Defending Intellectualism

Take a read through this article in the Washington Post. This speaks to a problem in our culture as a whole, but I also think that it speaks to a problem within the church as well. The third point is what really struck me.

I think that perhaps I have a bias since I am in seminary, but I think that there is a real place for education in the church. I have personally been guilty of not having enough feeling in my faith, but I think that we need to make sure that our faith is first rooted in cold, hard rationality. That last clause may seem like an oxymoron to an atheist or a paradox to anyone, but I do think that there is a place for rationality with faith.

We know from Hebrews that God is the author and perfector of our faith. From Ephesians 2 we know that faith is a gift that He gives us. However, we also see Paul’s exhortation to Timothy that the young pastor should study to show himself approved. I do not take this to mean that study is a necessary part of salvation as some do. However, I do think that it means that there is an expectation that leaders will indeed study.

What is study? I think it’s more than just going through the links in a chain-reference Bible. I think that it is learning about the culture of the times when the books were written. I think that it involves learning something about the original languages so that we can better understand the author’s meaning. How can we faithfully unpack Scripture for our congregations if we fail in the proper interpretation of a passage?

I still believe in the priesthood of the believer as spelled out in 1 Peter 2. However, I also think that Ephesians 4:11 makes it clear that there are jobs for pastors and teachers. James 3 seems to make a distinction for teachers as well. I hope that I can be a good one.