The other day I got an email from a friend about how he was getting frustrated and tired of reading books and hearing lectures on Eurocentric theology and church history. He wanted to have some color injected into his Bible college and seminary education.
It’s a story I’m all too familiar with. At the end of seminary most people are screaming to the top of their lungs: Let me out!!! But they press on anyway because they know they have a calling and they know this is the path God has them on in order to equip them. This is even more true for those students who are of non white ethnicity. The seminary is a far cry from their home culture and the things taught there are taught from a mostly white historical and theological perspective. Consequently you can feel like you are being brainwashed or indoctrinated into whiteness or at the very least just made to feel like an oddball or invisible based on the fact of your experience being different from a lot of the other students. I’ve been there. And I would have lost my mind if it weren’t for these principles working themselves out in my life intentionally or unintentionally.
1. Remember why you are there
You are there because you are called. You are there because you want to soak up the knowledge to make you effective in ministry. You are there to connect with like minded folk who may one day partner with you in ministry. Do not let the overwhelming whiteness take you off course. Learn. Soak it in. Grow.
2. Make two sets of notes
There are two sets of notes to take. Notes for the paper you will write and notes for yourself (Shout out to MK Asante). Some things will be helpful for your academic career but other things will help as you take your seminary training back home.
3. Find the alternative books
When I first started at Fuller seminary I had the privilege of working in the library. As I put the books back on the shelves I learned about James Cone and Gustavo Gutierrez and so many others. I began reading those books even before I started classes because they spoke from a perspective I understood and was familiar with. Just the exposure alone helped me to tackle some of the lack of diversity I was experiencing.
4. Find like minded students
There is always at least a handful of students of color on any campus. If you can’t find students of color then there are many white students who understand where you are coming from. Reach out and connect. It may be the best thing you have ever done.
5. Find like minded professors
In an attempt to make their faculties more diverse most seminaries and Christian universities have hired at least two or three non white professors who teach from a different perspective. Go and take their classes if you have the opportunity. If you can’t take their classes then find some way to connect with them. They understand your experience and are rooting for your success. Personally I found Dr. Ralph Watkins and Dr. Jehu Hanciles. Just their teaching and course content helped me to not lose my mind!
6. Ask questions to provoke
Don’t just sit in class like a lump on a log. Ask questions. Provoking questions. Not solely to cause trouble. Ask questions from your unique ethnic and socio-economic perspective. It will not only bless you but also those in class around you who may be going into these contexts or just those who need to have their world expanded
7. Keep a vital and dynamic relationship with God
Last but not least. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop reading your Bible. This isn’t about ethnicity remember. This is about God’s calling on your life.
What about you do you have any other tips to include? What was your experience in seminary like? How did you keep from losing your mind?
photo credit: Wyoming_Jackrabbit via photopin cc
