Sherman on the Mount: My Blind Friend

In the past week, I've been spending some time on the mountain, going into the aboriginal villages with a brother who works among them. Just to learn more about their lives and to observe how their indigenous pastors are functioning in their communities. Such trips always have a strange effect on me; it's usually not so much about the impact I create in those places, but rather, the impact they create on me.

I can't stop thinking about the 3 year-old blind boy who shouted with so much glee when we sang "God is So Good" because he knew that song in his language. And when we asked him if he thought God was good, he answered so affirmatively, "Tuhan baik!" I have my eyesight, and yet I've often failed to be so affirmative about God's goodness. I have much to learn about simplicity. In many ways, I trust God; but that little boy entrusts himself to God in such a real way that challenges me at the very core of my understanding of life and faith. God help me.

Increasingly, I'm also beginning to see that the seminary model we're providing doesn't cater very well for the formation of their indigenous pastors. Beyond learning theology as an intellectual exercise, they need to learn how to construct toilets, dig graves, make coffins, medicate the sick, and such - and they don't seem to be able to learn these things from the seminary. Also, much of our philosophical articulations of theology are very alien to them, as they come from cultures that thrive on oral tradition and storytelling. I hope, in the near future, to be able to work together with my friend there in his effort to establish a small training school for their indigenous pastors.

I'm still thinking through some pertinent issues regarding this possibility. There seems to be a growing conviction in me that something like this should be run by an indigenous person, not someone like me. So I'm thinking of how I can best take on a facilitating role to raise someone up from within that tribe, who has been through sufficient theological education, to run a school like that. We need to let the gospel take root within its cultural context. This is probably something urban Christians need to take seriously in our mission endeavours, lest we approach other societies with unnecessary cultural impositions.

And all these thoughts have been brewing within me just because I met a new friend, a 3-year old boy who's blind, and who taught me that God is good. I want to do something for his people because he has done so much for me.

Comments (3)

Hi Sherman,

Thanks for the interesting post. How would you design a seminary curriculum that goes "Beyond learning theology as an intellectual exercise, they need to learn how to construct toilets, dig graves, make coffins, medicate the sick, and such - and they don't seem to be able to learn these things from the seminary. Also, much of our philosophical articulations of theology are very alien to them, as they come from cultures that thrive on oral tradition and storytelling." It is will be interesting to have your thots on this.

Posted by Alex Tang | December 7, 2006 1:56 AM

Hi Dr Tang! Welcome back! (I take it you ARE back?) Trust you had a good trip to Europe.

I honestly do think there's something very deficient about the intellect-biased model of our seminaries today. I feel a better alternative would be for teachers and students to live together and to share life together so that a more holistic formation can take place. In the midst of all this life-sharing, a formation of the head (intellectual reflection), the heart (spirituality), and the hands (vocational skills) can take place more effectively. This model calls for more "secure" teachers who actually have something to model in their lives.

Also, separating the students from their ministerial environments for 3 or 4 years is a bad idea. I'd rather opt for, say, half the time together and half the time in the field every day. Something like that. When necessary, the teacher should be willing/able to go with the students into the field to observe, demonstrate, and help in their reflection.

These are just some preliminary thoughts. I think it's unlikely that we can do much to change our urban seminaries, which seem to be drifting further and further away from the local realities of ecclesiastical life. But for the indigenous people, perhaps we can still do something. After all, what does a formal seminary degree mean to them?

Would appreciate your views on this matter...

Posted by sk | December 10, 2006 11:35 PM

I agree with you that there is a much needed reform in our seminary curiculuum. It is not that the seminarians are not aware of it. Discussions of seminary reforms have been going on; through and froth for the last 20 years!

Unfortunately, there is a pull for seminaries to be like universities. Hence the emphasis on intellectual development. This pull is very strong at present. Academic emphasis takes up most resources.

Some educationists such as Dr. Brian Hill has suggested a sandwich curriculum where the practicum is sandwiched between academic studies.

Church based seminaries are more inclined to training in situ.

Unfortunately, most seminaries and Bible schools takes the student out of the 'real world' into an artificial environment purportedly for 'spiritual formation'. The downside to this is that the graduates are out of touch with the real world and have a lot of problems readjusting to their reentry and their first ministries.

It is not more thoughts are needed to reform the semianry curriculum but the will and the power to make it happen.

Posted by Alex Tang | December 11, 2006 12:05 PM