Theology is Essential
i i i i 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 i His criticism is apt. i Pastors today no longer
see scripture as sufficient, rather they look to the world to teach them how to solve
the worlds problems. i 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. 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.
i i i i One reason for this is perhaps the disappearance of the idea of “sin” from the
cultural mind. i 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 i Psychological problems and
social conditions do not require spiritual solutions, and so pastors look elsewhere. i
After all, it would be insensitive to refer to somebodies “self-control problem” (i.e.
overeating) as a “sin” problem. i “Don’t you know what they’re going through? i Have
you no empathy?”
i i i i 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. i This, according to Eagleton (quoted by Vanhoozer), is the recipe for
secularism.3
i i i i Pastors only have authority as far as the word of God extends. i They do not have
authority in themselves. i 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 i Historically
pastors have understood this, they saw their role as being a dependable
representative of God’s word to the world.5 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. i Leaders like Finney, at that time, began to adopt i Pelagian view of
salvation.6 i Rather than seeing salvation as God’s work, it was “a purely philosophical
result of the right use of the constituted means.”7 i 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.” i With God’s work no longer required in salvation, theology was no longer a
necessary part of ministry. i Salvation was merely a “philosophical” endeavor. i
Americans ate this up, for in this new system they became the gods and dictates of
their own salvation; they saved themselves. i 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 i
i i i i If pastors want to see culture turn around, they must once again become students
of theology. i Truth is needed to agitate the body into transformation and to lead them
into worship of the one true God. i Scripture is sufficient, and it is through Christ’s
gospel that pastors should view the world.
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
i i i i 1 Kevin J Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan, The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2020), 1.
i i i i 2 Ibid., 8.
i i i i 3 Ibid., 1.
i i i i 4 Wendy Widder,
Linguistics and Biblical Exegesis
, ed. Douglas Mangum and Josh
Westbury (Lexham Press, 2016), 2.3.3.
i i i i 5 Strachan,
Paster Public Theologian
, 81-82.
i i i i 6 Ibid., 86.
i i i i 7 Ibid.
i i i i 8 Ibid., 87.
i i i i 9 Ibid., 90.
