Why Seminary?

Luke Erickson, seminary student

Emmanuel School of Religion

 My name is Luke Erickson, and I am a second year student at Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, TN. I came from a Christian college and have a BA in Pastoral Leadership. After graduating with a degree that I had never planned to get, I went to seminary, a place that I had never planned to be. After all, everybody knows you don’t really need a graduate degree to be a minister. With a Bachelor’s degree, I was fully equipped to take on the world. Looking back, this reminds me of Junior High, when I was sure I knew everything. After High School, I was still convinced I had it all figured out. I hadn’t made much progress. But, even though I thought I didn’t need a Master’s degree, I finally liked school now. No longer was I in college just to play ball. Class was interesting, and I looked forward to going. Furthermore, searching for a job certainly lacked appeal, so I figured seminary sounded pretty good. “Hello Emmanuel School of Religion.”

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived, but I’d like to tell you what I have found here…

The first sermon we heard in chapel was from Dr. Hull, the academic dean. He pointed out that, at Emmanuel, there is a considerable distance between the library and the chapel, for they sit at opposite ends of the building. His purpose in highlighting the architecture was a metaphorical one. The student who does not let the experience in one room influence what happens in the other is in trouble. It is a mistake to fall in love with the chapel at the expense of the library. And assuming that knowledge about the Christian life can substitute for living the Christian life is equally dangerous. The message was clear: rigorous study and Christian worship are not to be separated. In fact, both are essential, and each enhances the other. Pretty deep stuff for the first day. I agreed with what Dean Hull said but still wondered how to bridge the gap.

And then I went to class…

Christian Tradition, Dr. Paul Blowers, Professor of Church History.

It didn’t take long for me to be impressed with his intellect or his credentials. I definitely went through the “being in awe of all my teachers” stage. Sure, Dr. Blowers can’t hide his Notre Dame pride, but he didn’t just stand up in class and wave his degree in front of us. He likes studying history. Weirdo? No. Knowledge for knowledge’s sake? No. He dives into it because he cares about the church. His conviction is evident in class. A student raised his hand one day and asked, “How do we incorporate the Great Tradition of the Church in our local churches today?” It was as if someone had bought Dr. Blowers a car. He was so thrilled that it was sinking in. He is committed outside of the classroom as well, leading the ministry for homeless people at Grandview Christian Church where I attend. This guy is not stuck in the library. He’s spending the night on a cot with homeless families in the church basement.

Intro to Christian Doctrine, Dr. Fred Norris, Professor of World Mission (retired).

I was reading a book for the class that Dr. Norris wrote, awestruck again. But, man, he fires me up. You certainly could not accuse him of lacking passion. I watched my notes turn into more of a devotional journal. It didn’t matter if the material was not going to be on the test, I just had to write it down. I pulled this quote: “Read as much as you want and gain as much knowledge as you can but never forget that God loves you. He loves everybody in the world and he wants to use you pastorally to evangelize the world.” I loved how he would dream and throw out questions like, “What if we built a seminary that was attached to a mentally handicapped home?” “Are we on vacation from the real world while we’re here?” “Are we building our churches in a way that enables us to actually do some nitty-gritty helping people?” It was enough to keep my mind going. The head spinning effect, though, did not set in until I took this next class.

Old Testament Introduction, Dr. Christopher Rollston, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Studies.

Another appropriate name for this course might be: “What Not to Say from the Pulpit.” (Seminary professors teach you a lot of ways to get fired). I remember walking into class thinking that there is no way he is going to rock my world again today. Of course, I was nearly always wrong. It was here that academia posed the greatest threat to faith. However, this was only for a time. The challenging material was presented by a churchman, someone who did not intend to tear down, but to reveal Truth. His aim was to magnify God, not erase Him. I had every reason to be impressed. Dr. Rollston is a top-of-the-line scholar who does archaeological digs in the Middle East and speaks at conferences all over the country. His finger is on the pulse of the academic world, but that’s not why I respect him. More noteworthy than all of that is his living faith. Dr. Rollston is a man of prayer. Weekly he preaches and teaches in the local church, and it was not beneath him to get on his hands and knees and help me and a friend redo some hardwood floors. Every once in a while he would put on his preacher’s hat in class and say, “Ok, where’s the rub?” He understands what we’re going through, because he has been there, too.

With every class I take, I encounter the same thing: incredible scholastic achievement complementing a passion for ministry. I don’t always know how Dr. Rollston bridges the gap between the faith-challenging academics and his commitment to Christ, but I do know that he does. Everybody here does.

As a result, I do not find myself with much of a choice. I am not on vacation. Last spring, I decided to get involved with the Interfaith Hospitality Network, the ministry for homeless families that Dr. Blowers serves with. I was only doing what I had been taught. It was here that I met Don, a single father with four kids and countless problems. He’s had some victories along the way, though, including recently getting an apartment for his family. I have tried hard to invest in a relationship with him and his kids that will last even though he is out of the program now. I’ve taken him to appointments, visited him in the hospital, and made some cigarette runs. Don is still a mess. But it is not my job to fix him, only to love him.

It’s fair to say that I don’t need a degree to minister to Don. He doesn’t care if I have an M. Div, a D. Min, or a PhD, but you know what…?

…If I didn’t come to Emmanuel to get my degree, I wouldn’t care about Don.