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Twenty-seven students graduated from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif., at its 43rd commencement ceremony May 23. Eleven students earned master of divinity degrees, 14 earned master of arts degrees and two earned the diploma in Christian studies.
Canadian graduates receiving Master of Divinity degrees were Betty Aroyan of Montreal; Ann Fehr of Fort St. John, B.C.; and Brian Wiebe of Abbotsford, B.C. Receiving Master of Arts degrees were Carolyn Bergen of Winnipeg; Kelly Cochrane of Williams Lake, B.C.; David Gingerich of London, Ont.; Dianne Kidner of Vancouver and Pamela Woodman of Camrose, Alta.
Pierre Gilbert, associate professor of Old Testament at MBBS, challenged graduates to answer the "insanity of the 20th century" with a firm commitment to have a mind shaped by the biblical text, and to use their skills to communicate what the Scriptures teach about God, humanity and redemption in Christ.
"One of the noted philosophers of our time, Alain Finkielkraut, recently observed that our society is ungrateful, self-centred, forgetful, terribly immodest, convinced of its superiority, convinced it has understood everything, while in its very heart germinates and prospers an inexplicable horror. The references to sin or the `flesh' in the New Testament are attempts at pointing the finger at this horror which is the centre of the human heart—a horror that resulted from the terrible, fundamental rupture between humanity and God at the beginning of human history and which left an indelible imprint in the deepest recesses of the human heart. Who we are today is irrevocably linked to that primordial event."
Gilbert warned of society's ease at returning to what he called the "old myth". This is a worldview featuring violence; ethnocentricity; racial superiority; the negation of human freedom (determinism); the negation of human dignity; the concept of a God or gods at the service of the state; the worship of nature; and the belief in magic.
He noted that graduates received an education in which they can be partners with God and His agents of redemption.
"I see a vital role for the Christian community in these times. The church will not, however, fulfill this role well if we do not have leaders who can passionately bring the biblical text to life. The development of such leaders does not happen in a vacuum or by some sort of fiat. When the church is not intentional about the orientation of the theological training its leaders receive, then the theology of the church reverts to a default position which always carries with it the seeds of the `old myth'.
Graduate Tom Cartney quoted the chapel theme of the year: "Get real", saying: "We have gained a deeper appreciation of the power of God's work in the life of His community. We have gained skill for ministry, vision for the future knowledge for living, friends for a lifetime, and the confident assurance that `He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.' Yet graduation, if we `get real' also represents loss. Some of us have lost our simplistic view of God. Some of us lost the dreams that carried us here as the Lord redirected our steps. Graduation is not only a day of gains. It is rather a day where we celebrate our gains in light of what we have lost."
Kent H. Gaston, MB Biblical Seminary
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