Some Christians and ministers do not feel it is important to be
informed or studied in scripture, philosophy, history, etc. Vanhoozer and
Strachan state, “The idea of the pastor as a theologian—one who opens
up the Scriptures to help people understand God, the world, and
themselves—no longer causes the hearts of most church members to
‘burn within’ them (Luke 24:32).”[1]Some consider those who study and
think on scripture to this level to be “deep thinkers,” somehow unrelatable
to the common person. It is definitely important to be informed and
studied in scripture. This week’s class presentation pointed out that
Christian Ethics does not use scripture out of context to prove a specific
ethical point one is trying to make.[2]Christians and ministers who do not
value study of scripture to the point of understanding its context are at
danger of misleading others on scriptural matters. As McLaughlin points
out in chapter 6 ofConfronting Christianity, the Bible is not meant to be
taken only literally or only metaphorically.[3]There is value in both but
without proper study it can be sometimes difficult to differentiate between
what is meant to be read literally, metaphorically and, sometimes, both. It
is also important to remember academic study of scripture alone, without
the illumination of the Holy Spirit (as mentioned in this week’s
presentation) is just as dangerous.[4]One can look to the Pharisees to
identify many of these dangers.
Despite the importance of being studied in scripture, there is a
problem in the perception of those who study scripture in depth; a
disconnect of sorts. It has not always been this way; what led to this
perception? Wilson and Hiestand have this to say about “. . . the current
state of biblical theology: The library of biblical studies is divided between
popular devotional works, on the one hand, and technical, highly
specialized studies on the other.”[5]This is to say there is plenty of
material/literature for spiritual infants and the spiritually mature but the
material/literature to get one from point A to point B is seriously lacking in
volume. What is needed is, as Vanhoozer and Strachan point out, a
generation of pastors currently willing to carry the fire (wedding theology
to practical ministry), not giving up.[6]This is where public theology
comes into play.
Words: 458
Bibliography
Dimensions of Christian Ethics.n.d.
McLaughlin, Rebecca.Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the
World's Largest Religion.Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J., and Owen Strachan.The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision.Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015.
Wilson, Todd, and Gerald Hiestand, .Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New
Possibilities for Church Leadership.Downer's Grove, IL: IVP Academic,
2016.
[1]Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan.The Pastor as Public
Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision,(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic,
2015), 1.
[2]Dimensions of Christian Ethics n.d.
[3]Rebecca McLaughlin.Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for
the World's Largest Religion,(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019).
[4]Ibid.
[5]Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand, .Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New
Possibilities for Church Leadership,(Downer's Grove, IL: IVP Academic,
2016), 10.
[6]Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan, 93.
