Topic: Is being a theologically informed Christian necessary today?
k k k k k k k k k k Being theologically informed and taking into account scripture, philosophy,
history, and other disciplines when communicating beliefs is very important.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry He spoke for the benefit of all. He was aware of the
three public’s and engaged with them regularly concerning theology. “There are
three public’s, or three social realities, three locations into which pastors may
speak of God and Jesus Christ: (1) the academy, (2) the church, and (3) the
broader society.”[1] Jesus addressed the religious ruling class, the church, and
broader society regarding His father’s plan and purpose for all. He was
theologically informed and used His knowledge to interact with biblical doctrine,
philosophy, history, and many other disciplines.
Modern pastors are in some cases viewed as little more than the guy that gives a
punchline and a happy Bible verse to get us through another week. The “Great
Divorce” is partly responsible for the state of pastoral leadership today. Pastors
today are excepted to stay in their lane and take care of their specific church. “The
Great Divorce has created a scenario in which the pastor, rather than being seen
as a theological leader within the congregation, much less the wider church, is
instead “called to more pedestrian concerns like budgets and buildings, small
groups and services, leading meetings and pastoral visitations.”[2] Pastors need to
buck the notion that their work only matters on a small scale within the confines
of their church and get back to seeing the whole salvation picture laid out before
them by their boss, Jesus Christ.
Jesus showed all ministers how to handle all three aspects of the publics they
would need to address for His purposes and glory. After all, it is not a church
building or a group of people that ministers are responsible to, they are
responsible to the gospel of grace and the work of Christ on the cross. “Ministry
to the church, accordingly, owes not to the pastor’s ingenuity or multitasking
facility. It owes only to the gospel of grace, only to the work of Christ.”[3] Ministers
need to be fluent in history because the Genesis account is part of history.
Science and philosophy are no different, if you don’t understand how a discipline
fits with your theological beliefs it will be difficult to marry the two when
answering questions while attempting to reach the lost for Christ. Understanding
what you believe and why you believe it can translate well when explaining the
creation account in the Bible as well as why you believe Christ was crucified,
buried, and rose again to pay for the sins of the world. Not being theologically
informed hampers one’s ability to evangelize and disciple others for Christ.
Bibliography
Hiestand, Todd Wilson, and Gerald. Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New
Possibilities for Church Leadership. . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016.
Strachan, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and Owen. The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015.
[1] Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan. The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015, 3.
[2] Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand. Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New
Possibilities for Church Leadership. . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016,
123.
[3] Vanhoozer, Reclaiming Lost Vision,51.
