big names

One of the cool things about studying here is that Columbia has some rather big names. Today I got the chance to interact with two of the biggest - Brian Wren and Walter Brueggemann.

First off, Brian Wren is retiring, and today he preached his last sermon in chapel. He had a stroke last year, and that has forced him to take things slowly. The sermon was pretty much on death, but said far more beautifully and eloquently than i will ever manage. For Brian, God has not chosen to give him the gift of certainty and full assurance about life (and death). Some people he knows are so certain of their faith. But, if God had gifted him in that way, then the only hymn he would ever be able to write is
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine."
before he would have to shut the book and put down his pen. However, without this faith, his gift is to question, and think, and search, and lament. He has this become one of the most published and prolific of modern hymn writers, with his work published in hymnals all over the world. It was a moving, honest and hopeful sermon, and i saw him at coffee hour and thanked him for it. He also made an interesting remark about resurrection. Whatever the next world is to be, it won't be full of 'individualistic North Americans walking in the heavenly mall looking for fashion accessories.' He is who he is because of so many people, and in the resurrected life people will be just as intertwined and connected as they are today. I like that!

Community Softball and picnic on the seminary fields

I saw Walter Brueggemann (or 'Wally' as some students affectionately call him) at the community softball game last week, and asked him if i could come by and chat. He agreed, and today i popped into his office armed with a bunch of questions. I can't remember all that i asked, or all that he answered. A lot of it was over my head, and with no shared stories it felt a bit like an interview. Anyway, I liked what i understood, and think it will be a good idea to read some of his 55 books (correction: the count is up to 80 books now!), especially considering he is widely regarded as the foremost Old Testament theologian in the world! His name is more widely known than Columbia TS itself.

So, what did he say?
I asked him about where he sees the church going, and, after saying it's direction has to change, he directed me to his latest book on the contemporary church. A burning question of mine was how (and why) he reads the Bible. Social-historical criticism reading of the Bible has made it very tasteless for me, to the point that i hardly read anymore. Walter rather uses rhetorical criticism, and situates the text in our experiences. The really neat switch is that he sees God as a developing character in the text. When i brought up the problem of violence in the Old Testament, his reply is that God is a 'recovering violent-person' (as in 'recovering alcoholic.') This means that God did sanction violence in the past, but is 'recovering' and becoming more fully God. The 'fully-God' characteristics are the words we often see in the Bible such as mercy, steadfast love, grace etc. Those then are the attributes we are to try live into too, as we (also characters in the story) become more fully human. As to why he reads the Bible? It is the only text of its kind that explicitly speaks of the Divine. And it is our text. Finally, to answer 'What is the point of this all?' he used a Jewish phrase and says we are to 'mend the world'. Hooray for old, clever professors!

dinner and dance

I'm recovering from a rather full weekend. Matt was visiting for the weekend, and there were numerous social engagements (most of them at our house). There is still a little bit of beer left in the keg on our patio. It was a fun weekend!

I like to live reflectively, and when i stop and, well, reflect, it is very interesting to see what precipitates thoughts and questions in me. Two thought provoking instances this weekend:

On Saturday i went to a party at 'Mamma C's' house. She is the matron at the dining hall on campus, and it was a wonderful experience. I tried to rave to hip-hop music and it didn't go too well. Mamma C and her family were very welcoming to all the nervous white seminary students, and she wouldn't let us leave without taking some food home. The hospitality and generosity reminded me so much of African people back home.
Although i constantly feel a little bit of a foreigner in the US, the feeling was heightened at the party, and I came home frustrated at the inevitable misunderstandings that occur when different cultures interact. It reminded me of the differences that so coloured my life back in SA. I guess i wish everyone could just relate, and understand each other. It is painful to think that as hard as i try, i will always be a stranger at some level to any culture other than my own. I did however rather enjoy being in a 'white minority' again.

Last night my housemates and some friends and I went to a very larney restaurant: Two. urban licks. We had a wonderful time with plenty of laughs and good food. The decor was great and I especially liked the way they had used the industrial space. But, overall I found I was not that impressed. I was surprised by this. I guess i just don't really do 'high culture' food. Maybe i think all the money isn't worth it, and I can get better value somewhere else? Not really sure. One thing I know is that we ate a lot of food, and I really don't like the feeling of having eaten too much. It reminds me of Mbiti's pertinent and searing thoughts about the theology of food I guess. Maybe I'm also too thrifty, and need to celebrate more. Would I do it again? Possibly. If i could save up first. If we went on a Friday or Saturday when there was live music. If we ate less and got wine instead of the 'infusions'.

(I had a similar 'disappointment' with good food at the monastery in New Mexico. All i wanted was soup and bread. I got a three course meal with salad each day. Sometimes even wine. What a shame!)

The Lunch Diaries... 1,2 & 3

When I worked at Randpark Ridge United, the highlight of my first 3 months there was having coffee with one of my youth leaders. Inspired by that memory, and to get the most out of my time here, I have been having some lunches/coffees/chats with interesting people here too.
Here then are the up-to-date Lunch Diaries Of Gareth Beyers:

Lunch 3: Chris Henry (student) - Tues 12 Dec
(Pic: Chris, Elizabeth & Kendall camping outside Chic-Fil-A in 2005)
We'd been trying to get in touch for ages, and finally scheduled an appointment during exam week (yesterday). Chris showed me a neat sushi place, and we spoke for an hour and a bit, before having to get back to write papers. He has interesting connections to Maake Masango, and would like to come to SA sometime. At Duke he got to know Peter Storey very well. Chris enjoys Hauerwas' virtue ethic, works at a homeless shelter twice a week, likes Paul's apocalyptic, and is rather clever. His explanation for why the Presby church here is dwindling: Presby's have fewer kids (and those that aren't born aren't retained well in the church). We will chat again next semester.

Lunch 2: David Bartlett (Professor) - 28 Nov
This was one of the best days that I'd had here so far. David has a great beard, a quick sense of humour and a great laugh! He was very gracious in wanting to hear my story, and in sharing his. He is a NT prof, though lectured Homiletics at Yale where he was for many years. We spoke about pivotal moments in his life, the CTS community and its atmosphere, honest struggles with faith, and balancing ministry and teaching as callings. He asked if I was a firstborn, and he thinks that there is a strong link between firstborn kids and calling to ministry. He is also very good friends with big name theologians like Wayne Meeks and Miroslav Volf, though he tries not to name drop;)

Lunch 1: Greg Simms (student) - 11 Nov
Greg had been making some very interesting remarks in my Jesus & the NT class, so I told him I'd be interested to chat to him. He thought the same of me too! We met for a breakfast on a Saturday in Decatur. Greg is married to Gina and they have just fallen pregnant with their first child! He worked in NGO organisations (helping resettle refugees) for a few years before meeting Gina and coming to CTS. He is a member of the Nazarene church, and working out where and how to take this degree. We spoke of church struggles, moving denominations, NGO opportunities, theology and married life. Greg thinks that the church needs to be involved in practical things on the ground, and not just 'spiritual matters'.

(Disclaimer - i have had many more meals than this, but often with groups, or with close friends, and they are rarely as theologically focussed as these are. Just in case my friends think they are not interesting enough;)