Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand, ed. Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New Possibilities for Church Leadership. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016. See here to purchase the book.
Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand co-wrote a book entitled The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision. The book Becoming a Pastor Theologian,
which they edit, includes essays by scholars about the role that
theology can play in the life of the church. In short, can the academic
study of theology perform a practical function in the lives of
Christians, or is it an arcane, esoteric enterprise?
In this review, I will comment on the essays.
Peter J. Leithart, “The Pastor Theologian as Biblical Theologian: From the Church for the Church.”
This is a strong first chapter. Leithart performs a scholarly
analysis and interpretation of Revelation 17, then he shows how his
insights about the chapter can be employed homiletically.
James K.A. Smith, “The Pastor Theologian as Political Theologian: Ministry Amidst the Earthly City.”
For Smith, Augustine’s thoughts are relevant to the question of how
Christianity should relate to the political realm. Smith is critical of
blaming Augustine for “Holy Roman Empire”-ism, noting that Augustine
differentiated between “the earthly city and the city of God” (page
35). Smith should have addressed the view, however, that Augustine
advocated the state persecution of heretics; as it stands, the chapter
appears rather rosy. Smith also discusses Augustine’s correspondence
with Boniface, an African governor and a Roman general who had an
interest in Christianity. Augustine offered theological justifications
for Boniface’s participation in war, maintaining that Boniface’s work
was necessary to keep Christians, and others, safe.
Kevin Vanhoozer, “The Pastor Theologian as Public Theologian.”
Speaking for myself, I identified with what Vanhoozer said on pages
41-42: “Most scholars are specialists who know about a little, but are
tongue tied when it comes to the big questions.” I also liked
Vanhoozer’s reference to Neil Plantinga’s advice that pastors read at
least one novel a year, as part of their quest “to understand culture
and people” (page 46).
Gerald Hiestand, “The Pastor Theologian as Ecclesial Theologian.”
On page 61, Hiestand offers specific examples of how academic topics
about the Bible and theology can be employed in a practical church
context.
Todd Wilson, “The Pastor Theologian as Cruciform Theologian.”
On page 73, Wilson talks about how his own trials and experiences enabled him to understand and appreciate the Bible better.
Scott M. Manetsch, “Pastoral and Theological Leadership in Calvin’s Geneva.”
According to Manetsch, ministers in John Calvin’s Geneva were
expected to study, and ministers were supposed to gather with other
ministers so that none of them would fall into heresy! That sounds like
too much group-think for my taste! Still, Manetsch did an effective
job in gleaning practical application and insights from Calvin’s Geneva.
Philip Graham Ryken, “Thomas Boston as Pastor Theologian.”
Thomas Boston lived from 1676 to 1732, and he was a Presbyterian
pastor in Scotland. This chapter covers Boston’s use of the Scriptures
in his preaching and lectures, his personal trials, and his views on the
sacraments. This was my favorite chapter in the book, since it
resonated with the part of me that enjoys reading about the Puritans.
Ryken says that half of the typical sermon that Boston delivered
concerned how to apply Scripture to the Christian life, and that made me
think of Jonathan Edwards’ extensive sermons. Yet, Boston was more
succinct than many preachers of his day: he would follow an hour glass,
and, when a half hour had passed, he would put an “X” in his manuscript
to mark where he would begin the following Sunday! On the sacraments,
Boston in one quote seemed to come close to supporting
transubstantiation, which struck me as odd, for a Presbyterian. Boston
also had noteworthy views on baptism, as he opposed private baptisms and
refused to baptize ill babies lest baptism become a superstitious
rite. Boston himself was aware of the pain surrounding infant
mortality, however, for he lost six children.
Chris Castaldo, “The Pastor Theologian as Mentor: The Legacy of John Henry Newman.”
Castaldo shares that writing about Newman was his Plan B, in terms of
this chapter. Castaldo originally wanted to write about Martin Bucer,
as Castaldo notes that Bucer mentored John Calvin in pastoral ministry.
Part of me wonders if we could have done without that information about
Castaldo’s writing process, and yet Castaldo’s reference to Bucer’s
mentorship of Calvin did enhance the chapter, as it showed that
mentoring played a key role in who John Calvin became. Castaldo’s
discussion of Newman had interesting details: Newman’s problem with
Oxford’s system “in which academic tutors were mere lecturers who
scarcely knew their students,” and his collaborative work to move the
system towards mentoring (page 113); Newman’s disagreement with
evangelicals who defined justification merely as imputation, and how
that related to mentoring; and Newman’s conceptualization of conversion
as an intensely personal act, in which God’s heart speaks to the
person’s heart. That latter point was noteworthy, considering the
communitarian subject-matter of this chapter.
Joel D. Lawrence, “The Eccleasial Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.”
