[BBC List] pastor as theologian

[Mike Abendroth]

The Pastor As Theologian, Part One


Monday, April 17, 2006

Al Mohler

Every pastor is called to be a theologian. This may come as a surprise to
some pastors, who see theology as an academic discipline taken during
seminary rather than as an ongoing and central part of the pastoral calling.
Nevertheless, the health of the church depends upon its pastors functioning
as faithful theologians--teaching, preaching, defending, and applying the
great doctrines of the faith. 

The transformation of theology into an academic discipline more associated
with the university than the church has been one of the most lamentable
developments of the last several centuries. In the earliest eras of the
church, and through the annals of Christian history, the central theologians
of the church were its pastors. This was certainly true of the great
Reformation of the sixteenth century as well. From the patristic era, we
associate the discipline and stewardship of theology with names such as
Athanasius, Irenaeus, and Augustine. Similarly, the great theologians of the
Reformation were, in the main, pastors such as John Calvin and Martin
Luther. Of course, their responsibilities often ranged beyond those of the
average pastor, but they could not have conceived of the pastoral role
without the essential stewardship of theology. 

The emergence of theology as an academic discipline coincides with the
development of the modern university. Of course, theology was one of the
three major disciplines taught in the medieval university. Yet, so long as
the medieval synthesis was intact, the university was always understood to
be in direct service to the church and its pastors. 

The rise of the modern research university led to the development of
theology as merely one academic discipline among others--and eventually to
the redefinition of theology as "religious studies" separated from
ecclesiastical control or concern. In most universities, the secularization
of the academy has meant that the academic discipline of theology has no
inherent connection to Christianity, much less to its central truth claims. 

These developments have caused great harm to the church, separating
ministries from theology, preaching from doctrine, and Christian care from
conviction. In far too many cases, the pastor's ministry has been evacuated
of serious doctrinal content and many pastors seem to have little connection
to any sense of theological vocation. 

All this must be reversed, if the church is to remain true to God's Word and
the Gospel. Unless the pastor functions as a theologian, theology is left in
the hands of those who, in many cases, have little or no connection or
commitment to the local church.

The Pastor's Calling

The pastoral calling is inherently theological. Given the fact that the
pastor is to be the teacher of the Word of God and the teacher of the
Gospel, it cannot be otherwise. The idea of the pastorate as a
non-theological office is inconceivable in light of the New Testament. 

Though this truth is implicit throughout the scriptures, this emphasis is
perhaps most apparent in Paul's letters to Timothy. In these letters, Paul
affirms Timothy's role as a theologian--affirming that all of Timothy's
fellow pastors are to share in the same calling. Paul emphatically
encourages Timothy concerning his reading, teaching, preaching, and study of
scripture. All of this is essentially theological, as is made clear when
Paul commands Timothy to "Retain the standard of sound words which you have
heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard,
through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been
entrusted to you" [2 Timothy 1:13-14]. Timothy is to be a teacher of others
who will also teach. "The things which you have heard from me in the
presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able
to teach others also" [2 Timothy 2:2]. 

As Paul completes his second letter to Timothy, he reaches a crescendo of
concern as he commands Timothy to preach the Word, specifically instructing
him to "reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" [2
Timothy 4:2]. Why? "For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away
their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths" [2 Timothy 4:3-4].

As Paul makes clear, the pastoral theologian must be able to defend the
faith even as he identifies false teachings and makes correction by the Word
of God. There is no more theological calling than this--guard the flock of
God for the sake of God's truth. 

Clearly, this will require intense and self-conscious theological thinking,
study, and consideration. Paul makes this abundantly clear in writing to
Titus, when he defines the duty of the overseer or pastor as one who is
"holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so
that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those
who contradict" [Titus 1:9]. In this single verse, Paul simultaneously
affirms the apologetical and polemical facets of the pastor-theologian's
calling. 

In reality, there is no dimension of the pastor's calling that is not
deeply, inherently, and inescapably theological. There is no problem the
pastor will encounter in counseling that is not specifically theological in
character. There is no major question in ministry that does not come with
deep theological dimensions and the need for careful theological
application. The task of leading, feeding, and guiding the congregation is
as theological as any other vocation conceivable. 

Beyond all this, the preaching and teaching of the Word of God is
theological from beginning to end. The preacher functions as a steward of
the mysteries of God, explaining the deepest and most profound theological
truths to a congregation which must be armed with the knowledge of these
truths in order to grow as disciples and meet the challenge of faithfulness
in the Christian life.

Evangelism is a theological calling as well, for the very act of sharing the
Gospel is, in short, a theological argument presented with goal of seeing a
sinner come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to be a faithful
evangelist, the pastor must first understand the Gospel, and then understand
the nature of the evangelist's calling. At every step of the way, the pastor
is dealing with issues that are irrefutably theological. 

As many observers have noted, today's pastors are often pulled in many
directions simultaneously--and the theological vocation is often lost amidst
the pressing concerns of a ministry that has been reconceived as something
other than what Paul intended for Timothy. The managerial revolution has
left many pastors feeling more like administrators than theologians, dealing
with matters of organizational theory before ever turning to the deep truths
of God's Word and the application of these truths to everyday life. The rise
of therapeutic concerns within the culture means that many pastors, and many
of their church members, believe that the pastoral calling is best
understood as a "helping profession." As such, the pastor is seen as someone
who functions in a therapeutic role in which theology is often seen as more
of a problem than a solution.

All this is a betrayal of the pastoral calling as presented in the New
Testament. Furthermore, it is a rejection of the apostolic teaching and of
the biblical admonition concerning the role, and responsibilities of the
pastor. Today's pastors must recover and reclaim the pastoral calling as
inherently and cheerfully theological. Otherwise, pastors will be nothing
more than communicators, counselors, and managers of congregations that have
been emptied of the Gospel and of biblical truth.

 

 

Charis, 
  
Mike Abendroth 
  
"Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to
be contented with half truth when whole truth can be won.  Endow us with
courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns
to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth
are in jeopardy."

 - West Point Military Academy Cadet Prayer 

 

HYPERLINK "http://www.bbcchurch.org"www.bbcchurch.org 
  

 


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.6/323 - Release Date: 4/24/2006
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.bbcchurch.org/pipermail/bbc_list/attachments/20060427/a3bbcfba/attachment.htm