I am an engineer.

Hi.  I’m Kyle.  I am actually an engineer by trade.  My life has been a long journey of a divided calling.  Though I have always had a strong love of the math and sciences, I have also had a passion for God’s word and church.  My passion for math and science has led me to get a Bachelors of Science in Architectural Engineering and I am now employed as a full time structural engineer.  This has led me to have a passion for logic, reason and critical thinking.  You might think of these facts as a strange qualifications for talking about theology.  They have however been strong tools in helping me to put together my thoughts and think critical about my studies of God’s word.

Now to the other side of my calling.  I have felt a strong passion to build up the church and to help others to better understand God’s word.  One of my favorite hobbies and pastimes is long conversations about faith and God.  From a young age I have had a never ending series of questions and have had no problems asking pretty much anyone to help me find the answers.  As a youth I spent a great deal of time helping with Sunday School, Youth Group and in the broader church.  Before even graduating high school I was meeting with my youth pastor on a regular basis to help find ways to make our youth group more effective.  I began volunteering a church camp moving from a counselor in training, to counselor, to director, and finally to summer staff.  I was a lay representative to our churches annual conference, taking place in both hearing and voting on issues of church policy.

During this time I regularly struggled with the dual nature of my calling.  It was unquestioned that I had a strong passion for the match and science, but the more involved I got in the church the more strongly I felt called to ministry.  The problem I struggled with was that I thought that I had to choose one or the other.  This internal struggle would give me a lot of heart burn, stress, and long nights on my knees in prayer.  I continued to pursue my passion for the math and sciences through engineering at Drexel University.  In the meantime I talked with the church about pursuing ordination, volunteered with local youth groups and working at the Christian summer camp.  As I struggled with my own calling I also felt strongly about helping others struggling with their calling.  Together my mother and I actually proposed, developed and wrote the curriculum for and led a camp on christian leadership.  Our strongest focus has always been discipleship.

Still as I was finishing my degree at Drexel, I felt something was missing still.  I had started in high school and through college to read the Bible from cover to cover.  I used a study bible, read general commentaries, researched various topics online, and went to regular bible studies.  The process illuminated God’s word in new ways and my understanding deepened dramatically as I read the entirety of God’s story as told through his word.  It prompted me to take a systematic view of theology.  Not in the systematic sense of seminary that focuses on issues such as Christology and  Soterielogy (neither of which I will get into here).  A more basic sense of systematics which meant that to fully understand God’s will we must read all of God’s word, Old & New Testament on any particular issue.  Only then in the context of all of God’s story can we fully understand what the bible has to say on any particular issue.

I still had so many unanswered questions.  The church seemed to lack an essential element of discipleship that I yearned for in my personal journey.  I did not feel equipped to fully understand God’s word on my own.  I felt that there was so many questions that I did not begin to know how to address or begin to answer.  That same lack of discipleship is an element that I believe is lacking in the church.  So after a great deal of prayer and discussion with my immediate family and my church family I decided to go to seminary.

I am a theologian.

I no longer wanted to pursue one answer at a time, agonizingly and in the dark  but to equip myself with the knowledge and tools to begin to answer my own questions.  So then began the search for the right seminary.  Having a United Methodist background I looked into a number of different options.  The obvious United Methodist options I explored were Wesley and Drew.  Palmer Theological Seminary actually started as a fluke.  I liked the Philadelphia area and felt strongly that God still had a reason for me being here.  So I also explored places like Valley Forge Christian College, Westminster, and Palmer.  Ironically, I drove by daily on my commute into Drexel, Palmer Theological Seminary.  My mother had joked that it was sign God was trying to speak to me.  So when I began seminary I attended their open house.

One of the things that attracted me to Palmer Theological Seminary was the holistic approach to ministry and the ecumenical and diverse nature of the school.  At one time they were the most, and possibly still are one of the most denominationally diverse seminaries in the United States.  They are approached ministry in a Holistic manner, or more simply they value a balancing of word and deed.  We as Christians must both devote time to spreading the good news of the Gospel and to living a strong Christian lifestyle that helps bring about the kingdom of God.

As I started seminary I still felt like I had to make a choice.  This led me to start in the Masters of Divinity program.  In this way if I was called to vocational ministry it would open doors that a masters of theology would not.  It did not take many classes in pastoral care and preaching to make it clear to me however that vocational ministry was not for me.  At such a time I switched to and have completed my Masters of Theology. I got what I wanted out of seminary, I gained a much greater ability to study and understand scripture and theology for myself.

Palmer Theological Seminary has been an excellent opportunity for me to grow and experience God’s word.  As my education continued though I felt more and more that the classes I was taking, should be things that our local churches were offering and teaching.  I felt that much of the knowledge I gained and should not be reserved for those can afford to go to seminary but any mature member of the church as well.  I also believe that the basics of exegesis, theology and context are tools that should be readily and regularly taught and made available to all Christians.

I believe that as much as possible that the basic teachings of theology should be published and made available for free or at cost.  I am by no means as qualified as my many professors at Palmer.  I also do not seek to be an ultimate authority on any subject.  The purpose instead of this site is to make aware, to those seeking a deeper understanding, the tools and techniques available and necessary for critical study of God’s word.  Knowing my own inexperience and feeling no need to re-invent the wheel I will regularly reference sources that I feel do a better and more through job than myself.  I instead will attempt to give overviews in the various areas I feel critical to a successful journey.

I am United Methodist and Ecumenical.

My faith journey has been primarily within the United Methodist Church which I still consider to by my denomination.  However, my experiences have given me a broad appreciation for more than just my own denomination.  I am strongly for interdenominational relationships and ecumenical movements.  Some of my best friends have been and are atheists and non-believers.  It is also through some of these friends that I have had my deepest, most challenging conversations, and most enlightening conversations about God. As such I also am interested in interfaith movements.

I do consider myself United Methodist but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything they teach. I do not believe that there is any one particular denomination that has it all right.  I believe that many of the major denominations have a lot to contribute to each other.  For example I believe that the United Methodist Church excels at issues of social justice and biblical ethics, or in simpler terms putting God’s words into action.  The Catholic Church excels at spiritual discipline, liturgy, prayer, worship and strong sacramental tradition.   The baptist churches excel exceedingly at giving a strong biblical foundation.  This list is not meant to exclusive or exhaustive but examples of where we can learn from each other.

I know there is a push in certain circles to become non-denominational. think that is a mistake. I think that it is better to be ecumenical then to rebel against denominations all together. Tradition is an important part of a health church and theology. Traditions should not be held simply for the sake of tradition but often they safe guard against errors the church has repeatedly dealt with and overcome. It also keeps us from the temptation to believe that we can form the Christian faith into any form or belief we like. There are essentials which should not be discard by the whims of a person or group.

I believe that the major denominations in this respect do a great service in providing healthy boundaries from false teachings and practice.  While I don’t believe any of them have it right, I believe that they are more healthy than separating from tradition entirely.  Likewise, I generally feel the dividing theological difference between the major denominations is typically minimal (in terms of dogma and essentials) and those that do occur don’t often change our everyday and general practices.