In the book, Making All Things New, Henri Nouwen writes:
It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted
world. Rather he wants us to live in it, but firmly rooted in the center of all things. Jesus
does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of
pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to be the same.
If Nouwen is right, then welcome to the multi-faceted world of divinity school education! We do many things in this Master of Divinity program—pursue graduate education with all the rigors of the varied academic disciplines reflected in the curriculum; raise questions regarding the nature of God, theology, history, ethics, Scripture, worship and proclamation; engage in areas of ministry praxis that (we hope) sensitize participants toward issues of justice, reconciliation, race, poverty, mission, and (these days) economics, economics, economics. We also wrestle with the nature of community—not as a church but as a “churchly” environment, evident in weekly worship, common meals, and communal response when and where we can.
Through it all—three years by the calendar—we never know when any of us will experience “a change of heart,” as Nouwen calls it, about concerns and controversies large and small, immediate and long term. So as we seek to hone our scholarship together, sharpening critical skills in research and writing, we also celebrate moments when we are captivated by ideas past and present that may infuriate or inspire us all at once.
So welcome to the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, and our uncommon calling toward a worldly Christianity engaged in doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.
Peace,
Bill J. Leonard
