lpetrich

I wonder how common that is.

CX

Some how I doubt that it's very common. My father is in seminary to be an Episcopal deacon. There is virtually no text criticism etc. in his curriculum. What little bit sneaks out he seems to ignore.

David Bowden

I agree with CX; while it's possible at someplace with a strong liberal theological tradition, like Harvard Divinity, I doubt you'll find professors at Notre Dame, Asbury or Fuller seminaries vocalizing that particular bit of wisdom. And of course the more fundamentalist schools would tar and feather anyone who taught such a thing.

It's perfectly possible that many 'awakened' students come to this conclusion on their own based on the interpretive methods learned at seminary, and feel the need to hide it from both their profs and their congregations. In fact, when I was in school at a pretty conservative Nazarene university, some of my fellow religion majors held views like this, but for understandable reasons they kept pretty quiet about it, even within our small and exclusive circle. Knowing you have a faith without a foundation is a torturous thing, especially when talking about it will derail your career and your reputation in school and back home.

Now, I do believe there's a bit more privately held doubt among seminary profs than they let on to their students. As I look back at my education after leaving the faith, some of my own profs seemed almost to be trying to hint, hint, hint that the 'higher criticism' so vilified by conservatives actually makes more sense and tells us more of importance than the traditional reading.

But I was never taught that the whole Bible was a sham. That conclusion came years afterwards.

-Wanderer

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: wide-eyed wanderer ]</p>