This week I had the pleasure of attending a meeting for ministers in New York. One of the largest urban churches in NY, Brooklyn Tabernacle sponsors this meeting regularly. The attendance was strong and the worship was moving. The sermon was anointed.
After worship, we had a tasty buffet-type lunch in the church’s fellowship rooms. Then, we spent some informal time with the host pastor. As I was walking through the corridors of the church, I met the pastor and reintroduced myself as it has been a while since I have spoken to him. He mistakenly introduced me to his wife as a student at Regent University–this is a common mistake. Immediately, I corrected him, informing him that I am a professor at Regent University–and then I handed him my business card. I explained to him that I also direct the Youth and Urban Renewal Center. I complimented his important work in the urban city of Brooklyn New York. He took a look at my card and then patted me on the arm with the card and said, “Good. Glad to have you.”
After lunch, during the informal time, Pastor Cymbala commented on two points–one of which I was not sure about and another that disturbed me deeply. First, he said, “Nobody cares about denominations anymore.” While I do not know that a broad statement like this is substantiated empirically, I would say that there seems to be an influx of more and more independent churches or small newly developing non-denominational denominations. So, this might speak positively to the pastor’s sweeping claim. Secondly, “Nobody cares about education,” Cymbala affirmed. He went on to explain that “in the streets of Brooklyn, people want to know if you can help them if they are hungry. They do not care if you have a Ph.D. or not.” There are many ways to take this statement. To some degree it is true. When I heard it, however, I shook in my seat. In the ears of aspiring ministers and ministers contemplating theological education it is easy to conclude that statements like this are confirmation that theological education is not necessary for ministry. Admittedly, I was a little embarrassed to even be there. “So much for introducing myself,” I thought. On the second thought I was not sure if I should take this statement personally– especially because slandering comments towards theological education often finds common place among several “evangelical,” “Charismatic,” “Pentecostal-type,” “Spirit-filled,” “Renewal” urban church circles– yet not all.
This blog-post, therefore, is not meant to serve as a lash-out against Cymbala; I appreciate his very important ministry. Usually, such opinion about theological education emerges from the lips of people who do not have higher formalized education or those who had a bad experience with it. I do not know if either of these is true in this case. Moreover, the theological academy should exist as partner with the churches to prepare ministers from a broad pool of interests for the purpose of renewing the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Perhaps, however, there is something in this statement to which theological education should listen. Or, perhaps a lively conversation on the issue of theological education and its purpose should continue between urban churches and the theological academy.
First of all, the statement speaks to mis-education among many urban ministers on the issue of theological education for the 21st century. I argue that statements such as the one from Cymbala (when taken constructively) speaks to a more deliberate shift in theological education that states with and takes seriously the situations in life, reflecting on the Classics in theological training and critically engaging situations of everyday life– including both questions about doctrines of salvation and questions about poverty. As a Practical Theologian, I call this dialectical process “theologizing about everyday life.” Some important questions that we ponder in the theological academy today are “what does God require of us in regards to issues such as poverty, war, immigration, homelessness, gangs, global warming, abuse, sex trafficking etc.” The follow-up question is “how should we address the issues?” So, then the theological thinking must transition to theological actions.
Secondly, the opinions that down-play theological education endorses theological and biblical illiteracy in an increasingly biblically illiterate society. While the everyday life is pertinent in theological reflection, it is the starting point, so far as I see it. Practical Theologians like Don Browning, David Tracey, John Perkins, Linda Cannell and others help me understand that there is no sound theology that does not start with lived experience. However, the pastor must not simply address lived experience with good deeds. If so, the church relegates itself to a social service organization. In other words, should churches just stop having worship services and taking up money and just go out and feed the hungry? Absolutely not!
The pastors of the 21st century must critically engage issues by setting them in constant dialogue with the tenets of Christian faith–for example, the Bible, history of Christian theology, and the Holy Spirit. Theological education gives the pastor tools to engage these and other tenets in subjects like Systematic Theology, History of Christian Theology or Church History, Biblical Studies, Spiritual Formation, etc.
Thirdly, the statement is misguided as I hear many pastors who rely heavily on sermon methods that require exegetical investigations into biblical languages to unearth their messages. If nobody cares about education, why do so many pastors who are not formally educated spend so much time in commentaries digging out the Hebrew and Greek terms to help them craft sermons? Folks, that is education! The authors of the commentaries probably have some form of education–the most reliable commentaries are written by scholars!
If preachers today take quality theological education seriously, they will avoid some of the mis-usage of the biblical languages. All too often, preachers on television and in many of our churches are quick to say, “in the Greek or Hebrew this or that…” Often, they do not use the language lexicon responsibly. Guess what? The theological academy teaches these languages and how to use the lexicon responsibly!
Alas, the urban communities need a lot of help. Yet, many of the churches do not endorse education enough–theological or otherwise. If we think people do not care about education, we need to help people understand the value education. Education, including theological education is essential in the renewal of an increasingly urban world. The old adage says, “we can give a person a fish and she or he will eat one day; we can teach her or him to fish and she or he will eat many days.” The lesson here is that education is more of a hand up rather than a hand out.
I contend that people DO care about education! They need people who are educated in areas that matter. Therefore, ministers must learn more about the plethora of issues paramount in urban areas, and they need education to help them think and act theologically in response to them. Often people cheat themselves as they are misguided in their educational pursuits. In fact, the ministers that gathered at BT for the minister’s meeting were there for a form of education, only they were misinformed in their need for more formal theological education.
Urban Communities need education. Urban pastors need quality theological education. Let’s promote it among ourselves ministers; let’s endorse education broadly in urban areas–especially!
I close my reflections with words of wisdom from Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….” and from II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved unto God; a worker that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
Our God is a God of knowledge!
Often we think of the Spirit and the anointing of God in privatized categories with little concern for the everyday experience of the collective human family. We like to soak in prayer like Theresa of Avila. We like to come together to sing. We feel good when we do these things because we have come to believe that this is what a good Spirit-filled Christian is suppose to do. Although these are essential practices for the Christian. But there is much more!
