I am excited to announce that my friends and fellow bloggers Rodney Thomas and Celucien Joseph have launched a new blog project called “Intercultural Theology: Theological Education and Cultural Inclusion”. This blog will attempt to address the marginalization of minorities in mainstream and evangelical Christian education institutions (e.g. seminaries; universities). Rodney writes,
“I suspect those in evangelical and mainline seminary who are racial minorities are marginalized not only by the sheer lack of numbers population-wise in those circles but also when it comes to Euro-centric pedagogies, theological textbooks, and cultural assumptions of staff and faculty, the experience at times can be hurtful. This is a project longtime in the making but we feel that it is the right time for it, for an intelligent discussion on race relations and theological education.”
I think this is a worthwhile endeavor and it will hopefully also address gender exclusion, and other forms of exclusion, that are both conscious and subconscious amongst us. Too often we hide behind so-called “doctrinal fidelity” in order to prevent the other from coming into our midst. My assumption is that most of the time, if we think about it, doctrine is hardly the heart of the matter. So bookmark this blog, hear the stories, and contribute your own. It is time we discuss this serious matter openly and this can become just the place to do it!
October 19, 2010 at 9:36 am
What do you mean? It almost seems like you’re saying that minorities (or women, I guess?) are being excluded from seminary (?). Is that what you’re saying?
October 19, 2010 at 9:46 am
Nick,
It is hard to say whether or not minorities and women are being excluded from seminary enrollment as students, though I wouldn’t be surprised, but I have no doubts that employment as faculty is a serious hurdle for minorities and women (for many women this is compacted because so many schools don’t allow women to teach theology).
October 19, 2010 at 9:57 am
Really? You have no doubts about that? I have plenty. I’m willing to bet that schools have limited numbers of minorities teaching because schools have limited numbers of minorities graduating and going into teaching. In other words, my suspicion is that it’s all relative and there’s really nothing (or very little at least) sinister going on.
I can understand not allowing women to teach theology in denominational schools where they don’t allow women to teach in their churches. I think they’re wrong about that but that does seem to be true doctrinal fidelity. But I can’t say that I’m aware of any sseminary in the US that excludes women as students. Do you know of any?
October 19, 2010 at 10:00 am
I do know of some who exclude women from the MDIV. I believe The Master’s Seminary doesn’t allow women in the MDIV. I am not sure if Westminster does or not.
I agree that there is a cycle of lack of minority student –> lack of minority graduates –> lack of minority faculty prospects available –> lack of minority professors. That being said, that final point, for better or worse, often resumes the beginning of the cycle. It is hard for a minority to want to commit to studying at a school where the faculty is all Caucasian and the doctrinal debates are caught up in issues that most of us don’t understand or even know from where they come.
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October 19, 2010 at 10:26 am
I think that considering things like the color and gender of prospective teachers is problematic. It shouldn’t matter whether or not my teacher looks like me; what should matter is whether or not they’re capable of providing me with a good education. It honestly bothers me when stuff like color and gender are issues for Christians. I can see why folks outside of Christ make issues out of these things but I don’t think we have any legitimate excuse for it.
And that’s shocking about The Master’s Seminary! That’s MacArthur’s school isn’t it? I don’t think that’s true of Westminster though because I remember receiving an email from a woman named Susan who had an MDiv from WTS last year.
October 19, 2010 at 10:31 am
Even the Roman Catholic Church allows qualified women to teach theology! Many of the Nuns in many Catholic orders teach theology, and for both men & women.
October 19, 2010 at 10:45 am
Nick,
It would surely be problematic if someone was hired on the basis of gender or race alone. That is not fair to students. It lowers the academic bar.
Nevertheless, I do think that there are those who are not hired on the basis of gender and race in Christian circles on that basis alone, even if it is subconscious. Also, I think some dogmatic structures are in place that make and issue out of non-issues (e.g. a statement of covenant eschatology v. dispensationalism) for most people who are not part of a tradition who has polemic rug burn.
October 19, 2010 at 10:46 am
By the way, if I am wrong about Master’s, and someone knows it, please feel free to say so. I don’t know from first hand experience.
October 19, 2010 at 3:50 pm
No, I believe you’re correct on Masters. I went to school with a few guys who made a huge deal about Multnomah Seminary allowing female MDiv students, they ended up going to Masters to get their MDivs. I think females should get MDivs PhD’s etc. In fact I have no problem with women teaching theology, but I do not believe a woman should be a pastor (the “office”).
I agree with some of Nick’s concerns. I grew up in N. Long Beach (Compton our neighbor), my dad pastored an ‘inner-city’ church (urban I guess) — so I have credibility to speak
— but it was interesting. I was the “minority” (along with my bor and sis) in our youth group. We had black, brown, yellow; my youth pastor was Japanese and His wife was blond hair blue eyes. We got along just fine. We never had any “reconciliation” meetings, we just met around Christ. I’m not saying that discussion on this is not important, and that racism isn’t an issue in the history of the church (or the present). But often I think this can quickly become an issue that is “politicized” in the name of Jesus, and have nothing really to do with Him (I’m not saying that’s what you guys are doing, in fact I’m excited to read your blog, and interact around these issues [I've often wanted to start a "Bible College" in the 'hood' where I came from --- we'll see]).
Anyway, just some knee-jerk responses. Oh yeah, I understand the logic of including the ‘gender’ thing with this; but I don’t think it is exactly parallel to the race issue (theologically, that is). Although any oppression is sin. Of course, we need to define oppression; which is why I look forward to your guys’ new project!
October 19, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Oh, sorry Brian, I thought you were part of that blog. I really look forward to reading it, thanks!
I should say, we did have a reconciliation meeting at Multnomah when I was in seminary there. There was a panel of black pastors, theologians, politicians, business people etc. I was really quite shocked by the response at the seminary (nothing overt, but subtle). It’s interesting to see folks who have never been outside of their “white” enclaves to be exposed to “any” new culture. There is something embedded within our psyches (sin, structural evil) that can play havoc with actually “being” Christians toward one another.
Although, I wouldn’t usually characterize the response as being “racist”. Wouldn’t you say that it is rather normal, sociologically, to thing your particular part of the country or region is better (say West vs. East coast). Like when I came to Multnomah from So. Cal., I had this chip on my shoulder that I was cooler than these “hick” Oregonians I was now surrounded by (I felt like I was in “Dead Poets Society”or something TMI). Would this be racism, or would it just be a childish arrogance that needed some correction?
Anyway, just some thoughts . . .
October 19, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Bobby,
There is always a danger of politicizing race issues. I totally understand that concern. It can also be problematic when we try to force reconciliation too hard. This leads us to wack at the weed rather than the root.
My church in San Francisco sounds like your in S.California. It was natural to be around people of all different races. Of course this is inherent in the culture of the city so it wasn’t as hard for the church as it may be in somewhere like the southern part of the country.
October 19, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Agreed, Brian.
I grew up in So. Cal. now in Salmon Creek (Vancouver, WA). But my formative yrs were in the ‘hood’ so to speak.
Paul Metzger prof at Multn. sem. and William Perkins have been trying to do stuff in this direction with their “New Wineskins” minsitry and the journal “Cultural Encounters.” Often, a lot of this can lead to weed wacking rather than dealing with the root-ball; as you highlight. I felt that way sometimes with the “reconciliation stuff” Mult. hosted (so did many of the “minority” students).