One of the things that resonated with me is how Vanhoozer and Strachan define the pastor as a public theologian. For Vanhoozer, a pastor is a public theologian because the pastor preaches and has other ecclesial responsibilities. By declaring God’s work in Christ, the pastor must prepare the congregation by preaching the gospel, therefore growing believers who help spread the gospel in their daily walk. The standard meaning of public theology is “theology in and for the public square”(Vanhoozer, 2015, pg.17). A pastor is a pubic theologian because one is involved with people in a community. For Strachan, a pastor is a public theologian because there is a connection between the tri-fold office of Jesus – the prophet, priest, and king – and the connection to pastoral theology. These three forms of ministry are theological and the work of an ecclesial public theologian. One interesting point he makes is that until very recently the local congregational leader aka the pastor has served as a theological shepherd of the church. He draws on the historical role of the pastor to make his point about a pastor being a public theologian.
Resonant disagreement
While I agree with the authors that one has to capture the vision of pastoral ministry by embracing the role of public theologian in order to continue to grow and serve the churches, the pastor also needs to embrace the present culture in light of Scripture because this leads the congregation toward the glory of God. It is important that the pastor maintain the roles of disciple-maker, catechist, evangelist, apologist and liturgist; therefore the study of Scripture and theology is imperative to a pastor. However, after reading these first hundred pages, I feel this vision may be lost today. Many pastors today do not have the training or the desire to engage in theology. Being a pastor today is so much more than preaching a few sermons on Sunday, hospital visits, marriage ceremonies, and counseling. The idea of the pastor doing theological work to disciple their congregation has been loss. For example, about ten years ago, I attended a church where the pastor was a professor in a seminary. He was great at historical and systemic theology but his sermons did not build up the body of Christ, nor did he present clear theological truths to those of us who lacked the academic training. To put it bluntly, most people were lost and confused. He was great at connecting societal issues to historical theology by somehow missed reaching his target audience sitting in the sanctuary. This pastor’s practices and theology did not reach people through his ministries of Word and deed. As Strachan proclaimed, this congregational leader did not serve as a theological shepherd of his church (Strachan, 2015, pg.80). This idea of the theological pastor being lost really disturbed me.
Discussion question
Today, pastors must present biblical truths to people who have become resistant to it. It is important to understand the history of ideas and the cultural narratives of today’s climate and be able to reach people from different cultures. Do you feel it is important to have a solid theological education and deliver a high level of theologically informed leadership in your ministry? Additionally, the work of being a public theologian is life-altering and challenging to always think theologically, intellectually, and practically in public ministry. How do you see this being true in your ministry today?
References
Vanhoozer, K. J., & Strachan, O. (2015). The pastor as public theologian: Reclaiming a lost vision. Grand Rapids,MI: Baker.