Pulling Teeth

The discussion on the Letter Writer's Theological Treatise is one of my favourite tutorials of the semester. We discuss how the Letter Writer understood sin, Law, humanity, depravity. It's usually a really great class.

But this year's students don't seem to realize that they're in grad school.

They're not doing their homework. They're not reading the primary material. And they think that they can get by with making stuff up off the top of their heads.

Thus, when I asked the completely reasonable question, "On which reference in the Theological Treatise are you basing your statement?", the answer was either a blank stare or "Umm...er...I was basing my statement on a broader understanding of the Letter Writer." What they meant was, "I didn't take the time to prepare for class."

So, instead of a really great class, I spent the whole hour pulling teeth.

This week's discussion will be on wives and husbands, children and fathers, and slaves and masters. And I've gotta say: these students had better start doing their homework; otherwise, they're going to keep losing their teeth.