For All the Naysayers

I will probably not have a post like this again, but I think this is one of those issues that overwhelmed me before I was leaving to come here and I feel that perhaps this morning's experience may best be able to address it.

Around Princeton, it is almost an running inside joke that many of us that before we came to this institution, were told that we were going to lose our faith at Princeton, all of our professors were going to attempt to break down our faith, and we need to hold firm to orthodoxy lest our classes steal it away from us. During orientation, one of the incoming professors made reference to it and we laughed about it. When talking to students, we expressed our common experience that it was one of the things we were told to be weary of.

This morning in chapel - which I might add is daily, though not required - one of my professors spoke the service's message. Though he wasn't specifically answering this question, I think it was very pertinent. His name is Dr. Darrell Guder and he is in the doctrinal theology department with a specialty in missions. In the middle of his sermon, he told us a story about the first seminary he taught at (not Princeton). I will try to paraphrase what he said:

"On one of my first day on campus, I went to the chapel service. In that service, there were more people who were leading the service than actually participating in it. And so I went to my first class right after chapel and saw how many students there were, I decided that I would bring this to their attention. I talked about how it was a privilege to be a part of a worshiping community and that the students should take advantage of that opportunity to worship in the midst of study, and I was really pouring it on. And as I was speaking, one of the students spoke up and, 'Professor Guder, we're here for the academics; faith has nothing to do with why we are here.'"

I think what has shocked me most since I've been here - since the first time I visited the campus - is that my professors and classmates have the attitude that faith is vital to our life here at the seminary. I think in almost every single one of my classes, at some point the professors have said explicitly that we are going to be pastors and ministers and that everything we do must been seen in light of that. And that story this morning in chapel struck me as another example of what my professors think about their role here: they are not here simply to be academics and show us how faith is infantile. On the contrary, they are very concerned about what our education means later when we are ministers in congregations, chaplain in hospitals, or teachers in colleges of seminaries.

Now, I realize that this doesn't mean there aren't those professors who are not in that same vein. Some professors who may have other agendas. I have yet to meet one here, but I know other students have had professors that did not have that philosophy in mind. However, that seems to be more of the minority rather than the majority.

Just thought I would share that. I'll write another update soon.