Reflections from WSC, Aug. 4, 2010

Presently, I’m about a week and a half into Summer Greek. If I were taking the class for a grade (I'm so glad I tested out and can simply audit it), I honestly wouldn’t have time to write this; they call it “Greek Boot Camp” for a reason – wow it’s intense!

I’m already loving my time here. At the beginning of our first class, Professor Kim put this quote up for us to read:

"The widening breach between the minister and his Greek Testament may be traced to two principle causes. The modern minister objects to his Greek New Testament or is indifferent to it, first, because he is becoming less interested in his Greek and, second, because he is becoming less interested in his New Testament." [J. Gresham Machen]

Before coming here, I heard people say, “The spirit of Machen lives on at Westminster Seminary California”. My experience in these short two weeks definitely confirms that.

NT Greek is not just a class that we try to “get through”; rather, the biblical languages are actually the foundation of everything we will do in the future. As a matter of fact, we won’t even be allowed to take our English Bibles into our lectures during our second and third years! And the fact that we have a professor (not a TA) teaching Greek demonstrates the priority the seminary places upon it.

I’ve also been overjoyed by the number of conversations about the Reformed confessions and Reformed worship that I’ve heard taking place. The students that I’ve met so far (even the incoming ones) are concerned with much more than predestination. Liturgy, psalms, the Three Forms (pdf), and the Westminster Standards are key concerns.

My last reflection is that I’m amazed by how few have actually been raised in a Reformed church. Most are coming from Evangelical backgrounds, many of which were Fundamentalist, so it’s an exciting time for all of us to plumb the depths of this rich tradition and, consequently, grow in our love for God.