The significance of being a theologically informed Christian is quite
important. The ministry desperately needs those with theological,
philosophical, and practical knowledge. Those that believe they have the
knowledge of scripture or philosophy or history can do more harm to
their members instead of doing well. There is a different between being
theologically informed and participating in Christian ministry. Yet, neither
is better than the other as the two must work together to make the
man of God fully equipped for the good works. “Institutional powers and
academic principalities have put asunder what had originally been joined
together under God: theology and church life, biblical studies and
theology, pastor and theologian.”[1] Nevertheless, it is possible for a
person to carry on the will of God in reaching the loss without
seminary training. There are countless testimonies of lives transformed
simply because someone shared the love of Jesus Christ with them.
There are a vast number of pastors and preachers I have witnessed
the preaching anointing upon them without seminary training. These men
and women were led by the Holy Spirit in the way they command the
scriptures.
There is always power in the word of God. Hebrew 4:12 states the
word of God as, “living and alive.” There is always power that is
generated when God’s word is share with His people. Nevertheless, a
man of God cannot be fully equipt if he had never studied to show
himself approve of God’s word. The Holy Spirit will only bring back to
your remembrance the things previously studied – choose academia and
the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter preached one of the most life
transforming sermons in Acts 2 that led three thousand individuals to
declare their Lord and Savior to be Jesus. Peter was not considered a
learned man, but he learned by spending intimate time with Jesus and
the Holy Spirit.
I believe all preachers should desire to attend seminary. To fully walk
in the calling, one must be well equipped in the arena. To be
transparent, I do not believe theological trainings is necessary to
accomplish the Great Commission. The world of Academia needs thought-
leaders to study and teach, and the vocation need qualified pastors to
teach the word in a practical manner. Vanhoozer states, “seminaries
should do more to encourage their brightest students to consider
working in the church rather than the academy, precisely because
cultivating the wisdom of Jesus Christ on the ground requires more
intelligence and creativity than writing scholarly articles does.”[2]
h h h h h h h h A theologically informed pastor is a pastor who
revealed himself as approved according to the scripture (2 Tim. 2:15). A
pastor is always to be one step ahead of his flocks (congregation)
because he represents the authority of God and he “is responsible for
communicating Christ and for ministering God’s Word, at all times, to
everyone, and in many ways.”[3] Part of him being a step ahead of his
flocks requires him being theologically informed accompanied with a
theological vision, because without theological vision, the pastors perish.[4]
Bibliography
McQuilkin,, Robertson, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017.
[1] Kevin Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan, The Pastor as Public Theologian:
Reclaiming a Lost Vision, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academics, 2015), 6.
[2] Vanhoozer and Strachan, Pastor as Public Theologian, 2.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
