Two Day Forecast: High Winds of Excitement With Occasional Blogging

I am leaving in a few hours for "The Big Cambridge Adventure."

If there are, perchance, one or two of you who may not know what I'm talking about, here's the 'skinny'. I'm going to be Proctor Fellow (Scholar) at The Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA for the Spring Semester, 2011.

I have an appointment with my allergist in Dover, DE later this morning, then it's onto NJ to spend some time with Ms. Conroy and tending to some last minute chores.

I leave bright-eyed and bushy-tailed early Thursday morning for MA, hoping to arrive in Cambridge around noonish, depending on the traffic. The cable guy arrives sometime between 2-5 so I can have WiFi and local TV (I know! What will I do without HBO, right? I think I'll manage.) I hope to have time to get my keys and ID and lug my stuff up three flights of stairs so I can begin to settle in.

I'll sign up for classes and get my books on Friday and finish unpacking. I hope to visit friends and relatives on Saturday.

On Sunday (oh, be still my heart), I will be worshiping with the congregation at St. John's, Bowdoin Street, Boston, where I spent an absolutely glorious 2.5 years as seminary intern and the first few months of my diaconal ministry. I'm simply thrilled to be returning to one of the places that nurtured and nourished me and my spirit and helped to shape and form my understanding of priesthood.

After church, I'll be joining my dear friends of 34 years (!!!), Sheri and Lois, for a late lunch / early dinner.

Classes begin on Monday.

Did I mention that I'm excited?

The faculty with whom I'll be living have been gracious and generous in their hospitality. It's been delightful and heartening to be so warmly welcomed with a spirit that embodies everything Jesus could ask for or imagine from those who profess to follow His Way.

You can be certain that I'll keep you posted about what and how I'm doing. I did receive the course syllabus for one of the courses I know I'm going to take.

I'm still deciding about two courses, but I'm very excited to be taking "Contemporary Christologies" with the most brilliant Dr. Patrick Cheng. Here's the list of the course requirements and required reading.

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Christology: A Global Introduction (hereinafter “Christology”), ISBN 978-0801026218, $21.84

Kelly Brown Douglas, The Black Christ, ISBN 978-0883449394, $11.66

Robert E. Goss, Queering Christ: Beyond Jesus Acted Up, ISBN: 978-1556351617, $25.20

Kwok Pui-lan, ed., Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women’s Theology (hereinafter “Hope Abundant”), ISBN 978-1570758805, $22.44

Robert J. Schreiter, ed., Faces of Jesus in Africa, ISBN 978-0883447680, $18.09

R.S. Sugirtharajah, ed., Asian Faces of Jesus (hereinafter “Asian Faces of Jesus”), ISBN 978- 0883448335, $22.70

Optional texts include:

Virginia Fabella and R.S. Sugirtharajah, eds., Dictionary of Third World Theologies, ISBN 978-1570754050, $35.00.

Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas and Anthony B. Pinn, eds., Liberation Theologies in the United States: An Introduction, ISBN 978-0814727652, $23.00.

Course Requirements:

1. Weekly Posts on Blackboard

No later than 11:59 p.m. on each Tuesday prior to a class session, post on Blackboard one paragraph for each of the following three questions:

1. What in the readings surprised and/or excited you the most and why?
2. What in the readings troubled and/or upset you the most and why?
3. What in the readings would you like to see covered in class for clarification or further discussion and why?

2. In-Class “Creative” Presentation

Each student will make a presentation to the class of no more than five minutes about a given week’s readings. Creativity is highly encouraged, whether it is the use of handouts, liturgy, art, music, video, dance, and/or other forms of media.

3. Constructive Christological Paper

For your constructive christological paper, you are asked to write a 10-12 page essay in response to Jesus Christ’s question in Mark 8:29 (“Who do you say I am?”). That is, construct a christology from your own social location and enter into dialogue with at least two of the theologians assigned for this term. You will present a shortened version of your paper (2-3 pages) at the last class on April 27, 2011. For graduating students, the final paper is due via email by Monday, May 2, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. ET. For all other students, the final paper is due via email by Monday, May 16, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Pretty impressive, eh? I'm hoping you'll join me in this journey by reading some of the assignments with me and engaging me in conversation about what you've read.

This way, I'll be able to take some of you along with me in this "Big Cambridge Adventure". I think that might be just the kind of thing some of you may enjoy.

I'll post the other readings and requirements of the other courses as soon as I make that decision and get the syllabus for each course.

So, off I go then, to stuff all this stuff into my wee VW Beetle, Lucy Tru Bug. She is so very generous and hospitable, always figuring out a way to squeeze in one more bag of stuff, even when I have my doubts.

Pray for me, and I'll pray for you.