Activism Reflections

The semester is finally done. I feel like I am coming out of a comma. The past couple weeks have been kinda difficult but not at all in the way I would have liked. I really don’t feel that seminary has been challenging to me in the way that I was hoping for. It may have been the combination of classes that I took. I feel like I was asked to do a lot of reflection and not much real scholarship. I suppose that could be due to McCormick’s emphasis on ordained ministry. The ironic part is that all the reflection on my call and understanding of the work and ministry of the Church in the world took the place of the few things that I was doing to actually do some of that work in the world. Both a startup Eco-stewardship group and my scant involvement with the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq both were put on hold when things got going.  I found that I had to put down these things in order to get work done.  I also found it hard to split my focus between schoolwork and activism.  The first is a question of priorities. It is unfortunate that I have the choose between family, school and justice work.  The second concern is a tendency that I feel needs to be overcome more by myself and my fellow seminary students.   Talking to some of the more experienced students, including my graduated wife, it seems there is a lacking within the most recent class of the juice to do activism.  Many of the groups that had been started in years past have faltered and disintegrated.  Sometimes that needs to happen.  Sometimes it is because participants do not care enough to keep it going.  Different classes seem to have different cultures.  The activist culture of McCormick was something that I felt last year and really liked.  I guess I did not like it enough to dig in, get involved and keep it going.

~ by ajdele on December 18, 2007.