Divinity Nerd

Registered yesterday, so I am officially, now, a seminarian. A divinity student. (That makes me think of the candy.) A ministerial student.

K-- asked me how it felt to be a seminarian. "Well, I feel about 1000 bucks lighter ..."

Got my first textbook -- Christian Theology, an introduction by Alister E. McGrath. Devoured the first chapter last night on the Patristic period last night. Reading about the debates that happened between 100-500 AD, that set up the Christian doctrine -- fascinating. Of course, being the heathen I am, I'm rooting for the heretics and seeing the "great Christian theologians" as the bad guys. But what great heretics! Like Justin Martyr, who saw Platonic philosophy and Christ's message as two different ways of finding the same wisdom. Completely shot down by Augustine, who was horrified by such talk. And then, the pig, he declared that all pre-Christian culture and thought was ripe for appropriation by saying that those pagans who came up with wisdom were stealing it from God's mine, since they used it for non-Christian purposes, so the Christians were correct in taking it back and using it for the power of good.

Oh, hell.

I'm a divinity nerd.