Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Letters to a Young Pastor

How to Read a Boring Textbook (Letters to a Young Pastor)

September 29, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 6 Comments

How to read a boring text book

Dear ______: I have to say I’m kind of envious of envious of you. It’s officially fall. We finally have some cooler temperatures. But in college or graduate school late September is full of gifts. You are partway into a new semester, walking with newly familiar books in your backpack across campus toward the library, under the […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary Tagged With: how to read a boring textbook, Letters to a Young Pastor

Getting Through Seminary by Avoiding Contamination? (Letters to a Young Pastor)

September 1, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

Dear ______: The description in your letter of that particular group of students sounds like me when I was learning to swim: I thrashed around as hard as I could just to survive and get out of the water. Many enter seminary with the strange goal of avoiding contamination. I’ve seen two very different kinds of […]

Filed Under: Ministry Tagged With: Avoiding contamination, Letters to a Young Pastor, Seminary

Shouldn’t This Be Easy? (Letters to a Young Pastor)

August 18, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 4 Comments

Shouldn't this be easy?

Dear ______: Thanks for your note. You are definitely right: seeking a mountaintop experience is by no means the only off-target assumption people bring to seminary. And the assumptions that you bring make a big difference on the experience you have. Anyway, the conversations you mention point to another assumption that can keep people from […]

Filed Under: Faith, Ministry Tagged With: Letters to a Young Pastor

Making Friends in Seminary (Letters to a Young Pastor)

May 12, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

Making friends in seminary

Dear ______: Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my recent letter about making friends with John Calvin. I think you drew some conclusions that I wasn’t intending. Let me take a step back. As a person in ministry, you need a lot of different kinds of friends — and seminary is a great place to […]

Filed Under: Ministry Tagged With: Augustine, Barbara Brown Taylor, Barth, Calvin, John Chrysostom, Letters to a Young Pastor, Making friends in seminary, Teresa of Avila

Finding Friends (Letters to a Young Pastor)

April 26, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Finding Friends

Dear ____: One of the best things that can happen to you in seminary is to broaden your friendship network. I’m glad you have been getting to know Christians whose backgrounds and opinions are very different from your own. But actually, that is just the start. Find some dead friends I really hope you will […]

Filed Under: Prayer Tagged With: Finding Friends, John Calvin, Letters to a Young Pastor, Prayer

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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