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