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Tell me about your trip!everyone keeps saying, and its essentially what Paul Du-bois said on your behalf, too. He recently sent an e-mailto past Kairos contributors inviting us to write again, andhe specifically suggested that those of us who went onthe Holy Land travel seminar should write about it. Ilaughed out loud. Where would I even begin? Mystream-of-consciousness notes are 28 single-spacedpages long.

Should I write about what it felt like to stand at thefoot of the great pyramids of Giza? Or what it looked liketo gaze out on the Sea of Galilee at sunrise? Or what itsounded like to join with my classmates in re-citing the Lords Prayer in Arabic and Hebrew,the languages of the warring parties only a fewmiles away, in the very spot where it was firsttaught? I could go on and on, but if I had tochoose, I think the best things I experienced

were Stephanie and John and Isabel andRuth.

Traveling to Egypt and Israel wasamazing, but traveling with the seminary groupmade it even more meaningful. In addition toseeing what I saw, I got to watch others ex-perience and make discoveries of their own.

Stephanie Cripps wanted to see theseparation wall since she has studied and writ-ten about it extensively. She got stuck with meas a roommate and seatmate on the bus, so Igot to hear her gasp and freeze in awed still-ness when she realized that the graffiti-

covered wall shed considered from every angle was rightoutside her window. I got to see a woman who passion-ately studies and seeks truth as her understanding wasenriched by firsthand stories from those who live in themiddle of the conflict.

I got to see John Leedy discover the joys of pot-tery shard hunting, and I was there not only when hefound a piece of iridescent Roman glass from the Byzan-tine era, but also when the jeweler in Jerusalem handed itback to him in a silver pendant setting. I got to see a manwho loves his wife treasure and anticipate the thought ofgiving her a priceless and one-of-a-kind gift.

I got to be with Isabel Rivera-Velez as she and

her husband walked through themarkets and peered in the glass cases in the shops.Theyre still newlyweds, and one time, I overhead Hectoras he put his arm around her waist, leaned in close, andsaid, If you want it, mi amor, lets get it. I got to see awoman who had wept in my arms as she struggledthrough the agony of her husbands death now get to beloved again by a man who wanted to buy hereverything.

My favorite, though, was Ruth Martin. Ruthgraduated in 2008, so some of you dont know her.Those who do know her surely understand. Lets just sayshes not shy about speaking her mind, and her exuber-

ance is infectious. Ruths number one goalwas to put her feet in the Jordan Riverto ful-fill a promise made to her grandmother. Whenwe made our way down that hill, everyonecleared a path. Ruth took off her shoes andwalked gingerly toward the water. Somebody

give me a hand, she said. Andy Dearman wasthe closest, and he, like the rest of us, knowsyou better always do what Ruth says. Ruthtook his hand, stepped in, closed her eyes,and sighed, Halleluiah! I will be forevergrateful my camera was ready to capture whatI got to see an answered prayer and the joy-ful expression of a woman who constantlylongs for a double portion of Gods Spirit.

At one point in the trip, we got to seethe exact spot on the ground where Jesus wasstanding when he ascended into heaven. OK,so maybe it wasnt the spot, but people love to

designate these things, so a spot of bare rock is framedwith pavers in the middle of a chapel. People say you cansee the shape of a footprint there. That spot wasnt par-ticularly meaningful to me, though. Maybe its because Icant imagine that Christ ever left. I saw him all over theplace in the lives of my companions.

Youve heard this before, but please hear it again:GO on a travel seminar while you have the gift of thiscommunity to travel with. Theres no telling what youllsee.

A Publication of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary CommunityFebruary 13, 2009 Issue #170KairosBy Stella Burkhalter, MDiv Senior

2009 Austin PresbyterianTheological Seminary

Note: Early on the morning of February 10, 2009, Ruth Mar-

tins grandmother passed away, peacefully in her sleep.

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www.aust inseminary. typepad.com/porta l/ka iros.htmlIssue 170 Page 2

APTS Crop Hunger Walk Team

Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM) inpartnership with Church World Services (CWS) is hostingtheir 30th Annual Crop Hunger Walk on March 7th and8th. If you are not already participating with a local con-gregation or another organization, please consider joiningthe APTS team.

