#dmin

... Masculine ones, of course.

I do indeed have information for you!

Their mother is Taisa Saimiri, and Nyota resembles her strongly in both appearance and temperament (except the nose, she has their father’s nose). Taisa is a bit younger than Aram and has worked under him in the past, as both a guard and an occasional diplomat. She still does guard work in the village where she and her husband settled down to raise their family. A very stern woman, but not without her softer side. One of Nyota’s only memories from before the Miniknog is of Taisa tending her small garden’s worth of indoor flowers. She is fiercely protective of Tarvei, as her only remaining child (to her knowledge), and may have taught him the basics of self-defense in spite of not technically being supposed to do that… But that is the only bend she is willing to allow to the law, children or not. If she knew what he’s been up to… That would be a mess.

As we begin our calmer and steadier summer season of Ordinary Time, I am writing to you from the shores of Gimli. Clergy from across the MNO are gathering with Anglicans from Ruperts Land Diocese for a few days of study, renewal and collegiality.  I have been sitting on some news for a few weeks, not wanting to overshadow Pentecost Baptisms or Holy Trinity Confirmations. But I am excited to…

The answer, for me, is a resounding yes! Not only can theologians exist outside of academia, we need to place ourselves into the larger practical world beyond the University.

Recently, I was asked by my CEO, "So you're a theologian?" He had read an article from a colleague at St. John's University where I was mentioned and identified as a local theologian. I think my CEO found this category a bit humorous. Outside of academia, theologians are often seen as a bit lofty and perhaps not grounded in practical employment and ministry. I chuckled at his inquiry and affirmed that yes, I have been deemed a theologian and will wear it as a badge of honor. Truth of the matter is that I do identify in this way. I have been taught that we are all theologians in one sense or another. Practical theology teaches us this. If theology is "faith seeking understanding," then to some extent, to be human is to be theological.

Especially in the fields of ministry, I think it is good for many of these places to consider employing staff who have a theological background; a resident theologian, as it were. This calls to mind the movie "Crimson Tide" where the submarine captain (played by Gene Hackman) shares his thought on the extensive curriculum vitae that his EO (played by Denzel Washington) has and with regards to the use of nuclear weapons tells him: "All I had to know is how to push it -- they'd tell me when. They seem to want you to know why." This is how I see the resident theologian in the service of a particular ministry. They are the ones who are able to discern the mission for the organization and know the why of what is done.

Following up with this article, I think those of us who enter the theological disciplines should be open to entering the theological diaspora. Not only because the academic world is changing (for the worst, I believe) but also because the larger world of ministry and secular employment needs us to integrate their service as a context for theologizing. If we truly believe that the theological state is natural for all humanity, then it becomes incumbent of us theologians to demonstrate this by expanding the theological context. That is perhaps the reason I entered the field of ministry and intentionally chose a D.Min rather than a PhD. program.

I will definitely second the author's two suggestions at the end of his article. Our peers who remain in academia should do what they can in integrating the diaspora theologians by granting them access to the scholarly publications and conferences. The art of theological reflection is, after all, a two-way street. We need the contribution of the scholarly, but in the same way, our academic counterparts could thrive from the richness of our ministerial experience.