Church Change

Well, I have my Supervised Field Education assignment for the coming year.  I can’t divulge precisely where it is until I’ve had the opportunity to chat with the senior pastor, but it will be a dramatic change from my home-fellowship.  There is little doubt that this coming year will be extremely challenging, since it will deal heavily with practical matters.  I’m more of an academic teacher than a pastor.  I’d much rather be teaching a class on Church history or 2nd century gnostics and their impact on orthodox doctrinal development than sitting at the bedside of a person recovering from surgery.

But that’s what education is all about!  I’m here to learn new things, not to snuggle in deeper to my comfortable places.  This past year, Greek was my big challenge, and I managed that fairly well.  This fall, it’ll be practical ministry.  Speaking of which, here’s that sermon I wrote for my Intro to Preaching course (The Christian Habit [PDF]).  It’s my very first sermon ever, so be gentle with me should you choose to offer constructive criticism. 

Intelligence

Today in my Psychology discussion group, we’re going to be talking about “intelligence.”  Here’s a nice little 30-minute video discussing the basic points: Watch Intro to Psychology: Intelligence

UPDATE: So we talked about Howard Gardner’s “multiple intelligences” theory, which I basically reject.  Firstly, it cannot be accurately measured.  Secondly, his “intelligences” (many of them, more accurately classified as “talents”) are little more than a politically correct alternative to the older methodologies which clearly favoured logic-based, Western ideologies.  Those methodologies led to racial and cultural bias in test results, and Garnder’s theory offered a politically correct alternative in during America’s Reagan era.  Thirdly, one has to ask the question, “What is the practical application?”  In my view, the only practical application is for educators to better meet the needs of their students.  We do not need to call it “intelligence” however in order to recognize that people learn more effectively when you meet them where they are, rather than where you are (or want to be).  As a Christian educator, that’s simple common sense.  I believe the theory of “Learning Styles” is more functional in meeting this need.

Even though I personally don’t really buy into this particular theory, I think it’s definitely on the right track, so to speak.  People aren’t easily quantifiable variables, and we have to recognize that, for example, the fact that my wonderful wife is brilliant with numbers, and I’m as dumb as a brick with them doesn’t nessesarily mean she’s “better, worse, or identical” to me in terms of intelligence.  It just means God has bestowed her with certain gifts that He didn’t bestow on me.  I, however, can sort of play the harmonica, while she can’t.  One might say I have “blowing through little holes” smarts!

What’s in a name?

I just got off the phone with the president of my seminary who asked me to make some changes to a certain website I’d created.  I put together a message board, as I often do when I see an unfilled need, for ADC students to communicate.  As with most of my web-apps, I simply slap up a “proof of concept” and hope that someone will see the benefit of it and want to adopt it, or something like that.  I’ve taken it offline because, as our president rightly pointed out, it’s impossible to separate someone’s personal post from the seminary in the mind of the reader if the name of the seminary is on the site.

His concern was very reasonable and I, of course, acquiesced immediately.  He just asked that the name of the university be removed, but I chose to take it offline altogether.  The college absolutely must protect their name and public image, and I hope I will be able to lend a hand in that task in the future.  Hopefully ADC or the ADC Student Union will pursue a similar concept, and perhaps I’ll lend a hand with it.  That’s neither here nor there, because there’s some better news.  The new ADC website is finally up!  Go check it out: http://adc.acadiau.ca