h h h 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.
h h h h h h h 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.