If you are interested in walking, packets can beobtained from Nikki Stahl ([email protected]) or you

can join the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminaryteam online (www.churchworldservice.org). Donationscan also be made at this website. Specific informationabout the Austin walk can be found atwww.aaimaustin.org/cropwalk.html.

Chapel ScheduleFebruary 16February 20

Monday: Morning Prayer ServiceLed by Scott Spence

Tuesday: Service of Word andSacramentRev. David Johnson, preacher

Thursday: Morning Prayer ServiceLed by Sally Wright

Friday: Morning Prayer ServiceLed by Mari Lyn Jones

Senior MDiv students will begin preaching inchapel during the week of February 23.

Welcome New January andSpring Term Students!

MASTER OF DIVINITYJanuary Term:Ms. Anna Michelle Bowden

University Baptist Church, Austin, TXMr. Thomas (Ty) Gordon WoodFirst Baptist Church, Amarillo, TX

Spring Term:Mr. Chang Wan Choe

St. Luke United Methodist Church, Killeen, TXMr. Dong (Don) Ryool Choi

Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas, TXMs. Cynthia Grilk Engstrom

First United Methodist Church, Bastrop, TX

NEW SPECIAL STUDENTSMs. Charlene V. Conlin

Bee Creek United Methodist Church, Spicewood, TX

Ms. Michele Marie LottFirst United Methodist Church, LaGrange, TX

Student Senate MinutesFebruary 11, 2009

Present: Melissa Koerner, Sarah Hegar, Jose Lopez,Matthew Thompson, Lindsay Hatch, AmyWiles

Excused: Chris Kreisher

NEW BUSINESS

AV equipment for manna. Senate has decided thatwe will set up and control the AV equipment for eachmanna. Jose and Lindsay will set up and tear downeach week. Jackie McCully will be informed of this.

MATS Election for Student Senate will be coming up.

Senate is also interested in having an MSSW Studentjoin Senate in the future

Spring Fling, a.k.a. Spring Fung possibly combiningthis event with SSW, or making two separate smallerevents during this semester. More discussion anddetails will be coming soon.

Coffeehouse Possibly open it up to SSW.

Manna Feb.18 - Israel January Term students willpresent

Corpus Christi would like another $80 for an event.This student group has already received $200 fromthe Student Senate budget. We will discuss this nextweek.

Jose closed the meeting in prayerRespectfully submitted by Sarah Hegar.

Mark your calendars!

BaccalaureateSat., May 23

6:30 p.m.

CommencementSun., May 24

2:00 p.m.

Both Events Will Be Held At UniversityPresbyterian Church

See Alison in the deans officefor more information.

Commencemen

tNews

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CALL PROCESS AND INTERVIEWSKILLS

Wednesday, February 18, 2009McMillan #2106:30 8:00 pm

Presented by:David Evans

This information will be beneficial to Presbyterianstudents as you move forward in conversations

with Pastor Nominating Committees.

Call Sharon Pawlik at 404-4832 for more informationon either seminar.

GETTING IN SHAPE FISCALLY

Wednesday, March 4, 2009McMillan #210

1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Seminar5:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. On Your Own Break5:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Supper break, Barth & Grill6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Seminar

Presented by:The Board of Pensions of thePresbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

This seminar is required byPC(USA) Presbyteries

REGISTER ONLINE BYFEBRUARY 20, 2009

IQ Is Here !Austin Seminarys Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Information Quality, is a required com-

ponent of Austin Seminarys reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Collegesand Schools Commission on Colleges and The Association of Theological Schools.

This week, Feb. 16-19, the onsite review will take place. The onsite team is made up of

peers from other SACS and ATS-accredited institutions and staff members from SACS and ATS.They will visit our campus and meet with groups of faculty, students, and administrators. Most ofthese meetings have already been called and participants notified, but it is also possible that an on-site review team member may approach any of us and ask us something, or that additional meet-ings may need to be scheduled once the team is here. Please watch for emails from the office ofthe academic dean and be prepared to respond promptly.

