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2. Faith Identity—Part I. A Pew Forum study on how Americans mix faiths drew national attention to what congregations have known for many years: the lines between denominations, and even religious traditions, are blurring at a rapid rate. Nearly a quarter of people surveyed attend worship services in faith traditions other than their own. 3. Faith Identity—Part II. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was a prominent name at the beginning and ending of 2009. In January, he was at the eye of the evangelical-identity storm when he delivered the opening prayer at Barack Obama's inauguration; he was again at the eye later in the year as homosexuality stirred tremendous debate in evangelical circles—first, over Prop 8 in California; then, over the Ugandan push for anti-gay legislation. 4. Faith Identity—Part III. An Israeli organization launched a media push in the U.S. and Europe to encourage Jews who are being "assimilated" to return to Israel and regain their identity. 5. Health-care Reform. The American health-care system has been front-and-center on Capitol Hill for much of the year. While many religious organizations have been involved with the debate, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have played a "swing" role in the discussion, pushing for a bill that would not permit abortions to be funded by public dollars. 6. Swiss Nix Minarets. Against the wishes of the Swiss government, Swiss voters altered their constitution to outlaw minarets in Europe's historically "neutral" nation. The vote rests on the leading edge of tensions between Muslims and other faith communities in the west, who are wrestling with how to integrate their growing Muslim populations into their societies. 7. Evangelical Lutherans Vote to Ordain Homosexual Clergy. While numerous mainline denominations have debated ordaining gay and lesbian clergy for decades, the ELCA has become the latest to put a stake in the ground on this issue. 8. Sex Abuse Allegations Continue to Roil the Catholic Church. A major study released late in 2009 found that between 1975 and 2004, not only did the Irish Catholic hierarchy cover up reports of clerical abuse against children, but the Irish police colluded to keep the abuse quiet. Coming on the heels of the sex abuse charges in the United States against Catholic leaders, the Irish Catholic cover up adds fuel to the growing calls from Church laity for fundamental reforms in the Catholic tradition. 9. Clergy Struggle in Public Poll. How well are clergy members respected? Not very, according to a Gallup Poll released this year that reveals just 50 percent of respondents think highly of clergy. While clergy do better than most of the professions respondents were asked about (coming in eighth out of 22), the approval rating was the lowest in 32 years. The reason for the decline isn't known. 10. Archdiocese of Washington Threatens to Pull Social Services to 70,000 because of Same-sex Marriage Bill. When the DC City Council backed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, the Archdiocese of Washington threatened to withdraw social services to 70,000 individuals it serves through Catholic Charities. Following Mayor Fenty's signing the bill, the Archdiocese seemed to back away, but the future here is unclear. Religious organizations on both sides of this issue weighed in heavily.

Issue: 283 December 28, 2009

WHY WOULD LAYPEOPLE WANT THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION, ANYWAY?

by Sally Simmel

In this new world, this global village we inhabit, growing ever more complicated and accessible through scienceand technology, many of us think daily about the meaning and purpose of our lives. We are mindful of thedecisions that need to be made to make sense of the world and our place in it. We can all tell stories ofsignificant life experiences and the role we feel God is playing in them. A child is born, a child dies. A job isterminated; a new one is begun. We fall in love; we encounter something in nature that stirs us beyondanything we have known before. A parent dies and the loss lasts a very long time. We feel yearnings in our verysoul for something yet unknown. We witness an incredible sunset or experience an amazing piece of art orpoetry. We wonder about God's role in the universe and our role with God in the ongoing creation andsustaining of the planet. Even as we live in a post-9/11 world, with wars and natural disasters, worldwideeconomic changes, and climate and environmental issues, the search for meaning continues and eachgeneration shares the universal concerns for life and common good.

This is the world to which we in continuing theological education introduce the questions of why and how toprovide theological education for laity living into the worthy questions of faith for this time.

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A Lifelong Call to Learn is aimed at directors of lifelong learning and continuing education thatserve both clergy and laity in Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish seminaries and conference and

retreat centers. While proposing new approaches in continuing theological education, it also addresses the needfor programs that involve both clergy and laity at the congregational level and that support ongoinginterreligious dialogue in our increasingly pluralistic society. Particularly in this time of foment in theologicaleducation, when institutional leaders are striving to develop new models for the basic master of divinity degree,this collection will be of keen interest to theological educators in every setting.

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Dean and Professor of Christian Education Formation

Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond

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