Aug. 19, 2005
Aug. 22, 2005

Aug. 20-21,2005, weekend

Starting Tuesday, I'm going to be auditing a class in Christian history at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kan.

CentralbapCentral is an American Baptist institution, though its students come from a wide variety of denominations, including my own, the Presbyterian Church (USA).

I thought it might be interesting to share with you some of the books and other material we're using in the class. And, as time goes on, I also may share some things I'm learning.

I've never attended a seminary, except to take a lay theology course or two at Colgate Rochester Divinity School (now Colgate Rochester Crozer) in the late 1960s. Those classes were essentially forums open to any citizen. And I'm not taking this Central Baptist class for course credit. But I hope to stay up with the reading and I hope to learn a lot.

We're using three text books plus a compact disk called "Christian History Tutor," produced by Luther Productions. The textbooks are: Christianity: A Global History, by David Chidester; Readings in Christianity, by Robert E. Van Voorst, and Reclaiming Our Roots: An Inclusive Introduction to Church History, Vol. 1, by Mark Ellingsen.

I've had a chance to read a little of the Chidester book and to look through some of the tutorial disk. The disk looks like a great tool that would be useful for anyone who wants a quick resource on the development of the faith.

It will seem a little odd to be returning to the classroom at age 60, but I'm really looking forward to it. And I'll try now and then to pass along things I'm learning.

See my About page to find out how to read online what I've written for The Kansas City Star.

Comments

Ruth Stokes

You bring back good memories of Hyde Park Chicago where I grew up. Most of my parents social group (parents of Univerity lab school students) were not involved with churches. Note when they asked the Supreme court justices about their religeon, Justice Stevens who came from H.P. just said "Protestant".

On the rare occasions we went to any church, it was the Hyde Park (American) Baptist Church. When the pastor (Mr.Schloerb) maried us, he said he was an evengelical minister. He was one of the authors of a joint hymnal put out by the American Baptists and the Disciples. Since some are unitarians, they purged many trinitarian phrases.
.."and blessed trinity" became
"and blessed eternally". Many other hymnals with trinity back in have replaced the hymnal.

The lines between Amrican Baptist, UCC and Disciples are rapidly vanishing. The HP church has taken in some UCC congregations and maybe Disciple and is now the HP Community Church. UCC and Disciple recognize dual ordination of miniters. How is it with the American Baptists?

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