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