Friday, July 22, 2005

What will we do with them?

Because of what I've been writing about my internship woes, someone else has been emailing me privately about her seminary-finding woes. This gal went to a conservative Christian school for undergrad and after graduating she came out. Now she feels called to seminary, to be able to get a PhD and teach eventually.

Here's what she says:
My biggest problem has been finding a conservative school that I could make it through. Schools that welcome gay students are too "off the deep end," as you say, and schools that have a solid, Biblically based program don't welcome gay students. It's quite the dilemma.

Which is why, with the options that have been presented me, I'm more readily considering a school that has a more conservative bent... even if they don't want me. :) I want a school with a good program, solid Biblical teaching and a good reputation.

*sigh*

She's willing to hide and pretend to be what she is not just so she can learn about Jesus from people who believe in him.

What will we do with these GLBT Christians who seek authentic Christian teaching? They don't want to go to a liberal school...they are still evangelical, even. But they're gay, so they're out of the club. Where can they go? This is going to become more and more an issue. The evangelical church cannot hide forever from the hurting same-sex oriented in their midst.

8 comments:

Karen Sapio said...

I wonder if she isn't being a bit closed-minded regarding non-evangelical seminaries. Sure, there are some ultra-liberal seminaries out there, but there are also schools with a good mix of professors from a broad range of theological perspectives where she could live openly and find theological kindred spirits among the faculty and student body. It seems rather judgemental to say that if you aren't at a conservative school "you won't be learning about Jesus from people who believe in him." But maybe her main frustration is that she would not be welcome at the conservative schools that would otherwise be her first choice.

Anonymous said...

ven if they don't want me. :) I want a school with a good program, solid Biblical teaching and a good reputation.

If they're not welcoming to gay students, they're not practicing good Christianity, no matter how "solid" their "biblical teaching" might seem.

Anonymous said...

Are we allowed to put in a plug for our own institutions? Has she considered PTS?

LutheranChik said...

I'm wondering what's so off the wall about, say, our ELCA or ECUSA seminaries. What is your friend's theological line in the sand, so to speak?

Cosmicdancer: Good point.

Stasi said...

Yes please post your institution or ones you like. And purechristian, the line you quoted was mine, not hers. It was a dig at the Jesus seminar types.

Yvette In English said...

I second the praise for GTU -- she could choose which seminary to affiliate with. I'd also suggest Yale Divinity: great Bible scholars, ecumenical (I'd venture to call it mainstream, with a bunch of different kinds of faithful Christians), and LGBT accepting.

revhipchick said...

here's a plug for Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO. It's not a big school with lots of bucks behind it but we have some great professors--Warren Carter is an amazing New Testament scholar--amazing! It's worth checking out.

Chad said...

You might also suggest some of the Boston area schools - BU (Methodist) and Andover-Newton (Baptist/UCC) come to mind. BC is also a really great theology department in a Jesuit institution. Best of all, Boston has the best theological consortium arrangement in the country (so someone at AN or BU could take classes from people at places like Harvard, if desired).