So it turns out that I have this passion to study the Old Testament. It also turns out that I’m a really huge geek who loves to spend hours studying all the intricacies of the text. I recently finished a paper on biblical Hebrew narrative discourse analysis… sounds boring, right? You would think so but as I said… turns out I’m a huge geek and I love it. So this is great, right? I love to study the Bible… what could possibly be the problem with that?
Here’s the problem. What happens when you get so lost in the details and intricacies of the text that you forget why you were doing this in the first place? Near the beginning of this semester somebody asked me why I’m doing what I’m doing… and my answer was this: “Because I love God and I feel like the Old Testament can teach me so much about who he is.” And that’s true. That’s the original motivation behind this academic pursuit.
In my last class of the semester we were having a discussion about this… about the number of evangelical biblical and theological professors who have lost sight of why they’re doing what they’re doing. And quite frankly it’s a little terrifying. I’m still so young and I have my whole life to get this right… but how many Old Testament professors started out just like me… digging into the biblical text because of a love for God… and then somewhere along the way got distracted by all the other stuff of academia… made a compromise here and there… and then eventually ended up teaching the Bible not out of a love for God but out of a love for what they, themselves had worked so hard to learn and discover.
I love to study the Old Testament. I really do. And I’m going to continue to pursue it. And maybe one day I’ll help students to love the OT the same way that my OT profs inspired me to love it. But I’m not going to lie… it’s a little bit scary.
Anybody have any thoughts?
December 14, 2007 at 2:54 am |
Sara, I really love the fact that you enjoy the Old Testament and are so passionate about it. I think we need more of you! I agree with you in that there are many professors who have started digging through the Old Testament because of their love for God but some how got lost in the ocean of academia… but there are professors who have not lost that passion and I think this OT professor I had this past semister is a great example. She was very honest with us and one day and related to us how some days she couldn’t remember why she was doing what she was doing, but she said that there would be other days when it would be completely the opposite, especially when she was in front of a class room, seeing the excitement and intrigue of those she was teaching. Those better days, she said, out numbered the bad, which is why she keeps doing what she does.
December 14, 2007 at 1:31 pm |
when you’re a prof i want to come to one whole semester of one of your classes okay? can i come for free if i bring you a coffee with lots of sugar everytime?
xox
December 18, 2007 at 6:48 pm |
Ummm… yah you can come. But don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just cause you’re my best friend. Oh… and not too much sugar in the coffee.
April 3, 2008 at 6:08 pm |
I think it’s really important to surround yourself with people who have the same desire — to remind you that you share the same purpose and motivation.
Kinda like how this blog is a reminder to me!
M