Pastor-theologians
Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:43AM A great interview with Kevin Vanhoozer, including this bit on the need for pastor-theolgians rather than therapist-managers. I love the second paragraph of his answer.
Q: Why should pastors make the effort to become pastor-theologians?
KV: Both parts of the Great Commission, evangelism and making disciples, require theology. Theology is a form of the ministry of the Word; specifically, theology is a the ministry of Christian understanding. We need theology in our evangelism because theology is about preserving the integrity of the word, the message of the gospel an evangelist proclaims. We need theology in our disciple making because theology is about reminding us who we are and what we are to say and do as followers of Jesus Christ in this or that situation.
The world is filled with therapists and managers. What the church needs now is people who can (1) articulate from the Bible the truth about God, the world, and ourselves in terms that are faithful to the Bible and intelligible in the contemporary context (2) exhort their congregations to say and do things that corresponds to the truth of Jesus Christ as attested in the Bible.
Reader Comments (4)
Darryl, I'm not quite sure how to say this without coming off as though i am against a strong theology, i am not. i am, however, less transfixed by such sentiments than some of my peers. it seems to me that our seminaries and bible colleges are replete with graduates who have a high view of theology. in fact, i would maintain that in the real world pastors are guilty of spending way too much time preparing for a too-lengthy sermon at the expense of mingling in the lives of humanity. i cannot imagine jesus spending 30 hours a week crafting a theological treatise to share with his sound-byte audience. in my experience i have known far too many pastors who could have spent a few fewer minutes or hours on something that was non-relevant and a few more hours in theo-praxis.
A lot of theology is done rather poorly. If you're talking about a theologian who is locked in the library all day, then that is the world of academia and is not pastoring. But if you're talking about a pastor who thinks theologically about all of life and ministry, and who is neck-deep in real life and praxis, then we need more of that, and less of the adopting whatever hot book or conference is out there right now.
The New Testament abounds with directives to pastors/elders/bishops to be theologians. It also tells them to care for the sheep. When we start thinking it is a choice between being either theologians or practitioners we are creating a false dichotomy. Deep theological truth that is not delivered to the hearts of the people in their everyday lives is a waste of truth. Pastoral care without deep theological truth as its base is a waste of time. And the pastor as a CEO who is trying to run a church with little emphasis on either is a wasted life.
It was said of Jonathan Edwards, "His doctrine was all application, and his application was all doctrine." Good model: theology that is practical, and the practical side of ministry coming from good theology.