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Posted by on Dec 17, 2012 in Seminary Studies | 2 comments

Future Education in Theology vs. Exegesis

D.A. Carson’s new book, Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed, is his brief foray not only into the meaning of “son of God” in Scripture, but also how a biblical and theological study of the term contributes to the current debates over how to translate “Son of God” in Muslim contexts.

I’ll have more to say about that latter aspect of the book later, but right now, I just want to highlight something that was really a bit of an aside in the book, but one that has spurred me to think about the possibility of future education.

Carson writes:

In fact, contemporary systematic theology frequently generates dissertations on, say, John Owen’s view of the atonement (which properly belongs to historical theology) or perichoresis and personhood in the Trinity (which largely turns on philosophical theology), with relatively little work devoted to the kind of constructive, normative theology that builds a case, starting from the Bible, of what Christians ought to believe. Moreover, systematicians are sometimes at least as disdainful of rigorous exegesis as biblical scholars are of systematic theology.

His point is that PhD studies have become so specialized into examining aspects of specific theological concepts and theologians that there is often little room left for exploring further how the Scriptures actually guide us in our theological endeavors.

Given that I have interests in pursuing a PhD in theology in the future, this certainly gives me pause. That is, if this is the case (and talking with friends engaged in advanced study, it certainly rings true in many cases), then would PhD studies really benefit me?

Or, perhaps I should ask a different question. Should I specifically try to find a way to do advanced studies that allows for more integration of systematic or historical theology and biblical exegesis? Will such a desire be possible within such a highly specialized field?

Clearly, I don’t have answers on all of this yet, but it certainly has me thinking about the role and task of theology in the context of the study of Scripture.

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Posted by on Jun 7, 2012 in Website News |

Most Read Posts from the Last Two Years

I haven’t really gone back and looked at stats on my posts in quite a while, so I thought it would be interesting to look back in the Google Analytics data to see which posts have generated the most traffic since I started tracking such data in March 2010. The results probably aren’t too surprising, given certain incoming links to some of these articles, but nonetheless, I did find it interesting which posts were read the most.

#1 Reformed Distance Theological Education Programs (June 2010)

This post has generated quite a bit of traffic from Google searches, probably because of the high degree of interest from the Reformed community in pursuing advanced theological degrees. It could probably be expanded somewhat (and I have edited it since it first went up), but it gives a good starting place for degrees available from a Reformed perspective by distance.

#2 Cowboys and Aliens and Earning God’s Presence (August 2011)

Now I must admit that this one surprised me a bit. I saw the movie, enjoyed it, and I just happened to be struck by one quote from the preacher in there about earning God’s presence. Almost on a whim I wrote a post about it, and I suppose many others were intrigued by the quote, because Google searches continue to drive a lot of traffic to my blog because of it.

#3: MacArthur, Calvinism, and (Dispensational) Premillennialism (Part 1, 2, 3, and 4) (April to May 2010)

Parts 1 and 4 were the most read of the four total posts, but these continue to generate significant traffic both from Google and from links from other sources. Actually, if I did count the total pageviews from all four posts, they would probably be #1 instead of #3, but I just counted #1, which has the third most pageviews overall. I suppose many people must be searching for a response to MacArthur’s talk that he gave back in 2007 on this topic.

#4: Review of Allah: A Christian Response by Miroslav Volf (March 2011)

The overall traffic to my blog is probably higher than suggested from the pageviews of this post because much of the traffic on my home page comes from this review which was also posted on The Gospel Coalition Reviews site. But it has generated a lot of link and Google traffic as many people wrestle with the ideas presented in Volf’s book.

#5: Review of Generous Justice by Tim Keller (January 2011)

I’ve written quite a bit about themes related to the subjects covered in this book, but this review draws a number of visitors in from Google who are looking for thoughts on Tim Keller’s approach to social justice.

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Posted by on May 10, 2012 in Seminary Studies | 1 comment

Some Thoughts about Ministry, Particularly for Those in Seminary by Ken Pierce

Ken Pierce, a pastor in my denomination in Mississipi, recently wrote a post entitled Some Thoughts about Ministry, Particularly for Those in Seminary. While I’m no longer in seminary, I will be ordained on May 19th, and so I found his thoughts particularly applicable to me as I begin the next stage of my life. While my ministry will look a little different in that it will be in a cross-cultural context, I think many of them still apply.

I’d encourage you to read all 25 points, but here a few I found particularly compelling:

16.) When people leave your church, it hurts.  When they leave because of you, it hurts double.  This will happen.
17.) Sometimes you will be paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of your own inadequacy.
18.) At some point, somebody will probably accuse you of not preaching the gospel.  Make sure they’re wrong.
19.) If you can’t hold people’s interest with Scripture for twenty-five minutes, it’s not the Scripture that’s boring.
20.) Short notes of encouragement to people who are going through tough times or serving the Lord faithfully mean a lot.  A pastor who notices and is thankful is appreciated.
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Posted by on Mar 20, 2011 in Christian Life |

Being Luther versus Wanting to be Luther

Hearing about how God used Martin Luther in such a drastic way in the church this morning, my thoughts began to drift toward how Christians–particularly those in seminary, in church leadership, in the evangelical world in general–think about Luther’s example. To be more clear, I reflected on how I, as a young seminary student who has been profoundly influenced by Luther, Calvin, and other giants of the faith, often want to be like Luther.

