Hopeful Thinking

Ever since I decided to finally "answer the call" and begin the process to become an ordained minister, I have struggled with the idea of what type of minister I will be.  I know who I am and what I believe, but I am not yet confident of how those beliefs and ideas will be perceived.  If you know me then you already know that I won't be your run-of-the-mill man of the cloth.  I have very different ideas and my effectiveness in sharing those ideas remains to be seen.  So, here I will share my process and my trials at communicating what I hope will be an overall message of encouragement and empowerment for people who are struggling with our new age and the changes in our global culture that have recently occurred. I have applied at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Center, Massachusetts.  It is the only school to which I have applied and the only one I am interested in attending.  The previous post (Analysis of CS Lewis' "Essay on Forgiveness") is...

Wil Darcangelo Supplemental Writing Sample for Andover Newton Theological School Application Requirement for non-Baccalaureate Candidates for M. Div Program Submitted July 2013 for Fall 2013 entrance Analysis Commentary of CS Lewis' Essay on Forgiveness published in 1960 by Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc. I would like to begin by disclaiming the fact that I have not yet read Mr. Lewis' other theological writings though I know now they are numerous.   As I am at the virtual beginning of my adult academic life, I look forward to exploring a number of such works in the future.   However, once I had decided upon Forgiveness as my subject for this analysis, I decided I would use my ignorance of his other work as an asset; or at least something I was willing to work with.   I only know of his storytelling (i.e. the highly allegorical Chronicles of Narnia , etc.) and knew nothing of his prolific career as a theologian and philosopher until a fortuna...