I is a Seminary Graduate 28 May, 2009
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Master of Divinity, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.Tags: Graduation, Master of Divinity, Pittsburg, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
5 comments
213th Graduating Class of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in its 215th year of operation…
Calvin vs. Barth 19 September, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in John Calvin, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.Tags: John Calvin, Karl Barth, Neo-Orthodoxy, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
7 comments
One of the things I have found in my short time reading John Calvin and others writing on Calvin is the Neo-Calvinism of the 21st-Century that seeks to read Calvin through the eyes and thoughts of Barth and his cohorts. Studying at a PC(USA) seminary the Calvin you get is the Calvin seen through the writings of Barth (and his student Tom Torrance) that looks nothing like the Calvin of the 16th Century. One of the critiques of the “Federal Calvinists” as Barthians like to call those of us that do not hold to their dichotomy of Calvin vs. the Calvinists, first really codified by R.T. Kendall, is they try to say there is no relation between the Puritans and the Calvin that they read. The book below, along with a couple others puts this fallacy to bed with great precision and along with current striking developments in Calvinistic theology and research that shows that the Barthian Calvin really is a construction of the Modern mind and the accommodation of Barthian thought to John Calvin.
I cannot recommend this book by Richard Muller entitled The Unaccommodated Calvin: Studies in the Foundation of a Theological Tradition highly enough. Along with others linked below.
After Calvin: Studies in the Development of a Theological Tradition by Richard Muller
Calvin and the Calvinists by Paul Helm
School Is Almost Here… 4 September, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary.Tags: New School Year, PTS, RPTS
3 comments
Tuesday September 9th begins the end of my Seminary career. By February I will be a graduated M. Div looking for a Pulpit from which to Preach the Gospel. As I continue on this journey to that end I hope for I would like to say a small thank-you to the readers of this blog for their comments and their prayers since I started this blog in 2005. Through you for your teaching, through it I have learned much.
Here is what my Schedule looks like for the Fall Term
TH 03 – Church and Sacraments (Pittsburgh Seminary)
OT 91 – Covenant Theology (Reformed Presbyterian Seminary)
ST 31 - Doctrine of Human Nature (RPTS)
ST 41 - Doctrine of Last Things (RPTS)
Here goes nothing…
Next Fall and a Break from Blogdom for a Week 8 May, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Church and Sacraments, Covenant Theology, Fall Schedule '08, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Reformed Dogmatics, RPTS, T.F. Torrance.11 comments
Never too early to let y’all know what my class schedule looks like for next Fall. Registered today for these classes (3 at PTS, 1 at RPTS)…
At PTS:
TH 03 Church and Sacraments
Rev. Dr. John Burgess
A study of the role of the sacraments and the church in shaping and sustaining the Christian life. Particular attention will be devoted to the responsibility of pastors to provide theological vision for the church in contemporary North American society. Issues of conflict in church life will also be explored.
TH 22 Theology of T.H. Torrance
Rev. Dr. Andrew Purves
Study of major themes in the theology of a premier Reformed theologian of the second half of the 20th century. Special attention given to Torrance’s understanding of epistemology, his critical theological realism, some contributions in the area of doctrine, and his indebtedness to Athanasius, and the Capadocian Fathers.
CH 64 Reformed Dogmatics
Rev. Dr. Andrew Purves & Rev. Dr. Charles Partee
This course will study the dogmatic task within Reformed Theology, and the approach of selective theologians.
At RPTS
OT 91 Introduction to Covenant Theology
Rev. Dr. Dennis Prutow
This course will bring the student to a greater understanding of the role of Covenant Theology in the life of the Church and the Christian man.
Also as the title says I am taking a break from active posting for a couple weeks as I bare down for the end of the term and the end of the School Year.
May providence be on your side.
