Reflections on McAfee

Seminary may seem like a marathon but it feels like a sprint. For the past three years I have been attending McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. I just finished the semester yesterday and over the next few weeks (probably even years) I will be reflecting on how this experience has changed my life.

McAfee has been a place of affirmation for me.

I came here three years ago with a calling to pastor and McAfee helped me find a church. I came here to deepen my knowledge of faith and practice and McAfee walked beside me as I explored the contours of my faith and Baptist beliefs. I came here with theological assumptions and hunches and McAfee provided me the space and freedom to “work out my own salvation with fear and trembling.” I came here in search of a moderate Baptist community and McAfee made me feel appreciated, valued and loved. For all of these things, I am thankful.

McAfee has been a place of learning for me.

Because of McAfee I know Jesus better. I can better hold the timeline of our faith in my head. I can more confidently sit with the sick and dying. I have a better card catalogue of theologians and theological arguments. I can craft a decent sermon. I can appreciate and respect differing worldviews. I can offer a safe, nonjudgmental space with a better pastoral presence. I know how to better handle church-related issues. I even know and love myself better.

Because of McAfee, I appreciate more than ever before: Kingdom-work, the resurrection, the sanctity of life, the power of the spoken word, and the quest for spirituality.

These thoughts are reminders that God has been involved in my journey of learning at McAfee School of Theology.

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