We appreciate your cooperation in this important matter. Please do not hesitate to Allison inthe Deans office contact the office of the academic dean should you have questions or concerns.

Ancient Rites for a New Generation of Disciples Is the theme of this summers annual gathering of the North American Association for

the Catechumenate. The NAAC is an ecumenical organization which provides training and sup-port for churches engaged in the process of baptismal conversion and making Christian disciples.The gathering will feature Keynote Speaker Dr. Craig Satterlee, Lutheran School of Theology atChicago, in addition to emergent worship leaders Emily Scott and Isaac Everett.We are inviting all future pastors to join us at the beautiful Mt. Carmel Conference Center, Niag-ara Falls, Canada on August 3-6, 2009. We are offering a free introductory membership and a$250 scholarship (discount) for the first 10 who register.

For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Lord, or go online at www.catechumenate.organd click on Annual Gathering.

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A Miniseries of Reflections from Travels AbroadBy Mary Elizabeth Prentice, MDiv Middler


Part Two

I left you all last week as we departed the TelAviv airport. I invite you back into an exploration andreflection of identity.

Some might say that traveling to Israel andPalestine during January 2009 was not the bestidea. Ironically enough it was actually a perfect timeto travel. We were safeand I trusted our leader,Dr. Andy Dearman, butthere was still tension inthe air. You could feel it.

Andy had arranged thatwe travel on Arab busesand stay at Arab hotels.The thinking was that ifthere were going to beattacks on civilians theywould be targeted towardIsraeli buses and hotels. Itrusted Andy, so oursafety was never an issueI was terribly concernedabout. Plus, Andy said,

once you are introducedto Arab hospitality it ishard to not be attracted toArab businesses, and Iwould agree.

Andy has ledmany groups over to theregion. He is a walkingencyclopedia of knowl-edge, much like all of theprofessors I have encoun-tered on this campus. He

chose our guide Paul. (Ihave chosen to changethe name of our guide. I do not know how publicKairos is, but in order to protect his identity I havechosen to change the name.) Paul and Andy haveled trips together before. They respect one anotherand complement each others knowledge with aplethora of facts and insights. Paul, though, gave usan education you cannot get from a textbook. He isa Palestinian Christian, and his work with tourgroups and aid agencies in Israel and Palestine

gave us insight into historical and present-day

events. You could tell that Paul was torn betweenbeing with us and earning money to provide for hisfamily, and being with the people of the Gaza Stripworking as a humanitarian aid worker.

Because of the timing of the trip and the con-flict that raged on nearby, many tours had been can-celed and we reaped the benefits of the absence of

tourists. It was a mixedblessing for me, one that Istruggled with deeply. Onone hand, we got to see anddo more than was planned

because of the few crowdsand Pauls ever presentYalah! Lets Go! which keptus on the move. Often timesbecause of this continuousherding we had historicalsites to ourselves and gotreflections from both Pauland Andy, and on the rareoccasion we had time forsilent reflection on our own.On the other hand, I could

not help but think about thewar and suffering otherswere enduring that causesfear and thus resulted in theabsence of other tourists.This fear was a blessing forus, but I could not help butthink of the fear of those suf-fering in the Gaza Strip and Isilently regretted/struggled/hurt because of ourblessing.

This is not to say thatthere were not tourists, butboth Andy and Paul commented that there were notas many as to be expected. The groups we did en-counter were dotted along the continuum of religionsand regions of the world. Back in Egypt at theSphinx we saw a group of Muslim tourists. Heba,our guide, pointed out this group because thewomen, who were following the men, were in fullburka and hijab, which is not abundantly prevalent inEgypt. Side-note: I am pretty sure I made their fam-

Continued on page 5

Our Nigerian Pilgrim Friends at the Sea of Galilee

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Kairos Editorial Guidelines1 Kairos is the voice of students at Austin Seminary.2 Kairos generally carries no advertisement for sales of goods or services by individuals. An exception is the sale of a students library or other

study aids.3 It is not possible to make all program announcements which are submitted by individual churches. Kairos is more likely to be able to run an-

nouncements which apply to ecumenical or interfaith groups or groups of churches.4 No letters which attack individuals or groups will be run in Kairos. This is to be distinguished from letters which might criticize the actions of

individuals or groups.5 Kairos will publish letters to the editor that contribute to Christian conversation on the APTS campus. All letters must be signed.

ily home video seeing as how one of the menstepped in front of me with the video camera andcame within inches of my face. I was too focused ona woman in full burka, whom I had locked eyes withand smiled, and was surprised to see the camera in

my face. Man - I would love to be a fly on the wallwhen they review that because I am sure I pulled astereotypical Mary Elizabeth facial expression.

