That Moment in the Classroom

Recently while browsing the books at a local Goodwill store, I happened upon a dirt-cheap copy of Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. Browsing through the introduction, I read the author's description of a typical classroom experience. Although Foster's discipline is literature, it seems that his experiences are not all that different from those in biblical studies. Foster writes,

A moment occurs in this exchange between professor and student when each of us adopts a look. My look says, “What, you don’t get it?” Theirs says, “We don’t get it. And we think you’re making it up.” We’re having a communication problem. Basically, we’ve all read the same story, but we haven’t used the same analytical apparatus, If you’ve ever spent time in a literature classroom as a student or a professor, you know this moment. It may seem at times as if the professor is either inventing interpretations out of thin air or else performing parlor tricks, a sort of analytical sleight of hand (xiii). 

Been there. Done that.

Online Education: Something to Consider

Here is another take on online education and the real value of attending a "brick and mortar" institution.

Preachers and Teachers

"We, in theological colleges must be preachers as well as teachers. We must not only model good preaching but show students how to become good preachers. We must persuade our students that it is the word which is powerful, accurately interpreted, applied by God’s Spirit, and not the style, winsomeness, humour, or anecdotal ability of the preacher which is the most important. There is so little Old Testament preaching done in our pulpits, and what is done is often so bad, that there is a big job to be done for theological students."

Paul Barker, “Correctly Handling the Word of Truth — Teaching the Old Testament as a Christian Book,” in Make the Old Testament Live: From Curriculum to Classroom, ed, Richard S. Hess and Gordon J. Wenham (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 70.

A Reminder that Neither Bible College or Seminary Replaces the Local Church

See the reminder here.

HT: Michael Cooper

A Report on the 2015 Graduates of Theological Schools

Some might be interested in the latest report from the Association of Theological Schools entitled, "How 2015 Graduates Are Faring." You can access it here.

SBL Job Report

The Society of Biblical Literature has released its "second Jobs Report, tracking employment listing data in biblical, religious, and theological studies from 2011 through 2012. This report, which you can view and download from this link, adds to the report released in November 2012 on data from 2001 through 2010."

Emmaus Bible College Online

Some may be interested in Emmaus Bible College's online program. You can watch sessions from some of the courses here.

The Local Church and Training Future Pastors

Al Mohler has a thought-provoking article of the place of the local church in training future pastors. While Bible colleges and seminaries are vital institutions in training pastors, the local church bears a equal, and probably greater, responsibility in pastoral training. I encourage you to read the article.