Look at all those books!

I once heard someone say that there are as many theologies in the world as there are people. If seminary doesn't confirm this for you then I don't know what will. In my first day of classes as a senior at Luther this fact has never seemed truer. (So far I feel like I've read just about as many theology books as there are people in the world at any rate! Just look at all of those books, and that's only half of one of our three bookshelves!!! Not all of them have been required reading over the last few years, but quite a big chunk of them have come from the good old Augsburg Fortress bookstore!) The more I read and talk with people, the more I appreciate what a wide range of beliefs there are even in my own denomination. And these differences come to the surface very quickly in the Luther classroom! I hope that this is a healthy thing, and not just an excuse to prove to each other how "right" we are.

Most of the time I think that having differing opinions is a great thing. I love a good debate as much as the next person. In fact, I grew up in a household where intellectual banter on music, philosophy, literature, religion, politics--pretty much any topic we could think of--was a common occurence at the dinner table. My brother and I especially were probably arguing simply to get on each other's nerves. He annoyed me then, to say the least, but looking back on it he probably helped to teach me a valuable lesson. Debate, the exchanging of ideas, offers us an opportunity to learn from each other, to witness how two people can read the exact same material--take John 3:16 for instance--and have completely opposite interpretations. That's because none of us live in a vacuum. Each of us come from distinct communities and have had unique experiences that form us into the people we are today. We all have a context from which we study theology and do ministry. Even the name "Lutheran" does not have one clear, universally accepted definition. It's both frustrating and challenging, as well as a good reminder for me that none of us can know it all. I think it is actually a very good thing to question why we believe what we believe. Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox. You'd think I want to be a preacher or something!