Bonhoeffer, like Barth, thought that theology should be for the
church. Barth, after all, called his multi-volume work of theology
“Kirchliche Dogmatik,” or Church Dogmatics! On page 131, Lawrence
discusses Bonhoeffer’s time at Union Theological Seminary in New York
City. Lawrence states: “Here, Bonhoeffer saw the theological limpness
of the American liberal tradition in the mainline churches but
experienced the passionate preaching of the Gospel in the Abyssinian
Baptist Church in Harlem, an African-American congregation that gave him
a vision of the church that he’d never experienced in Europe.”
Lawrence did not provide substantial detail about this, but what he said
made me curious about the influence of the African-American church on
Bonhoeffer.
Edward W. Klink III, “The Pastor Theologian and the Interpretation of Scripture: A Call for Ecclesial Exegesis.”
I liked this chapter more than I expected. Klink elegantly defends a
Christian theological reading of the Bible, as opposed to a
historical-critical reading that atomizes the text, arguably depriving
individual texts of their larger canonical or theological context.
Klink actually says that the atomist historical-critical approach is
eisegesis, a charge that atomist historical-critics usually apply to
Christian theological readings! Klink attempts to account theologically
for a tension between John 3:22 and 4:2, which appear to be
contradictory on the question of whether Jesus baptized anyone. Klink’s
explanation struck me as rather forced, yet his approach of seeking
theological edification in the “errors” of Scripture (not that he would
necessarily call them “errors”) intrigued me, as do rabbinic and
patristic attempts to do so. Klink also provides a helpful discussion
of the idea that Scripture is perspicuous: for Klink, that does not mean
that a biblical text’s meaning is obvious, but rather it relates to the
role of Scripture in speaking to and changing a human being, with the
Holy Spirit’s illumination.
Jason A. Nicholls, “The Pastor Theologian in the Pastoral Epistles.”
The Pastoral Epistles are I-II Timothy and Titus. What stood out to
me in this chapter was Nicholl’s contrast between the pastorate,
including the pastorate in the Pastoral Epistles, with academia. To
give you a taste, from page 155: “Thus, when Paul advises Timothy to
‘silence’ (or literally ‘muzzle’) his theological opponents, we can
imagine that this probably wouldn’t fly before a tenure committee! Yet
within the context of local church discipline, exercised faithfully
under the authority of qualified elders, such censure would be quite
appropriate. In fact, the integrity and health of God’s flock depends
on it.”
Laurie L. Norris, “The Female Ecclesial Theologian.”
Norris contends against the tendency of theological discussions to
exclude women. She argues that the fact that women, too, are made in
God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) means that they have insight about God, as
men do. She maintains that conservative Christians can exclude women
from the pastorate on what they believe are biblical grounds, while
still welcoming women’s theological insights.
Josh Chatraw, “The Pastor Theologian as Apologist.”
What I liked about this chapter was the digs against apologetics,
from both academics and also prominent church thinkers, such as Barth,
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Abraham Kuyper. To quote from page 177: “In the
academy, apologist signals either a glibness that ignores
complexity in favor of easy answers or a failure to play the part of a
disinterested neutral observer—-or both.” Chatraw acknowledges that
there have been cases of bad apologetics, and he exhorts Christians to
let I Peter 3:15 to speak with its own voice, rather than jumping the
gun and assuming that it is speaking about modern apologetics. Chatraw
thinks that apologetics can have fruitful potential, if done humbly and
with the right emphasis. He cites Tim Keller as an example of a “pastor
theologian as apologist” (to quote the title of the chapter).
Eric C. Redmond, “The Pastor Theologian as Giver of Wisdom.”
This chapter was about the importance of wisdom literature, such as
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and how it can be preached within a larger
theological context.
Douglas Estes, “John as Pastor Theologian: 2 John as Creative Theological Ecriture.”
Estes observes that II John creatively applies and adapts biblical
passages about love: John “recreates the meaning of the original
commandment in a new form” (page 198). To quote Estes (from page 198):
“Whereas the law suggests that loving God comes alongside obeying God’s
commands, John synthesizes these two ideas and suggests that loving God is
obeying God’s commands. In fact, we can trace the development of
John’s theology from obeying God’s commands as a condition of loving God
(Jn 14:15), to obeying God’s commands as the definition of love God
desires (1 Jn 5:3), to love being the action of walking in God’s
commands” (2 Jn 6).” These are interesting observations, as I enjoy
discussions about the diversity of Scripture. Estes’ discussion here
would have been better, however, had he explained more the implications
of this development, what it entailed, and why it occurred. How are
these ideas different from each other, and what is at stake? Estes’
discussion of antichrist in II John was especially effective, as Estes
explained how denying that Jesus came in the flesh undermined
significant Christian doctrines, and thus deserved the label of
antichrist!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My review is honest!