Theology is Essential
e e e e Vanhoozer writes, “Too many pastors have exchanged their vocational
birthright for a bowl of lentil stew: management skills, strategic plans, “leadership”
courses, therapeutic techniques, and so forth.”1 e His criticism is apt. e Pastors
today no longer see scripture as sufficient, rather they look to the world to teach
them how to solve the worlds problems. e Pastors are told they must depend on
the academic and practical teachings of counseling and business departments in
order to tend and adequately maintain the flock. e The result is that many pastors
have no firm foundation of God’s word to stand upon, they teach their own word,
or the patterns of the world instead of God’s word, and though they draw people
to the church by the reams, they ultimately lead their flock to serve the gods of
the world rather than the one true God.
e e e e One reason for this is perhaps the disappearance of the idea of “sin” from the
cultural mind. e Vanhoozer notes Menninger’s discussion of this, “Many aberrant
behaviors previously considered “sins” (e.g. gluttony) are now considered
symptoms of some underlying psychological or social condition.”2 e Psychological
problems and social conditions do not require spiritual solutions, and so pastors
look elsewhere. e After all, it would be insensitive to refer to somebodies “self-
control problem” (i.e. overeating) as a “sin” problem. e “Don’t you know what they’re
going through? e Have you no empathy?”
e e e e With weaker teaching, and less equipped pastors, it is no wonder the theology
of the western evangelical church has, at present, ceased to “agitate” the church
into action. e This, according to Eagleton (quoted by Vanhoozer), is the recipe for
secularism.3
e e e e Pastors only have authority as far as the word of God extends. e They do not
have authority in themselves. e God is a God who sends, but an apostle is not
merely one who is sent, but rather a “special representative” of the message of
God.4 e Historically pastors have understood this, they saw their role as being a
dependable representative of God’s word to the world.5 e It was largely in response
to the second great awakening that the spiritual heritage of ministers began to be
exchanged for the ways of this world. e Leaders like Finney, at that time, began to
adopt e Pelagian view of salvation.6 e Rather than seeing salvation as God’s work, it
was “a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means.”7 e
Finney held that salvation was a sure thing if the preacher used the right means,
and found that manipulating people with “tremendous psychological and
emotional pressure”8 brought the most people to “salvation.” e With God’s work no
longer required in salvation, theology was no longer a necessary part of ministry. e
Salvation was merely a “philosophical” endeavor. e Americans ate this up, for in
this new system they became the gods and dictates of their own salvation; they
saved themselves. e This lead to less and less educated pastors and evangelists,
to the likes of Billy Sunday, who proudly claimed that he, “knew as much about
theology as a jackrabbit knows about Ping-Pong.”9 e
e e e e If pastors want to see culture turn around, they must once again become
students of theology. e Truth is needed to agitate the body into transformation and
to lead them into worship of the one true God. e Scripture is sufficient, and it is
through Christ’s gospel that pastors should view the world.
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
e e e e 1 Kevin J Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan, The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2020), 1.
e e e e 2 Ibid., 8.
e e e e 3 Ibid., 1.
e e e e 4 Wendy Widder, Linguistics and Biblical Exegesis, ed. Douglas Mangum and Josh
Westbury (Lexham Press, 2016), 2.3.3.
e e e e 5 Strachan, Paster Public Theologian, 81-82.
e e e e 6 Ibid., 86.
e e e e 7 Ibid.
e e e e 8 Ibid., 87.
e e e e 9 Ibid., 90.
