Ph. D. Post
I don't feel great right now. I'm ridiculously busy and that does not include my actual coursework. I'm helping plan Wednesday evening services for lent (and possibly beyond), I'm coordinating a race discussion group which met tonight, I'm trying to figure out my future: whether to stay in an MDiv program or switch to an MA...oh, and then there's school.
I promised in an earlier post that I would write about my doing a Ph.D. program. Well, long story short (cause I'm tired) one of my professor's said that he believed I could do well in a doctoral program. He hesitated to do that because, knowing the need for good pastors (his words, not mine), he wasn't sure he wanted to lead me away from an M.Div and ordination. I guess with my hangups about ordination, it has lead to a perfect storm of reconsidering my academic and professional future. The switch to an MA is part of that reconsideration. (BTW, the aforementioned prof. wrote a recommendation for the MA program that nearly made me blush. I was flattered and humbled)
Anyway, I don't want to ignore a call to ministry. I know God led me out here and I know I have pastoral gifts. I've also come to recognize that I have academic gifts as well. There is something exciting about the idea of teaching and writing in an academic setting. I just don't want to get detatched from reality and "real" ministry. ( I know that distinction is arbitrary). I just want to be where God can use me most. Is that so much to ask?
I promised in an earlier post that I would write about my doing a Ph.D. program. Well, long story short (cause I'm tired) one of my professor's said that he believed I could do well in a doctoral program. He hesitated to do that because, knowing the need for good pastors (his words, not mine), he wasn't sure he wanted to lead me away from an M.Div and ordination. I guess with my hangups about ordination, it has lead to a perfect storm of reconsidering my academic and professional future. The switch to an MA is part of that reconsideration. (BTW, the aforementioned prof. wrote a recommendation for the MA program that nearly made me blush. I was flattered and humbled)
Anyway, I don't want to ignore a call to ministry. I know God led me out here and I know I have pastoral gifts. I've also come to recognize that I have academic gifts as well. There is something exciting about the idea of teaching and writing in an academic setting. I just don't want to get detatched from reality and "real" ministry. ( I know that distinction is arbitrary). I just want to be where God can use me most. Is that so much to ask?
Thanks for your post. It is pretty amazing to think that peope in Germany can read what I'm writing.
Thanks too for your thoughts. I should clarify that if I do a PhD. it will most likely still be in either Christian ethics or systematic theology. I'm not all that scientific myself. But the point you made is a good one and is incredibly helpful for me.
I hope we can keep up conversation!
Posted by
dlweston |
10:03 PM