Barnabas File

I n a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. — Eric Hoffer, writer and philosopher   In his article, Human Knowledge is Doubling Every 12 Hours , Amitabh Ray notes, “The  volume of knowledge is doubling every 12 hours. The doubling rate used to be 25 years in 1945.”    He reports, “There was a stunned silence when I told a group of young students that the jobs of tomorrow, for which they were preparing themselves today, haven’t yet been invented. I received a similar response when I said that things that are being taught today in our schools and colleges would be redundant by the time students graduate.”   When I graduated from seminary in the last century, I felt that I was well equipped for ministry. In addition to biblical, historical, and theological studies, I knew how to develop and deliver a sermon, craft a Bible study, provide pastoral care, and  even do some administrative tasks.  My confidence didn’t last long...

"In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists."--Eric Hoffer quoted by Jeanne Liedtka, professor of Business Administration, Darden School at the University of Virginia. Let me provide two disclaimers at the beginning of this discussion.  First, my undergraduate education was in History with a minor in Religion and Philosophy, so I have always been interested in the past and how we got from there to here.  I still think we need to understand the implications and lessons of our history in order to make good decisions about the present and future.  Second, I am currently blessed to serve as an adjunct faculty member for a theological seminary with many learned and gifted colleagues.  Most of their disciplines are thoroughly rooted in the past—theology, history, biblical studies.  Again, if we are to understand who we are now, we need to...