The Insufficiency of a Mainline Seminary 10 April, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in General, Gospel, Insufficiency, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Westminster Confession.6 comments
Rod Stewart sung a song that he placed on an album ca.1998 by the name of “Ooh La La”, (This rendition is with The Corrs, who are awesome by the way) which contains the eminently applicable phrase “I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger…”. Well I think I can say with confidence this is utterly true of my choice of Seminary. Now friends of PTS do not take what I am about to say the wrong way for this is not directly a critique of your own journey but certainly a self-critique and the issues I bring up you may want to take a look at yourself from your own perspective (wow that sounds Pomo). However with that all said I want to give a little background to this conversation. First I came to this Seminary for all the wrong reasons. I came thinking that the purpose of Seminary was primarily to prepare me for the work of the Pastorate and to develop an academic mind that could withstand the rigors of unbelief and fulfill the challenge of Peter to the aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia in the face of persecution and questioning to be able to:
…always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence… — 1 Peter 3:15
However what this mainline Seminary has done is provide plenty of questions without supplying any semblance of an answer to its students, it has made the mortal mistake of believing that its students come here already “converted” to the Gospel and that it is the duty of the local church and the student’s own studies (which I agree should be true) to have an a priori knowledge of this hope that Peter speaks. In other words it is not the mission of the seminary to prepare the students to preach the Gospel (and to teach what that Gospel is) but to preach of the “Gospel” to an already converted congregation. There is no focus in our primary coursework on reaching the lost, directing the equipping of the Saints, or expositing the Word of God to the People of God. Only on how to deconstruct the Word of God, skim over the ignorance of those who came before, wisely plucking the wheat from the chaff nary an eye shall see the “Pastoral Heart” of Westminster, the Puritans, or even the late John Gerstner who taught at this institution less than a generation ago.
Catch my drift?
Today as part of our “Church and Society: Local” course (which I think has been very beneficial) we went and visited the Allegheny County Jail to meet and listen to inmates who work through a chaplain’s program while incarcerated. Through the words of these unlearned prisoners I heard the doctrines of Providence, Total Depravity, Assurance, 3 Works of the Law, Justification, and Perseverance (and gasp!!! Innerency!!!) elucidated in a way I have never heard from a Ph.D. at Pittsburgh Seminary. I heard men beaten by life speak the Gospel as if it were REAL!!! As if it was truly transformational and life-changing. I was asked recently by a friend if I thought there were unconverted people in the room with me as I sit through classes at PTS and I sadly answered with a yes, thinking only the words of Christ in Matthew 7:21-23 and what the Confession speaks in Chapter 10, Section 4 which says:
IV. Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the word,p and may have some common operations of the Spirit,q yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved:r much less can men not professing the Christian religion be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they ever so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the law of that religion they do profess;s and to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested.t
p Matt. 22:14.
q Matt. 7:22; Matt. 13:20-21; Heb. 6:4-5.
r John 6:64-66; John 8:24.
s Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Eph. 2:12; John 4:22; John 17:3.
t II John 9-11; I Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:6-8.
A New Term 10 March, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Dr. Greg Bahnsen, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, RPTS.2 comments
Well the time has come for the 3rd Term of the 2007-2008 School Year. If things go as planned then this should the beginning of the three last terms of Seminary for me. I should graduate the end of Term II next year (Feb. ’09).
So here are the four classes and one Independent Study I am doing this term. Two at RPTS and the rest at PTS.
RPTS Classes
ST 41- Westminster Confession (audit)
ST 13- Doctrine of Revelation
PTS Classes
CS 02 – Church and Society – Local
OT 28 – Biblical Archeology
PS 03 – Homiletics
Now concerning the Independent Study it is not one for credit. One of the drawbacks of attending a mainline seminary that bills itself as having an ecumenical diversity is the lack of an Apologetics course being available in any capacity. So to rectify that I am going to read some Apologetical books. You can see on the side of my blog that I have already began that task. If you would like to see my progress just check out that pic.
