At Uganda Christian University, all students are required to write a dissertation as part of the curriculum. God knows writing mine gave me all kinds of angst when I was in seminary, and now as a lecturer, I get to inflict this pain on my students while trying to help them through it.
This year, I am only supervising one student, a young man from northern Uganda named Felix (not the same as the gardener). Felix is a delightful young man who has seen and lived through too much in his 25 or so years. The area, and the diocese, is still picking up the pieces from the war with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and there is still much healing and restoration that needs to happen.
Felix has changed his topic a few times, and now that the semester is winding down, he really needs to get his dissertation done before the middle of April if he’s to graduate in July. We were just discussing his topic and thesis statement, and it struck me how odd it felt to be talking about such a painful subject so academically.
Felix’s topic is still forming, but he’s basically looking at the impact the war had on the clergy and how it impacted their ministry – to me, coming through a time of strife and war like this brings new meaning to the term “wounded healer.” And while I know it’s my duty, I felt a bit like a heel pushing him into developing a strong thesis statement. Being that academic felt not at all pastoral, and even cruel. I do realize that it’s not, and he knows it too, but I can’t say that I like the feeling at all.
However, having noted that, once he nails down the thesis statement, I think he’s going to end up with a very good dissertation, and one that could be quite helpful to the church. To God be the glory.
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