The Writing Life

I have the luxury of taking a few elective courses in my doctoral program at Columbia Seminary. I've had this class circled on my calendar since the day I got my acceptance letter into the program: Pastoral Writing with Barbara Brown Taylor. I am a student of good writing because a) I love to write b) better writing makes for better speaking and better speaking makes for better preaching and c) writing is a discipline that helps me slow down when I slip into the messianic tendency that plagues many ministers/religious leaders.

BBT (my shorthand for her) is arguably one of the more influential voices in Christian spirituality. Her books, which include, The Preaching Life, Leaving Church, An Altar in the World, find their way into virtually every nook and cranny of American culture. She is read by Buddhists, atheists, Christians, liberals, conservatives, and everyone in between.

Yet, she writes from an unapologetically Christian perspective. She might apologize for the church (and some of its hypocrisy) but she never apologizes for the conviction that Jesus is God's embodied word in human flesh. The way she goes about doing this is pure genius.

I first read Barbara Brown Taylor when I was nineteen. For many reasons, which I won't go into, she has helped me to see, God, neighbors, and myself in a way I would have never would have come to if not for her careful eye, precise pen, and ability to tell the truth, even when it hurt.

BBT's writing is water to the soldier who's been wandering lost for days without drink; the arms of a mother to a crying infant in the middle of the night; the power that comes out of the mouth of a teenage Michael Jackson (Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson both agreed that Michael had sung one of Smokey's songs better than Smokey . . . and Michael wasn't even a teenager at this point).

So far, in this class, we've discussed: the stages of creativity, embodied language, poetry, disciplines, and creative writing exercises to stimulate the imagination. And this is only day three.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite BBT lines: "Humans do no lose control, we lose the illusion that we were ever in control in the first place." I know I'm not in control of my life. I fool myself from time to time. We're just witnesses. Partners? Yes, but we are not the ones making the first move. After all, it's not our story. It is our story to live in. But it does not belong to us.

Brueggemann Disciples

This is a picture of me and Dr. Brueggemann after he'd announced that the course he taught at Columbia Seminary would be his last academic teaching experience. None of us in the class had any idea that we would not only be sitting in on a true legend but that this would be his final "game". The final thirty minutes Friday were dedicated to allowing the students to ask whatever question we desired (theology, future of the church, etc.). The one that impacted me the most was his "admission" that he stayed at Columbia Seminary all these years (instead of being at a place like Harvard, Yale, etc.) because he wanted to teach and form students who'd directly become "doctors of the church" (Brueggemann classic).

I don't know if I've ever been around a person who knows Scripture as well as Dr. Brueggemann. The conservative myth that liberal scholars (and he's liberal because of his commitment to taking postmodern culture seriously) don't know the text is just that . . . a myth.

Doctoral students from South Korea, China, U.K, Jamaica, India, Atlanta, Detroit, New Jersey, Alabama, Mississippi (among other places). We had Hispanic, Anglo, black, African, et al brothers and sisters from a mix of different tribes: Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ (me), Baptist, Congregationalist, Pentecostal, Anglican, gathered to study the Torah. And in doing so, we left believing that God might not be done with us. God just might be up to something we don't yet even have the language to express.

CTS Part Two

I will try and translate what I'm studying this week at CTS. This morning's session was excellent. I wrote so fast I thought my index finger was going to fall off (I like to write as opposed to type when taking notes . . . I type so fast that my brain gets out of sync. However when I write, it slows me down a bit).

Here were some highlights from today's lectures and discussions. I'll save the nerd stuff for other conversations.

"Every family/church has their own genre (story). And when your genre (story) comes colliding with someone else's--be it marriage, church leadership, preaching--you'd better be aware of the stories around you."

"The Bible, just like the humans who wrote them under God's influence, is complex. Therefore, just as we move beyond judging people for their complexity, we must move beyond judging the Bible and move into a living, breathing relationship. We must allow the Bible to critique us. To ask questions we would not dare ask if left to our own devices."

On the Bible: "There are no answers in the back of this book, only long standing schools of interpretation."

"Every spiritualization is rationalization," (regarding the Christianity that allowed Nazi Germany to exterminate Jesus's people, the Jews).

"There is a profound difference between history and memory. Memory is the way in which we remember history. So, in reality, perhaps history and memory aren't all that different."

"When we read the Bible we're always asking ourselves . . . 'What is God saying and doing?'"

"Von Rad (noted OT scholar) was the only professor in the theology department at this university not to join the Nazi Party. Because of that, students refused to take his courses. The Confessing Church (led by Bonhoeffer et al) therefore sent students to take Von Rad's lectures lest the the university terminate Von Rad. So the moral of the story . . . just because you have a small church doesn't mean you are not doing God's work. Don't base everything upon popularity."

"We are all selective fundamentalists. That is, we all choose which parts of the Bible we read and which parts we do not. Therefore, a healthy reader will confess to this problem, help others to see their own participation in selective reading of the Bible and courageously move forward to let all of Scripture serve as our guiding force."

"The texts calls us to more freedom than we are ready to have."

We spent the last hour of class going through Dr. Brueggemann's approach to interpreting the Bible. He's just written a new book about it so it was fascinating to learn up close from one of this generations great thinkers/writers.

Film, CTS

The short film I made for the Lipscomb Preaching Conference went well. I will write more about it later. It's incredible what can happen when you mix images, words, music, and powerful rhetoric together. It's like cooking a gourmet meal. Add the right ingredients with a delicate touch and . . . voila!

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I was able to spend precious time with the York Family today. They have been a blessing, source of wisdom, and spiritual friends since 2002. I count my life richer for having shared so many memories and conversations.

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In the morning, I begin a course with Walter Brueggemann on Pentateuch (think: first five books of the Bible).

Here are the main reasons I wanted to do my doctoral work at Columbia Seminary.

1. Charles Campbell: One of the more influential thinkers in recent times (for his field) . . . he's now at Duke.

2. Barbara Brown Taylor: my favorite writer and preacher on the planet. Period. I'm supposed to take a writing course with her in the summer of 2009

3. Walter Brueggemann (word is this might be his last course): Seriously. The Bill Russell of Old Testament theology.

4. Diversity of students: we will have pastors and ministers from all over the world, from virtually every branch of the Christian faith.

5. Challenge: Besides Princeton (which just did away with their D.Min.) CTS is one of the more integrative programs I'm aware of. They are passionate about practical theology and deep reflection.