I can identify with Gombis' post in almost every way. I am in the last year of my MDiv. at Central Seminary. I am indebted to the seminary (i.e. the faculty) for teaching, mentoring, and challenging me in many ways (academic, spiritual, marital, ministerial, etc.). However, I catch myself privately and publicly, truth be told, being critical of the practices and people in my local church in particular, and other churches in general. As for me, I believe a major cause is the rapid rate at which one changes and grows theologically during seminary (most likely to be compared to the growth experienced in one's teenage years). The growth (and hopefully it is growth) can happen so quickly that you forget where you were and the struggles you had only just a few years earlier. This can lead to disconnectedness setting in; a most frightening disease for those seeking to minister to people. The disconnectedness can lead to a critical spirit and frustration. Guilty in all counts... Thankfully, Gombis gives some great suggestions to help curb this destructive reality faced by many seminary students.
BD