Properly indoctrinated?
Am I "a properly indoctrinated Marxist Brite graduate . . . probably coming to pastor a church near you"?I've never found Marxist theory to be particularly helpful for my own theologizing. But I am a liberationist thinker. And that's a consciously chosen viewpoint, not the result of indoctrination.
So the characterization above probably isn't accurate.
Even so, I wish I had written what another former Brite student said yesterday about the school's affirmation of its decision to honor Jeremiah Wright.
It's amusing to read blogs and comments about Brite and see how the place is characterized by those who disagree.
Truth is, Brite never felt particularly "liberal" to me. Certainly, it was socially progressive and progressive in terms of scholarship--but I always found my theological education rather mainstream, compared to what I was reading and exploring on my own.
God's church, that community of those called out, is a wonderfully diverse place. That's what makes it so dynamic and so frustrating. Brite reflects that broader diversity.
The differing perspectives in the classroom--where students ranged from conserving and evangelical to progressive and insurrectionist--made my education there rich, engaging, and occasionally frustrating. Faculty (mostly) did a great job of modeling how to engage differing perspectives.
My experiences there prepared me wonderfully for the range of perspectives I would encounter in the local church and in denominational gatherings. I'm grateful for that.
.: Posted by Duane Bidwell on Thursday, March 20, 2008