Asbury Experience

I went to visit Asbury Theological Seminary on Monday and Tuesday. There is a high probability that I will be attending this school to get my PhD in Biblical Studies. But I wanted to share a bizarre yet extremely encouraging experience.

Most Seminaries place a high priority on spiritual growth as well as theological and academic growth. And, I believe many fail. Many reasons could be cited I suppose, but in the end I have found that many seminaries don’t have an atmosphere of excitement. That is not the case at Asbury. From my limited experience at the school, the people are excited not just about learning but about sharing what God is doing. The people were genuinely kind and caring

Let me use the chapel service I attended as another example. Being a United Methodist school, I expected stale, uptight, impassionate worship. On the one hand, it was very traditional. A beautifully large pipe organ in a conventional pew-filled sanctuary belted out the classic tune “He Arose” while students in robes brought a cross and various banners down the aisle. It was at this point that my expectations were completely destroyed. The students sang with the sort of zeal you would see at a Hillsong or Passion concert. Hands were raised, parts were sung, ‘Amen’s were shouted – Christ was praised. Then a PhD candidate got up to pray, and prayed from the heart as he lifted up the situation in Sudan in more than generic intercessory prayer, but in the fervent prayer of a man who has been personally affected by the tragedy (he is originally from Africa). The aged president spoke eloquently but energetically expounding joy of the resurrection. Throughout the chapel service I was reminded that it is not the form of worship that promotes passionate worship, but the heart of worship.

I left dumbfounded as the meshing of the traditional and the charismatic had such a profound impact on me and clearly on the spiritual life of the students. It was encouraging to know that my PhD experience will be far more than an academic exercise, but will refresh my soul and prepare me for my continued life of ministry.