Weekly Email: August 25, 2025

Written By Brian Renshaw

In this week’s email:

  • Student Tip: Living in the gap between learning and understanding

  • Program News: Invitation for early access to our Southern Seminary Community app, a way to connect with other students

Student Tip: Distantiation and the Patience of Real Learning

When I first got into photography, I thought clicking the shutter button was the final product. I wanted to get everything right straight out of camera. And there is wisdom in that as a good photographer should aim for the best possible capture in the moment. But what I’ve learned over the years is that the photo doesn’t stop there. Editing your photos is often what takes beginner photographers to the next level. Even in the days when film photography was the only option, photographers would spend hours in the dark room dodging and burning The best edit is the one that draws your eye where it needs to go, subtly highlighting what matters most.

Seminary is a lot like this. At times it feels like you are just collecting raw captures: hermeneutics, church history, theology, biblical languages, biblical counseling. The information comes fast, and much of it feels scattered. And you start to wonder, how will I ever pull this together?

There is even a word for that uneasy space that I learned from Dr. Vickers: distantiation. It describes the gap between taking in truths and being able to hold them together in your mind. You know what you are learning matters, but you cannot yet see the final image. That gap is not failure. It is part of how learning works. In time, the scattered pieces that you learned in Systematic Theology with Dr. Wellum, the counseling foundation from Dr. Pierre, and how to read the Bible with Dr. Vickers all begin to connect. 

I experienced this when I started teaching a class on the basics of Christianity at a rehabilitation center here in Louisville during the second year of my MDiv. Preparing lessons forced me to revisit what I had learned in hermeneutics, theology, and New Testament. Suddenly the framework came into focus. I didn’t remember every quiz detail, but I could explain the Bible more clearly. I could draw people’s attention to what mattered. It was the same realization I’d had with photography: the capture is important, but it’s the careful shaping afterward that makes it meaningful.

So don’t be discouraged if your seminary classes feel like a flood of RAW photos. That’s the capture. Over time, reflection and application bring clarity. And when you begin to teach, disciple, and lead, the strength of your training often shows not in how obvious it is, but in how seamlessly it integrates. People won’t think, hat sounded like a textbook. They’ll simply see Holy Scripture more clearly because you’ve learned how to shape what you know into something usable.

Program News: Invitation for Early Access to our Southern Seminary Community App

We’re about to launch the Southern Seminary Community app, a dedicated space where you can connect virtually with other students at Southern.

Being an online student can sometimes feel isolating. This app is designed to help you meet others who are also balancing seminary with the rest of life. It is not meant to replace the in-person relationships you already have, but to give you another way to connect with fellow students.

Here’s what to expect with the app:

  • Message boards and chats for general discussions about seminary and ministry

  • Groups built around shared interests such as Biblical Counseling, biblical languages, and more.

  • Opportunities to meet others and form study groups.

  • Networking groups to meet other students

  • A secure, student-only directory where you can choose to connect with others in your area.

  • Online events and conversations with faculty and students.

  • A central hub to help onboard new students.

  • Resources and mini-courses to help you grow as a student.

If you would like to be part of the pre-launch invite group, just reply to this email.

We are looking for students to help test the app, refine the onboarding process, and give feedback to make it as helpful as possible. You will also get an early chance to connect with other Southern Seminary students.

Course Highlights for Fall 2

Quick Reference of Upcoming Term Dates:

  • Current Week: Fall 1, Week 4 (August 25-September 1)

  • Fall 2 Term Begins: October 6, 2025

  • Winter Term Begins: December 1, 2025

Register for Courses →
Register for Fall Experiential Modulars →

Brian Renshaw

Brian is the Associate Vice President for the Global Campus at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

brianrenshaw.com
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Weekly Email: August 18, 2025