God's Questions Can Be More Helpful Than Answers

ROSEMONT, IL (June 26, 2003) - Dr. C. John Weborg has always seemed adept at helping others answer the deeper questions of life, which has made him one of the more sought-after speakers in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).

Delegates to this year's 118th Annual Meeting of the ECC will have a special opportunity to hear Weborg, who retires this year as Professor of Theology at North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS) following a lifetime of Covenant-related ministry spanning more than four decades. Weborg, a member of the seminary faculty since 1975, will preach during Friday evening's ordination and commissioning service.

During his 27 years at the seminary, Weborg has offered NPTS students and faculty alike plenty of questions to consider as they discern their calls to ministry and pursue the process of following God's call. He has done so while offering the kind of care and concern that made his questioners feel they were valued and respected - a trait not found in every teacher one meets. Perhaps Weborg's attitude about answers offers a clue into his humble mindset, however. "I've learned that God's questions to us might be more helpful in the long run than what we call answers," he observes.

There are few people in the Covenant who have contributed more to Covenant theology and its spiritual framework than Weborg, an ordained Covenant pastor since 1962. He has taught hundreds of future Covenant pastors about theology in the seminary classroom. He has been heavily involved in preparing denominational materials for worship, including the Commission on Music and Worship that produced a hymnal supplement in 1990 and a new hymnal in 1996. Weborg has served on the task force on the study of the ordered ministry. He also gave leadership in the development of North Park's distinctive seminary spiritual formation program and was, along with Sister Agnes Cunningham, a leader in the development of the North Chicago Theological Institute's ecumenical spirituality program.

As if he weren't busy enough, Weborg has been an active writer. He and Cunningham co-authored Prayer and Life in the Spirit: A Venture in Academic Excellence and Ecumenical Collaboration (North Park Theological Seminary, 1993), which describes his innovative approach to utilizing the resources of five seminary faculties in providing a distinctive ecumenical experience for students of the five institutions. Weborg also published Alive in Christ, Alert to Life (Covenant Press, 1985).

Weborg has discussed theology and spirituality with many of the foremost thinkers in North America, but he says that the words of his parents (Ruben and Pearl), two uncles and an aunt, along with his confirmation pastor (Samuel Carlson) and a local veterinarian (Dr. Vern Lovell), have made the most indelible impact on his life. Of course, the Word of God has provided a constant light along Weborg's journey, which has included a physical illness that altered his career path and his reading of the Bible.

A native of Pender, Nebraska, Weborg grew up in a farming community and hoped to become a veterinarian and care for larger farm animals. However, he was diagnosed with polio in 1952, during his teenage years, and knew he could not physically pursue that profession. Instead, he attended North Park Junior College for two years and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska in 1958. He continued his education at NPTS, earning his Bachelor of Divinity from NPTS in 1961. He later earned a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary (1970) and a doctorate from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary/Northwestern University (1983). Before returning to the seminary as a faculty member, Weborg served as pastor of First Covenant Church in Peoria, Illinois (1961-1966), Village Covenant Church in Spring House, Pennsylvania (1966-70), and the Evangelical Covenant Church in Princeton, Illinois (1970-75).

"One of the things it (illness) teaches you is freedom within limitations as opposed to absolute freedom," said Weborg in describing how polio affected him. "If you carefully observe what's going on you begin to discover that there's more than one kind of freedom.

"But it also has led to an intense interest in the Psalms, not as hymns but (as described by theologian Christoph Barth) 'schools of prayer' or (as described by St. Ambrose of Milan) 'the gymnasium of the soul,'" Weborg continued. "That's because the Psalms include anger as well as hymns of praise and laments as well as confession, so the entirety of life can be prayed."

While the questions involving the spiritual journey have been a regular part of Weborg's calling, he likes the actual journeys he makes and is excited about the next stop down the road. John and his wife, Lois, celebrated 45 years of marriage on June 7 and have decided to head to Princeton, Illinois, during retirement to be closer to their family. That includes son, Clement; daughter-in-law, Sharon, and their children, Cody and Shelby; and daughter, Catherine, and son-in-law, Jimmy, and their children Tyler, Casey and Jamie.

In retirement, Weborg says he hopes to enjoy his share of farm, steam threshing and train shows - he enjoys train travel and is an expert on rail lines in the United States - and hopes to continue writing. He's made it clear to colleagues, however, that he wants the opportunity to do so without stringent deadlines, preferring to continue his writing at a pace that will allow him to keep centered on God, family and those who cross his path.

"I like where my journey has gone," Weborg said in reflecting upon his work at the seminary. "I do get homesick for serving a congregation, but I've been happy with what I've done and have had opportunities that would not have come in any other fashion."

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