I learned something new today. The faculty do not have any authority to make any curricular or policy decisions. Surprise!
No wonder there is no voting in the faculty meetings. It is not just because the Swedes like flat organizational structures and working toward consensus. In reality, the faculty can discuss things, and even make proposals, but they have no authority to adopt proposals or make official decisions. These rest completely in the hands of the recktor.
So, I’m learning the systems, or lack there of. However, there are still possibilities to influence what goes on. It would help to understand Swedish to know what really is being talked about in the faculty meetings.
Fortunately, I’m having good conversations with the students outside of class and some good engagement with the Bible school lessons. In the Bible school, the instructors can make confessional faith statements. In the accredited academic classrooms, the instructor, by law, cannot make any confessional faith statements. This next fall, I will be inviting students to join me for lunch weekly to continue the conversation after class.
I decided that rather than use my full free trial week at the gym, I would start my membership right away. The trial was helpful to give me a better sense of what the gym had to offer, but the trial was only available when the reception area was open, starting at 9:00 am and through the evening. However, I wanted to get going earlier in the day and be at work before 8:30 or earlier. This requires a member’s tag and key code to unlock the front door.
So, with my membership, it was a good–somewhat early–beginning at the gym today. There are less people in the morning. Though, I did get on the one recumbent bicycle (reading is easier on a recumbent), and my cycle was placed quite close to a standard exercise bike which had a guy on it. I could have probably touched his hip with my elbow, if I stuck it out (which I didn’t), as the machines are a bit close together. However, he soon left. This would be how I interpret the Swedish way, “Ooh, that is too close to a stranger. It is time for me to leave.”
Yup!Corroborating evidence!
The other benefit from an early morning work out is that I walk the 98 steps from the door of the gym across a square and to the door of Johannelund. I don’t bicycle, which means the bicycle helmet doesn’t mess up my hair. Yes, I’m not high maintenance or too concerned about how I look, but perhaps now I will try out a bit of vanity.
My day was mostly revising syllabi for next year. I’m going to use an English-medium grammar textbook to teach Hebrew. I just can’t swing teaching Hebrew in Swedish as a native English speaker!
The other note to pass on is that yesterday, I submitted an abstract for consideration in the Contextual Biblical Interpretation section of the Society of Biblical Literature conference, which will take place in November in Boston. If my proposal is accepted, then my travel expenses will be paid.
Fridays are back with my Swedish lesson with Lennart. We are reading through the history of the Swedish Evangelical Mission’s work in Ethiopia. One important part of the story influencing the growth of the church was the indigenous leadership. Today, we read about the Bible translation into the Oromo language by Onesimus and his colleague (a woman!) Aster (there is a literacy center named after her). This helped the Oromo people realize that they didn’t have to change their culture to follow Jesus.
In the afternoon, I met my Johannelund-student Swedish conversation partner, Rebecca. She is wonderfully patient with me. I am so grateful for both of these two gracious helpers! Fortunately, they both seem to enjoy the time we spend together, so I don’t feel like a burden.
In between, I went for my first work out at a gym very close to work. I finally am getting around to making this happen. While on the exercise bike, I’m reading one of the text books (in Logos format, on my Kindle that Anya gave me as a gift).
By Stanley N. Gundry, Kenneth Berding, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. , Darrell L. Bock, and Peter E. Enns
You know this is Scandinavia when looking at what is on one of the large TV screens at the gym: cross-country skiing! Unfortunately, Sweden took third with Norway winning!
Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby, right, tags teammate Finn Hagen Krogh in the men’s 4×10-kilometre cross-country relay at the nordic world championships in Lahti, Finland, on Friday. (Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press)
In local news and discussion, Sweden is reinstituting the draft. I think this is actually part of the ripple effect of a Trump win. Because Russia has done some provocative military exercises recently and Trump seems too cozy with Putin, there doesn’t seem to be the same American deterrent to Russian posturing.
On another note, I’ve been a little irritable lately. After half-a-year of learning this new context, I’m a bit bewildered about the procedures for developing academic policies on the faculty council. I don’t recall that there have been any voting at our 3.25 hour monthly faculty meetings! Yes, there is a cultural value of consensus, but it seems unusual to not have a clear process beyond discussion. This issue is coming up as Jim and I are discussing some tweaks to the delivery of the curriculum for a more developmental pedagogy and integrating biblical study software. We laid out some ideas on a whiteboard yesterday.
Notes beginNotes continue
So, with an insight from my friend, Scott, I will also engage a Lenten practice of gratitude. That should not only help keep my irritability in check, it will spur on my prayers of thanksgiving.
