Blah-g: January 2007

Well my second semester at RTS has arrived and it brings a whole new...um...workload. I am doubling my workload this semester in preparation for the amount of study time, I think, I will need to be used to by the time my 3rd semester hits.
I am taking:

History of Christianity II: Reformation - Today
I had this class today...first class of the semester. After successfully completing Hist I: Acts - Renaissance I fell in love with the Medieval church period. Which was a surprise because I wasn't looking forward to this class as much as I was to reformation church history. To my surprise I think I enjoy this portion of history, prior to the reformation, more than the reformation.
Maybe I'm a cryptic-catholic? /smile Work Load: Again another Case Study paper and loads of reading but this time we have much more leeway on picking our own sources to read. We have two required text but then we get to choose some 1000 pages of our own choice, which is really nice to narrow in on what subjects we are interested in. As usually I will try to limit most of my reading to primary sources.

Covenant Theology
There are two tracks a "normal" and the "advanced" track. I would like to take the advance track because you end up doing more work and writing in the subject of covenant theology. It seems, however, that a prerequisite is to have read and mastered Vos Biblical Theology and O.P.Robertson's Christ of the Covenants. I've pretty much have read both these works but I can hardly say, "I've mastered Vos." So we shall see. I attend that class tomorrow, 2/1/07, I will find out then. Work load is heavy for the amount of credits, or so it seems. Four precise papers and a good amount of reading.

Poets
This will be Dr. Currid’s last semester at RTS so I wanted to be sure to get a class in with him. He is like the Indiana Jones of reformed theology. Dr. Currid has extensive archaeological field experience. He was the Director of the Agricultural Project at Tel Halif, Israel; Field Archaeologist of the UNESCO Project at the excavation of Carthage, Tunisia; and staff archaeologist at Tell el-Hesi and Bethsaida, both in Israel. He has written several commentaries in the EP Study Commentary Series and serves as editor for that series. He has also written two books in the discipline of archeology and has recently published another book about suffering.

History of American Presbyterianism
Yes, I am looking forward to this class…big time! I am just hoping it doesn’t get canceled as there are only four of us taking it so far. Loads of reading, of course, and 20 page paper. This is going to be a good one. The syllabus is awesome. Plus, I love sitting under Dr. Hoffecker.

Gospels & Acts
Finishing this class up. RTS Virtual class.

I'm really excited about this semester for I've really undergone some significant changes in my attitude. When I began seminary I was kind of excited and then somewhere towards the end of my first semester I was just kind of here. I’ve been trying to get here for six years with loads of passion! I finally get here and my steam has run out. A very odd feeling. I’ve been rejuvenated by a number of sources, the Spirit, the Bible, family, and others. I am ready for this semester and to attack it with joy in the Lord. Should be good!