c c c 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 of Confronting 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.
c c c c c c c c c 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.
