“Suffering is a part of life. It is only our culture that thinks it isn’t. We think nothing will happen, but then it does. Not because we’re being punished, or God hates us, but because that’s life. Bad things happen. But we disagree and go into this crisis.”
— My Theology Professor, on crises of faith.
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
I love my theology professor in a kind of "I really want to be your friend and have you give me advice on things, but I respect you so much that I'm also deeply intimidated by you."
-
Classmate:
...That brings to mind the story of when Jesus had to speak to the masses so he went out on a boat, departing from the lake shore, and entered into this liminal space, all so that he could be heard by the crowd. How he was both distant enough, and close enou -
-
Professor:
Yeah, I just keep thinking about the Monty Python version. They're all, "We can't hear you! Speak louder!" *chuckles* Sorry, that's just what always comes to mind.
“We use metaphors like this because we need some way to describe something that is essentially indescribable. But not all metaphors are created equal, folks. Sometimes we freeze metaphors, and keep them for so long so that they become literal. That’s why we get one old guy with a beard, one young guy with a beard, and a bird. And that’s supposed to be the Holy Trinity. Two white guys and a bird.”
— my Theology Professor, on describing God.
My family should really know by now what they’re getting into when they have theological conversations with me.
Because you better believe that I employ the Socratic method.
And I can go all night.
Or at least until everyone involved has lost interest.
And I only have two rules:
1) It’s not an argument, it’s a discussion. So be polite and don’t get defensive. There’s no crying in theology.
2) Back up your arguments.
And #2 is less of a rule and more of a survival tip.
Let’s get ready to rumble.
“God’s “Yes” is stronger than any “No”.”
— My Theology Professor
“Nothing of the goodness of our humanity is punishable. Nothing in the way God created us.”
— My Theology Professor
“God is not like anything on earth, because if it was like anything else on earth, it would be easy to see it as simply a projection by humans.”
— My Theology Professor
“Don’t give up ANYTHING to people who would use it negatively. That’s just throwing away language.”
— My Theology Professor
“If you love, you will suffer. In a broken world there is no love without suffering. God suffers on the cross through the lens of LOVE, rather than just the lens of suffering.”
— My Theology Professor
“When we internalize inferiority, we internalize the self-loathing and that is a sin because we are made in God’s image. It is the sin of self-doubt.”
— My Theology Professor
“The Trinity does not have parts. It is three divine persons, but not parts. The Trinity is not your car.”
— My Theology Professor
It’s the end of my first year at seminary.
And throughout it, whenever a professor says something interesting and succinct enough to be recorded on my Tumblr, I copy it down in the margins of my notebook. In honor of finishing, I’m posting all of the un-posted quotes from my Intro to Theology course.
Enjoy this brief furlough into the mind of my Theology professor!
“Why is it that the Bible is full of narratives rather than definitions? The case is that the story is best told as a story. Doctrine is shorthand for the story.”
— My Theology Professor