Galatians 3:28 4 January, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Galatians, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Women's Ordination.17 comments
I’d like to take a few posts and ponder a look at what I see as verses that are misunderstood by not only the laity but also many scholars and clergy. The first one up on the rotation is Galatians 3:28. As a quick reminder here is the verse:
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (NASB)
In today’s culture this verse is used by many people as a proof text for not only the full inclusion of women in all positions within the ecclesiastical offices but also to say that the New Testament church should no longer recognize separate gender identification. They take “neither male nor female” to either dismiss gender roles or gender all together. It is my contention that not only does the verse say no such thing but it has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with equality or gender. Paul’s point in this verse has nothing to do with saying Jews and Greeks, Slaves and Masters, or Men and Women are equal but that they are one in Christ Jesus. There is giant difference between equality and unity. If Paul’s point in this verse is to say that all of these distinctions no longer exist or are no longer applicable then he has contradicted himself in every one of his letters. Paul goes to great lengths in Romans 9-11 to describe the differences between Jews and Greeks. Paul in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus describes in great detail the difference in roles (not worth) between men and women. Paul also calls out Overseers and deacons from the congregations of his churches to be set apart for leadership. One of the most favored pericopes of Paul’s in use today (1 Cor 12:12-31) is his imagery of the many body parts and their unity and usefulness in the body. Paul does not say all body parts are equal in their diversity but they are all equal in their worth to the function of the entire body. His point is that the body strength is its unity, not its diversity. This is vital for our understanding of the proper usage Galatians 3:28 because Paul is clear in saying that not all are called to do whatever they wish to do but only for what the Spirit has called for them. What right does a foot to be a hand? Or a Liver to do the work of the Lung? All are called to specific roles and functions with in the unified body of Christ. If one is called to be a Lung and they do not pull oxygen into the blood stream the whole body suffers from the effects of deprivation. This is serious business.
However even outside of the denial of the motive of equality for Paul’s writing this verse in Galatians is the context in which it is written. One of the common critiques of conservatives by liberals is that conservatives “do not understand the context” of a given passage that if we look at the entirety of a passage it will not have the restrictive meaning we give it. Well here is an example of a verse where liberals and moderate evangelicals take a given pericope and extract it from its surrounding context and use it for their own purpose. Paul is speaking in Galatians 3 of the unity of the salvation that is given by Jesus Christ through Grace by Faith. Working backwards verse 27 speaks of our one baptism in Christ (UNITY), verse 26 all are sons of God (we do not have space but one would be smart to look into the usage of Sons of God and what it means) because of faith in Christ (UNITY), verses 25-21 Paul is talking about the Law and Faith (UNITY), verses 20-15 the covenant of Abraham seed (UNITY). Not a word that precedes Galatians 3:28 speaks of diversity in the body or having anything to with the eradication of role but speaking to the foolish Galatians who have denied the unity of their faith. Verse 29 concludes and summarizes what Paul has been speaking of in this chapter. He says:
29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
Paul, given the context of Galatians 3, cannot be speaking in Galatians 3:28 about an egalitarian worldview. The text does not bear this out nor can it, no matter the wiggling. We do a disservice to Paul if we take this out-of-context for our own selfish desires.
The Scourge of Pastoral Care 3 January, 2008
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Carl Trueman, Pastoral Care, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary.11 comments
One of the many mandatory courses we must take in fulfilling the requirements for the Masters of Divinity degree here at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a class in Pastoral Care. Many of those whose silence was deafening in classes focused upon Church History and Theology have sprung anew in their willingness to speak and discuss in section. I recently heard Dr. Carl Trueman of Westminster Theological Seminary bemoan the fact that at his Seminary nearly half of his Church History classes are filled with students who are seeking degrees for Pastoral and Biblical Counseling, not to be Gospel preachers. Now this should be no surprise to those with any interaction with the American church whose movement into seeker-friendly and ego-smoothing churches over the past 30 years has provided us a generation of people looking to God not for salvation from eternal death but salvation from eternal unhappiness. Christ no longer is sought for his life changing death on the cross but for his ability to bring us out of the valleys and onto the mountain top in our emotional and mental health. This not only brings to us a false definition of who Christ is but also presents an untrue concept of what the Christian life looks like. While their are many reasons for why the protestant Church itself has devolved back into a Roman Catholic understanding of Grace one of the main reasons has been the movement of the seminary education of Pastors away from its former focus upon systematic theological formulations to a renewed centering on the sanctifying health of the human soul. One of the most telling consequences of this shift has been the change in the way we see ourselves approaching death. My sister, currently engaged in a Clinical Pastoral Education course at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV, is prevented by her supervisors from sharing the Gospel with those with which she is given to engage. Her task is to make people feel comfortable and help them to be content given their surroundings. She is of course supposed to do this in an “ecumenical and non-sectarian” way. Which according to her means that she is not allowed to speak in a Christocentric manner but only in a generic way about God and his presence.
The obvious question to be asked is can a Christian minister be a chaplain in this circumstance and still be truthful to the Gospel? The easy answer for any who pay attention to the question is a flat out no. Of course if Christ is supposed to be nothing more than a therapist why then should we focus upon the reality of the gospel message? Seminaries need to ask the question whether they exist to fill pulpits with preachers who seek to to preach about the saving Grace of Jesus Christ or staff Hospitals with smooth talkers and flatterers?
