Letters from Overseas

May 2008

• United Church of Zambia Theological College
  P.O. Box 20429
  Kitwe
  Republic of Zambia

First semester at the Theological College ended with exam week in the middle of May. Being a tutor in a theological college is my brand-new job description and the semester was a remarkable event for me.

I had lots of time to prepare for Introduction to the Old Testament, Theologies of the New Testament, and Contemporary Christian Ethics. I spent time in Toronto reading, thinking, and going to lunch with professor friends to pick their brains. But I discovered that until one arrives and finds out what is actually in the library, what resources the students will have to draw on, and who, in fact, the students are, everything is rather abstract. As a result, the several weeks before classes began was an intense time as we organized our accommodation in the college guest house and I prepared module outlines for the courses with bibliographical references, etc.

Each week of the term involved intensive preparation for classes. I was fortunate with all of my courses. I found a book published in South Africa by an American Old Testament scholar, F.S. Frick. A Journey through the Hebrew Scriptures is a wonderful introductory text and even though there was only one copy in the library, I used it extensively with the six bright first-year students.

We wrestled with the Old Testament as the multi-faceted attempt by a variety of authors over many centuries pondering, comprehending, and describing the relationship of chosen people with an elusive, magnanimous, and mysterious God. Over the course of the semester, the students immersed themselves in the many methods and messages of the Hebrew scriptures.

The second-year course in Theologies of the New Testament was an entirely different experience. The students, Margaret and nine men, were also a delight—quick of mind and open to new ideas. We took the course title seriously and looked at the New Testament's various understandings of that explosion of wisdom, action, and expectations that was and is Jesus Christ.

What can we know about the historical Jesus and on what bases can we affirm these "facts"? To what extent are the gospels and other writings attempts to correct and supplement the apostle Paul's "religion of radical redemption"? What theories of atonement are found in the books of the New Testament and which models are suitable for the United Church of Zambia today? How did monotheistic Jews, the earliest followers of Jesus, deal with their growing sense that in his life, death, and resurrection, they were dealing with a new manifestation of Divinity? What are the Christological names that appeared in earliest Palestinian Christianity and in the emerging Jewish Hellenistic and later Gentile Hellenistic faith? ("Christology" is the technical term for the struggle to name the God-man experience encountered in Jesus.) Is Jesus' resurrection to be considered a metaphorical statement about the sense of his continued presence with us, or did Jesus arise from the dead in some form of transformed physicality?

Gerd Theissen's Introduction to the New Testament and Paula Fredriksen's From Jesus to Christ were helpful guidebooks in the quest to understand and struggle with the above questions.

I was most apprehensive as I came to my first meeting with the third-year students—Charity and nine mature second-career men. The course is entitled Contemporary Ethics. I chose to begin by relating an ethical situation involving a key member of the congregation in one of the churches I served. This caught their attention. When I asked if anyone had met a similar ethical situation in the course of congregation work, Alex, bless his heart, spoke up and we were away. We looked at a wide variety of ethical systems. Research paper topics, guest speakers, and examination questions made clear that the goal was not just ethical theory but effective application.

My biggest risk was introducing the class to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian martyred by the Nazis for plotting to assassinate Hitler. I was worried that his struggle to describe a post-modern ethic based on Jesus' transcendent/immanent "Man for others" theology would not find a point of contact with Zambian ministers-to-be. To my surprise, several found Bonhoeffer's death row reflections the highlight of the course.

In addition to the resident students, I also presented my second- and third-year courses to UCZ, Anglican, and Presbyterian ministers, graduates of the college who came to upgrade their diploma to a Bachelor of Theology degree. I had five days with each group, four students in second and 10 in third year. An interesting and challenging teaching variation that required substantial adaptation of the course materials.

Major challenges became evident when the research papers poured in near the end of semester. Most of the essays I received were fine in terms of content and style, but there were a number of exceptions. Several of the first-year students submitted papers that were borderline unintelligible because of writing style. Not surprising perhaps, since English is a second or third language for all.

I was not sure that my detailed written critique of their papers plus our subsequent conversations would make a significant difference, so I was surprised and moved when papers were resubmitted. Melvin and Elijah were remarkable in their ability to integrate the results of our discussions. One, in fact, ended up with the highest mark in the first-year class. Other students in second and third year wrote papers that received passing marks. I noted in my comments that if they chose to reflect on the style comments and rewrite the paper, I would be willing to re-mark. With a couple of exceptions, all did and the marks improved. Throughout, I have been impressed with the commitment and the capabilities of the student body.

This is a quick overview of the fine and varied opportunities for teaching, theological reflection, and social action my volunteer position provides. Thank you for your encouragement and support.

Best wishes,
Doug Varey

Doug Varey from Toronto Conference is serving with the United Church of Zambia's Theological College in Kitwe, Zambia. The work of this ecumenical partner and the work of overseas personnel are made possible through your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund of The United Church of Canada.