A Date that Will Live...

Does anybody out there know day what tomorrow is?

Need a hint?

Were you there?

What do you remember?

I remember kazoos...

Blogging Mission Statement

In order to provide a more enjoyable blog-reading experience, I am taking stock of what it is I do here. Just what am I doing here? I don't think I have ever asked that question before sitting down to blog. I usually just get fired up about something that I just thought of or heard about.

While this may indeed be a winning strategy, I now realize my grave error. I am not taking my not-so-captive audience into consideration. In fact, I rarely think of who is reading this at all. This makes me:
A> arrogant
B> self-centered
C> a fool to expect anyone to read this
(except for you, stick, I know how boring work must be)

So, I am going to jot down a few preliminary ideas to blog about. Feel free to let me know if the following sound deathly boring or fruitful for you, my reader.

1) I am going to keep an online tab of my many experiences giving directions to random people who ask me how to find things. I have claimed that it is at least a weekly ocurrence between my wife and I, so we will all see if I am exaggerating. Sadly, however, this idea still seems to be for me.

2) I hope to comment from time to time on my summer reading chores. I am working through Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, translating Romans very slowly, and reading as much John H. Yoder as I can squeeze in. Feel free to tune these postings out, or not.

3) I have consciously tried to avoid using this blog as a running public diary because those make me insane. It would be nice to know what everyone is doing out there right up until the point where they tell you everything they are doing. That makes for terrible reading. But I may write more about major events in life while trying to avoid the autobiography.

4) I sometimes think I want to talk theology here. Then I read the Pub. There, a friend of mine has developed a knack for attracting every fundamentalist with a computer. The resulting fracas consists of little in the way of constructive dialogue. Straw men sit at every corner. I need that like I need a paper arse. If I wanted to argue with a fence post, I would move back to the Midwest. But maybe I can try to speak a theological word or two. Suggestions?

Enough of this. Sound off, offer advice, poke fun, or inquire.

Final Verdicts

I turned in my last final at 8am this morning (I wrote it yesterday), so I am no longer burdened by the perils of academia, at least for a week or so. Then I start my summer reading. Looks like a little Kant & Nietzsche, then some Yoder. Ah, life.

In cse you are curious, here is how things turned out this semester. My initial impressions were close, but here is the exit poll.

The Doctrine of Atonement> So, I was hoping to get things settled in this class. Such as: are substitutionary atonement theories worthwhile? was Anselm nuts or just flawed? can I really live with just an Abelardian view? The answers are as follows: sorta, not really, and not at all. So I guess I did get some substantive goals met.

The Theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher> I discovered that the father of modern theology was more of a misunderstood genius. Don't blame him for what ails us, somebody had to be the first theologian to deal with "modernity".

Intro to Christian Mystical Tradition> A wild and crazy survey of wild and crazy people. Who was the wildest? Meister Eckhart, hands down.

Theory and Practice of Pastoral Care> One of the ebst practical theology classes I could ever imagine taking. We did not tlak about how to keep the deacons from firing you once! Instead we actually talked THEOLOGY about issues like alcoholism, family problems, counseling, etc. I am going to have to plug the prof's book, too. I am not going Xanga, OK? Just one book.

Preaching> I wrote and delievered my first funeral sermon (not at an actual funeral, but in class). Tough stuff, but I passed.

Field Education> No more seminary required field ed. 2 hours credit in the spring semester for a year-long internship of 15 hours a week. At least I got paid. Sure I did. And then I paid the school for the credit.

That is a wrap.