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