Pastoral Theology 27 November, 2007
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Pastoral Care, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Thomas Oden.4 comments
At the beginning of this new term I wanted to take the time and introduce each one of my new classes (Christology will not be dog-eared because all the required reading is from traditional confessions) with a quick snippet out of a required reading. For Pastoral Theology this work is Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry by Thomas C. Oden of Drew University. This work (the first 20 pages I have read) has been a treat to read. Though without further ado here is some text to chew on…
In recent decades, pastoral theology has suffered from neglect of sustained theoretical reflection and from isolation from companion theological disciplines. (pg. xi)
…[Pastoral Counselors] continue to appeal to the office of pastor for their professional identity and fees, yet without a well-defined conception of pastoral office; some may trade off the exceptional trust that people have in the office of pastor, yet with minimal interest in the ministry of Word and sacrament. Others, who in concentrating on developing special skills to serve human need have moved narrowly into special ministries, now may find themselves carrying out these duties with an uneasy conscience or unentered spirit. I hope this study will serve them in their developing attempts at centering and in recovery of pastoral identity.(pg. xi)
One Term Down, Two to Go 20 November, 2007
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Dr. Dale Allison, New Perspectives, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, RPTS.7 comments
As I finish up this term at PTS I wanted to say a few things about the classes I have taken and the classes that are coming up.
This Term was pretty much a wasted three months. While my Greek Exegesis class with Dr. Dale Allison, Jr. was fascinating to the tilt, I am not sure I learned a whole lot about exegeting a text. Theodicy was on the other hand a fascinating class filled with all kinds of useful adages and readings. I highly recommend it if you get a chance to take it (not that any of the people reading this will likely be in a position to…). Though the professors defense of NPP left a lot to be desired.
Well that ends completely the classes that were worth anything this term. The next two classes which I was enrolled this Fall were a total waste. Intro to Ethics, which was neither really Christan nor really useful (that is unless your college did not require an Ethics course, then this may have been good for you to take). Dr. Hainsworth is a nice professor but I would lobby to teach other things if I were her. PS01: Education was horrendous. We never really learned anything and our sections honestly justed turned into a theological debate that rarely (if ever) engaged the texts we were supposed to be reading.
Well thankfully I have been assured by Seniors at PTS that my last term was the worst I would experience at PTS. Let’s Hope.
Anyway next term will allow us to tackle some more meatier subjects like Pastoral Care, Christology, and the Gospels. Also for those of you who recall I will also be taking a course at what one of my dear professors at PTS referred to as “where the wackos are”, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary on Reformed Worship. As I said before I am hoping RPTS gives a much needed respite from Liberalism and ignorance. We’ll see….
Here is to a good Winter Term!!!
Beginning a New Course of Study 14 November, 2007
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, RPTS.10 comments
While the title may be a bit misleading it is quite a good summary of what I am going to do over the next couple of terms. I have applied to the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary here in Pittsburgh to take a couple of courses for credit over the next couple of terms, as well as next school year. My purpose for doing so is to both broaden my theological horizons past the mainline seminary I now attend (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) and to allow for a more relaxed theological environment in which to learn. I must be honest in saying that it will be refreshing to sit in a class and not have to defend basic Christological orthodoxy and watch as “Reformed” theology is misconstrued, masticated and spit out. This may also lead to me working towards a M.A at RPTS, we’ll see…
Required Reading 4 November, 2007
Posted by Benjamin P. Glaser in Book Reviews, Holy Trinity, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Robert Letham.3 comments
I just began to read this book recently after needing some time away from my studies. I have become in the past year or so more hardened against the German scholastic nature of my seminary and have tired of Pannenberg, Schleiermacher, and Barth so it was nice to sit down and read a cogent introduction into the hows and whys of the current Modalist (Sabellianist if you would like) movement within modern trinitarian formulations and apologetics. Even while critiquing the Kantian school Letham is not fearful of taking on the major weakness of the anti-intellectual passions of the recent Evangelical witness; that being its negligence of the most central Doctrine of Christian faith. Robert Letham‘s work checks in at over 500 pages but if the first 25 are any indication this should be a very exciting and informative read.
