful not to allow this sudden exposure to affect me, especially when I attend my own bible study sessions with my small group.
Thielicke also said this, “Theological thinking can and ought to grip a man like a passion”. With such a steep learning curve for a young aspiring theologian like myself coming into seminary at a young age, the challenge to think theologically in every book that we read. One can easily be overly passionate about all this new theological terminologies, which may inevitably start leading one to use such terminology in our daily spiritual conversations. And these things are what might be possible for us to lose that connection with the lay people.
He used this concept of “theological puberty”, where we are in this stage whose internal organs have not correspondingly developed. It’s like a male’s voice that is starting to change is told not to sing. I will agree with Thielicke that we should allow our formative period in this season as a theological student to be careful when we preach. He personally cannot tolerate sermons by first semester young theological students and advise them not to even preach in this early stage. [3]
Thielicke also warned young theologians not to allow theology to become into “gnostic pride”. Where knowledge becomes power. And that’s when he said that “the joy of possession” could kill love. And this is a real “spiritual disease” that he stressed upon the reader that we should be very careful about. Even ordained pastors today can catch this disease and we shouldn’t allow such knowledge to bring us to be superior to others. I believe if we are not careful we can sound condescending to the people we minister too.[4]
Another warning which Thielicke mentioned is to be careful not to study dogmatism until it becomes just for technical reference and one lose the importance of studying to develop that personal relationship with God. And as he quoted Anselm’s prologue, “a theological thought can breathe only in the atmosphere of dialogue with God”, I cannot agree more with him of the importance of prayer when we study dogmatism. I believe that God already spoken word will come alive when His spirit reveals His truth to us in our study of His Word.[5]
Concluding, this entire book has taught me much on some good pointers that I can intentionally be aware of as I begin this new season of my life studying theology. I believe this process will be an enriching experience if I learnt what it means to humble myself, leaning to think theologically, to be open, yet critical at times, and to be careful not to allow such theological exposure to bring me into “gnostic pride”. With all this in mind, I hope I can allow these formative years for me to develop a better theological framework of God to prepare me for ministry. To leant how to think and speak theologically before one is ready to preach in the pulpit in the future. I pray and hope that God can reveal to me his divine revelation even as I go by the day-to-day readings.
(No of words: 798 words) (Excluding footnotes)
[1] Helmut Thielicke’s, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians (Grand Rapids/Cambridge:WM.B,Eerdmans Publishing Co. , 1962), 6-7.
[2] Ibid,8-9.
[3] Ibid, 12.
[4] Ibid, 16-17.
[5] Ibid, 33-34.
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