I agree with Lisa’s approach to this matter: the usefulness of higher learning. Let me make two points: 1. concerning the claim that some seminaries require their facullty to adhere to denominational beliefs, the solution is simply to carefully and prayfully select the seminary one attends.

21. Some churches/denominations have a tradtion of academic teaching and scholarship (especiAlly those founded in Europe such as the methodist, Catholic, Anglican, Pysbeterian, Lutheran etc) others have a tradition of being anti-intellectual. pseudo-intellectual ( especially thsoe founded in USA such as Pentcostal, Adventist, Jehovah Witness,). Remember Mark Noll’s fine book “Scandal of the Evengelical Mind”. Church memebrs can often imbible and inherit the historic legacy and tradition of their church denomination based on the views of its early founders and unwittingly consider it to be “normal christianity”

As a former journalist, I’ve learned that no one can be totally objective. Nor can imperfect human beings teach, preach or write perfectly. It is because we all have personal strong opinions about how things should be, that we go into certain professions in the first place, which give us a venue to express them. Certainly one can see that on this blog, which generally has wide and varied, indeed often passionately expressed opinions, from many different sources.

However, I have found the best learning/teaching comes when there is a free flow of ideas allowed from both sides, which are presented in good context and built upon a foundation of known facts. Otherwise, we confuse more folks than we teach by speculating on what should be, or could be true, rather than exploring or building on what actually is.

While there are any number of ways to interpret the facts, which those here who are lawyers can also tell you, it is always incumbent upon the individual Christian, in the final analysis, to come to a conclusion which takes the whole counsel of God into account.

This is true whether we are seminarians or lay people, because God is going to hold us personally responsible for what we believe and do, not someone else. However, from observing what I have in my own years of ministry, there seems to me to be much more emphasis placed today on individual denominational practices in the church in general, rather than teaching biblically applied theology. Consequently, I see a much greater tendency among Christians to evolve into separate theological camps, based upon the opinions of favorite teachers, pastors, or early church leaders.

PPS. My wife says that she did find her experience ‘hateful’ but didn’t always enjoy her experience. Oops.

@ Lisa,

I think my comments were too broad. My wife and I live in Ontario, Canada, and some of these comments are related to our own limited experiences with persons from specific seminaries in Canda (though not in Ontario). I can hear Chuck Swindoll and David Jerimiah from a station that broadcasts in Buffalo. Of course, I love them both.

Additionally, the Pastor who mentored me at my last church was very well educated and I never felt this emphasis or dependence on the intellect was an issue at all. I thought he was great. Further, I came very near to applying to seminary myself and don’t have a generalized grudge against all institutions under this banner (my wife went to a Christian school that she found hateful, but that’s not to say that all Christian schools are ‘bad’). It sounds like your seminary experience was very good ad that you attended an excellent school. Are they in the majority? I don’t know.

To be more straightforward, in recent experience, we’ve had a whole run of people saying things to us (who have some kind of seminary training) that is very simply contradictory to scripture. That is, people have seemed to go off to school, and come back with higher opinions of themselves, very condescending opinions about lay persons and views that are very cleverly articulated in a new vocabularly, scholarly and obviously unscriptural. Then they cap off the conversation by recommending that I go for a few courses!

At least here in Ontario, we are hearing the same things from the pulpet sometimes. People are straying into the heretical but they’re always wandering over there with their thinking caps on (so to speak) and some people are following.

I understand that my comments were too broad and it is very helpful to read your response. I need to be broader in my thinking. The US, North America, and the world are all big places. Maybe I need to find a seminary in the states to attend at some point.

At the same time, please believe that real problems with real seminaries do exist. My experience is not imaginary and my comments are not (imv) ill concieved. I would be very surprised if it’s just happening to me and it may account, in large part, for some of the resistence to higher christian education. This resistence, at least for me, where I am, is based on a devotion to God.

For example, the “preach the word” verse has been a real thing for me too. We do hear people with a great deal of education tell us things sometimes that are just not in line with what the bible teaches and this verse comes in response to that I think.

Know what I mean?

PS. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my comments and I think your article is very good and well written!

I agree that there can be a tendency to rely on intellectual abilities; however, few of us can walk with God for very long before we learn from experience that his ways are higher than our ways. There are times when all we can do is humbly trust in God’s sovereignty. It’s why the following verses are generally at the core of my prayer life – to keep me focused on the truth of John 15:5 – that apart from Him, I can do nothing.

Rather than nestle in the comfort zone of intellectualism, I keep Isaiah 29:14b close in mind: “…the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Paul’s prayer in I Thess. 3:12 says, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other…” It doesn’t ask that wisdom and knowledge will increase and overflow.

Again, Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love [not rooted and established in wisdom or knowledge] may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” It doesn’t say that knowledge surpasses love.

Colossians 3:14 says, “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” It’s neither wisdom nor knowledge that binds them all together in perfect unity. It’s love.

Even if we can “fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,” without love, we are nothing (I Cor. 13:2).

I love to learn, but I want to love God and love others more.

