So, a while ago, John Piper called Southern Seminary “posh”. To his credit, he didn’t just call it posh period. He had great things to say about it as well, namely that he thinks its such a good school that he keeps sending people to it. And at face value, I’d agree, its pretty posh. At least compared to what it could be — like meeting in portable buildings and sleeping in tents or cardboard boxes. But having been here for a few weeks, and living amongst the so-called posh-ness, I’m beginning to see a side of the seminary that perhaps Pastor John missed on his VIP tour.
For instance, my AC in the dorm hasn’t worked a day since I’ve been here. There are cockroaches in Manly hall so big that they’ve begun giving ‘em names. If you hear a buzzing sound while taking a shower, that means a temporary flood of scalding hot water is headed your way. Our laundry ‘room’ (if you can call it that) is in the dorm basement and has an quaint odious smell, mixed with the refreshing smell of dryer sheets. 1/3 of the washers don’t work, and only one of the dryers ‘really’ works – so I’ve been resorting to old timey drying methods (see picture) to get the job done. Hope you like fried chicken, cause they serve it everyday in the cafeteria (among other delicacies of course…like chili and meatloaf). There are three different kinds of tile on my ceiling, and there’s a gap about 3 feet long that is just asking for pests to come on in. Oh yeah, and our dorm ‘tv’ (again, if you can call it that) is a throw back to the 1980’s, with a complete 20 inches of knob-tuner action, with a VHF/UHF adjustable set of rabbit ears on top.
But don’t misunderstand me, we still ain’t hurtin’. Compared to the rest of the world, we’re sitting high on the hog, but if you are reading this from a computer screen, then I’d be willing to bet (if I were a betting man) that your place is more posh than ours…
But really and truly, it ain’t about the luxuries. Its about the learning. And we’ve got some of the best professors in the world here! Men who laud the Bible, and the Savior that it reveals. This is a training ground for warriors of the faith, and that’s why we’ve come. No one ever said that you had to be trained in a shack, but take it from me, Southern is still a pretty fair stretch from a country club…
‘BH
P.S. – Even with all the (lack of) amenities here, as the old gospel songs would say, “I wouldn’t trade nothing for my journey now”. What Southern lacks in accoutrements, we more than make up in Kingdom zeal! …and all that by the glorious grace of God!
