Q & R: a DMin?
Here’s the Q:
I am a small town pastor and very happy with my vocation in most ways. I am a part of an increasingly conservative, increasingly fundamentalist denomination and have been very moved by A Generous Orthodoxy and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road.
As a parish pastor it is difficult to find time to dig deeper into the issues that come with attempting to unwrap, understand, and repent for my Imperialist, Roman Protestant history and how to winsomely communicate what comes out of that understanding. In order to force myself into that reflection, I am considering beginning work on a DMin that would focus on these issues. Because of your leadership in this area, I was hoping that you might have some suggestions re: schools and professors that might be a the forefront of this kind of effort.
Here’s the R:
First, I think you’re very wise to find some space to do some rethinking. It’s never too late! A DMin could provide that space in a constructive way. I am a board member at Claremont School of Theology, and I am deeply impressed with their faculty. There are many other excellent seminaries that could help you in your studies as well.
If you research “postcolonial theology,” you’ll find many of the scholars who are grappling with these issues. Their names include …
Ruth Padilla DeBorst, William Hertzog, Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, Marc Ellis, Mark Braverman, Naim Ateek, the Latin American and African Liberation theologians, Warren Carter, Namsoon Kang, Gary Burge, Joerg Rieger, John Howard Yoder, the Girardian/mimetic theologians, women theologians who are consistently neglected in an imperial age, and many others.
Whatever the context in which you decide to study, I can tell you from personal experience that a reading list like this will revolutionize your theology, spirituality, and missiology. (It may also mean you have to look for a new job, but that’s another story and another Q & R, I’m sure!)