trains & theology

I'm finally going to be in one spot for awhile, after being on the go for the past week since I left the U.S. Thank goodness! I arrived in Madurai early this morning, after initially getting on the wrong train last night -- I had a ticket for the Tutocorin Special train at 7:55pm, so when the Tutocorin Express train arrived at 7:40pm, I just thought my train had come a little early and hopped on (the lady next to me looked at my ticket and told me it was the right train...guess I should have asked someone more official). Luckily some other passengers were nice enough to share their seats with me until I could get off and change trains at another station.

I have had a whirlwind first day at Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS) here in Madurai. It's an amazing school - their theology, the way they put their faith into practice, everything seems to be just what a seminary should be. Here in India, the basic degree is a 4-year batchelor of divinity. The first year, the students live on campus and study things like Dalit (outcaste) theology, spirituality and ecology, women in the church - in addition to the traditional intro stuff like reformation history. The second year, all students are required to live in urban slums, to learn how to identify with and stand in solidarity with the poor. They help their new neighbors organize and advocate for better treatment (all while still attending classes). The third year, they spend one term doing internships with non-profit groups, and 2 terms living in rural villages to learn about the concerns of rural poor (their professors come to them for intensive classes). Then their fourth year they return to campus to process all they've learned and write a thesis.

There are dozens of programs started by the seminary to address what seems like every possible social concern - a Dalit resource center, youth job training programs, HIV/AIDS ministry, prison ministry, womens' leadership training, interfaith dialogue, ...it goes on and on. I should get to visit several of these programs in the coming week.

They just seem to do everything right here - they intentionally recruit women students, since women in church leadership is especially rare in southeast Asia. They don't try to convert people when they live in the slums and rural areas, but instead encourage interfaith dialogue at the grassroots level. They use inclusive language. Even the campus is beautiful and full of trees, and they grow their own vegetables!

Those of you in Div school might be glad you don't go here, though...my first program this morning was the weekly chapel service, where each final year student takes a turn planning worship and preaching. After the service, the entire student body and faculty critique and grade you on your performance - there was about an hour of commentary, picking apart the sermon and order of service!

I also had a nice surprise this morning after assembly - a former student of the school where I taught in Sri Lanka is studying here. It wasn't a student I was especially close to, but we rememberd each other, and we had a nice visit this afternoon, reminiscing about Jaffna College and some of the class trips we both went on.

For my non-Div school friends, I'll add more soon about the non-theological portions of my trip!