Why Duke

This summer I am taking a course on the Pastoral Epistles at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS). This course will complete my degree. I am glad to be near the end. It is interesting that I am finishing my degree in way where I began, perhaps there is some irony in this. I began my seminary training at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). If you are not familiar with Southern Baptist Life there are six denominational schools. New Orleans, Golden Gate, Southwestern, Southern, Midwestern, and Southeastern. After a year at New Orleans I transferred. Today at SEBTS I was reminded of why I left New Orleans. I should first note there are many things I liked about New Orleans, and that I appreciate at Southeastern. I especially appreciate the devotion and commitment of the students. There is a piety that feels both familiar and comfortable to me. The students seem to have a great commitment to serve the church. Being in this community reminds me of the great appreciation I have for SBC life. And yet when I go into class it all changes. The professor and students spend at least half the class time talking about the potential false teachings that could emerge from some potential reading of a scripture passage. The professor in his wisdom asserts the ability to divine the motives the under gird variant readings. There is absolutely no questioning of the professors’ opinion. Today I was unable to keep from probing what seemed to me to be a questionable deduction. The professor became quite agitated and asked heatedly several times if he had answered my question. I had this same kind of experience at NOBTS. At NOBTS one encounter ended with a professor asking me to stand on my desk and flap my arms. It should come as no surprise that there is very little questioning of professors. No school is perfect obviously and there are many things I could identify as weaknesses about Duke. Today has reminded me to appreciate the learning environment at Duke. This environment fosters the probing of ideas. At the two SBC seminaries I have now attended there seems to be an initial fear to any questioning like that of an over protective parent who will not let anyone touch their child for fear of germs. Two more weeks, two long weeks.