Perhaps we ought to be different

This past weekend I found myself in a situation that brought great anxiety and disturbance to me. I was confronted with, again, the question of whether we as seminary students are different. I was confronted with disappointment that many of us are not any different from the rest of the world. I witnessed the lifestyle of some seminarians that is just the same as the world. In my last post I asked the question whether seminary students should be different from the rest of the local congregation. After reading some people's comments and further pondering on this question, I've come to believe that while we should not be considered any more "sanctified" or special, there should be more expected of us.

The reason what I witnessed this past weekend greatly disturbed me is that I've seen a pattern in many seminarians' lives of a prolonged college lifestyle. We treat our dating relationships with casualness, just like the world does. We party the night away with shallow social exchanges, in an atmosphere that strangely resembles the "Hookup culture" . Why do so many of us come to a seminary where one studies the Bible in an academic setting, and conduct our off-campus life in a manner that really cannot be distinguished from the rest of the world?

I must confess and repent of my judging heart. I have sinned as I judged my fellow seminarians in their behaviors. I am definitely not the one to judge on how a seminarian should conduct his or her life. But I would like to encourage fellow seminarians and future seminarians to examine their own heart. Why are you at the seminary? How are you glorifying God and setting an example for church members, who are watching closely, by your lifestyle and relationships?

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16

In the latest 9Marks newsletter Owen Strachan, a student at Southern, wrote an article called Doing Seminary Well. I found this article very convicting, yet encouraging. There's much to be learned from it. Read it. May it be a valuable lesson to you as it is to me.