Canter Bridge

During a recent visit to the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (Presbyterian), I was invited to share some extemporaneous thoughts with the faculty on the topic of ‘excellence in theological education’. The gist of my remarks follows.

When we speak of achieving excellence in theological education, we must take ourselves and our alleged competencies out of the center. I have often said—first to myself and then to anyone who should ask—that I will leave the pastoral vocation of theological education only when it ceases to become a disciple-making enterprise. Making disciples embraces a critical role for the mentor whose life is offered with trembling hands as a model. Yet it is not fundamentally about me. Or about you. (more…)

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Back then, ‘work stoppage’ belonged to the patois of the factory, not the baseball diamond.

It had not yet become the lingua franca that mediates between the players’ ‘strike’ and the owners’ ‘lockout’. You played baseball for fun and for as long as you could, and you assumed everyone else who could did the same. The idea of deciding not to play baseball had not occurred to us, perhaps like the concept ‘Interstate Highway’ before the invention of the wheel. If picketing at the plant meant some kids ate tuna fish for two weeks straight, at least you could comfort yourself with the Phillies’ box score in the morning paper. If they had beat up on the Mets, labor disputes or a dad’s missed paycheck seemed a slightly irritating footnote. (more…)

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