Man, I really need to come up with more exciting titles for my blog entries…yeeikes. Anyhoo…
I, by nature, am not a particularly ‘reflective’ individual. On any given day I’ll consume information from sources ranging from systematic theology textbooks, Bible commentaries, and other random theology books to NPR, The New York Times, cnn.com, and a litany of blogs on various topics. I’m somewhat of an information junkie…to a fault. I’m an information junkie who often struggles to think deeply about things that I read and things that I learn, simply because often it’s easier to just insert new information rather than consider the implications of ‘old’ information.
It’s for that reason that I’m happy that for the next few weeks I will be a part of a Theological Reflection Group up at Fuller as part of my Field Education. Field Education, for the record, has thus far been quite the thorn in my side because it has consisted of me paying Fuller nearly a month’s salary for me to have my job and then fill out obnoxious paper work chronicling my experience. Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. The group meetings basically consist of group members reading “case studies” of real life ministry situations they have faced that raised important theological issues or forced them to make difficult decisions. The six people in the group then discuss the issue, consider the theological implications, and try to discuss possible courses of action. We meet on Wednesdays from 1-3, and to be honest, at 1:30 yesterday I thought, “my time could be spent far better doing something else.” Translation: “I want new information, I don’t want to think and reflect anymore.” But as I forced myself to stay in the moment and maintain some level of intellectual engagement, the value of the discussion (and the foolishness of my prior disposition) began to crystallize. So I settled in for the long haul, and an hour and a half later I left happy, having spent time in substantive theological discussion with six total strangers who are, just like me, trying to do ministry in a theologically sound, authentic, personal, compassionate, God-honoring way.
I don’t do stuff like that nearly enough.
I, like I said, am not a particularly reflective individual.
And yet I recognize that there is something to be said for approaching issues and situations in life and requiring ourselves to think deeply about implications and courses of action. Even yesterday, I was given space to think about important real life issues, and how those issues can be addressed in the context of the faith community. I guess I feel that an unfortunate by-product of my obsession with new information is that a scant portion of that information is actually formative in any way. I wonder if that is true of society as a whole? We are drowning in information, and yet our souls remain thirsty because contemplation and reflection is seldom, if ever, urgent, particularly in a world of deadlines, jobs, relationships, projects, sermons, etc.
I’m not really sure how to take the experience of participating in the Theological Reflection Group and generalizing it to my everyday life. I do know that theologically there is a depth and an intimacy that can be found in a reflective, meditative, communal, contemplative relationship with God that is all too often lost in our rough and tumble world.