Then therewere the Nigerians weran into at the airport,the Sea of Galilee, onthe Via Dolorosa, in theChurch of the HolySepulcher, and numer-ous other locations.They tended to dress

in beautiful traditionalAfrican clothing: buba,kaba, iro, gele theworks.1 It is my under-standing that Nigerianpilgrimages are paidfor by the Nigerian gov-ernment and visit theHoly Land in the hun-dreds each year.2Their God Lovesscarves and hats iden-

tified them as Christian pilgrims, and I observed theirpiety and reverence for traditional sacred locationswith uncertainty, yet also with admiration.

We met our first Jewish Birthright Pilgrims inthe Golan Heights. Birthright Israel, an organizationin the United States, offers a free ten-day educa-tional experience available to any young adult Jewbetween the ages of eighteen and twenty-six.3 As

we walked from the Temple of Pan at Caesarea Phi-lippi down to a waterfall that feeds the Jordan Riverwe encountered a group of 50 or so young peopleand their three armed guards. They were friendlyand let our group pass them on our hike as we iden-

tified each other as United States citizens.Then there were the Eastern Europeans

(Russian or Armenian) at our hotel. Their solemn,stoic expression, andmonk-nun attire physi-cally identified them asOrthodox Christians.Their spirited energy inthe buffet line madebeing friendly a chal-lenge at times, but asAndy said Politeness

wins you nothing.So we were all

identified as pilgrims,people who had jour-neyed from a distance.We were people thatwere visiting and ex-ploring a land that wedid not live in. Wewere people trying toexamine a place wherewe all share roots. Yet

more often than not, I sensed the populations(tourist and natives alike) general hesitation to findcommonalties, and instead perceived an eagernessto categorize and stake strong claims to our individ-ual identities.

To be continued. . .

Continued from page 4


Footnotes1 http://www.mapsofworld.com/nigeria/culture/clothing.html2 http://www.shvoong.com/newspapers/nigeria/1772769-pilgrimage-nigerian-governmetnt-gets-commendation/3 http://www.birthrightisrael.com/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage

Our Eastern Orthodox Buffet Line Competitors

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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

CITY/STATE CHURCH POSITIONTucson, AZ St. Marks PC Co-Pastor (ordained)San Angelo, TX First Presbyterian Associate Pastor (ordained)Cedar City, UT Community Presbyterian Solo Pastor (ordained)Lubbock, TX Grace Presbyterian Pastor (ordained)Laramie, WY United Presbyterian Pastor (ordained)Dalhart, TX First Presbyterian Pastor, Redevelopment (ordained)Huntsville, AL Harvest/NW Madison County NCD Pastor, NCD (ordained)Norman, OK First Presbyterian Director, 2nd Wind Ministries, campus

ministry, Univ. of OK (ordained)Columbia, SC Shandon Presbyterian Assoc. Pastor for Youth (ordained)Tacoma, WA Marine View Presbyterian Associate Pastor (ordained)Springfield, TN First Presbyterian Solo Pastor (ordained)Orkney Islands The Church of Scotland 3 positions (ordained)Alice, TX First Presbyterian Pastor (ordained)Mc Gehee, AR First Presbyterian Solo Pastor (ordained)Magnolia, AR First Presbyterian Solo Pastor (ordained)Overland Park, KS Overland Park Presbyterian Solo Pastor (ordained)New Braunfels, TX New Braunfels Presbyterian Youth Director (non-ordained)Yorktown, VA Yorkminster Presbyterian Director Christian Ed (non-ordained)Wichita, KS Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Director Christian Ed (non-ordained)Bellaire, TX Christ Church Presbyterian Director of Family Life (non-ordained)Madison, WI Presbyterian House, College Chaplain Intern, 1 yr (non-ord.)

