just a seminarian

I'm going to rant for a minute, so bear with me. There's a lot of talk these days (and in years past too) about how formal biblical education has the tendency of decreasing one's spirituality. In other words, the academic focus and the attention to cognitive processes when approaching the scripture and theology are in direct opposition to how one is "supposed" to read the Bible: with the heart, soul, or even spirit.

In fact, so many who have gone through seminary or any other biblical education seem to make similar statements: that Bible school makes them less spiritual.

A lot of this, as I mentioned above, has to do with the approach to scripture and theology of the seminarian; an approach that is analytical and cerebral. It's implied that by reading the Bible this way, one cannot have a spiritual experience. In order to have a spiritual experience of some sort, one has to return to reading the Bible as he or she did before he or she started biblical education.

I have a serious issue with this for several reasons. First, I have had so many deeply spiritual experiences while analyzing text. I have learned some deep truths about myself, the way God works in the world, the nature of humanity, etc. These have all produced some significant changes in my life along with some times of incredible spiritual connection to God.

Which brings me to my second problem with this statement about seminary: It's dualistic (and, in my opinion, dangerous). This is something I'm only beginning to ponder, but I think there's something in it. The dualism is that there is mind and there is spirit, and the two work independently. So when we analyze text, we are engaging out mind and not necessarily our spirit or soul. The same is true in reverse. When we are reading the text for some spiritual meaning, we aren't using our cognitive abilities. In fact, some would urge the reader to put aside his or her "intellect" (or maybe analytical skills) in order to approach the text in a spiritual way.

Now the answer to this dualism has been something to this effect: "The key is to engage both your intellect and your spirit and to hold them both in a healthy tension." Sounds good, but to me, it's still dualistic. Sure, the goal to have both intellect and spirit be equal is good, but this still maintains they idea that they are separate.

I want to move toward a more holistic view of the human being; like the what we see in the OT. In the Jewish mind, there is no outside and inside of the body; no spirit and flesh; no body and soul. We are whole beings.

And in reality, can we really separate our "intellect" from our "spirit?" Are we really able to function fully in one without engaging the other? Or, stated more directly, aren't they really the same thing? Where is my spirit? Point to it. Is it in a different location than my intellect?

All of this is really premature. I've only begun to mull it over. But I know for sure I get exceedingly frustrated when I hear of seminarians who claim an academic reading of scripture strips them of their spirituality. I also know for sure that I want to understand this human life we have in a more holistic way. Am I flesh? Am I spirit? Am I soul? Or am I human?