SF at SPCU 

This was my 14^th year teaching at SPCU -- Saint Petersburg Christian University. Spring semester I taught Spiritual Formation to 16 second and third year students. The students included a 70-year old man from the Russian Far East, who grew up under Communism in a Mennonite family, a pair of 20-year old twin girls from Kazakhstan, and sadly a 26-year old ex-convict and drug-addict, who had to leave the college because of his slide back into drug use.

At first I found this group of student to be rather resistant to engaging their own spiritual walk. Some had been hardened by life's wounds, many were from traditions that completely disregarded a personal relationship with Jesus, others had become cynical about an experiential faith in light of their theological education. This is why I had wanted to teach this Spiritual Formation later on in their program! 

I had decided to have the students write "weekly reflection journals" on the readings and lecture topics for each week. The journals became a meaningful forum where the students could reflect on their own lives with God in the context of our lecture topics, then I would respond individually to each one via email. When we started talking about Longing for God, the 70 year old student said, "This just keeps getting better and better!" 

At the end of the semester I met one-on-one with each of the students to discuss their impressions and questions. "N" is an intelligent student in the B.Th. program, who often challenged me in class. During our session he said, "Many of these topics about our spirituality are like a knife edge. Stray just a little and there is heresy on either side. But I soon realized that my initial resistance would dissolve by the time I wrote my journal or received your reply." This is why it is so important to talk about these subjects and give our students a language and a paradigm to help the church embrace a lively, maturing faith in Christ!