Apparently, I’ve opened up a can of worms in discussing the current shortcomings of evangelical seminaries.  I really dislike it when people are always critical of the status quo with its imperfections without acknowledging the good, especially when their criticism isn’t followed by any proposals to improve the situation.  So as to not be a hypocrite by stirring up problems without suggesting solutions, I offer these idealistic alternatives with optimism that we can see the kind of reformation that I’m suggesting.  Please keep in mind that this is a very short survey of my thoughts, which is by no means intended to be exhaustive.

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Sanctified Vision – John J. O’Keefe & R.R. Reno

I absolutely loved this book.  For any student of hermeneutics, this should be required reading.  I now understand why many professors at SWBTS and DTS are encouraging students to read it.  I found this book to do a great job of exactly what its subtitle tells readers it is trying to accomplish – provide “An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible.”  The authors did not seek to write an apologetic defending the hermeneutics of the fathers, but rather sought to explain how and why they interpreted the text the way they did.  However, because I have grown to see the failures of modernity, I found myself agreeing with the methods of the fathers.  Their appropriation of tradition and a pre-modern philosophical paradigm resonated with my spirit.

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Daring to Live on the Edge – Loren Cunningham

As the subtitle says, my life is certainly going to include “The Adventure of Faith and Finances.”  I now understand why this book is required reading for HGM Boot Camp students.  I was very encouraged as a read story after story of God’s faithfulness is the lives of His people who are committed to His service.  Furthermore, I was encouraged by the absence of prosperity or word of faith teaching in Cunningham’s book.  There was never a “God wants everyone to be rich” mentality taught, though I was pleased that He didn’t overcorrect by leaving out precious promises of God’s provision.  I also found this book very practical, and it often prompted me to prayer.  After every chapter, and very often in between points in a given chapter, I felt led to pray and ask God for guidance, wisdom, and help in the many upcoming journeys of faith and finance that I know my life holds for me.

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The corruption of the Seminary

I’ve been sitting on this post for awhile.  During my stint in Mexico, I havn´t been able to easily update my blog, so I waited until now to share my reflections on the importance of character development in academic institutions, especially Christian seminaries where the future ministers of the gospel are being trained.  Recently, Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote an excellent post titled, “The Corruption of the University.”  His article focuses on the failure of institutions of higher learning to facilitate character development in the lives of their students.  His article focuses on Yale University and its boasting of its progressive philosophy concerning sex, sex education, and sexual health.  Overall, however, this quote summarizes what Dr. Mohler is really getting at – the lack of character development in American universities.

As columnist David Brooks of The New York Times explains, Highly educated young people are tutored, taught and monitored in all aspects of their lives, except the most important, which is character building.

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I thought I would make my point even clearer regarding the stupidity of teetotalism by suggesting the following resolution be brought to the floor of next year’s Southern Baptist Convention, 2007 in San Antonio. In order to increase the polemic value of this idea, I significantly augmented a similar resolution from Joe Thorn.

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So, our time here has been much better than I expected. We have class for 3 hours from 9-12 MWF, then we eat lunch, and we go home. Tues., Thurs, and Sat. we have all day to spend with our family and adjust to the culture. Everyday, I go on a language route, which is part of the L.A.M.P. (Language Acquisition Made Practical) method of language learning. Since I speak Spanish, this is the time I use to deepen relationships with the people on my route as I share the gospel with them.

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During the month of October, my wife and I will be in Mexico, along with our two children, for the last portion of HGM’s Beautiful Feet Boot Camp. We will have limited access to the Internet, so I do not anticipate posting as ftequently. I know this troubles your heart, and you find yourself wondering, “Who will think for me while Ben is gone? How will I possibly know what to believe without him posting to tell me?” Come now, dry those tears. Turn off the water-works. My good friend Michael over at Missions Blog and my other good friend Michael over at Mere Christians will both still be up to no-good, so listen to them. And, if you’re really lucky, I just might find a way to write some devotional thoughts and pass them along.

I really don’t intend to attack any people in this post. I do have every intention of attacking ideas. This is the more aggressive side of the debate concerning alcohol.

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