U. of Wisc, MadisonIndianapolis, IN Second Church 2 yr residency program (non-ordained)Las Vegas, NV First Presbyterian Minister to Youth (non-ordained)Vancouver, WA East Woods Presbyterian Youth Ministry Director time (non-ord)

OTHER CHURCH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

CITY/STATE CHURCH POSITIONAustin, TX Highland Park Baptist AP-Youth & Student MinistryGreenville, SC Furman University Chaplaincy InternshipKeller, TX First United Methodist Director of Youth MinistriesWayzata, MN Wayzata Community Church (UCC) Minister for Faith & LearningSan Antonio, TX University of Incarnate Word TRIO-SSP Program Counselor

Note: New Church Information Forms (CIF) are on file in the Vocation & Placement Office.Other Local Opportunities: Received regularly; check the Student Employment Bulletin Board outside the Financial AidOffice. Also, check the other opportunities binder in the Vocation & Placement Office.

The Day My Childhood Friend Cried for MeFor Esther

Stiff I stood spilling hot words of hurt and shame

You looked stricken and wisely stayed mute.

So full of my own pain and reckless to share it

Grim and blind to love-torn eyes oozing white tears.

So sorry so sad blind eyes did not could not see

Dissolving images of your hopes and passions

Your fantasy about me.

Malartha Bosier 2003

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Jessica Simpson and theology; the two donot seem to have a lot in common, yet recent news

headlines suggest they do, especially when onelooks at this from a feminist perspective. I admit tonot being a fan of the popular entertainer, though Ihave certainly seen her picture on the cover ofmany magazines when waiting in line at the gro-cery store. I have also heard bits and pieces abouther private life: married to an entertainer, then di-vorced, then dating a Dallas Cowboy footballplayer. But, I also have to admit thatperhaps un-fairlyI have looked at her with a critical eye, as Irecall seeing an advertisement for a movie she wasin, in which she was scantily dressed, lying over

the hood of a vehicle in a sexually suggestive posi-tion. I recall thinking that this image only served toperpetuate the idea that women are mere objectsthingsjust things. Images cause us to reflect onhow our culture measures women. Clearly, we livein the midst of a cultural ethos that measures allpeople according to what they produce; be it ac-cording to our intellectual abilities, our materialwealth, or, our physical appearance. We all shouldrecognize that we are all measured according tounfair standards that are most definitely in contra-diction to what our faith teaches us about intrinsic

value. Nevertheless, there is a particular set ofchallenges I believe women face, and the recentnews about Jessica Simpson helps illustrate thesechallenges.

Until most recently, Jessica Simpson hasbeen praised and utterly objectified for her physicalappearance, from the size of her breasts to herslender waist, and so on; she has certainly beenthe object of desire for many, and perhaps eventhe ideal look for many women. Yet, suddenly,some small weight gain and many begin to expressdisappointment and even suggest that she is no

longer physically attractive.Certainly there is an unfair expectation thatfigures in popular media must have a certain lookabout them, but the messages to women are clear:a beautifulwoman must not have laugh linesaround her eyes or her mouth, or her forehead, forthat matter; a woman must have full lips, and per-fect hair, and her skin should be flawless, so thatwhen a woman is 50 she really looks 40, and whena woman is 40 she really looks 30, and so on andso on. In addition, a womans breasts must be of acertain shape and size, and her waist must be thin

and flat, only to compliment her curvy, but not too

curvy hips and rear.One more image which demonstrates the

problem: a recent issue of People magazine, re-leased in November of 2008, right after the elec-tion, showed an advertisement for a cooking show;in it there are two women and two men by a diningtable. The men, fully dressed no skin showing only their faces and necks popping out of their finesuits, and the two women appear in tight dresses,cleavage exposed; one hovers over the table in asexually suggestive position, while the other makesa sexually suggestive pose as she is about the eatsomething (because all women are aroused bywhat we eat?). Again, the men stand there, simply

smiling. Incidentally, the men are not exactly slen-der, either. So, clearly, the standard is not quitethe same for men and women, is it?

