Category Archives: academia

On the possibility of Liberating Oppressors through a $130 book (and a free look at the introduction)

by Patrick Posted on August 23, 2019

What does it mean to liberate oppressors? What would this look like in practice? Why would we even want to do so? In the introduction to Hope for the Oppressor I write about my goal and approach: This book is … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Hope for the Oppressor | Tagged oppressing | Comments Off

A Fuller Year

by Patrick Posted on May 7, 2019

Amy commented the other day, “We have good summers, falls, and winters. The springs get us every year, though.” She said it with a smile, but it’s been true. All sorts of plans and a good momentum gets derailed and … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Amy, family, Fuller | 4 Comments

Reflecting and Inviting as Spring Quarter Begins

by Patrick Posted on April 4, 2019

This is the first week of Spring quarter. Each week in my theology and church history classes I begin with a reflection, a devotional type writing intended to help focus students. The topics of the week are usually pretty dense … Continue reading →

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on ordination

by Patrick Posted on November 6, 2018

As part of my ordination examination, I was asked to provide a further response about ordination. Indeed, while I was affirmed in almost every way, the lingering question at the table was whether my calling included the particular element of … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, church, theology, Transformative Church | 1 Comment

Gathering, Sending, Living: Week 2 of Fall Quarter

by Patrick Posted on October 7, 2018

This past week was the second week of Fall quarter at Fuller Seminary. I generally make the first week into an introduction of the topic and an introduction to the course structure. There’s always a lot of adds/drops/questions in the … Continue reading →

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Fall Quarter begins with asking “What is…”

by Patrick Posted on September 30, 2018

I’ve been teaching full-time for 6 years now. Just about every term over the last six years I’ve had a new class to develop. Maybe 1 or 2 where I didn’t have a new class, but then there was some … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, classes, teaching | 1 Comment

A Fuller Move

by Patrick Posted on May 28, 2018

This past week, Fuller Seminary announced they are going to move from their campus in Pasadena to a new location in Pomona. I learned of the final decision only a couple hours before, though there had been talk of this … Continue reading →

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How I came to (officially) support women in ministry

by Patrick Posted on February 1, 2018

In early 1999, my church had a major crisis, as there was a group of people who left the church and others were threatening to leave over the issue of a woman preaching on the occasional Sunday morning. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, education, ministry, Scripture, teaching, theology | 1 Comment

Indulging in Moral Irresponsibility

by Patrick Posted on December 1, 2017

Recently, Pete Enns, a scholar of the Old Testament, wandered over to the annual gathering of the American Academy of Religion. This is the largest society of scholars whose work focuses on, you guessed it, religion. That term is defined … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, education, professional | 1 Comment

The art of textbook choosing

by Patrick Posted on September 25, 2017

I’ve learned over the years, there’s an art in choosing just the right texts for a class. I wonder if this is one of those problems that are new to our era, like having a dynamic classroom experience. It used … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, spirituality, teaching, theology | 1 Comment