Now I want a derby party.

Student 1: Speaking of Kentucky, you know what's this weekend?
Student 2: The derby! We should have a derby party. It's such an unfortunate time of year for the derby.
Student 1: The only thing [other student] remembers about the derby party a few years ago was drinking a lot of mint juleps and standing on a table in Niebuhr hall singing with [another student].

Overheard at: Commuter Lounge

Just as long as I'm not up for surgery next

Yale div grad: YDS is a hospital where the patients practice on each other.

Overheard from: Three White Leopards

Can't say that I have

Student: You ever drink Dimetapp... Just for fun?

Overheard at: Anna Liffey's

That'd be a good place to start

Student: She was an evangelical, and weirdly apologetic for it... although with good reason... And then she wanted me to help introduce queer theory into her evangelical church, but I thought it'd help if most of the people in her church didn't think that people who had gay sex were going to burn in hell.

What a study session

Student 1: If you can explain the supernatural existential in five minutes or so, without going off on any tangents, that'd be great.
Student 2: I'll see what I can do.

Kinda meta

Dale Peterson: You know this is all going to end up on Overheard at YDS or on Facebook anyway.

Overheard at: Spring Fling

Still could be a favorite.

Student 1: Today was a really good chapel.
Student 2: Yeah, I really liked it.
Student 3: My favorite.
(pause)
Student 1: You weren't even there!

Overheard: on Quad

A Poetic Definition of Theology

Denys Turner: God utters. We stutters.

Overheard in: Medieval Theology

Oh, the disappointment.

2nd Career Female Student to 2nd career Male Student: I have to ditch you for the Spring Fling... you'll have to hang out with your wife!


Over heard in: the refectory

Wait! There's one in the back!

(while watching the United Methodist Conference opening ceremonies)

Student: There are so many white men on that stage. Wait! I see a woman bishop! Two! Three!

EVER!!!

Third year MDiv: Hey, this is my last class at YDS ever. (pause) Ever! (pause, more excited) EVER! EVER!!!

Overheard at: Theology and Cinema

Beam me up, Jesus

(during fire alarm)
Student: Maybe Jesus wanted to get everyone in one place to make the rapture easier.

Overheard at: Quad

Just reading...

Girl (on phone): So what were you doing last night while I lost my virginity?

Overheard at: HGS

Woah, woah.

Student: I loved Dr. Ruth! She was exactly like my grandmother.
Dale Peterson: Yeah, but my grandmother didn't tell me to take a full length mirror and look at myself.

Overheard at: Commuter Lounge

Your inner thoughts are coming out of your mouth - censor yourself.

(walking out of class)
2nd career student: Oh my god - boring! Pfffw.

(Div School) Idolize this!

Laura Bentivenga: I know some of you will be moved personally tonight, but there will be no "hmmm..." (tilts head and looks off thoughtfully).

--------

(Lost verses of "Give Me That Old Time Religion")
Jonah Bartlett: Can you sing that last verse?
Contestant (singing): We'll sacrifice no virgins/just control your carnal urges/and it's good enough for me.
Jonah Bartlett: Ok, just wanted to make sure that I was safe.

(On the Sacramental Winers and their lovely dresses)
Jonah Bartlett: I didn't know I'd be seeing all my favorite Disney Princesses here tonight!


Overheard at: Div School Idol

I hope it's just a 2nd career thing

2nd career student: ...It's like I'm not even connected to my own brain, and that's VERY scary...

Overheard at: hallway

Sounds too scary for me

Student: Hey! How are you today?
Adela Collins, smiling cheerfully and somewhat mischievously: I have apocalyptic visions dancing in my head! I hope you do to!

Well, Jesus loves the ugly people. So there.

Girl: Ugh, there were so many ugly people there. I hate ugly people.

Overheard at: HGS

Imagine the excitement for turnips

Student 1: Guess what I have for you?
Student 2: (looks in bag) Red cabbage! Helllll yeah, bitch!

Overheard at: hallway

Ernestine's wisdom

Ernestine: If you don't want bad breath, gargle with peroxide.
Refectory worker: Can you do that without dying?

Overheard at: Refectory

Mixed metaphors rule

Supervisor: Well, why didn't you merge the documents?

Sleepy Student: Uhhhhh, I could've couldn't I? Well, I'm running on 5 hours of sleep so I'm not the the sharpest knife in the, uh...