There’s part of that desire for emulation that is healthy. Luther took a stand on the Scriptures. His conscience, he famously proclaimed, is held captive to the word of God. He refused to give up his commitment to God’s word, both in principle and in practice. And our day certainly needs men and women who will refuse–on a host of issues–to put anything ahead of Scripture as the final authority.

But, on the other hand, there’s a difference between being like Luther, learning from his example, and wanting to be the next Martin Luther. He sparked the Protestant Reformation, led the church back to Scripture, corrected abuses, and his influence continues far beyond his grave. And many of us, seeing problems in the church, seeing problems in the world, seeing problems in everyone else, want to be Luther. We want to call people back, perhaps we want to start a movement, a fire that will spread throughout the world. And of course, we want everyone to think that we’re right and that everyone else is ignoring Scripture.

But that desire is incredibly deceptive. It is one thing to long for “God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven” and to be dedicated to helping that be a reality in the places that God has called us to. It is entirely another to wish for the notoriety and the place in history that Luther has. And the irony is that if we become focused on becoming the next Luther, we will in all likelihood give up the one thing that Luther was so dedicated to: the authority of Scripture. When it becomes about us, it becomes less about God, and will therefore be less driven by God’s word.

Luther and Calvin and others did not start out wishing to have books written about their legacies or statues made of them. Calvin, in fact, only started ministering because he was threatened with God’s curse if he didn’t start working in Geneva. Luther was simply trying to preach and teach Scripture faithfully in his local context. So perhaps, their goals should be our own. Rather than wishing for a place with them in God’s story, we ought to wish for God’s story to overcome our story. Or, put differently, we ought not to long to be Luther, but instead ought to simply be committed to Scripture in whatever situation we find ourselves. To be Luther is not to be famous. To be Luther is to love God’s word, to live it, and to proclaim it wherever we are.

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Posted by on Jan 25, 2011 in Distance Education, Seminary Studies | 3 comments

Reflections on the Seminary Experience

Having just finished my last exam for my Master of Arts in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, I’ve been reflecting on my seminary experience. I spent one year at the Orlando campus of RTS, and I’ve spent the last year and a half finishing my degree through RTS-Virtual, so my experience has been somewhat varied. I now have only one paper and my thesis (with thesis defense/integration seminar) left before I graduate, and so I’d like to reflect on my experience.

Seminary is Just an Introduction

One oft-repeated phrase in academia is the reality that when one begins to study a given topic, he quickly realizes how much he doesn’t know (or, if he doesn’t, he quickly becomes the most annoying member of the student body). That has never held true more than in my RTS experience.  While many classes were helpful, and while some definitely went deeper into topics than others, all were ultimately only an introduction to a particular field of study.

That’s not to say that I don’t feel like I’ve gained a much deeper knowledge of some subject areas. But ultimately, if one only does the required reading and what is necessary to get by, one only gets an introduction. I have learned the most when I have found a topic that deeply interests me and draws me into further study. Some might legitimately ask then, “Why get a degree from seminary then? Surely you can get an introduction to various topics on your own?” Certainly one can be introduced to a variety of topics, and even pursue further study separately from a degree program.  But aside from the reality of career qualifications and presbytery requirements, I do think that my seminary degree has forced me to gain facility in a broader array of theological and biblical disciplines than I would have done on my own, and that is worthwhile in and of itself.

Seminary Can Aid the Growth of Pride

While there are aspects of seminary that are humbling–learning from multiple sources about total depravity, that is, that you are totally and radically corrupted by sin, realizing that your professor knows more than you probably ever will, to name two–it can also provide a great opportunity for pride.  Seminary students have the privilege of learning many great theological concepts that many other people don’t know.  And even though the purpose of this knowledge is to grow and to help others to grow–in humility even–it has the strange effect of making one think that he is greater than he is because he knows much theology. But the cure is not found in forsaking seminary studies. Rather, it is found in the repeated proclamation of the gospel and the honest words of a wife and good friends.

Distance Seminary Education Can Be Effective

While certainly going to classes on campus and getting to know professors is a great privilege, distance theological education can be quite effective given certain parameters. I have found that taking classes part-time virtually has been the best decision I made about seminary. I have had much (electronic) interaction with professors, I have been able to work full-time in a satisfying job, and I have been able to serve and be mentored in the church. There is no more that one could wish from his seminary education. Obviously, distance education depends on motivation levels, local church context, and probably even previous training in the liberal arts to some extent, but if someone is willing to dedicate time to it and to be involved in the church, both practical and academic experience can combine for an excellent seminary experience.

I will likely reflect more on my seminary experience when I reach the final completion of it, but for now, I must stop, research the New Perspective on Paul some more, and then move on to studying the life and thought of Johan Herman Bavinck in great detail for my thesis.

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