The fact is that all the negativity about Jes-sica Simpsons weight is not news, it is smut, butits the smut that permeates our cultural ethos. Un-fortunately, also, the signs and symbols that wehave internalized tell women that in order to bebeautiful they must measure up accordingly, andso the beautiful Jessica Simpson, for many, is nolonger beautiful, and the millions of women whosee this figure might imagine that they too, are not

beautiful.The signs and symbols of the gospel speakof a different measure of value. Take for examplethe gospel of Matthew, which urges us not to storeup treasures where moth and rust can destroy.Ironically, however, it is clear that as a culture wevalue the exact things that the gospel of Matthewexhorts us against: specifically, placing our valueon things that are truly not eternal. So, for exam-ple, we value production and wealth over time andrelationship, and we value a certain ideal of physi-cal beauty over the beauty each person pos-

sesses, in addition to the intrinsic value each per-son has as a person, created in Gods image.As people of faith it is our calling to speak

against the signs and symbols that contradict thetruths rooted in our faith. Thus, we must definebeauty in ways that are consistent with our faith,but also remind allpeople that they are beautifulwith or without the laugh lines, with the not-so flatstomachs, and so on. We must work to shift theparadigm so that women are treated as people,and not objects to be leered at for pleasure notmere things.

By Crystal McCormick, MDiv Senior

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Austin Seminary WelcomesUnited Methodist Bishop James E. Dorff

In keeping with Austin Seminary tradition, Bishop James (Jim) E.Dorff, San Antonio Area of the United Methodist Church, will visit AustinSeminary on Tuesday, February 24 (Shrove Tuesday). Bishop Dorff waselected to the episcopacy last summer, replacing Bishop Joel Martnez,who retired.

Austin Seminary is an important community for the education ofpastors in the United Methodist Church, especially in the Southwest TexasConference. United Methodist students comprise nearly 20 percent of thestudent body, and Austin Seminary trains more pastors for the SouthwestTexas Conference than all other seminaries or schools of theology com-bined. Our whole community looks to further this relationship under hisepiscopacy.

Chapel: Bishop Dorff will preside in chapel on Tuesday, February 24.

Lunch: Bishop Dorffs visit will be the occasion for a special luncheon in his honor. All students,Methodist or not, are invited to attend.

Conversation: Southwest Texas Conference District Superintendents and members of the Board of Or-dained Ministry will be available to visit with students following the luncheon.

Please RSVP for the luncheon in the white binder by the McCord Desk. Also, there is asign-up sheet for the Cabinet/BOM conversations, if you are interested.

Biography of Bishop Dorff

Bishop Jim Dorff was elected to the episcopacy at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference held in Dallas,Texas, in July, 2008.

Appointments in the North Texas Annual Conference include: Area Provost, Superintendent of the Dallas-Denton District, First UMC McKinney, First UMC Gainesville, Executive Director of the DFW Airport Chaplaincy, andAssociate Pastor at Highland Park UMC. The last ten of his 17 years at Highland Park were served as Director of thePastoral Care and Counseling Ministry.

Positions of leadership in the North Texas Conference have included serving as Chair of the Committee onEpiscopacy, Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, Chair of the Division on Conference Relations,Chair of the Division on Evangelism, Conference Nominating Committee, Council on Finance & Administration, Chairof the Clergy Effectiveness Team, and many others.

Bishop Dorff was elected as a delegate to the 2008 General Conference and served on the SuperintendencyCommittee. He was a General Conference delegate in 2004 and served on the Local Church Legislative Committee. In2000 he served as a Jurisdictional Conference delegate and as a Jurisdictional Conference reserve in 1996.

For the general church, Bishop Dorff served on the General Commission on Christian Unity and InterreligiousConcerns. He was also a member of the Connectional Ministry Funding Patterns Task Force created by the 2004 Gen-eral Conference and serves on the Board of the Texas Methodist Foundation. He was recently elected to representThe United Methodist Church on the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches.

