Within the last month, a very popular author “tweeted,”
“If you have any questions about God, ask a white male
twenty-something who is in seminary. They know everything.”
While I recognize that this person wrote this careless
comment at least partially in fun, anti-seminary sentiments like this one are
unfortunately not all that uncommon. I personally experienced church planters,
college ministry staff, and friends who tried to convince me not to go to
seminary because in their minds, and for various reasons, theological education
is at best unnecessary and harmful, and at worst, both.
I’m a nobody, and I recognize that approximately 12 people
are probably going to even look at this blog let alone read the whole thing,
but if it helps even a single person who is considering vocational ministry and
theological education get a more balanced viewpoint about what the next step
might be for them, this will have been a success.
Before we get started, let me clarify that I am writing this
with deep humility and an even greater sense of the power of God to use people
for his purposes, and I in no way believe that taking 2-4 years to go to seminary
school is the right decision for everyone – nor is it necessary to preaching
the Gospel, teaching the Word, or being involved in ministry. God can use
anyone regardless of their background or training. What is absolutely
necessary, however, is that all Christians who are trying to multiply their
faith (this is everyone) be life-long learners, whether through books,
conferences, commentaries, mentors, or professional schooling.
With that out of the way, let’s deal with a couple
misconceptions about theological education. Our author’s aforementioned tweet
is a good place to start.
Misconception #1 – “Seminary students/graduates think that
they have all of the answers”
This certainly CAN be true, but take most twenty-somethings
studying at a graduate school in ANY discipline and this will be the same
across the board. Unfortunately, it is sometimes true of Christians as well. I
confess that as a seminary student, I love opportunities to get to share with
people what I’m learning about God, and it’s probable that I’ve communicated
this in an arrogant way at times, but in no way do I pretend that I have all
the answers or have it all together. If anything, the more that I learn about
God and the Bible, the more questions I have and the more I realize my
depravity and inadequacy. Most of the seminary students and graduates that I
have met fall into the same category, yet I have certainly met people who
embody our author’s caricature of what seminary students are like. But it seems
to me that these are the same people who were prideful, arrogant, and full of
answers before they ever stepped foot on a seminary campus. To that author and
to anyone else who has had a similar unfortunate experience, I am deeply sorry
and pray that you would not allow that experience to lead to bitterness or to
lead you to paint all students of the Bible with the same brush.
Misconception #2 – “Seminary is where Christians go to die”
Again, this is possible, but as one pastor and author has
said, and I’m paraphrasing, “Seminary is a difficult place to thrive spiritually,
but not any more difficult than any other place.” Many of my own friends expect
seminary students to have lifeless relationships with the Lord and to be
dispassionate, but this is again far from my experience. Just because seminary
schools tend to attract people that are more intellectually-driven than
emotional doesn’t mean that their faith is lifeless. Quite the opposite, I have
been deeply influenced by the passion that my professors and fellow classmates
have for the Gospel and have come to love Christ and care about people more
deeply because of them. What is more, most sane people don’t choose to go to
seminary and to live a modest life (and future life) of debt and barely making
ends meet because they don’t love Jesus and are dispassionate about the Mission
of God.
So finally, why seminary?
1) Get equipped – Most people wouldn’t trust
someone off the street who has never gone to medical school to do open-heart
surgery on them, and most wouldn’t allow someone without training to make
decisions about their financial investments, so why do we prefer that our
pastors and ministers of the Gospel be uneducated? The Apostle Paul had
extensive education and was a brilliant apologist and communicator and the
disciples spent hours upon hours learning from God in the flesh. After two
years of full-time ministry, another as a volunteer, and a couple years in the
workplace, it was obvious to me that for me to be the most effective minister
of the Gospel and shepherd of God’s people, I needed to be further equipped.
Again, God certainly has used and continues to use people without formal
theological education, but most of us would benefit personally and
professionally from further education.
2)
Love the Lord with all your mind – To love God
with “all our minds” rounds out the Great Commandment of Matthew 22:37.
Twenty-first century Christianity tends to emphasize emotion and the experience
of God over the intellectual pursuit of God, but as A.W. Tozer wrote, “What
comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about
us.”
3)
American culture and many specific
sub-cultures demand that we be educated about our faith – Let’s face it,
America is no longer a Christian nation and we can’t simply assume that people
believe in God as we jump into presentations of the Gospel that begin and end
with sin and Jesus’ death on the Cross. Effective evangelism requires us to
meet people where they’re at, to give evidence for the existence of God, and to
help people wrestle with their questions at a deeper level. Spend any amount of
time doing ministry at most public academic institutions and this becomes
blatantly obvious.
4)
Practical experience alongside theological
training – My theology and what I believe about who God is and how he operates
in the world will affect and inform every aspect of my life and ministry.
Seminary is a great time to work out what I believe about suffering, sin,
salvation, and other important doctrines of the faith while simultaneously
being involved in ministry and working with real-life people who are
questioning those issues themselves. If I haven’t worked out for myself why
suffering exists or why I think the resurrection is true, how can I even begin
to minister to and reassure people working through those same issues?
5)
The Church needs people who are theologically
and biblically trained – If Martin Luther had never stressed salvation through
“faith alone” in the 16th century, our Christianity would look
drastically different, many of our churches might not be “in the truth” and
religious doctrine might even do more harm than good. Or what if modern
evangelical scholars and pastors weren’t around to defend the authenticity of
the Bible and the ministry of Jesus? Who would do so? What if people didn’t
continue to teach and learn the biblical languages in order to more accurately
exegete and interpret the Bible? As Father Richard Rohr says, “there is a
symbiosis between immature groups and immature leaders.” Without proper
training, we risk shallowness and heresy in teaching the Word of God. I for one
shudder at the thought of being responsible to God for what I write and teach
without having at least taken steps to learn from the mistakes of others and to
be informed about my methods of interpretation.
6)
Grow in spiritual maturity – In having the
opportunity to learn how to read the Scriptures in their original languages and
through studying church history and philosophy, I have become even more in awe
of who God is and how He is at work in the world. I also have the opportunity
to study with people from all different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures
and to have their passions and biblical perspectives rub off on me. Taking a
season of life to attend seminary offers focused time to spend with the Lord
and the opportunity to refine one’s life and fall more in love with Jesus by
being immersed in the Word and in community.
I write this not to persuade anyone to go to seminary or to
insinuate that all Christians should receive formal theological training but to
perhaps offer a balanced view of an institution that has been attacked in
recent years by many inside the Church. My hope is that if you are considering
what God might have for you in the future, that you would follow where He is
leading and do what seems to be best for your family, your own relationship
with God, and your future ministry. And if you’re simply someone who has unfairly
criticized the role of theological education or professors or students
themselves, I hope this helps you to see seminaries in a different light. As
someone in the midst of this kind of training and as a future pastor, we need
encouragement and support, not negative tweets and judgmental attacks. We, your
brothers and sisters in Christ - with all of our shortcomings and weaknesses -
simply long to love and serve God and His church more fully.
-CK
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