Thanks, Lisa, for the recommendation of Mary Jo Sharpe’s blog. I’ll be sure to check it out.

Steve, I can only imagine that you received your information from someone who has not gone through the seminary process or these are conclusions that maybe you arrived at on your own. If anything, seminary let’s you know how much you don’t know and fosters, or should foster an increased dependence on the Lord. I hear statistics all the time of the longevity of the average seminary grad in ministry. I do believe that for that percentage that quit within 5 years (sorry don’t know the number off hand but will look it up), are the ones as you describe that put total confidence in their knowledge and intellectual abilities. I would challenge you to listen to well known preachers that graduated from the same seminary I attend – Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah and Chip Ingram to name a few. You will find in their teaching a solid foundation that seminary provided for which they express gratitude but a complete and humble dependence upon the Lord. There is a reason these seminary grads have survived and thrived in ministry and its not because of their intellectual knowledge.

Denise, I believe you have gotten to the heart of the issue. Seminary is not about being indoctrinated with teaching but learning how to investigate the issues for yourself so you don’t end up teaching “pop-theology”.

I also share your concern about women instructors and instruction provided to women. Sadly, I find that in general, women shy away from meatier theological topics and gravitate towards the fluffy stuff, as I call it. It’s teaching that appeals to the emotion and makes us feel better about ourselves but may be loosely grounded in sound exegesis and doctrine. Even in seminary, most steer clear of languages and more academic subjects. In my first year greek, I was one of 3 ladies in the fall and one of 2 in the spring. And that’s out of a class of about 25. I would love to see women more engaged in theological discourse and learning.

It’s interesting, I have recently been alerted to a couple of women’s blogs that were touted by very well recognized evangelical sources as a place for serious thinkers. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed to find it was more of the same ‘women’ kind of fluffy theology. However, one exception I have discovered is the Confident Christianity blog by Mary Jo Sharpe who is one of the few recognized woman apologists in the country.

PS. Please ignore my inadequAte spelling!

I think one of my concerns is that leaders will be robbed of their most valuable asset: a complete sense of inadequicey. I’m not endorsing ignorance to safegaurd humility. That’s not what I mean. I just think that, while knowledge can be good, it’s just not enough.

I think a more feeble instrument that knows its frailty is always of more use to God than a feeble instrument that has lost touch with its own inadequicey and need.

“Before seminary I had 5 stones and a sling shot. Now? Broad Sword, Bronze Shield, Tactical Training–a superior arsenal of arguments and head knowledge.”

I think it’s very important to come to terms with the frequent superficiality and limitations of intellectual knowledge, and the narrowness of the pride that sometimes drives people to exclusively inhabit this arena.

The appearence of mere competency is simply not enough. I guess everyone was better equipped than David but the approach was all wrong. “We have armour, experience, training, but none of it is sufficient to this giant…”

1 Samuel 17:45 (New International Version)

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Incidentally, God still made excellent use of his sling and stones, and could (I’m sure) have made just as good use of a sword and shield. Sword’s are fine–big ones, iron ones, sharp and heavy but you can’t beat giants with them. You can’t move mountains. Think of the description of Goliath. All out of porportion with anything practical that you could throw at the problem. Only faith could conquer that. Only reliance on God and only God Himself. And if we are very fortunate, God will see that we are sufficiently weak to really trust in Him.

Thank you for your article on the value of higher education for prospective teachers of the Bible. There has been some discussion as to the value of learning vs. doing – as if they are diametrically opposed. I believe that one is the natural outflow of the other. There is a strong movement within the church to mobilize people into action for the cause of many social justice issues, which is a wonderful thing. We know that faith without deeds is dead. However, I also feel called to pursue a doctorate in theology at a seminary, and some may view this as a waste of time when I could be out there serving – doing something good for others. Thus, your advocacy for higher learning is much appreciated.

Naturally, no educational institution is completely devoid of presuppositions; therefore, while it is preferable that professors provide an objective learning environment, it is a student’s responsibility to decipher and discover what he or she believes. I just finished an M.A. in English (rhetoric and composition) at a public California University where all of my professors were atheists and of a very liberal mindset. Listening to their thoughts, or even their propaganda, on post-modern theories that compromise or eradicate authorial intent did not sway my beliefs, but I can dialogue better as to why I don’t necessarily ascribe to some ways of thinking. All this to say: I am not interested in passively receiving potentially biased knowledge as served by seminary professors, but rather, I am interested in actively learning what the theological issues are and then inviting the Holy Spirit 1) to help me grapple with those ideas, 2) to come to a better understanding of God’s Word, and 3) to apply God’s Truth to my life.

While the discussion here focused mostly on pastors/teachers, I would also posit that many women’s Bible studies offered during the week at churches are taught by well-meaning, even well-read, women. At best, only a few of them have studied at a seminary. I don’t offer this as criticism – only a fact. I feel called to study the Bible intently because I feel called to teach. While I am an avid reader, much of what I read comes from the shelves of Christian bookstores. I believe in the value of higher education because when I teach, I don’t want to teach “pop-theology.”