Far too often I find that Bible majors are asking themselves this question: Why do I have to learn any of this? I can't say that I totally disagree. After sitting through 20 pages of a book describing the rise and fall of the kings of Judah and Israel and the related kings of Moab, Aram Damascus, Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt, I start to feel overloaded as well.
I feel like their is no better example of the tension between practicality and scholarship than the creation of a sermon. When we teach young preachers we harp about the importance of doing all the proper exegetical work.
The problem is this, we can't imagine Peter and Paul messing with lexicons, commentaries, and journal articles. I mean I don't think that there was 10 hours of study behind the day of Pentecost. I think that he just got up there and let it fly. He knew his message, and he didn't have to sit in an office and mess around with properly contexualizing his message. It just seems like the world of the New Testament was so much more organic in their approach.
Obviously we are at a bit of disadvantage. We don't speak Greek. We don't know Jesus from hanging out with him personally. Then there is that whole inspiration/Holy Spirit thing.
In the end I think that there must be an understanding of the gap between us and Jesus. Make no mistake, it does mean something that I am a 21 year old, suburban, American, English speaking, Church of Christer who is trying to follow a 33 year old, divine, Jewish Carpenter who grew up in Nazareth in the first few decades of this side of the Virgin Birth. I don't care what we say about everyone being able to understand the Bible easily (note I do believe that a knowledge that can lead to salvation is possible for anyone mentally capable enough to get lost in the first place) in the end there is too much that we just can't know with out study. Shouldn't we expect the revelation of the mind of God to man to be complex, especially after the mitigating factors of time, space, and culture?
I was talking with someone about one of the faculty members here at HU the other day, and I caught myself saying that he was a great paradigm for the mixture of faith, ministry, and scholarship. Then I thought, at what point did that become important? I think that the difference really is the contextual gap between us and Jesus.
There is also the issue of having the right tools to reach the world. If I go to underdeveloped nations than I need to be ready to dig wells. When I am in a place where people are dealing with loss I need to bring comfort. In a world that is still in the clutches of modern scientific thought in many ways (we still trust statistics and studies more than even personal experience) we use our brains as the primary weapon and extended hand to a world obsessed with the "facts."
I guess I am saying that I see an elementary need to be a more intelligent Christian, and I really don't know why I find that so important. Following a religion pioneered by average Joes in many ways it is hard to justify sometimes.
Maybe the best I can conjure is this. Christ said that he would expect much from the one who was giving much. I know that we as a society, and particularly I as an individual, have been given a great blessing in the wealth of mental resources we have, be it our brains or previous research. We should take full advantage of that.
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Caleb, I don't even know if you'll catch this comment, and I don't think I can do justice for what I wish to say, considering how tired I am. First of all, I agree with you. The intellectual side is important and has its place. Jesus grew in his knowledge, and it cannot be denied that Paul was a learned man. In fact, in terms of knowing God and the Scripture, most Jewish children would be doing better than us. They learned it at a very young age. However, I also believe that the organic nature of their teaching came from the fact that they learned from their experiences. Their walk with Christ taught them so many things. In my opinion books are important, particularly the Bible, because in some ways it is the only way we can get some sort of grasp on God and his work in man, and in history. However, I believe some of the most important learning comes from the journey, from the relationship one develops with God. From this understanding the message flows. I don't know if that makes sense, but maybe I can elaborate further sometime.
Kyle
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