Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1056884
I t is hard to be inundated with news of catastrophe, hate, discrimination, natural disasters, school shootings, trauma, and racism. The only conclusion can be that the world is sick and in need of a physician. The world needs Jesus, "The Great Physician". We might know that description of Christ from the famous hymn of 150 years ago or the sermon "Christ the Physician of the Soul" by George Whitfield in the mid-1700s. The phrase is taken from Jesus' famous retort to those questioning the company he was keeping. "Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick" (Mark 2:17). Today, the primary work of a faith leader is to tend to the spiritual health of those in their care. In a very real way, the students at Denver Seminary are training to be physicians of the soul. This is what makes theological education so important. Theological education is taking the timeless truth of God's word and making it accessible to those in desperate need of it. One thing physicians in training learn early on is that translation is paramount to human interaction. While it is technically accurate to tell a patient that they have an ecchymotic lesion with some erythema, it will not make any sense to most of us. Instead a good doctor will explain that you have some bruising on the skin with redness. A medical student is learning to translate complex medical concepts into everyday language with empathy. In much the same way, a physician of the soul will step into a situation where someone is hurting and translate timeless spiritual truths into common language we can understand. Denver Seminary students are trained to understand people where they are and help them come to know the truth. This is what it means to engage the needs of the world with the redemptive power of the gospel and the life- changing truth of Scripture. We believe there is no better place than Denver Seminary for students to begin to understand how God has called them and to nurture that call in their lives. 5 THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AT DENVER SEMINARY