The view from the other side: protestant theology students

I came across an article from the New York Times today that talks about protestants who are receiving degrees in theology at their "seminaries" while having no intention of serving as ministers.

As a student in a similar situation myself, it was interesting to see what motivates protestants to make a parallel "career" choice as I did (who knows, I may end up debating some of these folks sometime down the road).

"Students Flock to Seminaries, but Fewer See Pulpit in Future"

ATLANTA — Among the important things Kirkland Reynolds has figured out in his three years in the seminary is that he does not want to be a church pastor.

Like many young people here at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Mr. Reynolds, 24, hopes to put his religious education to some other use, saying he does not want to preach or take a position of authority in the community.

Across the country, enrollment is up at Protestant seminaries, but a shrinking portion of the graduates will ascend the pulpit. These seminarians, particularly the young ones, are less interested in making a career of religion than in taking their religion into other careers.

Read the rest.