Monday, February 11, 2013

A DESIGN FOR PASTORAL FORMATION
IN
PEACE-JUSTICE-NONVIOLENCE

Previously, I presented a theological and practical foundation for the necessity of renewed pastoral formation in the areas of peace-justice-nonviolence.  What follows is what was affirmed by the Joint Peace with Justice Committee of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Area Synods and presented for consideration to the Curriculum Committee at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

When a seminary student graduates from LTS, we believe the student

OUTCOME AND COMPETENCIES

Be equipped to address socio-political-environmental issues from a biblical and confessional
        perspective, as well as having formed their personal views
Be versed in the various social statements of the ELCA
Be familiar with strategies of nonviolence and how to empower transformative change
Recognize that being a pastor also means being prophetic
Dare to embrace times calling one to be counter-cultural
Know how to engage and preach prophetically on socio-political issues
Develop skills in working ecumenically to address community issues
Develop skills in addressing local, state, national, and global issues
Develop skills in recognizing stewardship to include working for peace and justice
Know the difference: charity and justice, personal and systemic

BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL-ETHICAL GROUNDING

Familiarity with Major and Minor Prophets
Familiarity with New Testament Ethics: Gospels and Letters
Familiarity with theology and methods of historical and modern activists such as: Cesar
         Chavez, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jim Wallis, Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Robin Meyers,
         Shana Claiborne, Dorothy Day, and others
Familiarity with Luther's Ethics
Familiarity with ethical giants: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold and Richard Niebuhr, Douglas
         John Hall, Walter Brueggemann, Walter Wink, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Joan
         Chitester, Sallie McFague, Diana Butler Bass, and others
Professors in various courses integrate peace-justice-nonviolence into their material

CONTEXTUAL EDUCATION

During seminary, become part of a group which deals with nonviolent socio-political
         change: ISAIAH, JPJC, Minnesota Without Poverty, Protect Minnesota, various
         environmental groups, and others

Preceding the above design details, were several texts and quotes fro PJNV giants, such as:

God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted
up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent
the rich away empty.
Luke 1:52-53

We call you...to speak for justice in behalf of the poor and oppressed....
From: LETTER OF CALL

"Christians need to know that six million Jews were murdered by 
baptized Christians in the heart of Christendom.  There would
not have been a Third Reich if Protestants and Catholics had
not betrayed their Baptism."
Dr. Franklin Littell

"When someone says the word 'pastor' these days, what image
come to mind?  We still occupy a respected profession, but we tend
not to be 'resisters.'  We are not sent off to seminary to learn the
arts of noncompliance.  We learn how to run churches, how to
be present in love, how to preach sermons that won't get us fired - 
all good things.  But who teaches us how to be subversive?....
How many ministers could honestly be described as threats 
to the status quo?"
Robin Meyers

Already there is a hopeful sign.  A seminary professor has contacted me about getting together and developing an experiential PJNV experience for seminarians when they would meet and work with local people committed to nonviolent social change.

Pray for the Church and the seminarians.

Peace!


2 comments:

  1. Brother Ron,
    We would love to join in that effort here in San Diego-Tijuana. Expanding on our work with Transformational World Opportunities, we are developing a J-term course with local community organizers in Mexico and the U.S. Let's talk soon!

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    Replies
    1. Darin, great hearing from you! Let's touch base and share some ideas. It seems we have some common ground and common visions. I think this is a timely moment to better equip the Church and the People of God to be God's transformational voice and hands. By the way, I am starting to read George Johnson's new book, COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY. My email is: ronletnes@hotmail.com. Peace!

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