Bishop Dorff graduated from Perkins School of Theology, SMU (MTh, 1972), Oklahoma City University (BA,1969), and Central High School, Muskogee, Oklahoma (1965). He served on the Perkins Senate and was President ofthe Student Council.

Always active in community life, Bishop Dorff served on the Board of Directors and chaired several committeesof the Greater Dallas Community of Churches. He was president of the Gainesville and McKinney Ministerial Alliances.While in Gainesville, he was President of the Board of Commissioners for the Gainesville Housing Authority. In McKin-ney, he served on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce.

Bishop Dorff has been married to Barbara Langley Dorff since 1975. She is a consultant in Social Studies forRegion 10 Education Service Center. The Dorffs have two grown sons, John and Michael.


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A Weekly Column Offering Musings, Insights, and Reflections on the Seminary Life

Expanding HorizonsBy Paul Dubois, MDiv Senior

Im beginning to learn what it is that my churchwould like for me to learn in seminary. Its about time,given that this is my last semester of classes: More theol-ogy, they tell me. Be clear on the various atonement theo-ries, and be able to defend your favorite. Relate your the-ology to Wesley, but give yourself a little slack, too. Butthe Methodist church really has little leverage at this pointin my journey. The rigors of our process dont begin untilafter graduation. Only then will we be at the mercy of theconference Board of Ordained Ministry, in contrast to ourPresbyterian friends, whose Presbyteries often require this

class or that from the beginning. And so during my time atseminary I have allowed myself to be led by my own curi-osity, influenced, I hope, by the Spirit. I expect Ill havesome make-up work to do, to brush up on atonement andWesley and such. But not now.

Four years ago, as I began to entertain the notionof a seminary education, I looked into the (now-defunct)Perkins extension program in San Antonio. Besides Per-kins lack of financial aid for persons with my below aver-age undergraduate GPA, their admissions requirementsalso includedgaspone undergraduate philosophycourse. Why, I thought, would I need philosophy for aseminary education? Ah, the ignorance of the ignorant.

As it turns out, I have concentrated my electives inthe area of philosophical theology. It kinda just happenedthat way. I remember having a question that even now Icannot articulate. Something having to do with how weknow or how we understand. Or maybe even why wethink the way we do. Why is our theology the way it is?And I remember the moment a solution was offered...soaking in the hot water of Pagosa Springs, someonementioned Bill Greenways class Theology and Herme-neutics. Little did I know at the time that this would be thefirst person of my Topics in Philosophical Theology trinity.It has taken three courses for me to even begin to be con-versant in the subject matter, but I see it and engage iteverywhere. Being truly conversant will take a bit morework; but insights abound. These studies have expandedmy horizons of understanding, engaging, and participatingin the world and with all of you in it.

Its hard to explain (which is fitting for philosophy),but somehow I see it as something that links revelation totradition. Something happens... God erupts into ourworlds... and it is our philosophy that helpsor enablesusto translate that event and our experience of it into whatbecomes our tradition and the bodies of meaning that tra-dition encompasses. So when we examine our doctrine or

our liturgy, philosophy has a voice in the conversation

whether we know about it or not, and I want to know aboutit. How can we begin to understand the underpinnings ofthe Christological controversies of the early church withoutunderstanding Greek philosophy? When the Board callsme to explain my theology, philosophy will be at my side.A few years ago I picked up a copy of Reinhold NiebuhrsNature and Destiny of Man. Then, I could barely makeheadway; now, I am engaged with the work, and with Nie-buhr, and with his supporters and critics. The languagethat enables me to read it is not theology (granted, a lan-guage in its own right) but philosophy.

Some of my friends have concentrated in the bibli-cal languages, reveling in the words of an ancient world

which, just two years ago, were totally inaccessible to usas Juniors. Others have concentrated in theology, draw-ing upon the rich traditions of our people struggling withfaith, seeking understanding. Some have concentrated inworship knowing that the gathering of the people of Godis, indeed, primary theology and the foundational commu-nity for all that we are. And then there are those who haveconcentrated in pastoral care, because here is the whereone meets Christ, in the face of the other who suffers.Each of us can probably explain why theirs was the rightchoice, and, I believe, each would be right. But, for me ithas been philosophy.