Supervisor: In the crayon box?


Overheard: YDS hallway

Not in Good Burger, the best Nickelodeon movie ever.

Carolyn Sharp: Food itself can be erotic. We've all seen the movies, I'm sure.

Overheard at: Psalms of Asaph

Make sure you sneak off... no killing right here.

Student: I want to be an assassin in a secret double life. I'm a very monogomous person so I could never cheat on my wife, but I'd like to sneak off and kill people.

Where can I get one?

Student: I was like... whatever, I'm single. Whooo! (muffled conversation) I have a European entourage.

Shake them even if you don't

Student: If you've got tits, shake 'em!

Overheard at: Eat, Drink and Be Married dance party (emphasis on the drink part...)

Same shit, different millennium

(talking about Commentators musing about the absence of Baal in Kings 18:27)

Vicky Hoffer (VHoff): Because of the language here, some commentators have suggested that Baal is passing a bowel movement.

(Student 1 and 2 whisper something to each other and giggle)

Vicky Hoffer: No, I'm serious, people actually say this, it's not just me.

Student 1: No, I'm laughing at Student 2. He just punned, "Like a 'Ba'al' movement."

Overheard in: Hebrew

So many metaphors.

Andre Willis: You have to prepare for arguments. That's why you have to sharpen your tools, prepare your arsenal. There's a premise, there's a premise, there's a premise. BAM! Checkmate your ass!

How many ways can I say not classroom appropriate?

Student: When I hear Between the Sheets, I'm not thinking about God.
Andre Willis: (pause) Well, what are you thinking about then?

Overheard in: Christianity and Culture

When soccer and theology meet

Student 1: Yeah... I'm apaphatic to Chelsea...
Student 2: (pause)... so you're not Chelsea?
Student 1: Hmmmm... I could be...

There's plenty of ministerial opportunities for inanimate congregations, right?

Person: Some people are just more suited for ministry to inanimate objects.


Overheard at: Preventing Ministerial Sexual Misconduct

I'm with Jesus... The Cubs suck.

Student 1: Who doesn't like the Cubs?

Student 2: The Cardinals. The White Sox.

Student 3: Jesus!

Student 2: You make a good point there.

Overheard at: the Refectory

I didn't know Dallas was that great.

Person: I've never been to Dallas.

Leander Keck: Well, then you have something to live for.

But I heard beer was better than theology...

Student 1: Lend me your ID so I can check out this book.

Student 2: No, man.

Student 1: That's not very pastoral of you.

Student 2: I'm not a pastor. I'm a theologian. We're cold and callous. Drinking is second.


Overheard at: the library

Well said.

Denys Turner: [long pause, staring out the window] Oh, lovely, lovely sins.

Overheard at: Medieval Theology

There's quite a jump from Cash to Kierkegaard

Student: There's ambiguity in U2 and I like that, like in listening to Johnny Cash or reading Kierkegaard...

Overheard in: Christanity and Culture

Never said you didn't, either.

Andre Willis: I can't put the music up tonight since I got something until 9:30.
Student: You go to church? Aw!
Andre Willis: Nah, I never said I go to church!

Overheard at: Christianity and Culture

Aw, don't be so hard on yourself

Student: I don't have an opinion on myself. The only opinion that counts is Jesus! And Jesus hates me.

Overheard at: Common Room

My mantra

Student 1: I go to Yale, I go to Yale...
Student 2: What are you doing?
Student 1: Whenever I do something ridiculous, I like to remind myself of the things I've accomplished.

More from the Gospel of Denys Turner

Denys Turner: By the way, I didn't just say, "I love you." I quoted myself saying it. Of course there's not really that disengagement from practice, because I do….

Overheard: in Medieval Theology

Denys Turner: Kant, in the third Critique, wrote that music was lowest of all the arts because it is farthest away from the verbal. Damn him!

Overheard: in Medieval Theology

Definitely defeats the purpose.

Student (reading book title): Explanation of the Divine Mysteries... Kinda defeats the purpose, don't you think?

Been objectified much?

(during a discussion on the male gaze)

Male student: What's so bad about being looked at?
(Female students laugh)

Overheard in: Film class

Almond jerky isn't that bad

Student 1: Have you had almond jerky?

Student 2: What kind of wuss eats almond jerky?

Student 3: Ooooooooh. Owned!