Hi, I'm Matt.
write as they learn and learn as they write."
-John Calvin, quoting Augustine
From the brief introduction on the contributing authors page, you will have learned that "I'm studying systematic theology in the ThM program at Princeton Theological Seminary. I get to preach at The Well in Feasterville, PA. And I love my wife." I'd now like to go beyond this brief description and write a little about my interests and how I understand my contribution to Die Evangelischen Theologen. To do this, I too will follow Derek's lead in modelling this post on Travis's introductory post.
Who Are You?
My name is Matthew Warren. I go by both Matt and Matthew; it's your call. I grew up in South Jersey by Atlantic City and Ocean City; incidentally, I love surfing and the Phillies. I graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2008 with a BA in History and minors in Sociology and Philosophy. Last year, I graduated with an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and I am presently studying systematic theology at PTS in the ThM program. This semester is both exciting and busy with courses on the history of Trinitarian doctrine, the theology of Schleiermacher, and the relation of election and ethics in Barth's CD II.2. Even as I study I have also had the opportunity to teach as an adjunct instructor at Middlesex County College. Last semester I taught Introductory Ethics, and this semester I will be teaching Western Civ. II. When I am not studying or teaching, I get to work with a church in Feasterville, PA called The Well as part of the preaching and teaching team. I am actually preaching this Sunday on 1 Peter 2:4-10. My wife is Ashley. She teaches 4th and 5th grade Spanish, and she's awesome. We live in an apartment a few miles from PTS.
What Should You Expect from Me at DET?
Since this is my first experience blogging, I expect that I will have something of a learning curve. With that, I plan to begin with some simple reflections on interesting passages in my readings, perhaps even some book reviews. I may also post my sermons or discuss issues raised during my sermon prep. I also hope to follow Travis in writing serials on Calvin's commentaries; I recently purchased the set from Christianbook.com for under $120 and this blog gives me a reason/outlet for working through it. As I get more used to the blogging world, I am sure that my writing will expand to other subjects.
What Theologians Do You Most Like To Read?
Karl Barth (!), John Calvin, Reinhold Niebuhr, Lesslie Newbigin, John Mackay...to be continued!
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Comments
Do you plan on pursuing the PhD at PTS; why'd you go with the ThM? Just curious.
Oh, if only pursuing the PhD at PTS were something one could plan on! I do hope to pursue the PhD. Whether that is next year or "someday" is up to the powers that be. My reasons for pursuing the ThM are many, but basically, I undertook it in order to broaden my theological scope before beginning doctoral work.
Yeah, I'm sure it is quite competitive to get into the PhD program at PTS. I would imagine having an MDiv and ThM from PTS will only make your odds that much better ... I'll be excited to see how that all turns out for you. I look forward to your forthcoming posts here!