Okay, so I only have 60 newsletters to mail out every month, but still – it’s something that I’m not going to miss when I go to PTS. At least it’s nice to know that the kids actually look forward to their monthly newsletter and read the entire thing [wait, that’s right, kids don’t read it…damn. Oh well].
So, what is in a call? I’ve had some people ask me about Princeton – why I’m going – what my “call” is [the term “call” is such an elusive one, an enigma anyway – so I think it’s a hard question to answer]. So…why seminary? Why Princeton?
Why seminary? There are many perspectives on why to get a seminary education. I had a professor once tell me that one should never go to seminary unless they have a clear call to the ministry. During my 4-year email friendship with RJ (Dr. Robert Jacks, a Princeton seminary professor who passed away the summer of 2002), he made it quite clear that he believed everyone could benefit from a seminary education, whether you had a real “call” or not. I don’t think there is just one reason to go to seminary. I feel that God has placed a call on my life – a call to minister to people, people on the fringe. I don’t think that call is clear though. It still needs to be fleshed out. And that’s one thing I’m excited about doing at Princeton – continuing to discern my call, through internships, courses, mentoring, etc. Why seminary? I want to learn more. I want to discern my call. I want to be in community with people.
Why Princeton? Well, there are some obvious reasons. $$$. They have a large endowment, and 80% of their students get full-tuition. So, it’s not going to kill me financially. It’s a quality education. Princeton is – well, Princeton. Some people think “Yah, Princeton is all heady—all head knowledge – forget about the heart. You’re going to leave Princeton with a bunch of crappy knowledge but you’re not going to love Jesus any more.” Sure, that could happen. Do I plan on that happening? No. From what I experienced while on campus, and from what I’ve heard from friends who are currently there, that is not the case. Sure, you could let that happen, but you could let it happen at Fuller, Denver or Regent too. Princeton is on the east coast, and I’ve never lived there – that’s exciting to be within an hour of New York and Philadelphia. While visiting the campus over a month ago, it just “felt” right – we’ve all had those experiences with different places (undergrad schools when we were prospective students, camps, etc.) – I know it is going to be a challenging place, but a good place for me. I don’t expect to leave Princeton the same person (spiritually, emotionally or theologically) as who I am now – and I’m excited for that.