death to seminaries

swanger opened his blog entry with: ?I think the institution of the seminary is fundamentally flawed. Seminaries must be destroyed for Christianity to flourish.? (tho? one should read the entire entry to understand its context)

this parallels a thought I?ve had about what seminaries train people for, mostly preaching and teaching skills and content, for cognitive information transfer, but when I look at the primary goal of making disciples, spiritual formation, or better, life transformation, it happens at a heart-and-relational level, that knowledge and information alone is unable to touch nor change nor grow.. so much of the construct of modern Christianity is built on a scholastic and academic model, and perpetuated by many (most?) seminaries, that spiritual maturity looks more like someone who has answers, rather than one who loves people well because of a love for God.. lots of verbiage hone in about making disciples or life change or loving well, and to translate that into real everyday life language, it?s really about friendship, friends who can be transparent and honest and spiritual with one another, and that is how our hearts can change and grow.. it?s no wonder that polls and surveys repeatedly rate ?friends? as the people who are trusted the most, not authority figures.. and, to know what a church really believes, don?t interview the pastor? talk with the average person in the pew.. then you?ll really get a rude awakening to what a church (which consists of its people) believes and lives and perpetuates as its legacy..

it’s Ruben!

congratulations to Ruben, the new American Idol! first time I?ve watched the show, after hearing quite the buzz, most fascinating is the families that gather around to watch it, and wanting it to count as family time.. sorta like going to a movie and counting it a date.. i?m not a talker during tv shows or movies, so for me watching a tv show or movie with people isn?t all that (cf. ?saving a movie? to watch with someone).. having said that, I do enjoy being with people when I watch something, but then again, I just enjoy being with people.. and of course, www.fox.com is all jammed up with traffic, so I can?t get to the site to take a look at all the hoopla.. if you?re tuning in to read something more pensive, thought provoking, and/or controversial, I don?t have an intense thought at the moment.. from private conversations I?m having lately, discovering that I?m somewhat of a ?controversial? figure, though on the whole spectrum of things, nothing that?ll get that major press coverage, expose?s, or excommunication..