Look! An Update!

Hey there,

Time keeps on ticking right along, and I figured it was time for an update. First off, happy Memorial Day to those of you reading from the States. It is truly a day to be thankful and to remember why America is 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.' Freedom does not come, nor remain, without a cost. Here is a song that helps me reflect on Memorial Day: Find the Cost of Freedom

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In terms of an update I have a few points of interest to share with you. To start, I was recently elected President of the MCR at my college. MCR stands for Middle Common Room which is Oxonian for graduate student council. I am excited to be serving in this capacity for the rest of the Spring and then again in the Fall. I may be back for all three terms next year, but I am not sure yet - more on that another time. In other news, I am working on two new papers. The first is on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Biblical interpretation in his work Discipleship. I completed my undergraduate thesis on Bonhoeffer, so it is nice to be working on his thought once again. It has been interesting to look at the field of Biblical hermeneutics to see how the Bible has been interpreted throughout history. The other paper will be an analysis of sociological methods for studying the Holy Spirit in congregations. I will be sifting through various studies on Charismatic churches, religious experiences, spiritual phenomena, and the methods themselves and recommending the best approach for future studies. This paper is of great interest to me because I plan to conduct my own sociological study of the Holy Spirit next year for my thesis. My plan is to compare the role of the Holy Spirit in different denominations, and I am particularly interested in the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion and initiation experiences.

It is incredible to me that nearly an entire academic year has passed by. I will be flying back home for the Summer in just a few short weeks, and I am looking forward to being back - even though I hear its been 95˚F! Enjoy the last day of the month and the new month ahead!

Tim