Third Semester Reflection

If I could grade this semester overall I would give it an "A" kind of semester. I really enjoyed 2 out of my 3 classes. Old Testament and Hebrew were very interesting and I learned a lot. I think I had a real advantage taking both these courses at the same time. They intersected often and I found Hebrew to be helpful in Old Testament class. By far, Hebrew has been the best course I have taken thus far in seminary. The method of teaching really works for me. No paradigms to memorize...no flashcards. It was awesome! I enjoyed the memory work (Deut 6:4-9 as well as Jonah chapter 1) and I'm looking forward to using Hebrew in the future in ministry. That's about all I can say for this semester. I'm going to give some love to Dr. Tom and and his great teaching assistants for a job well done!

Amazing Grace, Amazing Video

Here is a link to an amazingly powerful video about God's amazing grace and power. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Background

To begin this series on my "theology," I think it's fair to tell a little of my denominational background. Today, I consider myself a "Wesleyan." I haven't always been a Wesleyan. In fact, I didn't really know what a Wesleyan was until a few years ago when I joined a Wesleyan Church in Wisconsin.

Growing up in northwest Iowa, I attended the local United Methodist Church through high school. When I went to college, I attended a Non-denominational church for a couple years as well as a local Baptist church for a few years. So, in a word, I guess you could say that I'm sort of a denominational "mut". Throughout the years of my life, I've never been a part of just one tradition.

And as I already mentioned, I now consider myself more firmly aligned with the Wesleyan denomination; however, in an interesting twist of theology, I attend a Reformed seminary. I have one foot in one tradition and the other foot in another. So, I'm at a point in my seminary education where I have to put words on paper as to what I believe theologically. And the purpose of these posts is to help sort out what I believe. Historically, Wesleyanism has been aligned with Arminianism. In my life, I've attended churches which also have been historically tied to some form of Arminianism. Are my beliefs today shaped by my background? Am I Arminian because I did not grow up in the Reformed tradition? So, what does it mean to be Arminian, theologically speaking? What does it mean, for that matter, to be Wesleyan? These are some of the questions that I must find a way to put in to words. These are the kinds of questions I'll do my best to address over the upcoming weeks and months. Up next...what is Arminianism? Stay tuned...