Now, there are some drawbacks. For example,when my wife and I are sitting together in the evening, ourcouch time, unwinding and sharing the events of ourday, and she lets me know about something that hap-pened to her that she felt was unethical. At this point, onemight be tempted to examine (as I typically am) whetheror not the event was, in fact, unethical, by drawing on theinsights of some old dead German guy and probing thetrue point of departure for the supposed ethical transgres-sion. (Note to self: avoid suggesting that the matter is notreally a question of ethics.) Similarly, her frustrations intrying to collaborate with large institutions and their bu-reaucratic systems often sound like a request for me todeliver an excursus on our modern human tendencies toact instrumentally instead of communicatively, ultimately

leading to the colonization of the lifeworld by the systemswe have created to serve us. At these times it truly seemsto me that the concepts ofdiffrence, reification, and dia-lectic, as positive or negative factors, could be quite help-ful in interpretation and understanding of her day. Alas, Iseem to be losing her. I am saddened to have learnedthat some aspects of my seminary education have noplace at our couch time. But, hey... Im concentrating inphilosophy, not pastoral care.


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Monday, February 9th

11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Morning Prayer Service Shelton Chapel

Led by Scott Spence12:00 1:00 p.m. Acts 2:42 Jose Lopez Knox Dining Hall12:00 1:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction Group Scott Quinn McCord 2026:00 7:30 p.m. MATS Colloquium Ellen Babinsky McCord 201

Tuesday, February 10th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. SACS-ATS Onsite Review Alison Riemersma McCord 20311:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Service of the Word Shelton Chapel

Led by David JohnsonChapel Team: Kaci Porter and Amber Reber

4:15 8:15 p.m. Reading, Writing, and Study Skills Light German Knox Dining Hall

Wednesday, February 11th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. SACS-ATS Onsite Review Alison Riemersma McCord 2038:30 9:30 a.m. Foedus Pietas Alison Riemersma Trull Boardroom8:30 10:00 a.m. Spiritual Direction Joe Berry McCord 20211:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction Jean Springer McCord 20211:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Midweek Manna Student Senate Stotts Dining Hall12:00 1:00 p.m. Corpus Christi Scott Spence McCord 20112:00 1:00 p.m. Student Senate Melissa Koerner McMillan 20612:00 1:30 p.m. Wilderness Course Orientation Bill Greenway Trull 11512:45 2:30 p.m. Korean Bible Study In Hye Park McMillan 2041:00 2:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction Barbara Schutz McMillan 1052:00 3:30 p.m. APTS Choir Rehearsal Kevin McClure Shelton Chapel2:00 3:30 p.m. Student Life/Standing Committee Ellen Babinsky McCord 2013:30 5:00 p.m. Worship Committee Jennifer Lord McCord 2013:30 5:00 p.m. Program of Study Committee Ismael Garcia Trull Boardroom6:30 8:00 p.m. Senior Seminar: Call Process & Interview Skills Sharon Pawlik McMillan 210

Thursday, February 12th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. SACS-ATS Onsite Review Alison Riemersma McCord 2039:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Spiritual Direction Barbara Schutz McCord 20211:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Morning Prayer Service Shelton Chapel

Led by Sally Wright11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Call 2 Gail Dalrymple Knox Dining Hall

Friday, February 13th

11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Morning Prayer Service Shelton Chapel

Led by Mari Lyn Jones11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Austin HR Management Association Lori Rohre Knox Dining Hall

Saturday, February 14th

No Events Today

Sunday, February 15th

No Events Today

Submissions to Kairos: Email submissions to the editor, Paul Dubois, at [email protected]. Calendar events and room reservation

requests should be sent to Jackie McCully [email protected] made in person at the McCord desk. Editorial decisions are basedon urgency, availability of space, and editorial guidelines. Deadline is Wednesday at 5:00 P.M. Submissions made after deadline must be

accompanied by a dunkel.

Do you have something to say to Kairos? Something to add Something to refute?If so, wed like to hear. We are committed to dialogue.

Letters to the editor will be published. See page 5 of this issue for our editorial guidelines.

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