Topic: Is being a theologically informed Christian necessary today?
c c c c c c c c c 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.
